Longtime NY1 travel reporter Valarie D’Elia dies at 64 after ALS battle, station says
Longtime NY1 travel reporter Valarie D’Elia died Tuesday following a fight with ALS, the local station said. She was 64.
The globe-trotting journalist became a familiar face to Big Apple viewers during her “Travel with Val” segments where she would explore the city – and rest of the world.
During a 2010 interview with The Post, she explained that traveling has always been a part of her family history. In the early 1900s, her great-grandfather started a travel agency, she said.
She recalled in the interview that she was usually on the road about 60% of the year.
“Then I get home and I have to put together the story: look at the video that was shot, write the script and edit footage,” she said.
She also dispensed some valuable advice during the sit-down interview.
“Pack light, forget the blow-dryer — who wants to worry about all that stuff?” D’Elia had said. “You’ll be amazed at how liberated you’ll feel!”
D’Elia worked for NY1 between 1998 and 2017, according to her LinkedIn.
The intrepid reporter has also worked for the Travel Channel, HBO and WOR Radio Network, NY1 said.
“She is survived by her husband Ron, and will be missed by her family and friends,” the station wrote Wednesday.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease named after the famous New York Yankee, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which has no cure.
