Dear Readers,
A week into the new year, most of us are probably on the way to breaking our resolutions. Mine included not waiting until the last minute to write, which is not going so well, and to travel more, which is. I’m currently writing this on a plane while drinking an old fashioned thanks to Bittermilk, a Charleston company I can’t wait to tell you more about soon.
If your 2019 goals include travel and trying new things, I hope you’ll keep coming back to our site throughout the year. As President Trump keeps the United States government in a shutdown over demand for a border wall, Brazil’s new president undermines protections for indigenous populations and the environment, and China continues its attempt to erase an ethnicity (among other events that could throw you into despair), travel is more important than ever. You’ve probably heard the Mark Twain quote that says, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” You’ve probably also realized only once traveling yourself how true those words are.
Right now you’re thinking, ‘I know, this is nothing new.’ And for readers of a niche travel magazine that might be true. So I have two challenges for you in 2019: encourage someone who has never traveled to make the leap, and challenge yourself to be a better traveler.
Last year, we addressed ways to travel better in Italy and Cuba, and talked about biases in travel writing, and issues achieving diversity in travel publications. We gave you a behind the scenes look at the travel writing industry, including why listicles are flawed. We also discussed overtourism, something that will only become more relevant in 2019. Venice, for example, just announced it will charge an entry fee for day tourists. This year we plan on bringing you many more stories that dive into travel issues and how you can do your part to be a more conscious traveler.
One way you can start is simply to read and learn, whether it’s about Syrian food in Armenia, housing in California, Jewish food on the Mexican border, or about those forced to travel away from their homes. We’re excited to bring you more stories like these, including more personal essays.
The biggest issue of 2018 wasn’t Trump or populism in Europe or Facebook meddling in elections or the threat of North Korea. It was climate change, which will have more damaging and lasting effects than any latest political outrage. We’ll talk more about sustainable travel and travel due to climate migration in the coming months.
Sign up for our biweekly newsletter to stay up do date, and download our guides for destination-specific travel tips. On the site, we’re starting the year with a story about the detrimental effects of Instagram on destinations and the case for repeat travel, then moving on to bad coffee in Paris and good coffee in Colombia, life on a cargo ship, and more.
Thank you for reading and have a great 2019! And as you’re traveling this year, remember: be kind, be patient, be open to new experiences, and be conscious of how you’re impacting a place. Most importantly, remember that freedom of movement is a right, but travel is a privilege.
Thank you for reading and have a great 2019! #StayCurious
–Rebecca
