I'm Sneha Thomas, a freelance journalist and writer from India, with work published in The Guardian, Condé Nast Traveller, Al Jazeera, and Architectural Digest, to name a few. My path to journalism wasn’t a conventional one, beginning in a journalism or literature school but in pharmacy school, where I earned the title Dr. Sneha Thomas as a Doctor of Pharmacy graduate. After graduating I made a deliberate U-turn—from writing prescriptions to penning prose—to follow the path of storytelling.

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My first published article, for Singapore Airlines' in-flight magazine, was a thrill, fueled by a stroke of beginner's luck. Seeing my words on those glossy pages was exhilarating. But the real work began as I taught myself the craft, one article at a time. I still remember when one of my earliest editors asked me to completely rewrite a draft to match the publication's voice—a humbling and invaluable lesson.

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Today, those rewrite requests from editors have evolved into notes of appreciation like, “Thanks for this lovely story. Please pitch more.” This journey was far from glamorous; it was built on working with different editors across various publications, studying books on writing, attending workshops, and obsessively reading my favourite news outlets and the work of journalists I admire.

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Although I started as a generalist, writing on any topic that came my way, my focus has evolved to center on travel and culture. In travel writing, I'm especially drawn to stories of responsible tourism, heritage preservation, and sustainable stays. My writing aims to showcase how tourism when approached thoughtfully, can protect and celebrate local culture rather than disrupt it. As Virginia Messina said in one of her talks, 'We can't have happy tourists if we don't have happy locals,' a philosophy I cross-check in each of my travel stories.

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In my cultural writing, I seek out stories that restore faith in humanity and remind us that the world is still a beautiful place to live. One of my favorites is the story of the last Jewish embroidery shop in Kochi, India, which I had the privilege of writing for Al Jazeera.

 

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Beyond my work as a journalist, I collaborate with socially conscious businesses and institutions, helping them find words that speak for their brand. As a copywriter, I write web copy, promotional content, and blogs that align purpose with storytelling, creating a brand voice that is impactful. If you would like to explore how we could bring your story to life, reach out at snehatt12@gmail.com.