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Top Travel Newsletters of 2023

top travel newsletter

Explore the top travel newsletters, and find out which one are worth signing up for. From travel guides and tips, to travel deals, credit card points and more. You’ll find the perfect travel newsletter (or dozen) to subscribe to.

Why should you sign up for free travel newsletters?

Traveling is one of the most exciting and enriching experiences we can have, but it can also be overwhelming to plan and execute. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help travelers navigate all the complexities of planning, packing and booking a trip. One of the best resources for this is travel newsletters. They can provide valuable travel insights, deals, tips and more.

For those looking to stay up-to-date on the latest travel trends and deals, subscribing to a travel newsletter can be a great way to do so. But with so many options out there, it can be difficult to know which newsletters are worth your time and attention. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top travel newsletters to help you stay informed and inspired on your next adventure.

Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or wanting a bit of wanderlust in your life, these newsletters offer a ton of information and inspiration. From insider tips on destinations and accommodations to exclusive deals and discounts, these newsletters are a must-read for anyone looking to explore the world. So without further ado, here are the top travel newsletters you should subscribe to today.

Top Travel Newsletters

Lonely planet.

Lonely Planet is a travel guidebook publisher that covers travel news, tips, and guides. Their weekly newsletter explores new destinations across the world and is packed with insightful advice from local experts. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Lonely Planet .

lonely planet travel newsletter

Dollar Flight Club

The Dollar Flight Club has created a few different travel newsletters. Next Stop delivers a weekly destination guide, The Navigator sends daily travel news, Room Service highlights the trendiest places to stay, and Smart Points send the best tips for travel reward points.

best travel newsletter

Travel+Leisure

Travel+Leisure is a travel magazine that covers travel news, tips, and guides. The magazine also offers a few different travel-related newsletters depending on what you’re looking for. Such as T+L Travel Deals, T+L Upgrade, T+L Recommends, and the original Travel+Leisure newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Travel+Leisure .

best travel newsletter

The Points Guy

The Points Guy is a travel website that focuses on maximizing travel rewards and points. The website offers a daily newsletter that provides subscribers with travel updates, industry news, and credit card offers. To sign up for the newsletter, visit The Points Guy .

The Points Guy travel newsletter

Previously known as Scott’s Cheap Flights, Going is a website that offers member access to cheap flight alerts. When you sign up for free you get access to their newsletter with a limited amount of deals, travel guides, and more. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Going .

going travel newsletter

Travelzoo is a popular travel deal website. They send out a weekly Top 20 newsletter with their top travel deals each week. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Travelzoo .

best travel newsletter

🏝 Travel Tuesday

Travel Tuesday is the travel newsletter from our team here at Ready Aim Travel. Enjoy a weekly dose of wanderlust filled with top travel deals, gear, and inspo for your next adventure. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Travel Tuesday .

Ready Aim Travel Tuesday Newsletter

Conde Nast Traveler

Conde Nast Traveler is a travel magazine that covers travel news, tips, and guides for travel that is a bit more upscale . The magazine offers a few different newsletter options from daily digests to monthly outlooks on travel. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Conde Nast Traveler .

condenast traveler newsletter

AFAR is a travel magazine that create travel guides, tips, and inspiration for travelers. They have a lot of newsletter options to choose from, such as daily inspiration, to monthly destination guides. To sign up for the newsletter, visit AFAR .

AFAR travel newsletter

Atlas Obscura

Atlas Obscura is an online magazine that catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations. When you sign up for their newsletter you can choose from daily or weekly emails that center around obscure places and travel stories from around the world. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Atlas Obscura .

atlas obscura travel newsletter

Tripoto is a weekly travel newsletter. Each week they send you trending travel content from all over the world. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Tripoto .

tripoto travel newsletter

Travel Weekly

Travel Weekly is a travel-based news website. For their newsletter you can choose a destination to get the top news and insights into your future travels, or their daily digest of the top news stories. To sign up for the newsletter, visit Travel Weekly .

travel weekly newsletter

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10 Travel Newsletter Examples & Writing Tips

  • 11 November 2021
  • By Ella Webber

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We’ll never increase pricing because your email list is growing

It’s estimated that between 8,000 and 20,000 planes are in the sky right now . Given that 50% of these planes are commercial people carriers able to take around 200 passengers, that’s between 800,000 and 2,000,000 people zooming overhead at all times.

Whether it’s discounted seats or guidance on road trips you’re offering, there’s a lot of people booking travel every single day.

A beautiful travel newsletter could turn those travelers into your travelers. Whatever you offer in the travel industry—be it experiences, retreats or route plans—it’s essential to reach your audience with relevant information, updates and offers.

We’ve put together this list of ten travel newsletters to show you how you can wow subscribers with sleek travel newsletters. Our examples are a collection from fellow entrepreneurs and small businesses that put their own twist on travel newsletters—much to their subscriber’s delight.

Here are the ten travel newsletters we’ll be talking about today:

  • 7 Wayfinders
  • Meera Lee Patel
  • SUITCASE Magazine
  • Much Better Adventure
  • Roadtrippers
  • Francisco Yoga
  • Bright Nomad
  • DialAFlight

They’ve put the work in so we don’t have to— plane and simple . Keep reading to find out more about how you can ensure only first-class emails are touching down in your subscribers’ inboxes.

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Why you should be creating travel newsletters.

If you operate in the travel industry but have yet to start sending out a newsletter, here’s why you should. 

Engage your audience

The travel industry’s average email open rate is 16% . The average click through rate is 6% . With guaranteed deliveries and engaging content, you’re in a strong position to change that.

Creating engaging and relevant content to share with your audience is hugely beneficial to your overall business goals. If nurtured, it’s a consistent point of contact via which you can share any news, updates or offers you wish to communicate. 

In fact, 81% of B2B marketers say their most used form of content marketing is email newsletters and 31% say it’s the best way to nurture leads. Email marketing creates space to share whatever you want with your audience, to keep them engaged and interested in your brand.

Increase website traffic

Sending out a travel newsletter is also a great way to direct traffic towards your webpage—or any other custom resource for that matter. Strategically created emails encourage readers to click through to your website and continue their search in a place that’s designed to convert.

However, it’s important not to overdo it. Too many emails with demanding calls to action (CTAs) will get you a one-way ticket to the spam folder. 

Build trust in the industry

Building trust among customers and leads alike is key for ensuring business growth. Recommendations and positive word of mouth (WOM) are essential for smaller businesses looking to make waves, and beautiful emails and newsletters are a great way to make an impact.

Consistent delivery means recipients slowly begin to expect your travel newsletter as part of their weekly influx of emails. It’s what’s in those emails that ensures they begin to look out for it. 

Use the opportunity to showcase an intimate side of the business—one that clients don’t typically get to see. This consistent, on-time delivery and exclusive access build up industry recognition and trust in your brand.

What makes a great travel newsletter?

A great travel newsletter includes personalized fields, user-generated content, clear CTAs and is optimized for mobile. The precise content and layout really depend on your brand and product, and what you’re looking to achieve with your email.

Newsletters, like any other part of your business, are unique to your product and vision. A travel newsletter should be an extension of your brand—you want it to be instantly recognized by your subscribers. Here are some tips on where to start.

For more, check out our post on what to include in a newsletter !

Personalize your emails

Email personalization is a quick and simple way to increase your newsletter engagement. In fact, 82% of marketers reported an increase in open rates when sending out personalized emails. It’s a bit of a no-brainer, really.

Personalization doesn’t just mean Dear {FirstName} , however. There are ample ways to personalize your newsletter, such as:

  • Dynamic content : is email content that changes based on the subscribers’ data and preferences.
  • Triggered messages : are sent automatically based on pre-established conditions met by a subscribers’ actions or behaviors in your email workflows. 
  • Send-times : play an important part in newsletter open rates so ensuring your emails are time-zone adjusted is essential.

Include user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) can be anything from photos of clients enjoying your product or service to reviews of their experience with your travel organization. Including it in your emails is a way to showcase genuine appreciation for what you’re providing—from one client to another. 

There are many ways in which you can collect user-generated content. A great place to start is online and in social hashtags— yes, we’re suggesting you google yourself. Users often take to social media to share their travel experiences and recommendations, so see what your clients are saying and sharing. 

Alternatively, you could encourage UGC by asking individuals to send photos of them interacting with your product or experience. A competition or giveaway that requires users to send their UGC in is a great way to do this.

UGC also does wonders for your reputation. When it comes to securing new clients, 84% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations and reviews over other sources of advertisement. Showing your audience how others are enjoying your products or services is key to creating a great travel newsletter.

Optimize for mobile

Mobile clients account for 41.6% of email opens so it’s super important to optimize your content for mobile devices. Responsive email templates make this a lot easier so make sure you’re using one for your travel newsletter. Here are a couple of other points to consider when optimizing for emails on mobile:

  • Subject line and preview text : you’ve got substantially less space to say what you want to say. A good character count to aim for is about 30 characters .
  • Break up text : don’t overdo it on the copy front as a smaller screen can make your email look crowded. Make blank space your friend.

Finally, clearly directing your subscribers to action is key in meeting your email newsletter goals. Every email is sent out with an intention; whether that’s getting clicks on an affiliate marketing link or updating your subscribers on a sale.

Whatever your goal is when sending out a newsletter, make sure your CTAs help you reach them. CTA buttons attract 28% more clicks than hyperlinks. But, don’t overdo it—your subscribers will be overwhelmed by choice and end up picking none. 

Here are a couple of things to consider when designing and placing your CTA button:

  • Size : catch the reader’s eye in a way hyperlinks can’t
  • Design : make it stand out by adding gradients, shadows and other effects
  • White space : allows for readers to spot your CTA with no distractions
  • Color : color doesn’t just help a CTA to pop, color psychology can play a key role in evoking an emotion and reaction from a subscriber

Read more: How to monetize a newsletter

10 Travel Newsletter Examples & Writing Tips

Now that we’ve looked at why you need a travel newsletter and how best to go about it, we’re ready to dive into our favorite examples to inspire your own. 

1. 7 Wayfinders—driving web traffic

This family of seven travel the world and share their experiences doing so. Leslie and Chris use the newsletter to share the good and the bad of their journey, as well as provide some top tips on how others can take the leap.

Why does it work?

Their travel newsletter is focused on inviting people in to discover more about the experience and how they can also manage traveling with kids. This travel newsletter isn’t trying to sell anything—it’s instead encouraging subscribers to take a look at their latest blog post. Their goal is to drive web traffic and engagement .

The newsletter follows their family-orientated brand and engages subscribers with personal, new blog posts and supporting content from the get-go. The simple and sleek template allows them the space to get their message across seamlessly.

2. Meera Lee Patel—nurturing community

Meera Lee Patel is an artist and author who creates work to inspire and encourage people on their journey of self-exploration. While Meera Lee doesn’t center her offerings around travel, this email is a great example of a travel newsletter looking to invite participants on an exciting journey.

The intent of a newsletter impacts the chosen template and this travel newsletter is no different. It’s more copy-heavy as there’s more to communicate. Meera Lee has also added an element of exclusivity to their travel newsletter. The travel offering—in this case a holistic retreat—has been shared with subscribers first. 

This is a great example of how a travel newsletter can be used to nurture an existing community .

3. SUITCASE Magazine—guided by CTA buttons

SUITCASE Magazine is another travel newsletter delivering high-quality emails to its subscribers. The simple template makes space for the location images it’s presenting—in this case , Osaka, Japan. 

Promoting an experience or trip is very visual—people want to know where they’re headed and what they’d see. In general, emails that include some sort of graphic have a higher open rate and CTR than their text-oriented counterparts. 

A couple of lines of copy support the images, and clear CTA buttons guide users to the next step: heading to the next stage of the funnel and reading more. 

4. Much Better Adventure—ample user-generated content

Much Better Adventure delivers exciting travel and adventure news and relevant information in its travel newsletter. It’s about sharing experiences with subscribers and inspiring them to embark on their own journeys for their next vacation. This newsletter is full of breathtaking images and access to new blog posts about the locations on display.

Traveling is about breathtaking experiences. That’s why UGC is so beneficial here. Including personal travel pictures show users there’s a real person behind the newsletter, and that it’s real experiences being shared within.

Taking the leap is a lot easier when you can see others just like you doing the same. Having UGC at the heart of this travel newsletter is letting people do just that.

5. Judy—adding instant value

Judy is a company helping people prepare for disasters and emergencies. Whilst they’re not necessarily a travel company, lots of their offerings revolve around traveling safely. This travel newsletter is packed with value for subscribers and promises even more in the full guide. 

The eye-catching graphic and bold copy sit beautifully in any inbox and the inclusion of the six top travel tips in a snowstorm is a smart move. By including these helpful tips, subscribers are able to get something for nothing. They’ve simply opened the email and been presented with value .

White space and bright color contrast nicely to create an enjoyable reading experience. The high-quality, valuable content almost feels like an added bonus.

6. Roadtrippers—a familiar face

Roadtrippers is a route planning tool used by many to plan car trips and experiences across the US, Canada, UK and Israel. Its travel newsletter is one of the few to open with a note from a familiar face instead of just an image. 

Presenting a face and name people can trust at the beginning of every newsletter creates a sense of security in the brand. It gives you the chance to build a deeper connection with your subscribers—one they’ll look out for in their inboxes.

This trust is essential for Roadtrippers. The software takes people from A to B but it needs to ensure it does it safely and securely . 

More importantly, users and subscribers need to perceive it as a safe and secure service. If you don’t trust the software leading you 2,000 miles across the continental U.S, you’ll likely abandon ship.

7. Dorsia—an automated email

Dorsia creates travel itineraries for cities across North America, Europe and Hong Kong. They find activities across your city of choice and curate itineraries depending on the type of stay you’re looking for. 

An organization that sends personalized content to its users relies on automation and personalization in its email marketing. Their travel newsletters look different depending on where you’re heading or have been. 

This welcome email is just the start, but it does a great job of saying hello. Dorsia focuses on a visual approach to email marketing and uses the welcome email as an opportunity to push the app.  

A glance at their website will also confirm their branding is consistent throughout its communications. Illustrations and the newsletter header are simple and travel orientated and overall great visuals by which users remember the brand. 

8. Francisco Yoga—a travel experience

Francisco Yoga’s recent travel newsletter focuses on an upcoming experience for subscribers to take part in. A newsletter like this one calls for ample picture space as well as sufficient space to explain the offering .

This travel newsletter template meets both of the above criteria and creates space for recognizable branding, in this case, the logo. Subscribers know who it’s from instantly, and the template shows them what it’s about at a glance. 

They’re likely to have heard about this opportunity via other channels but it’s important to further communicate the experience and its offerings for subscribers.

9. Bright Nomad—a travel update

Bright Nomad shares the experiences of Tal Bright, owner, as she adventures around the world. It’s a personal travel newsletter that intends to inform and entertain people. It’s a community update of how things are going.

This template places buttons to other social channels at the very top of the template. This ensures subscribers know they’re there without having to look for them and encourages people to look further into Tal’s adventurous lifestyle. 

People are inquisitive and curious and nosey . That works for your business. Encourage them to scroll through your travel content, it’s there for a reason.

10. DialAFlight—optimized for mobile

The final travel newsletter example on our list is from DialAFLight, which specializes in travel booking and management. This travel newsletter is to update subscribers on current travel regulations and the latest news. 

It’s an essential send-out for this organization that gets to the point straight away . Subscribers know exactly what to expect from the get go.

The template is ideal for sharing updates and the airplane window-style images nicely suit the industry and brand. The lack of buttons here—if they’re able to communicate everything in the newsletter—is a win. Readers aren’t tempted to click away before receiving the full update—smart.

This is also a great example of an email that’s been optimized for mobile. The template—that separates the content into blocks—breaks down easily to ensure a great viewing experience on mobile.

Have a look at these top Mailchimp alternatives to find the best tool for designing beautiful, mobile-friendly newsletters.

Let’s sum it up

With our top tips and examples, you’re sure to be creating quality travel newsletters in no time. Just remember : your template depends on what you’re looking to achieve. Don’t just pick the prettiest.

When it comes to creating amazing travel newsletters, focus on what makes them great. Personalization, UGC, mobile-friendly templates and clear CTAs will all help you on your way to creating engaging travel newsletters people can’t help but click.

Consider what you want to achieve with your newsletter as this will inform your other decisions—like template and copy, personal note vs. no personal note, copy-heavy vs. picture-heavy. The list goes on. 

We’re certain these examples and tips will get you ready for your travel newsletter take-off. If you’re interested in both effective and beautiful , try Flodesk and begin creating purposeful, affordable emails, to help take your business, and subscribers, to new heights. 

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About the author

Ella Webber

Ella Webber is the Project Manager & Assistant Editor at DSLX—a mission-driven copywriting agency for businesses. Ella creates and edits content across a range of industries.…

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Email Tips © by Ron Mader

Nothing sexy here…

No flashy “Web 2.0” gimmicks or other such strangeness.

Instead, we’re going to focus on the oh-so- un sexy (but EXTREMELY effective) newsletter.

Yes, email .

Now you might be wondering… Why a travel newsletter? Why not Twitter? Or  Facebook?

Listen closely.

Because in this post you will learn:

  • How to get started (including my favorite service to use)
  • What types of content/style works best
  • How people are building seven and eight figure businesses with email
  • Five simple reasons email crushes social media
  • Why travel is the perfect market for this model (and how to get started)
  • How to convince readers to sign up - without being annoying
  • The two simple factors in growing your readership
  • Extremely smart (and PROFITABLE) ways to monetize

Ready? Then let’s roll…

First, what is a travel newsletter?

A newsletter - sometimes called an “autoresponder” - allows you to email subscribers whenever you want.

There are two kinds of emails you can send:

  • Broadcast emails: these are sent out to your subscribers only once. Broadcasts are great for announcing new blog posts, “breaking” news and any other timely events.
  • Follow up emails: these are set in an automatic sequence that can run forever. For example, you can write 20 emails and have them go out every three days on autopilot.  Follow up emails, done correctly, are the bread and butter of your business.

Why travel blogs are PERFECT for newsletters

People love travel, right? And they’re  always  interested in seeing pictures.

Now here’s the thing:  travel blogs thrive on beautiful imagery … so why not send these to your subscribers via email?

Gary Arndt uses his collection of photos as an incentive to get people to subscribe (and I’ll bet it works like Gangbusters).

When you visit  Gary’s site  you’ll see this:

example of a travel newsletter signup form

Right upfront, Gary asks you to join him by email (social channels are also available, though less visible) and offers a strong incentive as to why you should.

Pretty… freakin’… sweet.

Pro tip:  Ask for just an email address (no name). It usually boosts signups.

best travel newsletter

email © by Sean MacEntee

5 Unsexy (But True) Reasons You Need An Email Newsletter

#1. Newsletters are PROACTIVE.

When people subscribe to your travel newsletter, they’re welcoming you into their inbox… and that’s a very, very personal space. Sure, you could hope people come back to your blog, but you GREATLY increase your chances by sending them an email every now and then.

#2. Newsletters are SCALABLE.

Ask yourself: when was the last time a Tweet delivered traffic to your blog six months after it got posted? Probably never, right? Yet I’ve got a newsletter which still delivers traffic to tens of thousands of people… even though it’s over five years old.

#3. Newsletters build RELATIONSHIPS.

The free Travel Blogging 101 course here is delivered in 24 emails, each of which is a blog post in itself. These emails help provide value to my subscribers in an awesome way.

#4. Newsletters feed social media (not the other way around).

OK, there are exceptions. Caz & Craig recently broke TWO MILLION followers on Pinterest (congrats guys!). Vagabondish has over 120K Twitter followers.

But you know what?

The money is still in the list. You simply create valuable content, set it to “drip feed” out for every new subscriber and continue building the relationship.

Social media, on the other hand is a one-off shot. How many Tweets from six months ago still send you traffic? Yet I have newsletters that continue to send traffic for up to five years .

Social media gets people to your site. Your newsletter keeps them coming back. [Tweet this!]

#5. Newsletters are PROFITABLE. You can sell valuable products/services to your subscribers… or charge premium rates for advertisers. (We’ll get to this a bit later.)

In summary: newsletters allow you to build your audience at scale, provide immense value, increase traffic (by sending subscribers to your blog), fuel social media and help you monetize your blog.

common newsletter mistakes travel blogs make

© by opensourceway

3 Common travel newsletter mistakes

The following are common mistakes for people just starting out with newsletters:

#1. Start without a plan. Newsletters - much like travel blogs - need to have a focus. Additionally, each email should build on the one before it and “tease” the reader about to expect in the next one.

#2. Treat your readers like scum.  Of course you wouldn’t do this… but… a lot of people treat their subscribers like their own personal ATM machine.

Your subscribers are the most important part of your audience . They - unlike casual readers - know, like and trust you enough to give their email address.

Don’t abuse this!

Instead, give them your BEST. For example, subscribers to my free Travel Blogging 101 course get 24 private blog posts .

Not just emails, mind you… full length blog posts (more on this a bit later). They also receive access to private videos, blog critiques  and a whole bunch of other good stuff.

This is MUCH better than overloading them with sales pitches, ads and affiliate schemes.

(*Note: nothing wrong with selling products or ads… just don’t overdo it!).

#3. Rely on RSS feeds. This ain’t gonna do it. Email subscribers are much, much more valuable. Don’t focus on getting RSS subscribers - go for email!

aweber works great for travel newsletters

Aweber List set up: Shoutmeloud © by denharsh

My preferred newsletter provider

My personal choice is Aweber.

I’ve used them for 5+ years and absolutely LOVE their service.

It’s easy to use, (relatively) inexpensive and has incredibly high deliverability rates.

‘Nuff said.

What type of content/format works best?

Valuable content is whatever your audience wants. Ask them questions like “What would you like to see more of?” or “What are you struggling with?”

I highly recommending creating unique content for your subscribers.  It’s a way of saying “thank you” and lets you provide something special for people willing to hand over their contact details.

You can add these emails to your autoresponder so you constantly receive valuable feedback. Qualaroo is an interesting option as well.

You can see it on Trekity.com to see how we’re using it or just visit their site.

Regarding style:

— Most people’s attention span is short with email. Aim to keep emails under 200 words .

— Email should include links to your blog and/or other sites. Studies have shown 21 links per email have the highest click through rate (I don’t follow this, though, just FYI).

— Emails should “tease” your reader to click to your blog for more great content.

best travel newsletter

© by queenbeeofbeverlyhills

Design: why you don’t need any… yet

When it comes to sending emails, you’ve got three options:

#1. Use text-based emails.  No pictures or fancy formatting. This is the simplest route and is perfectly fine (it’s what I use here).

+++Note: if you go this route, activate click tracking so you can track your hyperlinks. This is VERY important for tracking if someone is clicking through.+++

#2. Use HTML templates. Aweber’s got over 150 email templates right here . Simply use these, add pictures and you’re up and running!

#3. Design your own. If you’re just starting out, don’t bother. If you want, expect to pay $100+ for an email design (less if you’ve already got logos, branding, etc. covered).

I recommend starting with #2.

How to get more subscribers to your travel newsletter

Growing your travel blog’s subscriber base boils down to two things:

— Improve traffic

— Improve conversion from traffic to subscribers

For the first one,  here are 101 ways to increase traffic . And here are  several other ideas .

For improving conversion rates, you’ll want to take feedback from your readers (from your newsletter, Qualaroo, social media… whatever… just ASK them!) and create a valuable resource around that.

Then…

Pitch it  hard  on your blog  (I’m very upfront about TBA and  Trekity  being email focused - I don’t want you to see ads or buy stuff… just subscribe for more goodies).

Place the opt in form in many places.  A large spot on your homepage, in the right sidebar and at the bottom of every post are good places for that.

What about popups? Aren’t they annoying?

I certainly think so… but they work. Whether you use them is up to you.

19 Travel newsletter ideas

Here are 19 ideas for newsletters to get you started:

#1. Recipes from around the world

#2. Your best photos (see Everything-Everywhere.com )

#3. Your best pieces (see Matt-Gibson.org )

#4. A 20 part series on lessons learned from travel (see YTravelBlog )

#5. A 24 part course on travel blogging ( right here! )

#6. How to prepare for the trip of a lifetime (delivered over several emails)

#7. Travel hacking tips

#8. Profiles on travelers relevant to your audience (e.g. adventure, backpacker, couples, etc.)

#9. “Guest” emails written by someone else

#10. Expert interviews

#11. Round ups of the best resources around the web (e.g. “10 Must Read Articles on North America”)

#12 Personal travel stories

#13. Special discounts (this is great if you can negotiate deals with companies on your subscribers behalf)

#14. New blog posts

#15. “How to” emails which solve a very specific problem (e.g. “How to Slash Airline Fees in Half”)

#16. Ongoing video series featuring your favorite destinations

#17. News items

#18. Relevant non-travel content (e.g., a series of fitness tips for outdoor enthusiasts)

#19. Free ebooks (written by you or others)

Need more ideas? These 101 headline templates will keep you busy 😉

3 Proven ways to monetize your newsletter

#1. Direct ads. You can include ads in the email itself, either as a banner or text link (which, unlike paid links on your travel blog, do not violate Google’s terms of service).

Direct ads usually charge anywhere between $25 - $50 CPM (meaning every 1,000 subscribers) which make it much more lucrative than ads on your blog.

Because advertisers realize subscribers are much more valuable than general blog traffic… and they’re willing to pay a premium for access.

#2. Sponsored emails. Similar to direct ads, sponsored emails - sometimes called “dedicated emails” - are all about the advertiser. You retain editorial control. Rates for sponsored emails range anywhere from $100 - $250 CPM (per thousand subscribers.

#3. Sales. Sell your own products or others (through affiliate deals). Depending on your market you can/should create your own products and sell them to your audience.

The process is simple: ask subscribers what they want and give it to them. More on monetization here and here .

Proof that newsletters work (testimonials from the TBA course)

Done correctly, email marketing is extremely powerful. I put a TREMENDOUS amount of effort into the free TBA course here… and it’s paid off tremendously.

Here are what some travel bloggers are saying about my newsletter:

“Thank you so very much! This is so insightful and your expertise is really going to help me improve my site. I really appreciate you taking the time. I’ve already started to make a few of the changes! You can tell you genuinely want to help us be better at our craft. Your expertise on SEO and building traffic were invaluable. You were so honest, specific and personable - I feel like you were talking to each one us of one on one!  Thanks for the personal attention and detail 🙂 I know I wouldn’t find any of this info in a book! Can’t wait to see what else is in store at TBA!” - Cristina, thetravolution.com
Adam, I loved the course, need to go back over much of what you covered that is now on the site. Keep up the great work. - Molly McHugh
I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the advice you’ve provided through the Travel Blogger Academy. All the articles, interviews, and profiles you’ve done have been immensely helpful in understanding where and most importantly how to improve. Your input and advice on the finer points of running a website as a business will really help me take my site to the next level. Thank you! Thanks again Adam, and all the best with your future endeavors (I know the TBA course is at an end but I do hope to see much more from you!). Please feel free to excerpt my comments here for use in testimonials. Cheers, Reena, wanderplex.com
Your 25 lesson course over-delivered beyond all my expectations. Filled with quality content, practical advice, it is everything one needs to start a travel blog! Thanks for taking the time to create this for us! - Sophie
I’ve really gotten a lot out of your series, and can’t believe you offer it for free! Keep up the excellent work! Paige Conner Totaro, alloverthemap.net
Hi Adam, First of all I would like to thank you for having set up this awesome blogging course. Whenever I virtually meet new travel bloggers, I recommend your course to them. I love the way it is broken down in short sections. I just went back at some of your previous lessons (yes I am such a nerd that I re-read them sometimes to refresh my memory). - Tamara Braun

Further reading

Travel newsletters haven’t really caught on yet… but they will. The following articles will help you understand how to implement your newsletter (and which companies do right).

  •  How Travel Newsletters Boost Revenue With Newsletters ( Part 1  and  Part 2 )
  • Copyblogger’s series on  Email Marketing
  • Getting Started With Autoresponders  - this step by step guide will help you set up an Aweber form.
  • A Wildly Profitable Timing Template for Email Marketing
  • 5 Secrets of a Great E-Newsletter Business

best travel newsletter

Adam Costa is co-founder and Editor in Chief of both Trekity.com and TravelBloggerAcademy. He currently lives... um... somewhere.

best travel newsletter

What an AWESOME guide Adam!! I have this bookmarked and am going through your tips to improve our newsletter experience. I have just finished a new autoresponder series which will be ready for my subscribers very soon. Thank you so much for mentioning our blog. Our newsletter and ebook have been really big at building that community and trust.

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Glad you dig it, Caz. Your autoresponder series will save you sooooo much time. Can’t wait to see it launched!

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This is a great guide and reminds me of all that I’ve been doing wrong! I’ve had an email ezine for about six years and have quite a few subscribers - but I don’t do anything with them. I have a couple of affiliate links but that’s it. What I do is provide unique content and about a year later I rewrite and research the latest and turn it into a page for my website. Your write-up makes me realize how little I’ve done with my most loyal followers - and you’re so right, they are.

Hi Leyla, newsletters are a big part of why I’m not active on social networks. I spend a LOT of time asking for feedback and creating great stuff for our subscribers. Darcie does the same.

Best part? You continually build on your efforts. The work you did last month still applies today (unlike many social channels). Do you have any plans for your subscribers in the near future?

best travel newsletter

Thanks Adam for more great content! We have our newsletter going but need a few more subscribers. We have the community, just not the conversions. Will work on that 🙂

Conversions are what it’s all about, my man. I highly recommend split testing your opt in (and its offer) on your site. Optin Skin lets you do that fairly easily.

best travel newsletter

Lots of great information here Adam - and some good inspiration! Newsletters are invaluable, but as mentioned, you have to have a plan and keep the approach simple to sustain it.

My initial email-subscription approach offered a link to a series of Quick Reference Travel Guides for my Travel-area niche in Turkey, as well as an elaborate monthly newsletter. I created the first newsletter, which faded fast - and my sign up announcement was changed to “receive my Quarterly newsletter” rather rapidly!

Why? As well as maintaining blog content, I just didn’t have the time to create an elaborate newsletter on a monthly basis - it was just too overwhelming. But I continued to sent out a “new Guide is here” email on a monthly basis.

Somewhere along the line, my Quarterly newsletter petered-out, and the information in my “new Quick Reference Travel Guide” announcement emails expanded into a simplified monthly newsletter.

This simplified approach, currently in place, continues to be really successful. I receive a continual flow of new subscribers; I have a high click-rate back to content on my blog; and a low un-subscribe rate. But most importantly, this newsletter approach doesn’t stress me out each month! (fyi. I use MailChimp - and this helps keep the process easy and manageable)

Any changes I make to my simplified monthly approach are small and sustainable, enabling me to maintain my communication frequency without too much effort. Your list of “19 newsletter ideas” is a useful checklist to reference when I’m looking for inspiration - it’s clipped to Evernote — thanks!

Excellent comment Jay - thanks for sharing!

What I love about newsletters are that - once you put them together - they continue to run on autopilot.

This is great for two reasons:

1. It continues to build lasting relationships with new subscribers (even if I’m off doing something else at the time).

2. There isn’t that ongoing pressure to create new content. That’s a fundamental problem with blogs: a lot of people won’t read your older stuff. You’re always pushed to create fresh content.

But with a well prepared autoresponder series (ie newsletter) a new subscriber receives EACH and EVERY email in a predetermined series. So you can put them together in a logical progression.

As you mentioned, newsletters can be stressful - but if planned and executed properly, it will save you a lot of time (and headaches).

best travel newsletter

Perfect timing Adam! I’ve had “Create a monthly newsletter” on my to-do list for a few months now. Time to get proactive and get started!

I’ve installed a pop-up and started collecting email addresses. How many do you think I should have before I start sending out content? I hate the idea of talking to an empty room!

Also, any ideas of what is the best time of day, week or month to schedule the newsletter to hit readers’ inboxes?

Also, another quick question, how do I track the links from my newsletter?

Great questions, Bethaney.

Start writing content right away. Instead of sending broadcast messages - which only go out once - write “follow up messages” which are sent automatically to every new subscriber. This way, you may have an “empty room” to start wit… but it’ll fill up quickly 😉

Best time to publish? That’s really something you need to test yourself. I send mine out M-F between 9AM and 12PM if that helps. But you really need to see what works for your audience.

Tracking links: Aweber lets you track clicks from your emails. When you create a message it asks if you want to track them.

best travel newsletter

Excellent article Adam. The idea of sending a small (ca. 200 word) newsletter out on a regular basis by filling an autoresponder is a great one, it makes it seem doable! I produce a lot of content and am thinking of a weekly newsletter, but I’m going to load up the autoresponder first before I get going. I will continue to offer email updates of new blog posts (these go out daily) as there seems to be a demand for this too. Finally decided on my ‘giveaway’ for signups too so must get that sorted. Exciting stuff, especially with RSS dwindling we need to have a solid email strategy in place before they finally kill Feedburner…

Thanks for commenting.

“I’m going to load up the autoresponder first before I get going…” Once it’s loaded your newsletter does the heavy lifting for you. Just be sure to add an email or two in their asking for feedback to help you “course correct” your newsletter.

Speaking of which, what you like to learn more about here at TBA?

best travel newsletter

I just wanted to express my gratitude and excitement after having found your site. Once upon a time I was a rather popular travel writer and lost my thunder after I had to disappear offline to take care of a sick family member. I’ve since returned to the industry, a bit cautious and doe-eyed, but eager to earn my place in travel world once again. I read your blog EVERY DAY..LOVE the post about stealing your own content (Yes, I was only using TWO of those mediums!), and this step-by-step newsletter guide has given me all kinds of encouragement and inspiration. Thanks again. Your contribution to the world of travel writing is invaluable 🙂

[…] How Travel Bloggers Should Build An Email List (But Don’t) […]

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25 best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024.

In this article, we will take a look at the 25 best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Best Free Travel Newsletters to Subscribe to in 2024 .

Why Do We Need More Travel Newsletters?

The need for travel-based content is derived from the expanding travel industry. Travel newsletters provide travelers with information on destinations, important travel tips, and upcoming tours. While the travel industry has been consistently growing, travel companies expect growth rates to decline in 2024. On February 14, Reuters reported that the post-pandemic rebound period for the travel industry has begun to normalize. Travel companies expect 2024 to be an extremely busy year as more people set aside budget for vacations and hotels. However, the growth rate in demand is expected to decelerate. Large companies such as Marriot and Hilton are expected to experience single digital growth rates in profits, after double digital increases in 2023.

On February 16, Reuters reported that Thailand is set to waive the visa requirement for more countries. The Thai Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, suggested that citizens from more countries will now be able to travel to Thailand without a visa after it waived visas for Chinese and Indian tourists. The step will be taken to boost tourism demand revenue. Between January 1 and 11, Thailand welcomed 4.39 million tourists, a 48% increase from the previous year. The Chinese accounted for most of the tourists. The government foresees an influx of 34 million to 55 million foreign tourists this year, an increase of 28 million compared to the previous year. You can also read our piece on the best free newsletters to subscribe to in 2024 .

Some of the Leading Travel Services Providers

Some of the leading travel companies include Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG ), Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABNB ), and Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE ). Let's discuss some recent updates from these companies. You can also take a look at the safest cities for solo female travelers .

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) is a travel technology company based in Connecticut. The company owns a range of subsidiaries including Agoda, Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, and More. On February 13, Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) reported that Priceline launched its 2024 Winter Product Release. The new release brings a range of new generative artificial intelligence features along with upgrades to Penny, Priceline's AI travel assistant. The company has added 30 new tools to Penny aiming to streamline the travel planning and booking procedure. Penny provides customers with destination recommendations and personalized customer service. The company also offers consumers with the best deals.

Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) is an online marketplace for consumers looking for short or long-term stays. The company acts as a broker and connects renters with consumers. On January 9, Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) revealed the best time to book and schedule tours in 2024. The company suggests that to grasp the best deals, travelers should consider planning tours and bookings in March. The prices in March are expected to remain low compared to the rest of the year. However, tourists wishing to travel later this year may consider September and October to avail the most affordable deals. To acquire the best deals, users must keep an eye on the "New" category, pay attention to special offers, and opt for private rooms. According to the report, the company witnessed an 18% rise in bookings over the past year in the United Kingdom. These bookings were primarily for listings under £100 per night. Such suggests that users are inclined towards cheaper travel options compared to luxury spaces.

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) is a travel tech company in the United States. The company owns Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Travelocity, Hotwire.com, Orbitz, Ebookers, CheapTickets, CarRentals.com, Expedia Cruises, Wotif, and Trivago. On February 4, Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE) announced a partnership between Expedia and Netflix. Expedia will become the first company to launch a multi-market campaign with Netflix. The company will leverage Netflix's global presence to expand across the world. The collaboration will first launch this month in Japan. Other partnering countries include the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, and Brazil. Netflix will represent Expedia in each of the countries with localized advertisements.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the 25 best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. You can also read our piece on the safest countries for US travelers .

Our Methodology

In this article, we will take a look at the 25 best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. To gather a list of the best free travel newsletters, we went over several sources including over 10 reports on the internet and multiple similar rankings. Of them, we picked the newsletters that appeared in 50% of our sources. To identify the top 25 items, we sourced the total site visits in the past 28 days for our pool of newsletters from Similarweb. Our list of the 25 best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024 is in ascending order of the total site visits, as of February 16, 2024.

By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. By using a consensus approach, we identify the best stock picks of more than 900 hedge funds investing in US stocks. The top 10 consensus stock picks of hedge funds outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years ( see the details here ). Whether you are a beginner investor or a professional one looking for the best stocks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders.

25. We Travel Newsletter

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 7,244

We Travel Newsletter sends out a weekly newsletter to its readers that covers important travel updates and upcoming trips. It ranks 25th on our list of the best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024.

24. Zero to Travel

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 16,656

Zero to Travel has a free weekly newsletter that provides important travel trips, destination advice, and insightful content. It ranks 24th on our list of the best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024.

23. Tripoto's Weekly Newsletter

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 30,308

The Tripoto's Weekly Newsletter is free to read, however, readers can pledge their support to the authors by subscribing. The newsletter covers important travel updates and news.

22. Arival Weekly Newsletter

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 34,573

The Arival Weekly Newsletter is one of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The newsletter provides weekly updates and insights into travel destinations.

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 38,065

Going Newsletters is one of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The newsletter provides well-researched and well-written travel newsletters every week from Monday to Friday.

20. Travel Talk Newsletter

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 61,580

The Travel Talk Newsletter by Nomad Flag ranks 20th on our list of the best travel newsletters in 2024. The newsletter provides actionable advice, travel trips, travel news, and travel stories from across the globe.

19. Business Travel News

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 75,704

Business Travel News offers a range of free newsletters for personnel from the business travel industry. The newsletters provide coverage of industry trends, best practices, case studies, and supplier updates.

18. Which Travel Newsletter

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 107,947

The Which Travel Newsletter is one of the best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The newsletter helps travelers plan better holidays with expert tips. The newsletter is delivered once a month.

17. Go Travel World

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 150,622

The Go Travel World Newsletter is one of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The news service provides a free newsletter to readers once a month. It covers interesting travel stories, tips, and videos.

16. Cool Hunting

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 153,321

Cool Hunting delivers a daily newsletter to readers every day from Monday to Friday. Under its travel archive, the news service covers cool places and cuisines from across the globe.

15. Preferred Travel Group

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 173,744

Preferred Travel Group ranks 15th on our list of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The newsletter provides users with travel news, information, and special promotions.

14. TravelAge West

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 187,889

TravelAge West provides advisors with travel news, travel updates, travel information, and travel deals. The platform offers a range of newsletters including Explorer, Europe, Cruise, Your Daily Briefing, and Family Getaways.

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 261,327

AFAR ranks as one of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The newsletter provides travel tips, offers inspirational stories, and covers travel trends.

12. UN Tourism

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 280,332

UN Tourism ranks 12th on our list of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The UN Tourism News Newsletter covers UN Tourism's work and provides insights.

11. Goway Travel

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 315,358

Goway Travel is one of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The newsletter provides travel deals and travel inspiration stories.

10. Dollar Flight Club

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 484,924

Dollar Flight Club ranks 10th on our list of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The Next Stop newsletter is delivered weekly.

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 702,656

The Daily Newsletter by Skift is one of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. The newsletter provides daily coverage of the global travel industry.

8. Travel Weekly

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 1.19 Million 

Travel Weekly ranks eighth on our list of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. Users get a weekly newsletter that provides news, insights, and destination updates.

7. The Week

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 2.32 Million 

The Week offers some of the best travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. Some of the free newsletters by the company include Today's Best Articles, Today's Best Cartoons, The Good News Newsletter, and The Week's Best Photojournalism, among others.

6. Top 20 Newsletter by Travelzoo

Total Site Visits as of February 16, 2024: 5.67 Million

Travelzoo ranks sixth on our list of the best free travel newsletters to subscribe to in 2024. Travelzoo provides exclusive deals and travel news in their newsletter.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Best Free Travel Newsletters to Subscribe to in 2024 .

Suggested Articles:

16 Best Russell 2000 Stocks To Buy According To Hedge Funds

Best Immigration Lawyers in Each of 30 Biggest Cities in the US

15 States With the Worst Unemployment Benefits in 2024

Disclosure: None. 25 Best Free Travel Newsletters to Subscribe to in 2024  is originally published on Insider Monkey.

The Best Travel Newsletters

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Pincone – a bookmarking tool for your favorite websites, feeds & newsletters Promoted

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Nomadic Notes

Travel blog and weekly travel newsletter

Newsletter about travel: The Nomadic Notes Travel Newsletter

Get the best travel reads via the weekly travel newsletter.

James Clark from Nomadic Notes

👇 Subscribe For Free Here 👇

Entertaining, informative, and inspirational travel reads.

My goal is to provide an entertaining, informative, and inspirational travel newsletter.

– One email per week, every Friday. – Free (no courses or ebooks to sign up for).

What’s in the newsletter?

Latest posts, site updates, and unblogged ramblings.

Get the latest posts from nomadicnotes.com in one weekly post. I also post site updates and personal ramblings that don’t make it to the blog.

The best travel reads of the week

There are countless travel articles published every day, so I try and find the best reads.

Each week I send out a curated list of the best travel reads and news articles related to travel.

Newsletter notes and disclaimers

The newsletter is once a week and free. The Nomadic Notes Travel Newsletter is published on the Substack platform at nomadicnotes.substack.com , and you can unsubscribe at any time. Your email will not be shared or sold to any other list.

I am now compiling a travel newsletter directory .

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About Nomadic Notes

Search nomadic notes, travel notes, travel resources, where to stay in…, travel newsletter.

Elite Traveler Launches The Explorer Newsletter

New weekly newsletter covers the latest in luxury travel, from hotel openings to in-depth city guides.

By Alex Martin

Scottish Highlands

A global pandemic, politcal conflicts and the hottest year since records began – far from its roaring predecessor, the 2020s is hardly shaping itself as a vintage decade. But while the first four years have kept us on our toes, they have also taught us not to take our freedoms for granted.

During the early days of the pandemic, we took great pride in providing people with a level of escapism, bringing you the best virtual art galleries and even Netflix recommendations . Once restrictions were lifted, we saw our travel content become more popular than ever. We had lost the best part of a year and were hungry for adventure .

Even today, the pandemic’s ripple continues to effect our travel decisions. Travel habits have changed noticeably with once-in-a-lifetime adventures and multi-generational trips still enjoying record levels of interest. In turn, our travel content, from exclusive itineraries to in-depth guides, has gone from strength to strength.

[See also: TCS World Travel Launches Cold Plunge Private Jet Expedition]

Plane over Namibia

We now feel the time is right to bring you a newsletter dedicated to our best travel content: The Explorer. Dropping into inboxes every Monday from February 5, The Explorer will bring you the biggest and best news from the world of luxury travel, from hotel openings to trending destinations.

Our Latest in Luxury newsletter, covering watches, jewelry, private aviation and many other aspects of luxury lifestyle, will still be delivered to your inbox every Wednesday as usual. But if you would like to continue to read our latest travel content, you will have to sign up for The Explorer.

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You can sign up to receive this free weekly newsletter by clicking here .

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Alex Martin

Latest in luxury, the explorer.

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The Travelogue Newsletter

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The Travelogue Newsletter: Stay at home.

Coronavirus edition.

You may have noticed that you didn’t receive a Travelogue Newsletter in your inbox this month. I imagine it’s pretty obvious why: With a global pandemic spreading at a scary pace, now is not the time to travel.

While the number of COVID-19 cases continue to increase, I’m putting this newsletter on hold. I’m focusing on staying healthy, keeping my immune system up, social distancing, and working as much as possible.

Hang in there, my friends. Listen to the experts. Stay hopeful. And we’ll get back to normal, eventually.

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The Danube River in Hungary. Photo by me, taken yesterday while running necessary errands and social distancing. Coronavirus was especially cruel to come as springtime begins.

best travel newsletter

The Travelogue Newsletter: From Georgia (the country) to Georgia (the state)

The best travel writing and photography from january.

Hello, and welcome to a new edition of the Travelogue Newsletter!

My friends, I am very pleased with this month's newsletter. This is not only because a January edition of the newsletter means that January is finally, finally finished — although, admittedly, that's a part of it. But the real reason for my enthusiasm is because of this month's diversity of locations. 

I've been curating this newsletter for more than half a year now, and it's hard not to notice that most English-language travel stories are most often based either in Europe or North America. Don't get me wrong; I think you could spend your entire life traveling through these two continents without reaching every magnificent city or beautiful landscape.

But it's quite telling that in travel writing, South America and Oceania are written about less, and Africa, the Middle East, and Asia even more rarely (with, perhaps, the exception of Thailand and Bali). Every month, I go out of my way to find stories from these places. Still, sometimes there's simply a disappointing dearth of stories from these continents.

So this month, I was especially pleased to see so many stories based in these lesser-written-about continents. We'll go to the Middle East, south Asia, and western Africa, among other travel destinations. Let's dig in, shall we?

Here are this week's stories:

An Elegy for Karachi's Empress Market . - PAKISTAN - One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to visit the local markets. I love the colors and the smells (well, except for the heavy scent of seafood which sometimes wafts through) — it's a unique ecosystem unto itself. Plus, if you want to see how locals live, markets are a great place to people watch while grabbing a bite. This story talks about what happens when one of those markets gets shut down. Written by Saba Imtiaz for Roads and Kingdoms, a publication that consistently publishes excellent content on travel and food. 

Songs that Connect Centuries . - GEORGIA - The country of Georgia sits at the intersection of Europe and Asia. To be honest, the country was never in the center of my radar until one of my friends visited last year and sent some gorgeous photos of Georgian landscapes (you can find some photos of the country here and here ). But evidently the scenery isn't the only reason why you should travel to the country; the traditional music draws visitors too. Writer Tim Neville describes Georgian singing as "fully rooted in the earth, with powerful, booming choruses that could roll a rock." From World Nomads. 

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The Pantanal Wetlands in Brazil. Photo credit: mantaphoto

A breath of Brazil . - AMAZON RAINFOREST, BRAZIL - If you've ever dreamed of exploring the Amazon Rainforest, this essay is probably the next best thing to actually hopping on a plane… and then a river raft. Author Michelle Jana Chan guides us through the Amazon on foot, meeting animals like anteaters, capybaras, and jaguars. From Vanity Fair. 

My journey to Scotland's remote pub . - SCOTLAND - A journalist hikes across rural Scotland, sleeping in shelters with no electricity or running water, in search of a legendary pub. This story is not without drama. Journalist Oliver Smith writes, "One local was hostile to me when he found out I was a journalist asking questions. I can understand why: a pub is a sacred space, and maybe the Table is, too." Well, I'm glad Smith stuck with it despite an unwelcoming pub-goer or two, because this is absolutely my favorite story from January. From Outside Magazine. 

The man who chases auroras to push away the darkness . - ALASKA - Written as an interwoven narrative, this story is part profile, part travel dispatch. A touching read by David Wolman. If you cry rather easily, then be prepared for the waterworks when you read this. Another one from Outside Magazine.

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The northern lights over Wiseman, Alaska. Photo credit: Hugo Sanchez

The rituals remain . - ETHIOPIA - This is a story about Ukuli Bula, a ritual from the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia. During the ceremony, a teenage boy jumps over bulls to make the transition from boyhood to manhood — but this tradition, along with other rituals from the eight tribes of the Lower Omo Valley, are in danger of being lost. If for no other reason, you should click on this story for the entrancing photos. By Gilad Fiskus for Hidden Compass. 

Children of the Dog Star . - MALI - Now we head to Mali, in western Africa, where the author recounts a creation story told by an eccentric member of the Dogon people. Also from Hidden Compass (What can I say? I can't help but read everything from Hidden Compass when a new issue comes out). 

Post-Soviet Travel on the Turkmen-Kazakh Border . - KAZAKHSTAN - An excerpt from the book Sovietistan: Travels in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan , author Erika Fatland arrives in Kazakhstan and compares it to her experiences in Turkmenistan. Published on LitHub. 

How a lifelong obsession with snow leopards led me to northern India . - INDIA - I always love stories of childhood dreams coming to fruition. In this story from the Washington Post, Dina Mishev writes about her journey to track snow leopards. She describes the trek in detail, and the payoff is sweet. 

Allen Ginsberg's "South American Journals" . - PERU - You may know Ginsberg as one of the leading voices of the beat generation. But perhaps you didn't know about the time Ginsberg left New York to attend a poetry conference in Chile, and found himself traveling through South America for months. Nowhere Mag publishes some of his journal entries from the trip. Ginsberg wrote this on Machu Picchu: "...in the dark mount, high as a Dantean peak in Inferno, a single star-like light revived the impression of utter high remoteness I first had seeing the Ruins from the trail on arriving—way up there in the sky, a city, dead, like an ancient idea of heaven."

Photo essays: 

Georgia: Images of the Peach State . - GEORGIA, U.S.A. - I used to live about 30 minutes north of Savannah, one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S. Those live oaks with their twisting branches covered in Spanish moss — there's no place like it. So I really loved this photo essay from The Atlantic documenting this beautiful state. The Atlantic seems to be putting together a state photo essay series, and you can also find photos from Wyoming and Indiana . 

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Live oak trees in the maritime forest of Cumberland Island National Seashore. One of my favorite landscapes. Photo credit: Alan Taylor for The Atlantic.

Resistance in Brazil's Ruperstrain Grasslands . - BRAZIL - Photographer and writer Augusto Gomes describes these Brazilian highlands as "another reality, resembling an old past. Maybe Tolkien’s Middle Earth or Narnia’s battlefield." You can imagine how gorgeous these photos are. From World Nomads. 

And a few more short pieces, for your consideration:

What's the worst seat on the plane? And how do I avoid it? - This honestly might be one of the most useful travel articles I've ever read. A simple question. But as anyone who's ever taken a plane knows, vitally, vitally important. 

How to be a kinder traveler . - A short but good read from the New York Times. I'm a big advocate for kindness — "kind" has a sort of sincerity that I think "nice" lacks — and I think these tips hold true to that. 

Is your travel photography ethical? - A question worth exploring. We talked about the ethics of photojournalism a lot in journalism school. Travel photography is adjacent to that, I think, but not quite the same. I think it’s something we should talk about more. This article also shares advice on how to be polite when taking photos, and not invade others' personal space. From National Geographic. 

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The Travelogue Newsletter: Looking back at the world's first travel blog and forward to 2020

The best travel writing and photography from december.

Hello, and welcome to the first Travelogue Newsletter of the new decade!

This newsletter gathers some of the best travel writing and photography that I found in December — plus I share travel inspiration for 2020. I have a few different travel goals this year, like traveling by bus and train instead of plane, connecting and conversing with locals, and writing more about my adventures. 2020 is also the last year of my twenties (which somehow doesn't get any less scary each time I say it), so I want to make this year count. Do you have any travel goals for the new year?

Remember that if you want your work to be featured in this newsletter, you can always email me at [email protected] . Feel free to send comments, questions, and constructive critiques as well.

Now! Let's jump into it. 

 Here are December's travel stories:

Chaos at the top of the world . - MOUNT EVEREST, NEPAL - Last year, a photo showing a long line of hikers climbing to the summit of Mount Everest got a lot of attention. In fact, Nepal permitted 381 people to climb the mountain in 2019 — the largest number on record. Of those climbers, 11 didn't make it alive. This GQ story — written by Joshua Hammar, but focusing on the perspective of Austrian climber Reinhard Grubhofer — chronicles one man's climb to the top. A well-written and dramatic read, but when you remember that it's true , it'll tie your stomach in knots.

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Mount Everest in 2019. Nirmal Purja Project Possible Ltd.

Jacqueline Woodson on Africa, America and slavery's fierce undertow . - GHANA - Author Jacqueline Woodson writes in the New York Times about a family trip she took to Ghana, 400 years after the first captured Africans arrived in Virginia. Woodson and her family visit the capital Accra, Elmina Castle (a horrifying place where African slaves met their fate of being shipped to America), and a nature reserve. Woodson's family is somewhat unconventional — she is queer, and she visited with her white partner and two biracial children — so it's a compelling narration about her complicated feelings toward Ghana as her ancestral home.

Walking through the house where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women . - CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A. -  I always love visiting the places where authors spilled their imaginations onto the page; I went to Victor Hugo's home in Paris, and year after year to Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in Mansfield, Missouri, on school field trips (our school wasn't particularly creative with their field trip ideas). So I really enjoyed this piece, which walks us through the Orchard House, where Alcott wrote her famous book. If you're as much of a Little Women fan as I am, you'll enjoy it too. By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold for Lit Hub. 

The origin of the world's first travel blog . - In 1994, Jeff Greenwald traveled around the world in nine months without taking any flights. But his method of travel was hardly as cutting edge as his method of recording his travels — he wrote about his adventures and posted it online with a battery-powered HP Omnibook laptop. This is four years before the word "weblog" existed. This article, which he wrote for the BBC's Travel Journey section is a retrospective, where he talks about his trip and what his takeaways about how the digital landscape has changed over the past quarter century.

This Cape Porpoise fish house is an icon. But of what, exactly? - MAINE, U.S.A. - There are some buildings you see over and over again on Instagram. The Eiffel Tower. La Sagrada Familia. Buckingham Palace. And… this little fish house in Cape Porpoise, Maine. People love to take photos of it and post it onto their grids. But what’s its appeal? And where on earth did it come from? This story, by Brian Kevin for Down East Magazine, takes a look at why the fish house is so appealing — and why it's caused such strong feelings in the town's residents. 

United in change . - U.S.A. - Climate change reporter Meera Subramanian takes a trip around the U.S. to talk to conservative farmers about how they perceive climate change. Most deny it — "It’s just the weather, they insisted; it could be cold as the dickens next year." Despite Subramanian's differences in philosophies with these farmers, she feels a sense of affection for them. A lovely essay from Orion Magazine. 

Bowling with giants on Saint  Michael's Way in Cornwall . - CORNWALL, ENGLAND - There's something about the English countryside that makes me fall into a daydream. I think it probably has a lot to do with the bazillion British books I read as a kid, but I digress. Here's a slow narrative of a walk through by the sea and through Cornwall, on the southwestern tip of England. "It was remarkable to me how a long walk, even just for one day, could make everything feel more alive," writes author Beebe Bahrami for this Perceptive Travel piece, and I agree. 

A couple of photo essays, both published in The Guardian: 

Arctic Adventure: A photography tour of Greenland . Photos by Bill Boswell, who won a photo competition for The Guardian. Photos of snow-covered landscapes, colorful houses and boats that look like toys from above, and Inuit people who don't seem to mind the cold at all. 

Little town of Bethlehem - a travel photo essay . Photographer Issy Croker takes us to the historic town of Bethlehem in East Jerusalem for this piece, accompanied words from Rebecca Ratcliffe. Loads of vibrant foods and narrow streets and pretty pottery. 

And last but not least, 2020 travel inspiration. 

Where to go in 2020 . - From AFAR Magazine, suggestions from all over the world for every season. This list mostly focuses on destinations in Europe and the Americas, with a few suggestions in Africa, Asia, and Oceana. 

Party time! Your 2020 calendar of world festivals . - From Wanderlust Magazine. I'd like to add: If you happen to be in Hungary or around Central Europe for Mardis Gras/Carnival. Skip going to Venice and go to Mohács, Hungary instead. I went to the Busójárás Festival (Hungary's answer to Mardis Gras) and had a blast. Imagine monsters and bonfires instead of beads and feathers — a truly wild time. 

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Busójárás Festival 2019 in Mohács, Hungary. Photo by me.

Best night train journeys to take in 2020 . - From Lonely Planet. In my opinion, train travel is the best type of travel. This list is quite useful for anyone hoping to cut down on flying and reduce his or her carbon footprint. 

The travel trends to know in 2020 . - From Conde Nast Traveller. Listen, I'm not going to experience space tourism, nakations (naked vacations), and "lifestyle flights" in 2020. But it's fun to read lists like this and fantasize, right?

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The Travelogue Newsletter: Blue highways and Finnish waterways

The best travel writing and photography from november.

Hi! Did you miss me? 

I took off the month of November from writing this newsletter. The newsletter is a hobby of mine - but I am a one-woman show, after all. And sometimes, deadlines (you know, the work that I get paid for) must take priority over this little passion project.

Upon some reflection, I’ve decided this newsletter will work much better as a monthly endeavor. So starting with this edition, I’m going sum up the best travel stories from the month — in this case, November. This works better for my schedule, and I think it means better quality content for your inbox as well.

So! Let's jump into November!

This month's stories:

Dirt-road America . - THE OZARKS, U.S.A. - I'm starting with this travelogue from the New Yorker, because boy-oh-boy, did it resonate with me. The author travels with Sam Correro, who's been tracking the dirt roads, the forgotten paths, the “blue highways” of America for decades. They travel through "don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it-towns," much like the town where I grew up in the Missouri Ozarks (incidentally, these two men drive through the Arkansas Ozarks). "There are still millions of miles of dirt roads in what the French call arriere-pays —the hinterland," the author writes — arriere-pays , “the place we can’t quite see from where we stand: it’s around the next bend; it’s what draws us onward in our travels.” Now, as my childhood neighbors from the Ozarks might say, ain't that somethin’?

A mother journeys through grief across Finland's many islands . - FINLAND - A story about grief from the New York Times Magazine. After losing her son to suicide, the author travels to the Aland Islands, an autonomous Swedish-speaking part of Finland. It's a beautiful and meditative account of solitude and reflection and the search for contentment, all while the author inserts anecdotes from and descriptions of the islands. 

In the Greek islands, a 'slow travel' sailing odyssey to the far Ionians . - GREECE - A family with different life philosophies travels by sailboat across the South Ionian Sea. What could go wrong? The author writes about his father's 70th birthday wish (the sailing), and his skeptical family. It turns out to be a sweet story with some funny observations. From the Washington Post. 

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Kok boru in Kyrgyzstan. Photo by Alistair Taylor-Young for Conde Nast.

Yurts, eagle hunters, and rugged solitude in Kyrgyzstan . - KYRGYZSTAN - Here's a heart-warming story about the author's journey through the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan. It has great photos too, as you can see. From Conde Nast Traveler.

People of the forest . - SUMATRA RAINFOREST, INDONESIA - The author writes about trekking through the Sumatra Rainforest in Indonesia to observe and study the "people of the forest," or orangutans. A touching and vivid read. I felt a sense of panic when reminded of how much of the rainforest we are losing, which I'm sure was the author's aim. From Hidden Compass. 

10 Euros to Krakow: A lamentation for my bladder . - HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA, POLAND - Yes, this one's from me. Last month I wrote about the bus ride from Budapest to Krakow. It was… uncomfortable. If you've ever really needed to go , but you really and truly couldn't , you'll relate to this story. 

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Krakow’s main square in the Old Town. By yours truly.

A festival of destruction in one of the oldest cities in the world . - ITALY - Oh, man. I loved this story from Lithub. I had never heard of Matera, a city in the south of Italy where our ancestors began making tools in the Paleolithic era, and which was a full-blown city by the Bronze Age. Isn't that incredible to think about? The buildings are actually carved into cliffs, making me believe that it still belongs in ancient times. The author writes about a rather unusual festival tradition dating back to the 14th century — I'll let you read the story to find out. 

Life in balance: Human tales from the wild Galapagos Islands . - GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - A very cool story from National Geographic. Have you ever thought about the people who live on these Ecuadorian islands where Charles Darwin famously developed his finches theory? Only about 25,000 people live there, along with many wild animals. This story introduces us to some of those inhabitants (and some other creatures too.)

Planning your 2020 travel? Consider these destinations:

South Africa . - I recently learned about the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, and hoo boy, did I become obsessed with visiting. This National Geographic list of beautiful and wild places has only strengthened my resolve. I don't think I'll make it in 2020, but my eye is on South Africa for 2021. 

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Rocamadour, France. Getty Images.

France (but not Paris) . -  "Oh how original," you say, rolling your eyes. "France. Never heard of it." But wait! Hear my out. When travelers think of France, they often think of Paris. Conde Nast gathered a list of gorgeous locations in France, like the lavender fields of Provence or hilltop town of Rocamadour, essentially built into a cliff. A road trip through France is one of my ideal vacations, and this list offers plenty of inspiration. 

In pictures:

On the Hunt for Mushrooms in Oregon . - The New York Times published this beautiful photo essay on searching for fungi in the luscious forests of the Pacific Northwest. If you love foliage in shades of jewel green like I do, then you'll love these photos.  

Hot springs eternal: The magic of Winter in Yellowstone National Park . - This Wanderlust photo essay takes us to one of the U.S.'s most famous national parks. I've not been to Yellowstone in the wintertime, so I enjoyed seeing these wild animals and curious geological structures framed by the snow - a totally different perspective than the crowded, summertime Yellowstone that I remember.  

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An American bison in the snow at Yellowstone National Park. Shutterstock.

Volcanic Eden: Going with the flow on the islands of Nicaragua . - Another nature-rich photo essay, but this time Wanderlust takes us to the warm beaches and fiery volcanoes in Nicaragua. This piece features one of the most adorable little monkeys I've seen in my life. 

And one last interesting read:

How to rebrand a country . - A fascinating article from the New York Times that looks at three countries: Colombia, Rwanda, and Croatia. Once upon a time, all three countries had reputations that shouted, "Stay away!" Twenty years later, people are visiting — and Croatia's case, flocking — to these countries. So what happened? Well, a country could have the hit HBO series Game of Thrones filmed on location. That certainly helped Croatia lot. But other factors have made a difference, too, as this article explores. 

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The Travelogue Newsletter: Bundle up.

We're headed to some snowy destinations..

Hello, and welcome to another edition of the Travelogue Newsletter!

First some travel news of my own: As you may remember, last week I was in Romania. I spent about four days back at home in Budapest, and now I'm visiting my other home, one from my childhood: Poland. Boy, am I lucky to live this life. And once life slows down for me a bit in November, I'll be writing about my trips. 

For now, let's dig into this week's travel stories:

Vox published a piece called My Own Private Iceland . Iceland might be considered ground zero for overtourism today, with Game of Thrones tours and some of the world’s most Instagrammed landscapes. The author makes an argument I haven't heard before: "In the face of overtourism, I want to make an argument for the inauthentic," writes the author. "Not just the spots flooded with tourists but the simulations and the fictions, the ways that the world of tourism supersedes reality and becomes its own space." Do I agree with this? Well, not entirely. But it's an interesting read nonetheless, one that I highly recommend. 

From Iceland to another cold destination, clear on the other side of the world: Antarctica. This National Geographic article takes us to Snow Hill, an island in the Seventh Continent . Did you know you can visit Antarctica on a cruise? That's what the author of this piece did. I loved this expeditionary tale, which recounts the unusual sightings and conversations with fellow travelers. 

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(Photo by Jamie Lafferty for National Geographic)

From Literary Hub, Pilgrims, priests, and breaking bread in an Alpine monastery . The author travels to the Saint Bernard Hospice in Switzerland in the Alps. The hospice and monastery is famous for its St. Bernard dogs (could you guess?), which have evidently rescued more than 2,500 people lost in the snowy mountains over the centuries. In fact, apparently the St. Bernard breed was created at this place. And famous (or infamous) guests like Napoleon and Charles Dickens have reportedly stayed here. This essay actually comes from a book by the author, which follows his pilgrimages all over the world in his search to find faith. For that alone, a story worth reading.

Snow, once again. (For someone whose least favorite time of the year is winter, I'm certainly racing into these wintery destinations, aren't I?) This time we're going to the Yukon Wilderness in Alaska with World Nomads . The author of this piece describes her time learning how to dog sled as she turned 50 years old. I'm glad I can read about this experience from afar so that I never have to endure sleeping outside in 0*F(-18*F) in real life. 

Finally, a destination that doesn't make me shiver. Also published by World Nomads, this story describes the author's experience at the Sky Burial in Tibet . This story includes some entrancing photographs of Larung Gar, a city known for its Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

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Are you a passionate traveler constantly on the lookout for exciting destinations and unbeatable travel deals.

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  • The 8 Best Carry-On Backpacks

Portrait of Katherine Gillespie

In this article

  • Best overall
  • Best duffel-backpack
  • Best for business travel
  • Best for lumbar support
  • Best for long trips
  • Best for short trips
  • Best for rugged trips

Even though much of my job as a travel writer involves testing suitcases , I usually prefer to fly with a carry-on backpack when I have the choice. You just can’t beat the sense of freedom that comes with strapping your possessions to your shoulders and heading to the airport — to me, a suitcase says “business trip” whereas a backpack says “adventure.” Not to mention the fact that backpack wearers are almost never singled out at the gate to check their luggage.

As backpack reviewer Geoff Grisdale of One Bag Travels explains, a carry-on backpack means “you can move around a lot quicker — it’s a lot easier to travel around cities with one.” Suitcases become cumbersome as soon as you’re confronted with cobblestone streets or multiple flights of stairs, adds freelance backpack designer Jeff Mullins. “And you have to have room to store them when you get home, whereas a backpack can be compressed.” Below, you’ll find the best carry-on backpacks for different sorts of trips, as tested by myself and other globetrotting experts. While you’re here, I’ve also written guides to the best travel pillows and the best toiletry bottles .

What we’re looking for

For trips longer than a weekend, you’ll require a carry-on backpack with a capacity of at least 28 liters, says Grisdale. From there, the size you choose will depend on your packing style, how long the trip is, and whether you need room for warm layers or extra shoes. Most of the experts I spoke with agreed that the sweet spot is somewhere between 28 and 35 liters.

Some carry-on backpacks can be as large as 45 liters, which is actually five liters more volume than an Away carry-on suitcase . While this size of backpack can be useful for long-haul trips, just note that it will be “really big and heavy — and you lose a lot of the mobility you’d get when carrying a smaller backpack,” says Grisdale. Mullins agrees: “If you’re a smaller woman, for example, I don’t think you should go over 35 liters.” Even though I’ll happily carry an ultralight 55 liter backpack on a hiking trip, I’m not a fan of wearing carry-on bags larger than 40 liters for extended periods — they’re significantly bulkier, and the back pain afterwards just isn’t worth it.

Packing style

The best carry-on backpacks are designed for ease of packing. Rather than unzipping at the top, they’ll either open up like a clamshell (with separate zippered compartments on either side), or like a duffel bag (with one big compartment that’s accessible from the front of the bag). If you’re an intentional packer who likes to keep organized on the road, the former option is likely best. But Grisdale notes that duffel-style bags are usually quicker and easier to pack because “you can just stuff your gear in there and off you go.”

Your backpack will be crammed into overhead bins or underneath aircraft seats, so look for one that’s fairly rectangular in shape, with straps and a hip belt that can be removed or tucked away. “Anything that dangles has to be gone,” says Mullins. He also notes that there should be a handle on pretty much every side of the bag, so you can grab it from whichever space it’s wedged.

Organizational features

A nice thing about living out of a backpack as opposed to a suitcase is that exterior pockets provide easy access to small items like wallets and passports. I also love that backpacks typically have loops or straps on the outside to which you can attach carabiners and clips. A good backpack will enable you to “get to all your small stuff without fully opening it,” says Mullins. “Whether that’s your phone, earbuds, book, glasses, or food.” You still don’t want a backpack with too many pockets, as these will steal real estate from the main compartment inside. “I like enough exterior pockets to be able to hold gear but not so many pockets that they take up a lot of room in the bag,” says Grisdale.

Best carry-on backpack overall

Cotopaxi Allpa 35 L Travel Pack

Capacity: 35 liters | Packing style: Clamshell, tuckaway straps, removable waist belt | Organizational features: External laptop sleeve, top pocket, carabiner loops

The Cotopaxi Allpa is truly a backpack for suitcase people. Its clamshell design unzips fully to reveal a large mesh compartment on the right-hand side and three smaller ones on the left, mimicking the layout of rolling luggage. It also has a hidden laptop sleeve in the back that’s generously padded (I once checked my Allpa with a MacBook inside and the laptop survived unscathed), as well as an easy-access storage compartment on top that can fit snacks, a book, and your passport. The bag is comfortable to carry, with a sternum strap and removable waist belt for extra support. It comes in three different sizes, but this 35-liter version will be the best for most people — it’s big enough for a week’s worth of clothes but small enough that you can use it as an airline personal item or large daypack. (Strategist contributing writer Margaret Eby took one on a flight to Italy in addition to a rolling suitcase, and says the tuckaway straps helped her squish it under the seat in front of her.) One gripe: There’s no external water-bottle holder on the Allpa 35, although you could easily attach a carabiner to any of its handles or lash loops.

The best carry-on duffel backpack

Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC

Capacity: 30 liters | Packing style: Duffel, tuckaway straps, tuckaway waist belt, convertible shoulder strap, trolley sleeve | Organizational features: External laptop compartment, top pocket, water bottle holder

Patagonia’s Mini MLC is constantly sold out, and for good reason. This is an unusually roomy and rugged bag that can be used as your main piece of carry-on luggage (it’s available in a 45-liter version as well, if you prefer to overpack) or as a personal item that sits atop your wheeled carry-on. (Former Strategist associate editor Louis Cheslaw refers to his as a “ secret second suitcase ,” because it lets him pack heavy without checking a bag.) Unlike the Allpa, the Mini MLC opens duffel-style, revealing a deep interior compartment that can fit several outfits and a pair of extra shoes. There’s also a laptop compartment, small stash pocket on top of the bag that’s big enough for a passport or wallet, and stretchy water-bottle holder.

The best (less-expensive) carry-on backpack

TomToc Navigator-T66 Travel Laptop Backpack

Capacity: 40 liters | Packing style: Duffel opening, compression straps | Organizational features: External laptop compartment, water bottle holder, quick-access front pocket

At less than half the price of the Allpa or Mini MLC, TomToc’s Navigator is a thoughtfully designed carry-on backpack with a large capacity and helpful organizational features. It zips open at the front to reveal a generous duffel compartment that can be filled with several outfits, whether or not you’re using packing cubes . There’s also a front pocket that’s big enough for a book, as well as a laptop sleeve in the back that can be fully unzipped, revealing extra storage space for documents, cables, and stationery. It’s an excellent affordable option, according to Grisdale.

The best carry-on backpack for business travel

Tortuga Travel Backpack Pro

Capacity: 30 liters | Packing style: Clamshell, removable waist belt | Organizational features: External laptop compartment, top pocket, front pocket, water bottle holders

Tortuga’s backpack designs are highly respected among gear reviewers across the internet. I’ve been testing out its very professional-looking Travel Backpack Pro, which opens clamshell-style to reveal two suitcase-style compartments and also features a nicely padded laptop sleeve with a false bottom for extra protection. The sternum straps are extremely comfortable and can be tucked away when not in use, the bag’s rectangular shape means it slots easily into overhead lockers (as well as airline baggage sizers — mine recently passed the Spirit Airlines personal item test with flying colors), and I like that the exterior fabric is highly waterproof and easy to wipe down. It’s also much more anonymous-looking than Cotopaxi’s colorful Allpa or Patagonia’s gorp-y Mini MLC, which makes it ideal for business travelers and digital nomads.

The best carry-on backpack with lumbar support

Osprey Fairview 40 Travel Backpack

Capacity: 40 liters | Packing style: Duffel, adjustable tuckaway hip belt and harness | Organizational features: External laptop sleeve, external toiletries pocket

When spending her year abroad as the inaugural New York Times 52 Places traveler, journalist Jada Yuan learned the hard way that rolling luggage is terrible for long-haul travel. “I don’t know how I got through 16 stops of my trip before buying the Osprey Fairview,” she recalls. “My back and shoulders hurt all the time. I needed something with strong lumbar support, a waist belt, and a chest strap so that I could make it through the trip without getting crippled.” The Fairview’s packing style she says, is perfectly bare-bones: “Just one giant cavity, plus a zippered section for your laptop and a bunch of straps on the outside for carrying, say, a bulky jacket.” It’s definitely the most comfortable backpack on this list, says Grisdale: “Osprey’s packs are good because they have a lot of padding, they’re really thick, and they’re also adjustable. So if it doesn’t fit you right out of the box, you can move things around.”

Best carry-on duffel backpack for long trips

Away The Outdoor Convertible Backpack 45L

Capacity: 45 liter | Packing style: Duffel, compression straps, removable shoulder straps, trolley sleeve | Organizational features: External laptop compartment, hidden top pocket for valuables

Away is best known for its hard luggage, but the DTC brand’s outdoor gear shouldn’t be overlooked. Fashion brand marketing specialist Jennifer Olson came across this big duffel-backpack while gearing up for an eight-month road trip through South America with her partner. “We’d be living in a converted Land Cruiser and needed baggage soft and malleable enough to be thrown around the back of a truck and wedged into small spaces,” she explains. “Though we’d be hiking here and there, we weren’t doing any hardcore treks, so we didn’t need a traditional trekking backpack — but rather something in between.” True to Away’s suitcase-y roots, the bag’s internal storage compartment features compression straps that are designed to secure a set of packing cubes , which Olson says really helped keep things organized on her big trip. And the convertible straps have come in handy now that she’s returned home: “I usually use it as a duffle when I’m on weekend trips or using it as a carry on, and when the bag is a little more loaded with my things, I use it in backpack mode to disperse the weight.”

The best carry-on backpack for short trips

ULA Ultra Dragonfly

Capacity: 30 liters | Packing style: Duffel, compression straps | Organizational features: Internal laptop sleeve, stretchy side and front pockets, front bungee elastic

I first heard about the ULA Ultra Dragonfly when lurking on the 729,000-member-strong sub-Reddit r/OneBag , which has popularized the idea of bringing no more than one smallish bag on trips and vacations. And while many One Baggers own Allpas and MLCs, this is the bag they covet most. It unzips duffel-style, with a Goldilocks-size 30-liter capacity that means it can hold a decent amount of stuff but still slide underneath a plane seat if needed. There’s no hip belt, but uniquely shaped shoulder straps are designed to be worn for hours at a time without discomfort. There’s a laptop sleeve for digital nomads, and the Ultra fabric is slightly stretchy (allowing for a bit of overpacking), unusually durable (similar to ripstop nylon), and highly waterproof (which makes it appropriate for treks and other more rugged adventures). There’s just one catch: Due to stock issues, you can only purchase the Dragonfly Ultra once a week on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. ET. Within a couple of hours, the bag sells out and its buy button disappears for another seven days.

The best carry-on backpack for rugged trips

Timbuk2 Impulse Travel Backpack Duffel

Capacity: 45 liters | Packing style: Duffel, tuckaway shoulder straps, compression straps | Organizational features: External shoe compartments, external laptop sleeve, passport pocket

More duffel-shaped than some of the very suitcase-y backpacks on this list, Timbuk2’s unique carry-on has zip-up shoe pockets at each end, allowing you to separate dirty footwear from the rest of your stuff — an especially nice feature for anyone packing a pair of hiking shoes . I also like how waterproof this bag is. All of the fabric is easy to wipe down, and the bottom of the bag has an extra protective “boot” which means you can plonk it down anywhere without worrying about it getting muddy. “The very considered design is ideal for someone who is most at home hopping on and off planes and trains,” says Andrew Barker, the former chief content officer of the travelers club, PRIOR . He appreciates the TSA-friendly slip pockets, which give easy access to your laptop and passport.

Our experts

• Andrew Barker, former chief content officer of the travelers club PRIOR • Louis Cheslaw , former Strategist associate editor • Margaret Eby , Strategist contributing writer • Geoff Grisdale, backpack reviewer at One Bag Travels • Jeff Mullins , freelance backpack and soft-goods designer • Jennifer Olson , fashion-brand marketing specialist • Jada Yuan , Washington Post reporter and inaugural New York Times 52 Places traveler

The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments , rolling luggage , pillows for side sleepers , natural anxiety remedies , and bath towels . We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

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How to Navigate an Extra-Busy Summer Travel Season

Tips for beating the exceptional crowds expected this year and keeping your vacation budget manageable.

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To help you understand what is going on in the travel sector, our highly experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts ( Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe ). You'll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest…  

The upcoming summer travel season will be extraordinarily busy and exceed pre-pandemic levels, though it will look a bit different than the past two summers when Americans caught the travel bug after years of COVID-19 restrictions. On the wane is so-called revenge travel, a post-pandemic phenomenon in which Americans who were desperate to make up for lost time booked exotic, and often expensive, “ bucket list ” adventures. 

This year, the trend has shifted back to more traditional vacation destinations and cost-conscious practices. But overall travel volume will hit historic highs this summer. Online travel agency Expedia says flight searches are up 25%, overall for June through August, compared with the same time last year. And interest in international destinations across Europe and Asia is up by triple digits. The number of Americans who eventually book a trip this summer will be on par with last summer. But globally, 4.7 billion people are expected to travel in 2024, compared with 4.5 billion in 2019, with much of that travel occurring this summer. That means that flights, hotels and attractions in the United States and abroad will be crowded to levels unseen in years. 

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Domestic airfares will remain in line with or just slightly higher than last summer. Fares will begin to rise in May, reaching a peak at the end of May and early June. 

To save money, avoid holiday weekends and travel during late August, if possible, when airfares will drop more than $100.

International airfare will be a mixed bag. Overall, prices will drop for most regions of the world, compared with last year, though they will still be higher than pre-pandemic levels. But airfares will fluctuate significantly depending on the destination, so bargain airfares won’t be found everywhere.

Avoid holiday weekends and travel during late August, when airfares will drop more than $100.

Flight disruptions are a definite possibility this summer as airlines struggle to put enough planes in the air to meet demand. Some carriers will be forced to trim their schedules to cope with a lack of available planes due to production problems at aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus.

When planning a trip, be wary of major events taking place locally that boost prices and shrink availability for hotels, restaurants and car rentals.

  • For Europe, avoid Paris during the Olympics in July and August. 
  • The same goes for Germany from mid-June to mid-July, when it hosts the quadrennial European Football [soccer] Championship. 
  • And singer Taylor Swift’s European tour this summer will cause price and availability issues in every city where she performs. 
  • Domestically, political party conventions in Milwaukee (July) and Chicago (August) mean accommodations will be at a premium during those events, if they’re available at all.

If you’re hitting the road this summer, gas prices in the U.S. should be similar to or slightly higher than last year, ranging from about $3.50 to $4 a gallon, although some states will be much more expensive. Still, unforeseen international issues, like a worsening situation in the Middle East, could suddenly boost the national average well above $4.

Car rental prices will be slightly above last summer’s, with fleet availability improved over last year. 

Domestic hotel prices and availability will be in line with last year. But also consider short-term housing rental agencies like Airbnb , as this option may be more affordable and convenient, particularly for families and groups. 

As for where Americans are headed, interest in off-the-beaten-path locales that became popular immediately after the pandemic hasn’t evaporated. One booming trend is “destination dupes” — affordable alternatives to popular tourist spots. Think Liverpool for London, or Québec City for Geneva.

Another trend is “set-jetting” — traveling to destinations that are filming locations of TV shows and movies. While the concept isn’t new, the trend got a massive boost during the pandemic era, when TV watching dramatically increased during lockdowns. 

Other summer travel trends are “cool-cations” (summer vacations to destinations with mild climates to avoid potentially record-breaking heat) and “tour travel” (traveling for a concert).

The strength of the U.S. dollar and relatively low inflation are driving more Americans to travel to places where the dollar will go the furthest , like Southeast Asia. And there is a growing interest in Japan, which lifted its pandemic travel restrictions only last year.

New York City and Los Angeles will top the list of the most popular domestic travel destinations this summer, according to Expedia, followed by Seattle, Orlando and Las Vegas. 

Internationally, Cancun, Mexico and London top the list. Next up: Rome; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Paris. Other destinations that are trending: Auckland, New Zealand; Hong Kong; Osaka, Japan; and Da Nang and Hanoi, Vietnam.

This forecast first appeared in The Kiplinger Letter, which has been running since 1923 and is a collection of concise weekly forecasts on business and economic trends, as well as what to expect from Washington, to help you understand what’s coming up to make the most of your investments and your money. Subscribe to The Kiplinger Letter .  

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Sean Lengell covers Congress and government policy for The Kiplinger Letter . Before joining Kiplinger in January 2017 he served as a congressional reporter for eight years with the Washington Examiner and the Washington Times . He previously covered local news for the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune . A native of northern Illinois who spent much of his youth in St. Petersburg, Fla., he holds a bachelor's degree in English from Marquette University.

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10 of the best hotels in Tokyo, from charming ryokans to Japanese onsen retreats

Japan’s capital is one of the most diverse and thrilling cities on Earth — but its sheer size can make choosing a hotel daunting. Here are 10 places to stay in Tokyo to make your trip all the more memorable.

With its glinting skyscrapers, narrow alleyways, lantern-festooned temples and neon-clad arcades, Tokyo is one of the most diverse and thrilling cities on Earth — but its sheer size can make choosing a hotel daunting. Over the past decade, accommodation options have broadened to include trendy ryokans (traditional inns) and indie hotels. Because there’s no single city ‘centre’ in the Japanese capital, you’ll almost certainly have to do some travelling — likely on the efficient metro system — to see its highlights, so don’t get overly hung up on location. Instead, think about what’s more important after a day’s sightseeing: an al fresco pool or a cool in-house bar.

1. Hoshinoya Tokyo

Best for: cultural immersion Leave the city, and your shoes, behind as you step onto the tatami floors of this skyscraper ryokan. It’s a low-lit retreat of shoji screen doors and incense-scented air, with a second-floor lobby that includes a little salon for tea ceremonies. The 84 rooms are spread across the next 14 floors, with each level centred around a traditional ochanoma lounge serving teas, sake and house-made snacks. The rooms themselves are plush, with raised-platform futon beds, deep-soak tubs and jersey kimono-style pyjamas. An immense 17th-floor onsen-spa has hot spring waters pumped in from 5,000ft below the city streets, with a vaulted roof that leaves it part-open to the elements. The 10-table basement restaurant serves exquisite French-Japanese tasting menus and the in-room bento box breakfasts are highly recommended. Rooms: From ¥112,000 (£589), two-night minimum stay.

Low-lit lobby with shoji screen doors in Hoshinoya, Tokyo.

2. OMO5 Tokyo Otsuka

Best for: budgeting In a skyscraper-cluttered metropolis, a hotel with an intimate, neighbourhood vibe can be a rare thing. Yet this branch of cool, affordable chain Omo, by Hoshino Resorts, has just that, packaged up in a modern building in the northern district of Otsuka. Cleverly designed rooms make the most of every square inch, with loft-style beds suspended above tatami mat seating areas and storage space integrated into walls and stairs. There’s also a laundry room on the fifth floor, where guests can wash and dry clothes for just a few quid, and an all-day cafe that transitions from breakfast space to coffeeshop to bar as the day progresses. Sign up for a local tour with one of the dedicated ‘Omo Rangers’, who will take you around the excellent local tempura and ramen shops — or even on an Otsuka bar crawl. Rooms: From ¥16,000 (£84).

3. TRUNK (Hotel) Cat Street

Best for: loft-style cool This felt like an entirely new concept in Tokyo when it first opened in 2017: a design-forward boutique hotel with universally appealing NYC-style coolness. Seven years on, the concept has now been copied many times in the city, but it’s still hard to top the original in the shopping area of Shibuya, just off Cat Street. Its lounge, restaurants and shop attract fashionable Tokyoites as much as hotel guests, and its bedrooms come with a breezy, minimalist aesthetic. Some have balconies with hammocks while larger options, like the Dining Suite, include spaces such as a kitchen area or terrace. Don’t be surprised to see dapper couples heading for the rooftop; it’s a popular venue for city weddings. Rooms: From ¥51,774 (£273).

A balcony junior room at Trunk Hotel, with dimmed lights, a wooden interior and large double beds.

4. Palace Hotel Tokyo

Best for: royal luxury This elegant hotel in Otemachi has long been a favourite with well-heeled Tokyoites who come for the dining options and spa. It helps that it’s mere steps away from the Imperial Palace, the city’s most exclusive address, and close to the swish shops of the upmarket Ginza district. Good-sized rooms — some of them featuring balconies — overlook an expanse of moat-carved gardens. An extensive breakfast buffet has princely appeal thanks to elegant platings of grilled fish, pickled plums, rice and miso soup; if that’s not to your taste, there’s eggs benedict and croissants, too. The in-house restaurants also have the wow factor, with two Michelin-starred options: French-inspired Esterre, in partnership with Ducasse Paris, and Chinese-focused Amber Palace. Rooms: From ¥91,800 (£483).

5. ONE@Tokyo

Best for: solo travellers In the east of the city, a 10-minute walk from the Tokyo Skytree observatory tower, One@Tokyo has a high-profile pedigree for a budget hotel, having been designed by Japanese starchitect Kengo Kuma. Functional yet not austere, its communal spaces — from the open lobby to the greenery-dotted rooftop — fuse industrial metallics with warm woods and a palette of unfussy greys. With their friendly price point and compact footprint, the lead-in standard semi-double rooms are perfect for solo travellers who want a step up in comfort and privacy from one of the city’s legendary capsule hotels. Long-stay discounts apply when booking for five nights, making it a perfect base if you’re planning day trips out of the city, too. Rooms: From ¥15,000 (£79).

6. Hotel New Otani Tokyo

Best for: amenities More urban resort than hotel, this vast property — once a filming location for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice — occupies a verdant location between multiple parks in the central Chiyoda ward. The hotel is fringed by 10 acres of 400-year-old Japanese gardens and, unusually for Tokyo, also has an al fresco swimming pool. The 1,474 rooms are spread across three wings, and there are more than three-dozen dining options, plus a lounge with free nibbles and drinks for Executive House Zen guests. Rooms: From ¥36,000 (£189).

7. Shiba Park Hotel

Best for: bookworms The printed page takes centre stage from the moment you walk in to this hotel, which houses a collection of around 1,500 books. As well as a double-height atrium lined with wooden shelves of books, there’s also a fireside library lounge and book corners on every floor, each themed around different aspects of Japanese culture. The rooms are comfy, contemporary retreats in which to curl up in with a good read — and the views of Tokyo Tower, lit up like a beacon at night, aren’t half bad either. Rooms: From ¥21,870 (£115).

8. Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Best for: families With reasonable prices, a prime location near Shinjuku station and views out to Mount Fuji on a clear day, this option ticks a lot of boxes. Rooms are a bit bland (unless you plump for a suite with tatami mats and shoji screen doors), but for families, the spacious four-bed options more than make up for the uninspiring decor. On-site experiences such as tea ceremonies make getting a culture fix easy if you’re wrangling kids. The seventh-floor outdoor pool, 11 restaurants and laundromat also help. Rooms: From ¥35,200 (£185).

9. Hotel Groove Shinjuku, A Parkroyal Hotel

Best for: nightlife-lovers For years, Shinjuku’s red-light district Kabukicho was rather sordid, the kind of place you’d head to for late-night karaoke and beers but not for a respectable hotel. All that’s changed with this recent opening, which reflects the fun of the city’s party heart but also has style and class. Set across floors 18 to 38 in the new Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, the rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the neon bustle below, as well as electric-hued carpets and the occasional pop art wall mural. On the building’s lower floors, a retro-styled arcade, cinema, live music space and food hall with regional dishes keep the entertainment flowing around the clock. Rooms: From ¥31,000 (£163).

DJ performing in a hotel lounge in Tokyo.

10. Tokyo Station Hotel

Best for: European-style elegance Opened in 1915, and set within the original 20th-century Tokyo Station, this grand hotel could have been lifted from London or Paris. Red bricks and soaring domes characterise the exterior; chandeliers, marble and button-back headboards are part of the old-world European opulence inside. Take tea in the high-ceilinged lobby lounge, ringing with live piano music and the clink of fine silverware, and end the day at the venerable Bar Oak, which serves up an array of Japanese whiskies in moody, wood-lined environs. If you’re planning to adventure beyond the capital, the location is unbeatable. Tokyo Station is the main Shinkansen (bullet train) terminal, serving popular destinations such as Kyoto and Osaka, and you can go from bed to boarding in mere minutes. Rooms: From ¥135,332 (£711).  

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It's Time for the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Franchise to Move Off-Planet

Why limit yourself to just Earth?

The Big Picture

  • Sonic the Hedgehog characters have the means to travel to alternate worlds with their rings.
  • The Sonic film franchise is hindered by staying on Earth, meaning it lacks narrative diversity.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will stay Earthbound, missing the potential to explore the vast universe.

The Sonic the Hedgehog movies have been fun and well-received by the franchise's passionate fanbase. However, the multimedia franchise, which recently transitioned to streaming television with the Knuckles miniseries, appears noticeably hampered by a growing obstacle. The central events of Sonic the Hedgehog , Sonic the Hedgehog 2 , and Knuckles remain anchored on planet Earth, even though Earth is not the home planet of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. The experience is dulled because the writers refuse to explore more vibrant worlds . The films tease glimpses of other planets, such as Sonic and Knuckles' unnamed homeworld, and the Mushroom Planet, where Dr. Robotnik ( Jim Carrey ) was stranded for a while. Although it doesn't look like the Sonic film franchise will leave Earth later this year with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , it's time for the franchise to escape the safe confines of Earth and explore the vast universe at its disposal.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The characters in 'sonic the hedgehog' have the means to easily travel to alternate worlds.

One striking element of Sonic the Hedgehog is Sonic's connection to Green Hills and how he views the town as his new home. Sonic was offended when he realized that Tom Wachowski ( James Marsden ) wanted to relocate to San Francisco, leaving his hometown in the middle of nowhere in Montana. While Sonic grew fond of the small town, it seemed such a far cry from previous iterations of Sonic , who never seemed like the type of person who would want to settle down and put down roots, especially in his wild, rebellious teens. But this is a different version of Sonic, who was orphaned at a young age and raised by Longclaw . The two are later separated after an attack by the elders of Knuckles' Echidna tribe , leaving Sonic alone on Earth. However, with his rings, Sonic could travel anywhere on Earth or even go to other worlds .

The rings are still out there in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie universe. The rogue G.U.N. agents, Willoughby ( Ellie Taylor ) and Mason ( Scott Mescudi ) have access to Sonic's recovered rings in the Knuckles miniseries. They are used as ammo in a fancy portal gun. Tails also uses rings to travel to other worlds and Earth in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill comic tie-in. Since the ability for quick and easy travel to other worlds across the universe already exists within the franchise, it should not be difficult from a narrative standpoint.

The 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Franchise Is Held Back by Staying Earthbound

In all fairness, the Knuckles miniseries was likely extremely limited from a budgetary standpoint. That means the series could not do much exploration beyond giving Knuckles and Wade Whipple ( Adam Pally ) a road trip across rural America, with the final act taking place in Reno, Nevada. That said, with the two theatrical features and Knuckles mainly taking place on Earth, it would be nice if later entries shook things up with a new setting. The Sonic the Hedgehog video games are defined by striking, exotic, and unique locations .

The movies do feature scenes and settings that pay homage to the video games, but it feels like a copout that they all primarily have to stay on planet Earth when other alien worlds exist . Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails primarily have to interact with each other or other human characters. And unfortunately, the human characters are the franchise’s weak link. Therefore, an easy solution is to expand the scope of the film franchise by taking the main characters to other worlds and planets .

If future Sonic the Hedgehog movies take their adventures off-world, the main characters could encounter new, colorful characters. Tom and Maddie ( Tika Sumpter ) can join Sonic and his friends to maintain the human element for narrative purposes. It would be nice to have the shoe on the other foot, seeing the humans as the proverbial fish out of water, contrasting the previous two movies and Knuckles , which largely showcase the aliens learning more about human and Earth culture . Future films could feature Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails returning to their respective home worlds.

Imagine if films could visit Little Planet, which would be a great way to introduce characters such as Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, who first appear in the Sonic CD video game. The fanbase avidly anticipates Amy Rose's arrival, and a new female character would provide a refreshing addition to the cast. If the main characters embark on new adventures, rather than passively waiting for others to arrive, the experience will be more exciting. This would stimulate more character development for the main cast, and it would provide the perfect opportunity to introduce other anthropomorphic alien characters. The potential for new characters is vast, with fans anxiously awaiting the big-screen debuts of Amy, Rouge the Bat, the Chaotix, and Big the Cat . There's no reason to stop at Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic 3 . Arguably, Shadow might only be the tip of the iceberg for introducing new characters to the film series.

Sonic Leaving Earth Offers Poignant Thematic Material

The Sonic the Hedgehog movies depict Sonic creating a found family with the Wachowskis, Tails, and Knuckles. Tom and Maddie now view the trio as their "kids," and Sonic views the Wachowskis as his adopted parents. Considering Sonic begins the franchise as a young orphan separated from his owl guardian, it makes sense thematically that he would yearn for a home. Therefore, Sonic should eventually answer the call to leave Green Hills, Montana for a new adventure.

Much like the films present the metaphor for the found family, future adventures that take Sonic off-world could provide a metaphor about children growing up and leaving the nest, going off on their own. The material suggests that Sonic has a greater destiny, and he will likely travel to other worlds to help other people and face other villains and threats. If Sonic does part ways with his adopted family, that would provide future film installments with some bittersweet, poignant material , as well as an opportunity for tremendous character development for Sonic, who accepts his calling as a hero to liberate or protect his animal brethren across the universe.

'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Is Likely Staying on Earth

Although the Sonic the Hedgehog film series should consider moving things off-world sooner rather than later, it doesn’t seem like that's happening anytime soon. It looks like the next big-screen installment of the franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , is keeping things Earthbound. The mid-credits scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 indicates that coordinates were discovered on an old government black site dating back over 50 years, teasing the appearance of Shadow the Hedgehog . However, the stinger scene didn't indicate anything about the black site being off-planet or off-world.

An early teaser trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was recently shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas earlier in April . Nothing from the footage indicated that Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Shadow, and Dr. Robotnik would be taking their fight away from planet Earth. For now, it appears Sonic and his friends are stuck on Earth and Green Hills . It remains to be seen if future sequels or other spinoffs will consider shifting the characters away from planet Earth. Keeping events perpetually on Earth seems rather mundane for a franchise such as Sonic the Hedgehog , especially since the film series has already revealed the existence of other planets. It's time the franchise explores its universe beyond the confines of Earth and Green Hills.

The recent Knuckles spinoff is streaming now on Paramount+, along with Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be sprinting into theaters on December 20.

WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

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