Sherman's Travel

Meet Our Experts

The editors and deal experts at ShermansTravel.com are passionate about delivering amazing travel deals and providing the practical, money-saving advice you need to realize your perfect vacation. We screen hundreds of travel deals a week, publishing the best in our Top 25 Newsletter. Planning travel can be complicated. We’re here to help make it simpler, smarter, and more affordable. If you have photos, recommendations, or travel tips of your own, please share them with us.

• 

  Jim Sherman

  Founder and Chairman

  Jim Sherman launched ShermansTravel Media in 2002 to help fellow travelers find the best travel deals and provide them with practical travel advice. Prior, he served as the General Manager/VP for the online business of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, managing the development of the company’s successful publishing and e-commerce business. Outside of work, Jim enjoys the theater, running, and, of course, traveling – you can read about his latest adventures on his blog. He also does a mean Scott Joplin jazz number on the piano.

• 

  Darren Frei

  Editorial Director

  Before moving to New York City in 2007, Darren Frei enjoyed a 10-year "layover" in Los Angeles, where he worked as editor of The Out Traveler magazine and contributing editor at The Advocate newsmagazine. Whether mushing huskies in the Finnish Lapland, scouting rooftop pools in Rio, spotting tigers in central India, or schussing down the slopes in his native state of Utah, Darren remains vigilant about discovering what's truly new and noteworthy in travel, even if it means trudging amid the expired and unexceptional.

• 

  Laura Motta

  Director, Deals Publishing

  Laura Motta had lived in NYC for five years when she quit her life and moved to Paris. While she was in Europe, she cultivated a taste for macaroons, got sunburned on many French and Italian beaches, and became obsessed with travelling artfully – and frugally. Before coming to ShermansTravel, she worked as an editor at Everyday Health and iVillage. She hails from Massachusetts.

• 

  Zach Custer

  Deals Producer and Network Strategist

  Zach Custer grew up in Colorado Springs, with the glory of the Rocky Mountains' Pikes Peak in his own backyard. Stunning as the setting was, however, Zach found the winds blowing him south to Loyola University New Orleans, where he made an unbreakable bond with the people and culture of the Crescent City. After graduation, Zach fled to Buenos Aires, where he experienced nine glorious months immersed in Argentine culture while working, living, pinching pesos, and of course, traveling.

• 

  Mandy Berman

  Assistant Deals Producer

  Rockland County, New York native Mandy Berman grew up in a travel-loving family helmed by a mother who could smell a deal from miles away – allowing the clan to go white-water rafting in Idaho, skiing in Austria, and sight-seeing in London. A vacation to Paris when Mandy was 12 cemented her love for France and inspired her to return for a high school exchange program, a college semester abroad, and most recently, a year teaching English. She also spent the spring of 2010 in Malawi, Africa, teaching English and math to middle-school students.

• 

  Lisa Hubner

  Associate Deals Producer

  Lisa Hubner grew up in Germany and spent her childhood exploring Europe by bike, bus, and train. Her wanderlust fueled, she moved to Australia after high school, spent eight months traveling around the continent, and moved back to Germany to study Tourism Management. After a year, small-town Deutschland gave way to big city life in London, where Lisa finished her degree and cemented her travel pro status by selling customized trips to far-off lands like Bhutan.

• 

  Jaymie DeGaetano

  Associate Deals Producer

  Jaymie DeGaetano, a native to the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, began his overseas travels in high school. While studying in Paris for a year during college, Jaymie ventured to different regions of France, and to many European nations such as Ireland, Italy, and Norway. His most recent adventures include a cross-country road trip from New York to Seattle, cliff diving in the Hudson Bay in Ontario, Canada, and cruising through the Western Caribbean. Prior to ShermansTravel, Jaymie spent two years working in public relations. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

• 

  Liz Webber

  Associate Editor

  Ever since living in Paris for two years as a young child, Liz Webber knew she was meant to spend her days trekking the globe and discovering new lands. A childhood in small-town Connecticut led way to college in New York City at NYU, including a travel-filled semester in London. After getting a taste of travel writing at Budget Travel and NYU's travel magazine, she returned to France for a year of work abroad and enjoying la vie Parisienne. Now back in the Big Apple, Liz brings her international savvy to ShermansTravel as a member of the online team.

• 

  Mike Barish

  Associate Editor

  Mike Barish's earliest exposure to travel was on family trips to Disney World and his grandparents' condo in South Florida. Since then, he has traveled from Iceland to Indonesia to India to countries whose names do not begin with the letter I. His work has appeared in Gadling, The San Francisco Chronicle, Budget Travel, World Hum, One+ and National Geographic Traveler’s Intelligent Travel blog. He hosted Chevrolet’s Cruze-arati web series also appeared in SOYJOY’s Real Take On series. He has also appeared on CBS News and NBC New York as an expert on SkyMall products. He brings his expertise and humor to ShermansTravel.