Culture | Nov. 2026
TRENDING: GOING PLACES
By Morgan Hogerty
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATRINA WITTKAMP
Nicole Moriarty
NICOLE MORIARTY has always felt the best journeys begin long before takeoff. Her love of travel was sparked early by her family’s own adventures, inspiring her to pursue hospitality at Cornell University’s renowned School of Hotel Administration. Today, back in her hometown of Glencoe, Moriarty draws on more than two decades of experience as a luxury travel advisor to design experiences as individual as the people taking them—from milestone escapes and multigenerational adventures to intricate international itineraries and discreet executive travel. Having explored every continent except Antarctica, she brings a traveler’s intuition and an insider’s eye to every journey. At the center of her universe is her family, including her daughter, Royce, with whom she now shares the same sense of wonder that her own mother inspired in her. Whether arranging an African adventure, an idyllic Mediterranean summer, or a seamless business trip, Moriarty believes true luxury is deeply personal: not simply where you stay, but how thoughtfully every detail reflects the person traveling. And as much as she loves exploring the world, Moriarty also feels there is nothing quite like coming home.
ON HER NIGHTSTAND
“Next to my lavender linen spray sits Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report, often with pages bookmarked and ideas tucked away for a future journey. Travel is both my profession and my favorite form of discovery, so I am always curious about what is opening, what is changing, and which places still offer a true sense of character. I love finding exceptional hotels, but I am equally interested in the experiences surrounding them—the excursion worth leaving the property for, the guide who brings a destination to life, or the small detail that transforms a beautiful trip into an unforgettable one.”
ON HER MOBILE
“My feed is a mix of beautiful hotel properties, inspiring interiors, fashion, wellness, health, and fitness. Love afar.com. I constantly watch how the world of luxury is evolving and the ways people want to live and feel. I am fascinated by thoughtful design and emerging ideas in longevity and biohacking, too. Ultimately, I follow anything that makes life more exquisite, more interesting, or better lived. Some discoveries inform a client’s next journey; others inspire our family’s next adventure.”
IN HER EARBUDS
“A carefully curated playlist is almost always playing, with John Mayer as a constant. Music has a way of transporting you, much like travel, and I love creating a soundtrack that matches the moment—something relaxed for decompressing at home, energetic for a workout, or evocative of a destination we have visited. That ‘right song’ can bring you back to a particular summer, city, or table halfway around the world.”
