Merissa Principe Follow Facebook Instagram Twitter Lives In New York City Merissa Principe spends almost all year in hotels as she searches the world for the best travel, beauty, and wellness trends. She's a freelance travel writer based out of New York City. Her work has appeared in HelloGiggles, Instyle, Travel + Leisure, and other publications. Experience After graduating from college in New York City, Merissa began traveling around the United States as an actress working for an entertainment company. She lived in Germany for three years, teaching preschool on an army base for the U.S. Government. It was there that her travel addiction was born. When she moved back to New York City, she started her blog, City Girl Riss, for family and friends. Soon, she landed her first job writing for the travel and lifestyle section of CBS Local. Since then, she has started freelancing for several publications, including HelloGiggles, Instyle, Shape, Travel + Leisure, Yahoo, and more. About TripSavvy and Dotdash Meredith TripSavvy, a Dotdash Meredith brand, is a travel site written by real experts, not anonymous reviewers. You’ll find that our 20-year-strong library of more than 30,000 articles will make you a savvy traveler—showing you how to book a hotel the whole family will love, where to find the best bagel in New York City, and how to skip the lines at theme parks. We give you the confidence to spend your vacation actually vacationing, not fumbling with a guidebook or second-guessing yourself. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.