Travel Writer

CYNTHIA J. DRAKE

AAA MAGAZINES

• Quick Escape: Austin, Texas Journey, November/December 2019
  

• Quick Escape: Austin, Westways, October 2019

• Day Trip: Laredo, Texas Journey, September/October 2019

• Essay: The Bittersweet Goodbye, September/October 2019

• San Ygnacio's Inn for Border Birders, September/October 2019

• Day Trip: Salado, Texas Journey, July/August 2019

• Amarillo Sod Poodles, Texas Journey, March/April 2019

• Burklee Hill Vineyards, Texas Journey, January/February 2019

• Day Trip: Grapevine, Texas Journey, November/December 2018

• Cover story: Take a Bite out of Shark Week, Alabama Journey, July/August 2018

• Day Trip: Amarillo, Texas Journey, March/April 2018

• A Lucchese Boot, Deconstructed, Texas Journey, March/April 2018

• A Passage to India, Texas Journey, March/April 2018

• Cover story: Happy Birthday, San Antonio! Texas Journey, January/February 2018

• Profile: Vincent Huizar, Texas Journey, January/February 2018

• The Eagle has Landed, Texas Journey, January/February 2018

• A Different Kind of Oil Boom, Texas Journey, September/October 2017

• Day Trip: Bastrop, Texas Journey, November/December 2017

• Essay: Belle of the Baile, Texas Journey, September/October 2017

• The Wright Way, Northern New England Journey, March/April 2017

• Cover story: Flock Together, Alabama Journey and Texas Journey, January/February 2017

WESTJET MAGAZINE

• An interview with an Esther's Follies cast member, September 2019
  

• Raise the Roof, August 2019 

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

• Exploring Ann Arbor, Austin's Michigan cousin, July 2019 [pdf]
  

• A Quest for Authentic People and Eats in Shreveport, May 2019 [pdf]

• Building a Dream: Austin's Wayback Cafe & Cottages, May 2019 [pdf]

• A First-Timer's Guide to Lubbock, October 2018 [pdf]

• Nashville: Made in Music City, May 2018 [pdf]

• Alabama Gulf Shores: Off the Hook, February 2018 [pdf]

TEXAS HIGHWAYS MAGAZINE

• 15 Small Towns to Visit Now, August 2019
  

• Mesquite bean flour from Cappadona Ranch, August 2019

• Joe Vidales, Weslaco, July 2019

• Lindy Chambers, Bellville, March 2019

• Faye Landham, Granbury, January 2019

• White Christmas in Texas, December 2018

• Texas fruitcakes, December 2018

• Home Cookin' Highway, October 2018

• Ronin Restaurant, October 2018

• Wiseman House Chocolates, February 2018

• Austin Steam Train's North Pole Flyer, November 2017

• SeaWorld San Antonio, November 2017

• Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese, October 2017

• Granbury's haunted history, October 2017

• Bandera's Rancho Cortez, August 2017

• Bryan's Catalena Hatters, May 2017

• Fredericksburg's Das Peach Haus, January 2017

• Crushing it at Messina Hof, April 2017

• Soap-making at Sauer-Beckmann farm, November 2016

• Essay: Lost and Found, October 2016

• Jellystone Park Hill Country, August 2016

• San Antonio's Doseum, October 2015

FAMILY VACATION CRITIC

• Best Personalized Luggage for Kids, September 2019
  

• 9 Best California Vacations With Toddlers, August 2019

• 7 Best Two-Piece Bathing Suits for Moms, June 2019

• 7 Best One-Piece Bathing Suits for Moms, June 2019

• What to Pack on a Summer City Vacation With Kids, June 2019

• 9 Amazing Family Vacations That Will Take You Outside of Your Comfort Zone, June 2019

• 6 Things You Didn't Know You Can Rent on Vacation, May 2019

• 9 U.S. Motels That Are Almost as Fun as Resorts, May 2019

• 8 Bathing Suits for Moms That Will Make You Look and Feel Good, May 2019

• Best swimsuit cover-ups for moms, March 2019

• Best non-Disney hotels near Disney World, January 2019 

• What to pack for a family cruise, January 2019

• Digital Detox Family Vacations, January 2019

• Best luxury Caribbean villa resorts, January 2019

• 6 Luxurious Mexico Villas, January 2019

• What you should never let your kid do on a plane, December 2018

• Surprising Benefits of a Kid-Free Vacation, November 2018

• Trend: Rental Homes for the Holidays, November 2018

• Best carry-on bags, November 2018

• 2018 Holiday Gift Guide for Adults, November 2018

• A Tongue-in-Cheek Guide to Surviving the Oregon Trail, October 2018

• Easy hotel hacks

• First prize, 2018 SATW Central States Awards: The Most Embarrassing Family Vacation Moments

• First prize, 2018 SATW Central States Awards: This Way to Walley World: How to Recreate a Griswold Family Vacation

• What Should I Do if My Child Cries on the Plane? 

• The Five Moms You'll Meet on Vacation

• How to Survive a Flight Delay with Kids

• 9 Best All Inclusive Family Resorts

• Best family vacation T-shirts

• Coolest family brew pubs

• Toddler beach essentials

• Most unusual overnight experiences for families

• Ideal vacations, according to kids

• 7 Most Underrated U.S. Family Vacations

• Traveling Before vs. After Kids
  
  Travel guides:

• Waco

• Frisco

• El Paso

CRUISE CRITIC

• Best Cruises for Singles Over 40, November 2019
  

• 6 Best Party Cruise Ships, November 2019

• Should You River Cruise With Kids? September 2019

• How to Check in for a Cruise, September 2019

• 17 Cruises that Include Alcohol in Your Fare, September 2019

• How to Navigate the Airport on Cruise Turnaround Day, August 2019

• Just Back From: Adventures by Disney, a Family-Friendly Danube River Cruise, July 2019

• How Much Should I Tip My Room Steward on a Cruise?, July 2019

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​Cruise private island guides

• Princess Cays vs. Half Moon Cay, May 2019

• CocoCay vs. Half Moon Cay, April 2019

• Great Stirrup Cay vs. CocoCay, April 2019
  
  

Cruise private island cabana guides

• Guide to Princess Cays Cabanas, October 2019

• Guide to CocoCay Cabanas, June 2019

• Guide to Labadee Cabanas, April 2019

• Guide to Great Stirrup Cay Cabanas, March 2019

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Cruise ship/port reviews

• AmaLea (Adventures by Disney) review, August 2019

• Princess Cruises' Royal Class ships, May 2019

• Crown Princess review, December 2018

• Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas review, May 2018

• Progreso, Mexico, port review, May 2018

• Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam review, April 2018

• Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas review, October 2017

Live from Liberty of the Seas during Hurricane Harvey:​

• August 27, 2017

• August 29, 2017

• August 30, 2017​

AARP

• Texas Hill Country Getaway, May 2018
  

HERTZ UK

• What's so Great About San Antonio? August 2018
  

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

• An Everyday Heroes profile of fashion designer Kala Wilburn and her mission to transform the lives of young people who have been affected by violence in Flint, Michigan, April 2018
  

THE POINTS GUY

• Best Cruise Line Private Islands for Families, July 2019
  

FAMILY TRAVEL MAGAZINE

• Great Wolf Lodge Halloween Fun, October 2018
  

• Guide to Schlitterbahn, October 2017

• An Epic Colorado Kindermoon, July 2017

THE COSTCO CONNECTION

• Meal trains, January 2019
  

• How to Play the Luggage Game, May 2017 (packing tips reprinted in May 2018 issue and Canadian edition)

WHERETRAVELER

• Austin's secret bars
  

SOUTHERN LIVING

• Why Topo Chico is Big in Texas, April 2017 (first appeared in Extra Crispy)
  

SOUTHWEST: THE MAGAZINE

• Spirit of Texas, April 2017
  

SAN ANTONIO MAGAZINE

• Morgan's Wonderland, May 2018
  

• History of San Antonio's Chili Queens, May 2018

EATER AUSTIN

• Cele Store Takes you Back in Time with Barbecue, May 2016
  

CREDITCARDS.COM

• How to go from 'clueless cardholder' to 'points hacker' in 9 steps, February 2019
  

• What to do when your credit card is lost, stolen while traveling overseas, November 2018

• How to spend your next long airport layover, May 2018

ST. ED'S MAGAZINE

• Cover story: Holy Smoke! Alumni barbecue restauranteurs, Fall 2018
  

FOLKS

• Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas, is the first theme park of its kind in the world to be designed for people with special needs. This summer, the organization set another world record, opening Morgan’s Inspiration Island, the first fully accessible waterpark.
  

TRAVEL TEXAS

• Cheers Y'all: Texas Wine off the Beaten Path, January 2019
  

• Where to go for an Authentic Texas Cowboy Experience, January 2019

PASTE

• Fill Up Your Tank At These Gourmet Gas Stations, August 2016
  

• Pizza Farm Pilgrimage: 4 Farm-to-Pan Pies Worth a Road Trip, March 2016

• 6 Museum Cafes as Good as the Art, March 2016

ABOUT ME

My recent articles have appeared in Good Housekeeping, AAA's Texas Journey, Texas Highways, Costco Connection, Southwest: The Magazine, Alaska BEYOND, Wine Enthusiast, Family Vacation Critic and Cruise Critic.

I wrote the book Budget Travel for the Genius in 2015.

I'm a proud member of 
Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and
American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA).