Additional Info

Specialty Subjects : Fixing travelers' problems, cruises, national parks, road trips, and European travel. Consumer scams, consumer education, and protection.

Enter your professional bio here : Michelle Couch-Friedman is the Chief Fiasco Fixer and founder of Consumer Rescue, the NATJA 2026 Silver Award winner for Best Independent Travel Blog. She is a consumer advocate, reporter, travel writer, mediator, and trained psychotherapist. Additionally, Michelle is the travel ombudsman columnist for The Points Guy and a contributing author at Fodor's Travel. Michelle is a public speaker, and her expert guidance has been cited in MarketWatch, Consumer Reports, Travel & Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Popular Science, CNN, CNBC, Boston Globe, CBS News, National Geographic, Travel Weekly, Reader's Digest, and more. You might even catch Michelle reporting on a situation on TV. :) She is also a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association. Previously, she served as the executive director of the nonprofit Elliott Advocacy. During her six years managing all aspects of that organization, she also resolved thousands of cases for troubled travelers and other consumers. Today, Michelle spends as much time as possible fiercely defending consumers while traveling the world solo and with her family. https://consumerrescue.org/ https://thepointsguy.com/author/michelle-friedman/ https://www.fodors.com/news/author/michelle-couch-friedman https://www.consumerreports.org/money/customer-service/how-travelers-can-deal-with-customer-service-problems-a5712199774/ https://www.travelandleisure.com/cruise-mistakes-to-avoid-according-to-experts-7378005 https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/02/13/england-britain-eta-americans-scammers/ https://www.cnn.com/travel/how-young-traveling-without-adult-supervision/index.html https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/19/lifestyle/consumer-advocate-fix-travel-issues-free/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-you-should-get-travel-insurance-according-to-pros/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/food-poisoning-travel-diarrahea-e-coli-cures https://scrippsnews.com/stories/vantage-travel-bankruptcy-means-travelers-may-never-see-refunds/ https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/embattled-boston-based-cruise-company-vantage-postpones-all-summer-trips/FQGJ2NEVDRDMTLGFDJ4XCGOSZM/

Writing Credits : The Points Guy, Fodor's Travel, Consumer Rescue

Awards and Recognition : 2026 North American Travel Journalists Association Silver Award for Best Independent Travel Blog (Consumer Rescue)

Skills (Select all that apply) : Blog posts, Articles, Case studies, Coaching, Copywriting, Content marketing, Editing, Feature writing, Investigative reporting, Media relations, News, Publicity, SEO, Social media, Web copy, Op-Ed, Publication management, Communications strategy, Photography

List any memberships you have with other organizations : SATW, NATJA