Meet Matt Gross: Bon Appétit Editor & Former New York Times Frugal Traveler

Hometown: I don't really have one, but I spent more years of my childhood in Amherst, Massachusetts, than anywhere else.

Occupation: Editor, BonAppetit.com. From 2006 to 2010, I was the Frugal Traveler columnist for the New York Times. 

Favorite destinations: Vietnam, Argentina, Cape Cod.

Dying to visit: Mars.

Bizarre travel rituals: I love getting a haircut as soon as possible when I land in a new country. Often this means I get a bad haircut, but it's a fascinating introduction to a new culture.

In-flight relaxation regime: A Buddha's indifference to discomfort. Also, moderate drinking.

Always in carry-on: More books than I'll actually get around to reading.

Concierge or DIY? D-I-Y!

See it all or take it easy? Take it easy.

Drive or be driven? Drive.

Travel hero: Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Weirdest thing seen on travels: The tuxedo'd Cambodian midget who ushered me and a friend into a blacked-out Phnom Penh nightclub.

My favorite hotel is No. 9 in Shanghai because it's the perfect blend of ancient China, Shanghai Deco, modern technology, and effortless hospitality.

I dream about my meals on the sidewalks of Ho Chi Minh City.

Best hotel amenity: When everything simply works. Also, an in-room espresso machine.

Favorite childhood travel memory: Going to Legoland in Denmark when I was almost 8 — the greatest journey I could've imagined.

Everywhere I go, I check out the drugstores. I'm always looking for locally made shampoos, shaving creams, toothpastes, etc.

When I arrive in a new place I learn the lay of the land by going for a run every morning.

I always bring home chilies.

If I never return to Germany, it'll be too soon because it's really, really boring (except Berlin).

I travel for the for the stories — my own and other people's. 

MORE MATT

Website: facebook.com/TheTurkWhoLovedApples
Blog: worldmatt.org
Twitter: @worldmattworld
Book Excerpt on Fathom: The Turk Who Loved Apples