Stephanie Oswald: Editor
“travelgirl is more than a magazine – it’s a feeling. Our readers will have the information they need for successful, practical and pleasurable journeys in today’s ever-changing world. We’ll make escape simple, whether it’s a spa treatment at home – or a three week exotic adventure.”
In print, on the Web or on-air, Stephanie Oswald knows how to tell a travel story. As the Editor-in-Chief of travelgirl magazine and a Web Correspondent for The Weather Channel, she reports on everything from stress-relieving spa treatments and unique escapes around the world to the human side of a hurricane. She is the co-founder of travelgirl– the first national travel magazine to launch after the events of 9/11. The bi-monthly travel and lifestyle publication was chosen by industry leader Mr. Magazine as one of the “most notable” launches of 2003.
Oswald is a native New Yorker who spent 13 years globetrotting as CNN’s travel correspondent and host of the weekend program, CNN Travel Now. Her CNN reporting took her everywhere from The Great Wall of China to The Grand Canyon. She’s a savvy traveler– whether it’s a business or pleasure trip, international or domestic. In 2003, she also launched a groundbreaking series called The Weather Channel Road Crew that showcased the “fun” side of weather. In 2004, she filed written and audio reports during Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne as the very first Web Correspondent for Weather.com.
In addition to managing the editorial side of travelgirl magazine, she currently teaches Travel Writing Skills and Successful TV Presence at the Emory University Center for Lifelong Learning in Atlanta, and is a media consultant for Atamira Communications. She has also spent time as a Hearst Fellow at the University of Colorado in Boulder, teaching various aspects of TV journalism. In her personal travels she has hiked the Inca Trail and is headed for Mt. Kilimanjaro in the near future.
As anchor and correspondent for CNN Travel Now, a weekly program on worldwide destinations, travel trends and cuisine, Oswald specialized in adventure travel, filing reports from Europe, South America, Asia and the Caribbean. One series took her into the depths of Papua New Guinea for a rare and eye-opening look at the Huli Wigmen. Her reports also appeared on CNN Headline News, CNN in-flight programming for Delta Air Lines, CNN International and the CNN Airport Network.
In 1996, Oswald covered the Cultural Olympiad in Atlanta and received an Emmy for producing during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. Her coverage of the serious side of tourism also included the impact of Great Britain’s handover of Hong Kong to China and a journey highlighting the wonders of Northern Ireland. While at CNN, she also reported on travel industry issues including pilot fatigue, airline alliances and airport security.
Immediately after 9/11, she filed human interest stories on the crisis for CNN, and covered the impact on the travel industry for CNN Headline News during live studio reports.
In 1995, Stephanie was chosen to participate in the French-American Foundation Journalists Exchange Program. She has lived in both Paris and Strasbourg. During the Gulf War, Stephanie worked on CNN’s international assignment desk, coordinating Saudi Arabia coverage. Before joining CNN, she was a general assignment news reporter for WCTV in Lynn, Mass. Oswald earned a journalism degree from Boston University, graduating cum laude. In addition to her love for travel, she also has a passion for music, horses, SCUBA diving and hiking. (top)