travel writing magazines

7 Publications That Pay For Travel Writing

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I recently enrolled at MatadorU — travel writing school!  I’ve been travel writing since the fall, including some paid gigs, but I’ve been feeling a bit adrift lately.  I’m tired of just winging it without in-depth knowledge of the industry.

I’m in need of  1) a guide and structure, and 2) a kick in the pants to make it all happen.  Hence, MatadorU!  I hope that by the end of the course, I’ll be writing steadily for a variety of publications.

Over the next 12 weeks, you’ll see my assignments posted here.  They will all be tagged MatadorU .  The first one is What to Eat in Florence, Italy .

In this assignment, I’m choosing several publications for which I would like to write.  The following seven travel publications spay for submissions:

Literary Traveler

Editors: Linda McGovern and Francis McGovern, founding editors

Email: submissions [at] literarytraveler.com

Submission Guidelines: 1500-2000 word pieces written in a first-person narrative that inspires readers.  Articles must capture the literary imagination; subject matter can cover all types of artists.  Small .JPGs must be included.  Authors paid $50 per article.

Editor: Sean E. Keener and Chris J. Heidrich, directors

Email: features [at] bootsnall.com

Submission Guidelines: Feature Articless: 800+ word features on pieces with appeal to a wide audiences; authors paid $50.  Expert Travel Articles: 1200+ word pieces that extensively cover one subject that isn’t terribly unique and helps people planning specific trips; authors paid $30.  Travel Essays: 500+ word pieces with wide potential; good conversation-starters; authors paid$20-40.

All paid articles must be previously unpublished material; others fill the “unpaid articles” program.  Photos must be your own or have a Creative Commons license.  Include “FA” in subject before the title of the piece.  Include images up to 350×350 pixels.  Include a note to indicate which photos go where.

AOL Network (Seed.com)

Editor: Many.

Email: Submit through Seed.com

Submission Guidelines: Seed.com advertises assignments for sites throughout the AOL Network, including travel sites  AOL Travel, Gadling, Tripvine and more.  Authors paid $10-200 per piece.

Outpost Magazine

Editor: Liza Finlay, Editor; Kevin Vallely, Editor-at-Large; Fina Scroppo, Managing Editor

Email: editor [at] outpostmagazine.com

Submission Guidelines: All story ideas should be submitted by query letter and should contain:

• One-page query letter outlining the story idea, including its angle, direction, elements and proposed length.
• A brief list of where the writer has been previously published
• The availability of photographs or other artwork to illustrate the story
• All necessary contact information, including phone number and email address
• A full or partial manuscript
• Examples of previously published work are encouraged

If including a full or partial manuscript with your email submission please enclose it as a word, .txt, or .rtf document attached to the message.

Editor: Dan Linstead, Editor; Lyn Hughes, Editor-in-Chief

Email: submissions [at] wanderlust.co.uk

Submission Guidelines: Several different submission categories for engaging independent travel, semi-independent travel and special-interest travel.  Categories include destination features, dispatches special-interest features and consumer articles. Nothing regarding luxury or family travel. Authors paid 220 GBP per 1000 words for most features.

In the Know Traveler

Editor: (unlisted)

Email: editor [at] intheknowtraveler.com

Submission Guidelines: 450-600 word pieces on travel; topics within are open-ended. “We seek writers who truly enjoy travel, have strong writing skills, style, a dose of originality, a sense of humor and a maybe a box of crayons.”  Authors retain the rights to their writing and are paid $10 per 450-word submission.

Wend Magazine

Editor: Kyle Cassidy

Email: edit [at] wendmag.com

Submission Guidelines: “Wend is namely interested in first person accounts of literate adventure travel with a social/anthropological/environmental awareness that permeates throughout the story. Many different categories focusing on environmental impact, food, news and more.

“Send two clips of your work, relevant to the story you’re proposing. Send a summary of your experience. Send a brief query summarizing the scope of your story, estimated word count, which department you deem it appropriate for, and an explanation of why you’re qualified to write it.” Authors paid $0.25 per word.

The Best Travel Writing of 2021: Our Favorite Stories of the Year

Tom Lowry , Skift

December 28th, 2021 at 1:30 AM EST

In a year when travel's recovery began, only to sputter, the pandemic was still a story for Skift that just kept giving. Our reporters and editors kept their heads down on crisis coverage, but shared some of the adrenaline too, on other worthy travel topics. Here's our team members' favorites, and how those stories came to be, in their own words.

The first year of the pandemic was an extraordinary achievement for Skift’s team of reporters and editors covering the unparalleled crisis in real time. Year two tested the mettle of the team in new ways, as glimmers of hope seesawed with the heartbreak of setbacks. But the journalism was no less exceptional in 2021.

As I am at this time every year, I am proud upon reflection of what Skift’s journalists accomplished. As is our tradition, I once again asked the difficult question of every reporter and editor who each produce a couple hundred stories a year: Which one was your favorite? They delivered, of course, explaining why the story was their favorite, and how it came to be.

We hope you find that our favorites are yours, too.

Edward Russell, Airlines Reporter

Behind-The-Scenes With American Demothballing Jets From Pandemic Storage

The Backstory: After writing so much about airlines pulling down their schedules, parking jets, and threatening to furlough staff, it was refreshing to actually see how airlines were recovering. In this case, how American Airlines put their jets back in the air to be ready for the then-forecast surge in summer travel. I flew to American’s largest maintenance base in Tulsa, Okla., to see exactly how the carrier did this. The team in Tulsa walked me step-by-step through the process of checking and re-checking every flap, seal, door, and crevice to make sure they were up to par for carrying passengers again.

What really struck me on my visit to Tulsa was how, for all the doom and gloom around the pandemic, the dedicated professionals at American never ceased working hard to make sure every aircraft was safe and ready to fly. Even for the seemingly thankless task of keeping black widow spiders from building webs in wheel wells.

Matthew Parsons , Corporate Travel Editor

Companies Face Challenge of Inclusivity on Travel for Remote Workers

The Backstory: The conversation around business travel shifted even further to remote work In 2021, as the phenomenon flipped from temporary measure to mainstream movement. It spring-boarded countless scenarios, mostly tinged with tourism because destinations saw plenty of marketing opportunities.

But among the images of work and play, I was struck by a conversation I had with the co-founder of a community interest organization who wants to level the playing field. Talking with Lorraine Charles of Na’amal , I was reminded the brave new world of remote work doesn’t revolve around middle and high-income countries, where people have ample opportunity to travel and work where they please.

Charles’ mission is to make remote work available for refugees, for people who don’t have the privilege of a U.S. or European passport, or the means to hop from one sun-kissed island to another with their laptop. She told me she wanted to help convert refugees into employees by training them on the softer skills needed, like Zoom meeting etiquette, then help them connect with potential employers.

In the same way travel broadens horizons for a tourist, does the same apply to an organization that recruits outside of its comfort zone? Later on in the year the topic was broached by immigration lawyer David Cantor , while the growing need for intercultural communications also emerged as a one-to-watch topic during 2021.

The plight of refugees around the world was brought home as we witnessed crises such as the large-scale evacuations from Kabul, and the tragedies of migrants in France attempting to cross the channel to the UK. Climate migration may also become a factor in the years ahead. 

A lot of progress has been made in diversity and inclusion over the past few years, and this is one area that I imagine, or hope, more organizations will address over the coming years.

Sean O’Neill , Senior Travel Tech Editor

What Accor’s Top Technology Executive Has to Say May Surprise You

The Backstory : This year, we launched Skift’s first Travel Tech Briefing , a guide for travel executives to decide if their company should “build, buy, or partner” to stay ahead in enterprise technology.

I was delighted that the first edition spotlighted Floor Bleeker, who gave his first interview since becoming Accor’s chief technology officer. The hotel giant had taken a contrarian tech strategy but hadn’t publicly discussed it before.

Until recently, Accor had planned to centralize its core technology systems. That’s a common trend among many large hotel groups. But around the time Bleeker came on board, the company decided to give up its plan to centralize its core technology systems. It will now be running multiple property management systems instead, allowing owners to tap upstart players, such as Treebo and Mews, after it certifies them.

While the move may seem like small potatoes to an outsider, the decision is significant for the hotel technology sector. It allows smaller players to compete to provide critical software to properties. Guests could be the ultimate beneficiary as competition may spur faster innovation in how hotels interact with guests.

Madhu Unnikrishnan , Editor, Airline Weekly

The United Airlines Engine Failure Is a Story Being Wildly Botched by Media: Commentary

The Backstory : On February 20, 2021, one of the two engines on a United Airlines Boeing 777 exploded in spectacular fashion, showering a Denver suburb with wreckage and terrifying passengers with sights of flames shooting out of the jet. The story dominated U.S. television news for several days, and pundits spouted dire predictions about Boeing’s future and the safety of commercial aviation.

Granted, it’s been an exceedingly difficult few years for Boeing, after two fatal crashes grounded its best-selling 737 Max for almost two years (forcing Boeing to admit that the aircraft’s flight-control software was flawed and responsible for the crashes); Federal Aviation Administration inspections of its 787 have halted delivery of a long-range aircraft airlines depend on; and its 777X has been delayed by several years. Boeing has gotten a lot of things wrong in recent years, but the United 777 failure was not one.

There’s an old adage that says a lie travels halfway around the world before the truth puts on its pants. Television news fell all over itself to air video that had already spread on social media. Important context was missing. Yes, the footage was horrific, but what was lost was why the incident happened. A fan blade broke loose from one of the aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney engines, causing the engine to fail and exposing its combustion chamber. The fan blade did not pierce the fuselage.

What was lost in the consumer media’s coverage was this: The aircraft stayed intact, and its many safety systems prevented a catastrophic accident. The crew performed flawlessly and safely landed the airplane without any injuries. In fact, most of the flight’s passengers were rebooked and carried on with their travels that same day. In other words, the real story was that the everything and everyone worked as they should, which may be a lot less exciting than the breathless stories the news media reported, but important to note.

Lebawit Lily Girma, Global Tourism Reporter

Why Tourism Needs to Step Up and Push for Vaccine Equity

The Backstory: The horrific pandemic surge in India in April had just unfolded and in parallel, the travel industry in the U.S. and Europe, and their consumers, were focused on planning for the start of a “hot vaxxed summer.” The contrast was glaring and a clear sign to me that vaccine access would be critical for a full and fair tourism recovery. So while it was a difficult choice to make — this being my first full year of tourism coverage for Skift — I am most proud of this initial story on vaccine equity. It became the first in what has been a series of updates from us throughout the year after leading this conversation for the travel industry.

Why this topic continues to matter is because first, it’s an issue that remains critical for the industry and continues to impede and influence travel’s recovery everywhere, as we’re currently witnessing with the Omicron variant. Second, it’s critical to push travel leaders in the major source markets to recognize that solely advocating for the lifting of border restrictions is a short-sighted approach. There’s a clear business case for the industry — particularly the World Travel & Tourism Council and the United Nations World Tourism Organization and their members — to use its political muscle to push for more rapid vaccine distributions and donations globally so that the recovery is sustainable.

Third, this is a time in which we need bold leadership and vision. We saw companies such as Intrepid Travel and Expedia Group move forward with vaccine equity campaigns some months after this initial story was published. Many more need to follow.

We need this industry to have a reckoning on what global tourism should represent and stand for in the future, and that it’s about more than arrival numbers and gross domestic product. Vaccine equity is an opportunity to do just that.

Rashaad Jorden , Editorial Assistant

How One Tour Operator Is Using a 1977 Hit Tune to Lure Back Travelers

The Backstory: I was looking to write a story about a tremendously successful tour operator marketing campaign that I thought could become a regular feature, and I was referred to Steve Born, the chief marketing officer of the Globus family of brands. 

How exactly? Globus was saying that landmarks popular with their guests – including the Eiffel Tower and the Easter Island statues – had missed them by singing Player’s hit Baby Come Back. Born explained in the story how the campaign came about and why it had enjoyed success.

It was my favorite story from the year because as Born mentioned, travel is fun and supposed to bring a smile to travelers’ faces. Seeing the video of popular landmarks — or even thinking about it — has never failed to elicit a chuckle from me. Born talked about the hard work that went into creating the campaign, which was timed to coincide with the reopening of numerous destinations. 

But most importantly, travel for many is a cause for celebration, and despite numerous ongoing challenges, some tour operators have had things to celebrate this year. 

Cameron Sperance , Hospitality Reporter

Lessons for Travel’s Recovery From Anthony Bourdain’s New Book

The Backstory: Some travel stories span beyond one’s assigned beat. It was timely to see the late Anthony Bourdain’s travel guide come out just as unruly airline passengers and rude hotel and restaurant guests became the unfortunate legacy of the pandemic. You couldn’t go days without seeing a headline of a diverted aircraft because some idiot wouldn’t wear a mask and punched a flight attendant to make a point — a point the federal government and airlines responded to with jail time and a lifetime ban from flying.

Restaurants and hotels weren’t spared the abuse. Irate was the default mood for patrons who had to wait longer than expected for a meal or, heaven forbid, were told by hotel management to keep their volume down.

Bourdain’s book made me miss his weekly wisdom doled out on his TV series, and I felt a particular bond with the words since I live in Provincetown, Mass. — the seaside town at the end of Cape Cod where he got his start in the world of restaurants.

But the guide also painted some important travel lessons: Always remember you’re a guest in someone else’s hometown. Be patient in this era of longer waits: It’s not neglect; it’s a labor shortage crisis.

Oh, and stop being a jackass to hospitality workers.

Angela Tupper, Deputy Editor, EventMB

The Catch-22 of Zero-Covid Zones: Events Happen But Can Cancel on a Dime

The Backstory: A major part of our 2021 news cycle was dominated by Covid coverage, but this story was particularly compelling because it approached a well-known news story from an under-reported angle. While major publications were drawing attention to Australia and New Zealand’s success with enforcing a zero-Covid policy, there was very little coverage of what this approach meant for the event industry. Headlines announced that life Down Under was able to continue largely as normal, apart from periodic snap lockdowns whenever a handful of cases were confirmed. Were large-scale events able to move forward as well? 

Through multiple interviews with event professionals in Australia, a consistent story emerged: The nation’s successful suppression of Covid transmission made it much safer to hold events from a public health standpoint, but the measures needed to maintain zero-Covid status also meant that a lockdown could be triggered by just one case — with events therefore prone to last-minute cancelation. In other words, reducing the health risk indirectly amplified the financial risk. In turn, What began as an investigation into the viability of events turned into a conversation around the need for event cancelation insurance. With private insurers unwilling to cover the risk, lobbyists were calling for government-backed programs. 

In some ways, this story provided a glimpse into the “stop-and-go” future that the global event industry would soon be facing in a post-vaccine world periodically threatened by new variants of concern. Since then, the UK has announced a government-backed event insurance scheme, as has the Australian state of Victoria. The impact of these programs will be a story to watch in the coming year.

Dennis Schaal , Founding Editor

Vacasa Paid $619 Million for TurnKey Vacation Rentals in Mostly Stock

The Backstory: This story combined two things I love: A scoop of sorts and scouring Securities and Exchange Commission financial filings.

What’s the first thing that travel veterans ask you when they learn of an acquisition? Namely, what do you think the sale price was? On smaller deals, when a startup gets bought by a public company, the buyer doesn’t necessarily have to explicitly disclose the price, and when a private company acquires a startup, the usual thing is there is no public statement about the price.

Vacasa’s acquisition of a smaller property management company, TurnKey, wasn’t a small deal, it turns out, but it involved two private companies. I therefore didn’t expect Vacasa to disclose the acquisition price — and apparently neither did the rest of the press — but the twist was that Vacasa was slated to go public in a blank check merger and was filing its financials with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Vacasa eventually went public, on December 7.

I love reading certain Securities and Exchange Commission documents and frequently tell my reporter colleagues that you can find all kinds of news bits and scoops if you take the time to read them, which I often do during the evenings or on weekends — for fun.

So there was the price tag and details about the deal in a Vacasa financial filing. Vacasa acquired TurnKey for nearly $619 million, mostly in stock. As TurnKey had only raised some $120 million in funding, it appears as though co-founders T.J. Clark and John Banczak did fairly well for their investors.

Miguel Neves , Editor-in-Chief, EventMB

Event Tech Investment Tracker

The Backstory: For my favorite article, I am going to say the  EventMB Event Tech Investment Tracker . This continually evolving post sums up a lot of my learnings in 2021. I knew that joining Skift to lead EventMB, I would bring the event professional’s point of view with me. With this post, I am not distilling what I have learned from all the amazing editors at Skift and their unique ways of looking at the travel industry. I’ve had help from many members of the Skift and EventMB to make this post a real at-a-glance review of the crazy world of mergers and acquisitions in event tech. Everyone I have shared it with has given positive feedback and I know it will be an important part of future iterations of the EventMB website, so the story will continue to evolve.

Colin Nagy, On Experience Columnist

Doha Quickly Comes of Age Ahead of World Cup 2022

The Backstory: This was an interesting story to report, as Doha is in the harried run-up to a major milestone, the World Cup in 2022. The event has been a forcing factor for a lot of the obvious things like hospitality and infrastructure but also has accelerated a lot of Qatari soft diplomacy: museums, interesting small businesses and centers to attract more of the global creative class. Covid has put a damper on a lot, but it is clear to see there’s been clear vision and a lot of progress. I liked this piece because it was an honest look at what is working well, and what needs to be improved in a region that has a lot of shallow, one-note coverage from Western outlets. There is a lot of depth and moving parts to the modern Qatar story: from regional and global politics, to business, investment, real estate to national country branding and the desire to live up to the promise of the World Cup. These are my favorite stories to try and make sense of when I can.  

Ruthy Muñoz , Freelancer

How Unruly Do Airline Passengers Have to Be Before the Government Decides to Prosecute?

The Backstory: I love writing feature stories that bring extraordinary people to the forefront, but surprisingly, when faced with choosing my favorite account this year, a Skift feature wasn’t it. Instead, my favorite story is accountability in the other pandemic- unruly passengers.

As a former flight attendant, I understood there’s only so much flight crews could do without the backup of airlines, the FAA, the Justice Department, and Congress.  Writing this and other stories on unruly passengers and holding everyone accountable to bring about needed change is what the power of the journalistic keyboard is for me.

Lisa Jade Hutchings , Branded Content Writer

How Event Professionals Can Cope With Imposter Syndrome

The Backstory:  I have had the opportunity to work on some great stories this year, such as the effect of the pandemic on local event industries around the world and an analysis of the sector’s commitment to net-zero. However, my favorite post explored the topic of how event professionals can better cope with imposter syndrome. 

While massive technological advancements and innovation have taken place within the sector, I wanted to delve deeper into the human experience of an event professional through real-life insights into the current situation. As professionals working in a high-stress industry (events), the cancellations and job losses due to the pandemic have impacted the mental health of those working within the space. Because of this, many planners have experienced crippling self-doubt in adapting to new tech, event formats, external stressors — all while learning new skills.

In writing the post, a background of the syndrome was given, alongside actionable tips to coping so people could gain tangible value by reading the piece. To better understand imposter syndrome, its effects, and how people can manage, insights were gained by speaking at length with a counseling psychologist, researching the topic online, connecting with others in the industry, and drawing on past personal experiences. 

The highlight of the post for me was seeing the effect it had on others in the industry — people were able to relate and felt that a voice had been given to an experience so many people live with daily.

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Tags: airlines , coronavirus , events , tour operators , tourism , travel recovery , vacation rentals , vaccine equity

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Posted on Jun 21, 2017

12 Types of Travel Writing Every Writer Should Know

So, you want to be a travel writer?

There are plenty of reality doses out there already, so we’re going to focus on the positives, and what you can do to maximize your chances of travel writing professionally. One of the first steps: you should absolutely know your markets, and what types of travel writing are popular in them. In today’s competitive market, this knowledge can both help you structure your article  and target the right audience.

In this post, we break down modern travel writing into three distinct categories: freelance journalism , blogging, and book-writing. Then we identify the prevalent types of travel writing each category is known for, to give you an initial sort of compass in the industry.

Freelance Travel Journalism

The truth is this: the travel sections in major publications (New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal) are slimmer now, so competition will be tall. But there are other outlets. Local newspapers are sometimes open to travel pitches from freelancers. Certain websites pay for travel articles, while magazines can be great for targeting niche audiences.

So what are the common types of freelance travel journalism?

Destination articles

Here, the game’s in the name: destination articles tell readers about a place to which they might want to travel one day. One of the most standard type of travel stories, these pieces act as the armchair reader’s bird-eye view of a place. Useful or interesting facts pepper the writing. History, points of interest, natural scenery, trendy spots: a destination article can touch upon them all within the framework of a broad narrative.

Where the average article gives readers a sense of the destination, the best of the best convinces readers that this is a destination they want, nay, need to visit. As such, though some destination articles are written in first person, the focus is rarely on the writer. Instead, the destination is the star of the show.

For examples of destination articles, check out:

• Besalú, the most interesting Spanish village you probably don’t know (LA Times)
• In Indonesia (Washington Post)
• 36 Hours In The Finger Lakes Region of New York (New York Times)

Special-interest articles

Special-interest articles are offshoots of destination articles. Instead of taking the reader on a tour of an entire country or city, these pieces cover one particular aspect of the destination. This kind of writing can cover anything from art in Colombia, ghost towns in the U.S., trekking in Patagonia, alpaca farms in Australia, motorbiking in Brazil, railroads in France, volunteering in Tanzania — you get the gist.

Since special-interest articles are narrower in topic, many writers tailor them for niche magazines or websites. Before you start pitching, we recommend flipping through the Writer’s Handbook , one of the most useful guides to the freelance publishing market, to see which publications fit your target audience.

For a taste of some special-interest articles, see:

• Exploring Portugal — From Pork To Port (epicurious.com)
• This Unsung Corner of Spain is Home to Fabulous Food (Washington Post)
• Karsts of China's Getu River region attract rock climbers, other travelers (CNN Travel)

Holiday and special events

Holiday and special events travel articles ask writers to write about a destination before the event takes place. The biggest global events are magnets for this type of travel writing, such as the World Cup, the Olympics, the World Expo, fashion weeks, and film festivals. Depending on the publication, regional events work just as well.

Want to see what special events pieces look like? Have a read through these:

• This summer’s solar eclipse is southern Illinois’ chance to shine (Chicago Tribune)
• How To Plan A Trip To The 2016 Rio Olympics (Travel & Leisure)

You’ll recognize a round-up article when you see one, as it’ll go, “40 best beaches in West Europe,” or, perhaps, “20 of the greatest walks in the world!” It’s a classic tool in any magazine or newspaper writer’s toolbox, taking a bunch of destinations and grouping them all under one common thread.

Ultimately, a clear motif makes this type of article a breeze to read, as they’re a play on the ubiquitous List Format. But, OK, before you jump at this excuse to sacrifice your belly at 99 food trucks in New York City, remember that your premise should be original, not to mention practical. What’s tough is coming up with X ways to do Y in the first place, as that demands you put in the travel and research to produce a thorough write-up.

Want even more examples of round-up articles? Here you go:

• 12 new art exhibits to see this summer (Smithsonian)
• 21 ways to see America for cheap (Huffington Post)
• 41 places to go in 2011 (New York Times)

Personal essays

Publishers are experiencing something of a personal essay fatigue , so the market for more might be scarce these days. However, quality trumps all, and a good personal travel essay is just plain good writing in disguise: something that possesses a strong voice while showing insight, growth, and backstory.

Just don’t make it a diary entry. In an interview with The Atlantic , travel writer Paul Theroux said: “The main shortcut is to leave out boring things. People write about getting sick, they write about tummy trouble. They write about waiting. They write three pages about how long it took them to get a visa. I’m not interested in the boring parts. Everyone has tummy trouble. Everyone waits in line. I don’t want to hear about it.”

Here’s a jumping-off point for personal travel essays:

• Taking the Great American Roadtrip (Smithsonian)

Have a burning opinion to share? Sometimes publications end up giving op-eds to staff, but there are always open calls for opinion pieces.

Travel op-eds are much rarer than political opinion pieces, but there’s a pattern to the ones that make the cut: good persuasive writing. If you can come at a topic from a unique angle (and argue your case clearly) then you may be able to publish your opinion.

If you’re in the mood for travel op-ed articles, see:

• The West Coast Is The Best Coast For Food In America (Food & Wine)
• Why Climate Change Is Actually Relevant To Travel (Conde Nast)

Travel Blogging

When typing “travel blog” into Google returns 295 million results, we can guess it’s a fairly competitive market.

Here’s the plus side: bloggers get to write what they want and go where they please. When it comes to blog posts, there are no editors, no gatekeepers. Only you and the “PUBLISH” button.

We won’t go revisit the types of travel writing we covered earlier (such as the roundup format). Instead, we’ll explore some of the other formats bloggers use to tell their travel stories. Since the rules of travel blogging are next to non-existent, our tally below is by no means definitive. And, again, our best advice is to note what your favorite bloggers do on their blogs.

Already running a successful travel blog? You might consider turning that blog into a book !

How-To articles are already fairly popular in magazines, but they’re positively omnipresent in the travel blogging world. Blogs provide a direct communication platform, allowing trust to build up quicker with the readers. As a result, for the search query, “How to travel Europe on a budget,” six out of the top ten results are posts from trusted independent blogs.

A How-To article is the most standard form of advice column a travel blogger can produce. It’s intrinsically useful, promising that it’ll teach something by article’s end. A blogger’s challenge is delivering fully on that promise.

How to read more How-To articles? We got you covered:

• How To Start A Travel Blog (Nomadic Matt)
• How To Travel Solo To A Party Destination (Adventurous Kate)
• How to Visit Penang’s Kek Lok Si Temple (Migrationology)

Itineraries

Itineraries reveal the schedule that the writer took at a given destination, city-by-city or sight-by-sight. They’re meant for the traveler who’s embarking on a similar trip and needs a template. Typically, you’ll find that an itinerary post is an easy place for you to slip in recommendations, anything from the accommodation you used or the restaurants you tried.

You can use itinerary posts to reinforce your blog’s brand. For instance, an itinerary posted on a blog focused around budget travel will probably maximize cost-saving chances.

For more itineraries, see:

• My Trip To Japan (A Complete Japan Itinerary)
• Backpacking Vietnam on a budget: 2-3 Weeks Itinerary + Tips

Longform posts

Longform travel blogging tells a travel story through extended narrative content, as it takes a week’s worth of adventure and shapes it into a story. Longform blog posts about travel often end up being creative nonfiction : a way to present nonfiction — factually accurate prose about real people and events — in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner.

Photography can add another dimension to the form, as Emmanuel Nataf (our co-founder!) shows on his travel blog . And Reedsy's very own Arielle provides a glimpse into why she prefers longform travel writing on her blog, Steps, a Travel Journal :

My favourite kinds of stories are the ones that give you a real sense of place. That’s why I enjoy longform travel blogging: I get to describe the character of a place through the experiences I encountered there.

If you want to dip your toe into the sea of longform posts, you can also read:

• The Cow Head Taco Philosopher King of Oaxaca (Legal Nomads)
• The Best Worst Museum In The World

When it comes to writing a book, you can take all the challenges about travel writing from above and magnify it times 2,000. If you’re asking readers to commit to you for more than 100 pages, you’d best make sure that your book is worth their while.

As far as examples go, travel writing’s boomed in the mainstream book market recently. But there’s much more to it than Eat, Pray, Love and its descendants.

Travelogues

In travelogues, authors record their adventures in a way that illustrates or sheds insight upon the place itself. Travelogues possess a storied past, from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s Turkish Embassy Letters in 1763 to Mark Twain’s 1867 The Innocents Abroad , which paved the way for the sort of comic travelogues that Bill Bryson’s perfected today.

Up for some travelogues? Check out:

• Notes From A Small Island , by Bill Bryson
• In Patagonia , by Bruce Chatwin
• Travels with Charley In Search of America , by John Steinbeck

Travel memoirs

Nowadays, travel memoirs are practically synonymous with Elizabeth Gilbert’s wildly popular Eat, Pray, Love and Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling Wild , which were both recently adapted into Hollywood blockbusters.

That said, be aware that you’ll need a pretty exceptional personal story for your memoir to compete in today’s market . If you’re still set on writing or self-publishing a travel memoir, it’s tricky to balance personal backstory and travel for 400 pages, so think about taking on a professional for a second pair of eyes.

Did you know? You can find Nicki Richesin , a top Bloomsbury editor who’s edited for Cheryl Strayed, on our marketplace.

In addition to Eat, Pray, Love and Wild , you can read:

• Under the Tuscan Sun , by Frances Mayes
• Coasting , by Jonathan Raban
• Wind, Sand, and Stars , by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

As Oscar Wilde said, “I never travel without my diary. One should always keep something sensational to read in the train.” But these days, people are replacing diaries with travel guides — the ubiquitous Lonely Planet becoming one of the more common sights on transit.

Travel writing in guidebooks is straightforward, informative, and fact-filled. In addition, there’s a certain amount of responsibility that comes with the job. Lonely Planet alone is read by millions of travelers worldwide.

General Tips and Guidelines

As we mentioned before, the trick to producing great travel writing is ultimately simply writing well . To that extent, you should make sure to follow all the guidelines of good writing — not least, spell-checking your article before submitting or publishing it anywhere. You don’t want an editor or reader to see it while it stilll reads lik edis.

Also, keep in mind the tone, style, and vibe of the publication and platform (and by extension, your audience). A story about a moon-rock could go into a kid's magazine or it could go into Scientific America .

Finally, some category-specific tips:

• If you’re freelance writing, always check submission guidelines. Publications may accept only pitches or they may welcome articles “on spec” (pre-written articles). Some sources only take travel articles that were written within 6 months of the trip.
• If you’re blogging, brand your website (same advice if you’re an author who’s building an author website ).
• If you’re writing a book, get a professional editor! An unedited book is an unwieldy thing, and professional eyes provide direction, continuity, and assonance. ( Layout designers can be important if you’re publishing a travel photography book, in the meanwhile.)

Travel writing isn't a cinch. In fact, it's a long and often hard grind. But by figuring out what type of travel writing you want to try your hand at, you're taking the crucial first step.

Have you tried travel writing before? Want to show us the cool travel blog that you're keeping? We're always in the mood for great travel writing + pretty pictures. Leave us a note in the comments and we'll be sure to check it out! 

7 responses

Amanda Turner says:

20/03/2018 – 16:20

Thank you, this was very helpful. Here's one of mine: http://vagabondingwithkids.com/every-mothers-guide-to-piranha-fishing-in-the-amazon/

Travalerie says:

24/05/2018 – 18:42

I landed on this page Googling for one thing and coming up with another. Haha! But what I found instead was helpful as I'm devouring as much as I can on travel writing. A few months ago, I started a new travel business, revamped my website including a new blog, and am in the process of writing, writing, writing. I took 2 trips this year so far and wrote what seemed like a mini-novella. Burning out in the process. I know I can do better. But I had no idea what I was writing could be re-worked to fit a certain category of travel writing -- which is what I found helpful in this post above. Thanks https://www.travalerie.com/blog

Surya Thakur says:

04/03/2019 – 12:39

Very good information. Lucky me I discovered your blog by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve saved as a favorite for later! KuLLuHuLLs

David Bishop says:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

Thanks for this good article. I'm in my third year on the road and recently started my senior solo adventure travel website. I think my site has some pretty good stuff, of course. Take a look and tell me what you think. www.davidhunterbishop.com

Iris C. Permuy says:

23/05/2019 – 18:03

Thank you very much for all of these useful pieces of advice. I will make sure to implement them all on my travel blog, which is a combination of travel and gastronomy and uses the memoir and itinerary types, apart from recipes. Come check it out if you feel like it! I am more than open, eager for some professional feedback :)

Serissa says:

26/10/2019 – 14:53

This post is the perfect diving board for aspiring travel writers. I plan to link to this page from my travel blog if that is alright! ?? The link on my website will appear as "[title of this post] by Reedsy Blog". I assume this is alright, but if not, please email me directly to let me know! Thanks so much!

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

29/10/2019 – 10:11

We'd be absolutely delighted if you shared this article on your blog :)

Comments are currently closed.

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100 Print Magazines that Want to Publish Your Travel Articles

By Roy Stevenson

A large part of your success as a freelance writer depends on finding a good selection of magazines that are compatible with your travel story ideas. Save yourself hundreds of hours of time and accelerate your travel writing career with this solid distribution list for your travel articles,  100 Print Magazines that Want to Publish Your Travel Articles . This list goes way beyond what you can find in references like Writer’s Market.  It was compiled from a wide variety of on-line sources, field resources and book references, including international sources that publish magazines for the English-speaking market. If you want to be a successful travel writer and get those coveted Press Trips and Fam Tours, it’s important to be highly proficient at finding travel magazine leads.  And having a solid list of magazines for your stories makes it easier to find assignments to help you get invited on Press trips. Creating your own comprehensive magazine distribution list takes years and many hours of your time.  Stop wasting your valuable time.   Skip the boring and time-consuming process of trying to do it all yourself. For the price of an inexpensive bottle of wine, you can have my own list of magazines and immediately begin pitching your travel stories to these outlets.  And, starting with this list as your base, you can build it further with your research to make it uniquely your own. This is a valuable resource for any writer who wants to get a jump start on getting published.   I’ve done all the work for you – all you need to do is pitch your stories.

This eBook is no longer available. Please watch for our new eBook : 150 Regional Magazines coming soon

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The Best Travel Writing Magazines

For the last five years, each magazine with one of its essays reprinted in the book got a certain number of points, and if it was listed in the “Special Mention” section in the back, it received a fewer number of points.

The tallies are below, ranked from highest to lowest. I’ve also included the numbers so you can see the gaps between travel magazines.

If you want to PUBLISH  your travel writing , I would suggest checking out these markets and looking not for the top market, but for the best fit. There are many different kinds of travel writing.

If you’re looking for some of the best places to READ  travel writing, this list will work for you too. I think when we think of magazines for travel, the usual suspects come up: Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler. This list blows those traditional suspects out of the water. Not only does it give excellent options for online reading, including World Hum and Morning News , it also gives some surprise suggestions that reveal some unusual magazines are publishing a LOT of travel writing ( The Believer , for example).

There are some surprises in this list.

World Hum was not on my radar before as a top-notch market for travel writing, but with a tally that beats out The Atlantic, AFAR, and National Geographic Traveler, they are obviously a top-tier market.

Another big surprise is The Morning News . I primarily know The Morning News for their annual Tournament of Books, but I had no idea they had such a robust travel writing section. But according to these statistics, they’re beating out Conde Nast Traveler and Washington Post Magazine.

It’s interesting that two of the top surprising sites are both online sites.

I also wouldn’t have expected The Believer to be such a great place to publish travel writing, because I associate them more with literary criticism. But they’re tied with National Geographic ! As a writer this kind of information gives you an advantage, because while 90% of travel writers are submitting to National Geographic and competing with each other, you could be publishing in an equally top-tier magazine like The Believer with less

 competition.

I’m glad to see AFAR with such a high grand total. I subscribed for their very first issue, and was a subscriber during their early years (it wasn’t that long ago! They’re a pretty new magazine).

The Smart Set is another great market that this list highlighted. I heard about them years ago but hadn’t read anything in ages, so I’m glad they’re not only still publishing, but publishing some fantastic travel writing!

Before you get so giddy you start slobbering over the list below, let me tell you what this ranking can’t do:

• It doesn’t tell you how much these markets pay . A travel writing magazine publishing amazing writing doesn’t always pay the most, while some publishing pretty mediocre writing pay oodles and oodles. It’s impossible for me to standardize pay in a list because pay varies wildly between authors at many of these publications, and because many publications keep it semi-secret. Still, if you care about the quality of the writing, and the awards that your writing might receive, this list is perfect for you .
• It doesn’t tell you the absolute quality of these magazines . This is a rough guideline, according to the tastes of the editors of Best American Travel Writing. But since there is a different guest editor every year, and since this list tallies the last five years together, I think you get a pretty good estimate as to which magazines in the United States are publishing the best travel writing.

The most interesting part of this list below might be the places receiving just a single point (This means they were listed once in the back of the journal, in the “Special Mentions” section). These are markets that aren’t the usual suspects, but are definitely interested in publishing your travel writing. My three favorites are Roads and Kingdoms , Nowhere (what a great name!), and Backpacker . Check them out and submit.

Lastly, if you’re interested in some of my other lists here at Bookfox, I have created rankings from the other Best American series as well.

• Best American Stories
• Best American Essays

If you’re someone like me who loves travel writing because they love traveling, I wish you happy reading, happy submitting, and most of all, happy traveling.

Best Travel Writing Magazines

• New Yorker  55
• New York Times Magazine 41
• Harper’s Magazine 36
• Travel + Leisure 25
• The Believer 21
• National Geographic 21
• World Hum 19
• Virginia Quarterly Review 18
• The Atlantic 17
• AFAR  16
• Vanity Fair 16
• Smithsonian 14
• The Morning News 12
• Missouri Review 12
• Smart Set 11
• Oxford American 10
• National Geographic Traveler 9
• Conde Nast Traveler 8
• Creative Nonfiction 6
• Washington Post Magazine 6
• The Georgia Review 6
• T Magazine 4
• New York Times 4
• Men’s Journal 4
• Ski Magazine 4
• Paris Review 3
• Florida Review 3
• Gulf Coast 3
• Wall Street Journal Magazine 3
• Bellevue Literary Review 3
• The American Scholar 3
• McSweeney’s 3
• Hudson Review 3
• Grantland  4 (Defunct)
• Colorado Review 3
• Railroad Semantics 3
• Southern Review 2
• Chattahoochee Review 2
• Nowhere  2
• Tampa Review 1
• Fourth Genre 1
• Narrative 1
• Boulevard 1
• Backpacker 1
• Tin House 1
• Los Angeles Times 1
• Memoir 1 (defunct)
• Opinionator 1
• Roads and Kingdoms 1
• New England Review 1
• Post Road 1
• Food and Wine 1

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Matador Original Series

10 online literary magazines that publish great travel writing.

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, here’s a list of magazines to check out:

1. Frostwriting

This Swedish literary magazine—in English—is interested in cross-cultural experiences (especially as they pertain to Sweden, but they’re not picky) in the form of nonfiction essays, “postcards,” fiction and poetry. They also publish short essays about writing and the writing life.

When I was married we spent every carnival out-of-town, like any self-respecting carioca. Let the tourists have the run of the place with its beery crowds, urine-soaked sidewalks, noise, smoke, skin and general chaos; carnival is for deserted beaches. Carnival is for skiing in Colorado. –Julia Michaels, “Horrible Carnival”

Beautiful, easy-on-the-eyes site, and beautiful literary essays (or as they call it, “fact”), fiction, and poetry by established and emerging writers.

One time I was waiting in Madrid Airport to get the plane back when I was overcome by a sense that there was a space for me here in Madrid. A me-shaped space. And so we all came together in Lombardia Street and the space was filled. Then, when nobody really expected it, two years later another space opened up. A you-shaped one. —Donal Thompson, “Letter to Maeve”

3. Orion Magazine Online

Originally (and still) a print magazine, Orion is now available online. Many of the biggest names in environmental writing publish here regularly, alongside unknown and emerging writers.

Orion consistently keeps the big picture in mind, looking in depth at environmental and social issues the world over. Some of the best environmental reporting, social philosophy, memoir, and poetry (and more) anywhere in print or on the Web.

If the Transition Initiative were a person, you’d say he or she was charismatic, wise, practical, positive, resourceful, and very, very popular….The core purpose of the Transition Initiative is to address, at the community level, the twin issues of climate change and peak oil—the declining availability of “ancient sunlight,” as fossil fuels have been called. —Jay Griffiths, “The Transition Initiative”

4. Apple Valley Review

This magazine focuses more on essays and poetry, with some essays thrown in. A good mix of voices (from gentle to edgy) and forms (from traditional to experimental).

In this story my grandfather does not die. He does not fall over while tilling the garden and my grandmother does not yell to my cousin to go get help and she does not sit by him, crushing the zucchini, while she waits for the medics who come too late. –Suzanne Cope, “The Story That Isn’t This Story”

5. Superstition Review

Produced by undergraduate literature students at Arizona State, this magazine can be hit or miss—but they find enough intelligent, witty writing and great storytelling to make up for the clinkers. Nonfiction, fiction, poetry, interviews, and art.

“You can sit next to me,” a young man says, startling me. It’s been days since I’ve heard English. “I’m American,” he adds and waits for my relief. –JD Riso, “Strange Bird”

Sub-Lit’s editors describe it as “daring in subject matter, form, or tone. Publishing should not be an academic circle jerk, or a realm where blandness is encouraged.” Their subtitle: “Sex, Literature, and Rock & Roll.”

I plopped into a metal chair that couldn’t have been less comfortable if it had leather straps and a couple of million volts coursing through it. The old man was wearing his good pants— a pair of Jordache jeans. Mom complained he only wore them when he was trying to impress somebody at the bar. –Joe Lombo,”Changing of the Guard”

7. Narrative Magazine

Consistently high-quality literary writing. One highlight: the “Readers’ Narratives” feature—short, self-contained stories from people’s lives.

The silent war between my parents permeated the apartment. My escape was the veranda. Lying on my stomach, I peered through an old pair of binoculars and watched the gray-blue waves of the Arabian Ocean as they crashed along Marine Drive, soaking young lovers on the seawall. I watched crowds walk along the dirty gray sand of Chowpatty Beach, the women lifting their saris before wading into the ocean. –Amin Ahmad, “Mumbai, November 1977”

Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and articles on a variety of topics, from the frustrations of the writing life to the secret lives of squirrels to getting high in India.

I purchased the bhukki and the ganja from a teen Punjabi bellhop named Krishan. He is my chauffer into extinction, but unlike his namesake he hasn’t revealed his universal forms or any silly stuff like that. –Joe Cameron, “Moksha”

9. The Literary Bohemian

A fun site specifically devoted to travel writing in the form of travelogues and “postcard prose” (short sketches). A bonus is the “Signs of Life” feature—photos of garbled English translations on signs from across the world.

In the water, a songbird thrashed. A small boat crept quietly up, its engine silent, the driver attempting to maneuver close enough to scoop the creature out with an oar. As I was doubly useless—non-Finnish speaking and netless—I returned to my son. –Susan Koefod, “Breakfast in Helsinki”

Reading Juked can be a slightly surreal, or deliciously confusing, experience: they feature nonfiction, fiction, and poetry—but don’t tell you which is which. Good, solid writing.

Now the cloud makes a sound like a school bus being dropped on a row house or two. Gerry is over stimulated. He tries to strike Victor with his broom. But Victor the fat corset maker knows a thing or two about broom fights. —Laura Ellen Scott, “Do You Know What It Means To Miss”

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COACHING + PUBLISHING

FORMATTING + DESIGN

FREELANCE COMMUNITY

• Travel Writing: Explore 20 World-Class In-Flight Magazines That Pay

Evan Jensen

1. Alaska Beyond

3. b.inspired, 5. delta sky, 7. hana hou, 8. hemispheres, 9. high life, 15. scandinavian traveler, 16. silverkris, 18. southwest: the magazine, 19. traveller, travel writing for in-flight magazines.

Let me explain.

With the Thanksgiving holiday in the rear-view mirror, an estimated 30 million people in the U.S. are back home or back to work after catching a plane to celebrate. Many more travelers will book flights between now and New Year’s.

And for every passenger, there’s a little something for them in the seat pocket in front of them. No, I’m not talking about the barf bag. It’s the in-flight magazine.

You won’t find many of these custom pubs in Writer’s Market (there’s only two listed).

But nearly every airline in the world has one. And most in-flight magazines depend on freelancers for travel writing pieces, profiles, features, and front-of-book content.

The big bonus? Unlike many online travel markets, in-flight magazines usually pay solid rates.

Want some of those travel writing assignments? Explore these 20 world-class in-flight magazines and start pitching. But first, I’ve made a quick video with a few pitching tips for you:

Not all in-flight magazines openly publish writer’s guidelines, but  Alaska Beyond is one that does. About 75 percent of this magazine is written by freelancers. Best way to break in: Pitch a short piece for “The Feed” department. Pays $150 to $700 based on assignment.

In-flight magazine for : Alaska Airlines Published by : Paradigm Communications Group Editor: Paul Frichtl

2. American Way

The estimated readership for American Way is kind of crazy. About 200 million people board an American Airlines flight every year. Check the media kit for reader demographics, cover stories, and departments to pitch story ideas about destinations, food, sports, music, entertainment, and more.

In-flight magazine for: American Airlines Published by: Ink Global Editor: Bill Kearney

Got a travel writing idea for world-class destination? Brussels Airlines magazine,  b.inspired,  features stories about people, ideas, culture, society, food, fashion, travel and business anywhere this airline flies (that’s three continents).

In-flight magazine for: Brussels Airlines Published by: Ink Global Editor: Vicky Lane

4. Celebrated Living

Even if you’re a frequent flyer on American Airlines, you may not have seen this magazine.  Celebrated Living  is published exclusively for first-class passengers. Pitch story ideas for an affluent audience about travel, food, culture, fashion, accessories, property, or emotionally and spiritually enriching experiences.

In-flight magazine for: American Airlines (first class) Published by: Ink Global Editor:  Erick Newill

Here’s another in-flight magazine that publishes writer’s guidelines. Carol happens to be a regular contributor to  Delta Sky, including a story in the November 2018 issue.  Pitch story ideas about food, sports, lifestyle, business, and travel (including international destinations).

In-flight magazine for: Delta Airlines Published by: MSP Communications Editor: Sarah Elbert

In-flight magazine for:  Air Canada Published by: Spafax Canada Inc. Editor:  Caitlin Walsh Miller

“We engage our audience through intelligent writing, insight, humour and spot-on service journalism,” says Editor-in-chief Jean-François Légaré. Study the guidelines, back issues, and media kit before pitching a story idea.

“Hana hou!” means “one more time. It’s an islander phrase you’ll hear from a crowd after a performance. This custom pub is primarily aimed at vacationers. Query with story ideas about the people, places, events, and culture that makes the Hawaiian Islands special.

In-flight magazine for: Hawaiian Airlines Published by: Pacific Travelogue Inc. Editor:  Michael Shapiro

The United Airlines in-flight magazine,  Hemispheres , happens to be one of two in-flight magazines listed in Writer’s Market listed with a $$$ pay rate. And it’s one of many in-flight magazines published by Ink Group. Publishes stories about global culture, adventure, business, entertainment, and sports. For personal essays, check out “Three Perfect Days” feature.

In-flight magazine for:  United Airlines Published by: Ink Global Editor: Ellen Carpenter

You’ll need to have a sense of British irreverence, wit and attitude to write for British Airway’s magazine,  High Life . It’s a perfect market for travel writing pieces about international destinations, vacations, and luxury living.

In-flight magazine for:  British Airways Published by:  Cedar Communications Editor: Andy Morris

Page through issues of Norwegian Air’s magazine,  n,  and you’ll find stories about space travel, dining on insects, exploring the Arctic, destination guides to more than 130 cities, and more. Get to know the magazine and readers, and study the media kit before pitching.

In-flight magazine for:  Norwegian Air Published by:  Ink Global Editor:  Sara Warwick

11. Open Skies

Emirates Airlines carries more than 3 million passengers a month to places like Dubai, Sri Lanka, London, Switzerland, Maldives, Indonesia, and more. Read the current issue here , and study back issues before pitching a travel writing piece.

In-flight magazine for:  Emirates Airlines Published by:  Motivate Publishing Editor:  Georgina Lavers

Qatar. It’s one of the smallest countries in the world located in the Middle East. It’s a hub for oil production. But it’s also a destination place for wealthy travelers served by Qatar Airways. Last year Orynx went through a redesign, and adopted a monthly-theme format for each issue. Study the magazine and get to know the readership before pitching.

In-flight magazine for:  Qatar Airways Published by:  Ink Global Editor: Mandi Keighran

13. Qantas: Sprit of Australia Magazine

Qantas Editor Kirsten Galliot has earned Editor of the Year at the Publish Awards three years in a row for this Australian-based in-flight magazine.  Qantas  features stories, profiles and features about the best destinations, restaurants, top hotels, and food in Australia and around the world. Read the current issue and back issues here  before pitching.

In-flight magazine for:  Qantas Airways Published by: Medium Rare Content Editor: Kirsten Galliot

14. Sawubona

Take a closer look at the in-flight magazines listed here, and you’ll notice they’re all managed by media or publishing companies, and not the airlines. And that includes  Sawubona ( in Zulu it means: “We see you. Hello. Welcome.”), the in-flight magazine for South African Airways, published by Ndalo Media. Publishes stories about travel, business and lifestyle articles for areas served by South African Airways.

In-flight magazine for:  South African Airways Published by:  Ndalo Media Editor:  Ingrid Wood

Open the current issue of Scandinavian Traveler , and you’ll find stories about an Egyptian billionaire who built a European ski resort, a prolific fiction writer, California wine, the popularity of podcasting, and much more. Pitch stories about places, people, lifestyle, food and drink. FYI: Travel writing features are a staple for this magazine.

In-flight magazine for: Scandinavian Airlines Published by: Off the Wall Editor:  Anna-Lena Ahlberg Jansen

Wondering what SilverKris means? A “kris” is a 14th century Malaysian weapon thought to have magical abilities. Later the “kris” became a family heirloom passed down to the younger generation, along with its stories. That’s where Singapore Airlines got the name for it’s in-flight magazine. Publishes stories about Singapore-based events, celebrities, experts, fashion and destinations.

In-flight magazine for:  Singapore Airlines Published by:  Ink Global Editor:  Delle Chan

Look through the latest issue of  Smile, the in-flight magazine for Cebu Pacific Air based in the Philippines, and you’re read about Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, an outdoor wonderland in Malaysia, a curious attraction in Bangkok, Thailand, and much more. Study the magazine and back issues before pitching. Travel writing stories and celebrity interview are a staple of this magazine.

In-flight magazine for:  Cebu Pacific Air Published by:  Ink Global Editor:  Kimberly Koo

Need some help coming up with stories to pitch Southwest: The Magazine  for Southwest Airlines? Check out the editorial calendar for 2019 . Writing for the January issue is out. But take a look at deadlines for the rest of the year.  Southwest  plans to publish stories about music, Hawaiian vacations, summer season travel, food, college football, pets, winter travel, spirits, and more.

In-flight magazine for:  Southwest Airlines Published by:  Pace Communications Editor:  Tommie Ethington

If you’ve been paying attention to the names of custom publishers that handle in-flight magazines, you’ll notice Ink Group practically owns the niche. It’s not the only custom publisher for in-flight magazines, but its portfolio includes more than two dozen in-flight and travel-related magazines, including  Traveller .

It’s the in-flight magazine for easyJet Airlines. This low-cost airline based in London that carries passengers to over 820 destinations in more than 30 countries.  Traveller features a mix of stories about travel, sports, business and lifestyle, from around the world. Check out the most recent issue here .

In-flight magazine for:  easyJet Airlines Published by:  Ink Global Editor:  Jonny Ensall

Forget about pitching  Vera, the in-flight magazine for Virgin Atlantic Airways, for just a minute. Go read the profile of Ann Dowd (aka Aunt Lydia from The Handmaid’s Tale) in the November 2018 issue . Then page through the rest of the magazine to get a sense for the magazine’s style and content. Features about travel, entertainment, fashion, destinations, food, and more.

In-flight magazine for:  Virgin Atlantic Airways Published by:  Ink Global Editor:  Claire Bennie

In case you’re wondering, this is just a small sample of in-flight magazines that publish travel writing and other stories for jet-setting passengers. It’s worth exploring this hidden niche of travel writing markets, because most in-flight magazines use freelance writers for 75 percent or more for every issue.

Want to land a travel writing assignment for an in-flight magazine? Follow these basic steps:

• Study back issues and site content . It’s really the only way to get to know your market’s style and start thinking like the editor. Read through writer’s guidelines, media kit, and editorial calendar if available.
• Write and proofread your pitch . Take the time to write a great pitch or query letter with research, interviews, and other resources. Proofread every word, or ask a fellow writer to proofread your pitch before you send it to an editor.
• Accept feedback . If you hear back from an editor with a rejection, don’t give up. Study up on the publication, find out how to improve, and give it another shot.
• Keep going . Even pro writers get rejected or never hear back from an editor. Laugh it off, and keep going. It’s a numbers game. The more pitches you send out, the more likely you are to land an assignment.

Have you written for in-flight magazines?  Let’s discuss on Facebook or LinkedIn .

Evan Jensen  is the blog editor for Make a Living Writing. When he’s not on a writing deadline or catching up on emails, he’s training to run another 100-mile ultra-marathon.

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The Masterclasses 2023: 10 travel writing tips from our experts

From establishing a niche to tackling writer’s block, the autumn series of The Masterclasses saw 12 of the UK’s leading travel journalists share the tips and tricks behind their success.

The Masterclasses by National Geographic Traveller (UK) returned in September 2023 with a brand-new series of insightful, hour-long online sessions curated for aspiring travel writers and photographers.  

Leaving no stone unturned, the expert panel of travel writers explored everything from penning that all-important opening line to forming good relationships with editors. Throughout the three sessions, they shared a wealth of inside knowledge — offering up advice that will prove invaluable to anyone hoping to make travel writing a full-time career.  

These are their 10 top tips on getting your story published, navigating the industry and using structure to elevate your travel writing.  

1. Know your reader

“I would say the number one mistake freelance writers make when pitching is they don’t understand the audience of the title. The best thing you can do if you’re really interested in writing for a publication is to go out and buy yourself the magazine and familiarise yourself with the content, the tone and the kinds of things that the readership might find of interest.”   — Alicia Miller, Pitching and getting published  

2. Be patient

“If you’re really interested in something, then there will be an audience out there for that story. It’s just about finding the right home for it. Don’t get discouraged — and believe in your idea! Because if you find it interesting, other people will too.” — Daniel Stables, Pitching and getting published  

3. Win over commissioning editors

“When I first started freelancing, editors didn’t know who I was. One way of showcasing my knowledge was deeply researching a destination and including a taste of that in the pitch. Make it concise, but also show that you have knowledge about the destination. If I was working with a new editor for the first time, I would always include links to previous work, or somehow demonstrate my expertise in the subject.” — Qin Xie, Pitching and getting published

4. Utilise social media

“Dinosaurs like me may absolutely despise it, but the reality is that if you’re a travel writer and you have no presence on social media, you have no presence.” — Tharik Hussain, How to be a savvy travel writer in 2023  

5. Know today’s travel writing landscape  

“Perhaps 10 years ago, 20 years ago, travel writing came from a person’s appreciation of a destination. Now what we’re looking at is trying to capitalise on what other people in the big internet landscape are looking for… Travel writing is kind of evolving away from being that destination-led 'this was my experience, and this is how you can recreate it' and it’s turning to using travel as a sort of lifestyle trend.” — Cathy Adams, How to be a savvy travel writer in 2023  

6. Find a niche  

“Editors, increasingly, are looking for people either based in a destination or people who know a place really well and really understand the culture. And so, a couple of benefits of having a niche are that it helps editors find you: they can remember what your patch is. And then, on a personal level, I find it really satisfying to find those stories that take you to the deeper levels of a destination. You have to have a really genuine passion for the place because it’s a bit like writing a book: you still have to find it interesting after 50,000 words.” —   Zoey Goto, How to be a savvy travel writer in 2023  

7. Find the right working environment

“Usually, I’ll find some travel writing from a writer I really like, and I’ll kind of read over their pieces just to get in the right frame of mind. I’ll usually listen to some quite amped-up music — usually the same playlist I use for running — because it kind of gets you in the mood to do things. For actual writing, I’m a big fan of white noise. Having narrowed it down over several years, I think my favourite type of white noise is the tumble dryer; there’s a whole tumble dryer playlist on Spotify that I am really dedicated to.” — Georgia Stephens, How to structure your storytelling  

8. Write as though talking to a friend

“You don’t have to use highfalutin prose to make an intro work. Often, it’s the simple stuff. Good journalism is a bit like talking to a friend. Just tell me what’s happening… And in the same way that your friends wouldn’t when you tell them about your travels, [the reader] won’t listen to more than two sentences of description. With the greatest of respect, no one cares.” — James Stewart, How to structure your storytelling  

9. Make the most of quotes

“Quotes are a way to deliver information to your reader from a different perspective — and it’s so much more powerful coming from someone else other than you. It’s definitely important to use quotes, especially when you’re writing about communities that you may not be a part of. Allowing people to tell their stories in their own words as much as possible, is so important.” — Katherine Gallardo, How to structure your storytelling  

10. Don't be afraid of writer's block

“As someone who has come to this relatively recently, I would say that even the best writers struggle to write sometimes. Everybody gets writer’s block, even published authors. Just don’t beat yourself up. If it’s not coming, it’s not coming. Just come back to it another day.” — Georgia Stephens, How to structure your storytelling  

Related Topics

• ADVENTURE TRAVEL
• TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE
• STORYTELLING

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Around 50 years ago, the editors of a magazine called  Travel & Camera  made a big leap forward, embracing not just photography, but the entire world. They'd cover food, wine, fashion, hotels, cruises, beaches, cities, hiking, skiing — just about anything that anybody would do for fun. They'd need a new name — Travel & Leisure — and a new look for that magazine.

Much has changed since our first issue was published back in 1971 — for starters, we swapped the ampersand sign for a plus symbol and we launched this website in 1998. But one thing remained the same — and that's our passion for travel, both near and far. Today, we reach more than 16 million travelers every month, and our team includes a network of hundreds of writers and photographers across the globe, all providing a local eye on the best places to stay, eat, see, and explore.

As a top travel media brand in the world,  Travel + Leisure 's mission is to inform and inspire passionate travelers, like you. We celebrate travel and provide service and inspiration at every point of your journey, from trip ideas to nitty-gritty logistics. We cover small towns and big cities, hidden gems and tried-and-true destinations, beaches and lakes, mountains and valleys,  national parks  and outdoor adventures, road trips and cruises, fine-dining experiences and secret hole-in-the-wall establishments, and everything in between.

And because, above all, our goal is to help our readers make the most of their invaluable free time, we're not afraid to lean into the second half of our name —  leisure  — and cover all the ways to enjoy life at home, too. Our travel experiences influence much of what we practice in between trips, and whether we're transforming our bedrooms using luxury hotel tricks or applying beauty regimens we admired abroad, we love to share our learnings.

So, whatever brings you to our site, you'll leave dreaming about places you never even considered, equipped with all the stellar tips, advice, and products you need to get you there.

Meet the Travel + Leisure Digital Team

Meet the travel + leisure print team.

Jacqui Gifford has been the editor in chief of  Travel + Leisure , the world's leading travel media brand, since 2018. From 2013 to 2018, she served as travel director, special projects editor, and senior editor with T+L. Under her leadership, the brand has won two National Magazine Awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) and a James Beard Award, in addition to numerous awards from the Society of American Travel Writers, the North American Travel Journalists Association, and Folio. She appears frequently as an expert guest on television programs, including NBC's  Today , to share travel ideas and discuss trends within the industry. A graduate of Princeton University with a B.A. in English, Jacqui was born in Japan, and raised in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and New Hope, Pennsylvania. She has traveled the world extensively, and lives in New York City with her husband, Robert, and son, Bobby.

Peter Terzian is the features editor of  Travel + Leisure , where he has been on staff since 2017. He has been an editor at  Elle Decor ,  Culture + Travel , and  Out  magazines, as well as  Newsday , the Long Island newspaper. He has written for the  Paris Review ,  Bookforum , the  Los Angeles Times , and  T  magazine, and is the editor of  Heavy Rotation: Twenty Writers on the Albums That Changed Their Lives , which was published by Harper Perennial in 2009.

Paul Brady is the news director at Travel + Leisure and the brand's expert on cruise travel. He has been covering the travel industry for more than 15 years, for outlets including  Condé Nast Traveler ,  Skift , and  The Huffington Post . Though he's worked at both legacy and start-up media outlets, and for both print magazines and digital-only publications, his reporting over the years has focused on how consumers can have better trips and the trends shaping the future of the industry. Outside of work, he's an unrepentant traveler who's fond of flipping through old passports and sailing small craft on the beautiful Hudson River.

Erin Agostinelli , Managing Editor

Fryda Lidor , Creative Director

Scott Hall , Photo Director

Skye Senterfeit , Deputy Photo Editor

Imani Tudor , Associate Photo Editor

Bashel Lubarsky , Associate Designer

Griffin Plonchak , Production Manager

Kathy Roberson , Copy and Research Chief

Lisa Greissinger , Research Editor

Ray Isle , Wine and Spirits Editor

Meet the Travel + Leisure Commerce Team

Jamie Hergenrader is the Commerce Director of the Travel Group at Dotdash Meredith where she leads the content strategy of product reviews and recommendations for the company's travel brands. She joined the company in 2018 and has nearly a decade of experience writing and editing for travel and lifestyle publications.

Emily Belfiore is a commerce writer for Travel + Leisure , covering product news and deals. Her work has also appeared in Allure , Byrdie , InStyle , Real Simple , Shape , and more.

Ivy's original reporting and interviews as a brand spokesperson have been featured on ABC News, CBS News, CNBC, Bloomberg, AP, The Huffington Post, USA Today, and more.

She contributed to The Knot's Folio Award win for Best Native Consumer App and serves as a Pace University Adjunct Professor.

Ivy is also a mentor for Girls Write Now and a member of the Women's Media Group.

B.A. in English and a minor in French; Seattle University Photo published in The Seattle Times, " Seattle author, professor Sonora Jha explains ‘How to Raise a Feminist Son ’"

Our in-house editorial team oversees every article. We aim to offer travelers inspiration, advice for planning trips, and valuable guidance once they are on the ground.

We are committed to the quality and trustworthiness of our content and editorial processes. Our team of writers, editors, fact-checkers, illustrators, and photographers rigorously researches and reviews all content on an ongoing basis to ensure it is up to date, accurate, and puts the needs of our readers first. 

Each article features a byline that includes the name, a brief description, and a link to more information about those who contributed to that piece. The date indicates when the piece was most recently updated with new information. Some articles also have a tagline at the end to provide additional information on research or authorship.

Original illustrations, graphics, images, and videos are created by internal teams, who collaborate with experts in their fields to produce assets that represent diverse voices, perspectives, and context. Periodic review by editors as well as by Anti-Bias or other Review Board members as appropriate, ensure the quality, accuracy and integrity of these assets. Photos and videos are not edited in any way that may cause them to be false or misleading.

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To learn more, please see our full  Editorial Policy and Standards page , including the Dotdash Meredith Content Integrity Promise.

As a travel brand that reaches more than 16 million readers per month,  Travel + Leisure  has the power and responsibility to create positive change. We have pledged to recruit and amplify Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) contributors across  Travel + Leisure's  site, social channels, and other places where the brand has a presence. Please find our full diversity and inclusion pledge here .

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At  Travel + Leisure , we work with Dotdash Meredith's  Anti-Bias Review Board  to create inclusive content and set standards for how to answer questions without perpetuating bias, prejudice, and stereotypes. The Anti-Bias Review Board is a multi-disciplinary panel of experts that works with our writers and editors on content initiatives.

We have more work ahead of us to unlearn practices that haven't served all readers. In the coming years, we will take on new content initiatives, partnerships, and editorial standards that make our content more inclusive. 

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Our rich library of "evergreen" content is routinely updated, reviewed by our professional review boards, and fact-checked to ensure ongoing publication of accurate, complete, relevant, and up-to-date useful information. Following our rigorous and systematic updating and verification process, articles in our content library are date-stamped to indicate to readers that the information is complete and accurate. News articles often cover a distinct event in time and are not part of our routine update process.

At  Travel + Leisure , we are committed to telling readers when an error has appeared, and to correcting it. When we discover a significant error of fact, we will correct the article as quickly as possible and append a correction note. All corrections will be clearly labeled, dated, and include information about what was corrected.

We welcome our readers' participation in our ongoing commitment to accuracy and fact-checking. If you believe we have published a factual error in any of our content, please let us know and we will investigate and take appropriate corrective and/or updating measures. You can report a possible error by emailing us at  [email protected] . 

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Our writers and editors investigate claims and verify all information and data gathered for all articles, including news. We consult relevant, diverse, qualified sources to ensure we're providing proper context and background to the reader. All of our news and information is thoroughly reviewed by a staff editor and fact checked by our editorial team. Articles are rigorously evaluated for accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

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We strongly discourage use of anonymous or unnamed sourcing, as this can erode transparency and reader trust. In the rare instance where an unnamed source is used, we will disclose to readers the reason behind the anonymity and provide necessary context.

A cornerstone of our reporting and sourcing is to consider often overlooked perspectives from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women. Our content strives to serve all communities and reflect diverse voices and perspectives.

Travel + Leisure  is committed to independent, impartial, fair journalism. Our editorial content is not influenced by our advertisers. Every  Travel + Leisure  staff member and contributor is held accountable to a high standard of honesty and transparency.

We maintain a strict separation between advertising and editorial content. Our "Sponsored Content" is labeled to make clear that such content is provided by or on behalf of an advertiser or sponsor.

In line with our mission to provide useful information that helps people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired, we are dedicated to publishing unbiased, comprehensive reviews of products and services. Our product and service reviews are wholly independent and based on robust research and product testing. When readers visit "affiliate links" within our content,  Travel + Leisure  may receive commissions from purchases, but we never receive any compensation or consideration for the content of our recommendations.

Travel + Leisure  writers and editors are prohibited from giving preferential treatment to any outside resource (company, publication, video, affiliate, website) based on their relationship with the person or company who authors or owns that resource.

All of our writers and editors are responsible for disclosing any potential conflicts of interest — any relationship, financial, or personal, with any source or resource that may compromise their ability to provide fair and impartial information. As with many publishers, our writers and editors are sometimes provided with complimentary products or services for review purposes. We are transparent and disclose when any valuable products or services are provided to our editorial teams. Our editorial staff and editorial contributors must not solicit gifts or services for personal purposes.

Travel + Leisure  editors and select contributors often work with tourism boards, tour operators, brands, airlines, and hotel properties to support coverage. These experiences enable  Travel + Leisure  to produce robust, thoroughly reported stories that present a deeper look into a destination. We do not cover any destinations, restaurants, hotels, or tours that we wouldn't personally recommend. Furthermore, we do not accept monetary compensation in exchange for coverage. 

Besides being expert travelers, we're constantly on the lookout for the best products to make your time both on and off the road easier and more enjoyable. At  Travel + Leisure , we diligently research and curate our lists of recommendations, constantly scouring the landscape for the latest product releases, from luggage to items that bring the travel experience home.

We do receive an affiliate commission on some (but not all) of the products if you choose to click through to the retailer site and make a purchase. That said, we are not loyal to any one specific retailer or brand.

We are also committed to ensuring that our content reflects the diversity of our audience. This means showcasing brands owned by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and other minority groups whenever possible.

Read more about how we test and write about products .

Interested in contributing to  Travel + Leisure ? We're always looking for fresh ideas from writers, photographers, and content creators with a wide range of ideas and backgrounds that will inspire and empower our audience to discover and experience the best in travel. Please see our  pitch guidelines  for print, digital, and social. 

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2023 NATJA Awards (North American Travel Journalists Association.) Winner in 8 categories and Honorable Mention in 6 categories. Link to awards.

• Category: Special Distinction: Magazine of the Year: Travel + Leisure
• Category: Overall Travel Publication: Gold Award:  Travel + Leisure, “July 2023 Issue”
• Category: Luxury & Resort Travel: Gold Award: Richard Godwin, “Acqua di Vita"
• Category: Cruises: Silver Award: Dinaw Mengestu, “Days of Wonder"; Bronze Award: Thomas Chatterton Williams, “The Eternal River"; Honorable Mention Award: Janice Wald Henderson, “My Black Daughter Has Always Been Skeptical About Cruises — We Took One Together Anyway”
• Category: Historical Travel: Honorable Mention Award: Jonathan Thompson, “Happily Ever After”,
• Category: Culinary Travel: Honorable Mention Award: Matt Goulding, “Cocina Madrileña”
• Category: Family or 60+ Travel: Gold Award: Jeffrey Gettlemen, “All Creatures Great and Small”
• Category: Cultural Travel: Honorable Mention Award: Simon Willis, “The Hidden Kingdom”
• Category: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Travel: Gold Award: Bridgette Bartlett Royall, “Isle of Freedom” ; Bronze Award: Morgan Goldberg, “Crushing It” 
• Category: Portrait Photography: Bronze Award: James Rajotte, “Cocina Madrileña”
• Category: Action and Adventure Photography: Honorable Mention Award: Tom Parker, “Big Water”
• Category: Cultural Photography: Honorable Mention Award: Kevin West, “Treasures of Arabia”

2023 German National Tourist Office Journalism Award for Sustainability

Winner: Jeff Chu, " Pacific Point of View ," February 2022

2023 Eddie and Ozzie Awards. Winner in 3 categories. Link to awards

• Category: Long-form feature content > Consumer
• David Treuer, "Epic Scale," a feature on Thaidene Nene National Park, March 2023
• Category: Full issue>Consumer>Travel/Transportation
• February 2023 Water Issue 
• Category: Cover design > Consumer > Above 250,000 circulation
• February 2023 Water Issue

2023 SATW Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards. Winner in 5 categories. Link to awards

• Category: Travel Magazines, Silver: Travel + Leisure
• Category: Cruise Travel, Gold: Stanley Stewart, ‘The Great White South." Bronze: Janice Wald Henderson, ‘A Warmer Welcome' (‘My Black Daughter Has Always Been Skeptical About Cruises — We Took One Together Anyway’)
• Category: Cultural Tourism, Bronze:  Kevin West, ‘The Long Road Home'
• Category: Culinary-Related Travel, Gold: Adam Erace, ‘Salt of the Earth: How Fife Became Scotland’s Most Exciting Food Destination." Silver: Osayi Endolyn, ‘The Castaway,’
• Category: Coverage of Diverse Communities, Silver: David Treuer, ‘Epic Scale,’ Travel + Leisure

2022 ASME  Link to awards

• Best Food and Travel Cover Winner for "A New Season," March 2022. 

2022 NATJA (North American Travel Journalists Associations) Awards. Winner in 11 categories. Link to awards

• Category: Travel Magazine: Silver: August 2022 Issue
• Category: Sports, Recreation and Adventure. Honorable Mention: Christopher Solomon, “Rolling on the River”  
• Category: Historical Travel. Gold: Sojourner White, “ How Traveling by Train Led Me to Learn About My Family’s Black History .” Honorable Mention: Stanley Stewart, “A Sicilian Story”,   
• Category: Family or 60+ Travel. Bronze: Flora Stubbs, “Once Upon A Time In Italy”,   
• Category: Culinary Travel. Gold Adam Erace, “Salt Of The Earth”. Bronze: Ray Isle, “French Pastoral”. Honorable Mention: Stacey Leasca, “ I Visited Panama to Try the World’s Most Expensive Coffee — and Now You Can, Too ”,   
• Category: Sustainable Travel. Gold: Gina DeCaprio Vercesi, “This Side of Paradise”,   
• Category: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Travel. Gold: RJ Young, “This Is Tulsa”,   
• Category: Photography – Cover or Feature Photo/Illustration. Bronze: Marco Arguello, October 2021 cover
• Category: Portrait Photography. Bronze: Marco Arguello, “Days of Wine and Roses”
• Category: Outdoor and Adventure Photograph. Bronze (tie) Award: Tom Fowlks, “Rolling on the River”
• Category: Photo Essay. Silver: Frederic Lagrange, “Fire & Ice”   

2022 Eddie and Ozzie Awards Winner in 5 categories. Link to awards

• Magazine Section > Consumer / Custom / Content Marketing, Travel + Leisure, December 2021/January 2022 Intelligent Traveler
• Series of Articles > Consumer > Overall, Travel + Leisure's Intrepid Travelers: First to Land in a Post-pandemic World
• Single Article > Consumer > Lifestyle, Travel + Leisure, December 2021/January 2022, "Fire & Ice"
• Full Issue > Consumer > Travel / Transportation, Travel + Leisure, August 2021 50th Anniversary Issue
• Social Media / Online Community > Consumer, Travel + Leisure's Behind the Views Instagram series

2022 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Awards. Link to awards

• Winner, Culinary Travel Writing, Adam Erace, “Belle of the Balkans”

2022 SATW Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards. Winner in 7 categories. Link to awards.

• Category: Travel Magazines, Silver: Travel + Leisure                          
• Category: U.S./Canada Travel, Silver: Kevin West, ‘The Maine Course,’ 
• Category: Foreign Travel, Bronze: Michael Snyder, ‘Veracruz,’ Travel + Leisure
• Category: Cruise Travel, Gold: Simon Willis, ‘Remote Learning,” Travel + Leisure. Silver: Lawrence Osborne, ‘Gilded River,’ Travel + Leisure
• Category: Environmental and Sustainable Tourism, Honorable Mention: Gina DeCaprio Vercesi, ‘A Primal Connection,’ Travel + Leisure
• Category: Special-Purpose Travel, Bronze: John Bowe, ‘These Are the Days of Miracle and Wonder,’ Travel + Leisure
• Category: Coverage of Diverse Communities, Bronze: Jordan Kisner, ‘Small Town, Big Heart,’ Travel + Leisure
• Category: Short Narrative, Bronze: Jonathan Thompson, ‘A Good Night’s Sleep Is Worth the Journey,’ Travel + Leisure

2021 NATJA AWARDS. Winner in 6 categories and honorable mention in 2 categories. Link to awards

• Category: Travel Magazine. Silver: August 2021 50th anniversary issue
• Category: Destination Travel. Gold: Leslie Oh, “All in Good Time”
• Category: Long-Form Narrative/Personal Essay. Gold: Aatish Taseer, “The Writer and the World”
• Category: Luxury and Resort Travel. Gold: Heidi Mitchell, “Privacy Please”
• Category: Family Travel. Gold: Leslie Oh, “All in Good Time”. Honorable Mention: Taffy Brodesser-Akner, “Cold Comfort”
• Category: Sports, Recreation and Adventure. Honorable Mention: John Bowe, “These are the Days of Miracle and Wonder”
• Category: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. Gold: Heather Greenwood Davis, “Pride of Place”

2021 ADWEEK HOTLIST 

• Travel + Leisure names "Hottest in Travel" in the  Adweek Hot List 2021

2021 SATW LOWELL THOMAS TRAVEL JOURNALISM AWARDS

• Category Travel Magazine: GOLD
• Category Foreign Travel: Silver (Kevin West, "Venice" T+L)
• Category: Personal Comment: Bronze (Aatish Taseer, "The Writer and the World" T+L)
• Category: Short Work on Travel: Bronze (Stephanie Elizondo Griest "Power Moves" T+L)
• Category: US/Canada Travel: Honorable Mention (Jennifer Wilson, "Philly Special" T+L)
• Category: Travel Audio – Podcasts and Guides: Honorable Mention (Kellee Edwards, "Let's Go Together – Visiting With Respect: Learning About Native Cultures in Alaska and Hawaii, T+L)

2021 FOLIO: EDDIE AND OZZIE AWARDS  finalist in 6 categories :

• Essays and Criticism > Consumer: Travel + Leisure, "The Writer and the World," Travel + Leisure, October 2020 
• Podcast > Consumer / Lifestyle Travel + Leisure, "Let's Go Together" by Travel + Leisure
• Series of Articles > Consumer > Culture / Community Travel + Leisure, Caribbean Is Calling
• Series of Articles > Consumer > Overall  Travel + Leisure, The National Parks That Saved Us 
• Single Article > Consumer > Travel / Transportation:  Travel + Leisure, "The Depth of Life," Travel + Leisure, January 2021
• Single Article > Consumer > Women's Lifestyle Travel + Leisure, July 2020

2021 ASME AWARDS 

• Winner of Best Travel and Adventure Cover and a finalist for Best Service and Lifestyle Photography  link to awards

2020   SATW LOWELL THOMAS AWARDS 

• Winner  of gold for "Best Travel Journalism Website"

  2020 FOLIO: EDDIE AND OZZIE AWARDS  

• Two wins : Alexandra Fuller's Zimbabwe feature and World's Best Restaurants 2019. We also had honorable mentions in these categories: Overall Editorial Excellence; Full Issue; App/Digital Edition Design; and Photography. 

2020   JAMES BEARD AWARDS 

• Contributor Besha Rodell was  nominated  in category for "Dining and Travel" for our World's Best Restaurants 2019 package.

2020   WEBBY AWARDS

• Travel + Leisure's social media was a  nominee  in the Social (Travel) category

2020 NATJA AWARDS

• Winner of silver for overall Print Travel Magazine category (August 2021 50th anniversary issue)
• Winner of gold for Leslie Oh's story "All in Good Time" in Destination Travel and Family Travel categories
• Winner of gold for Aatish Taseer's story "The Writer and the World" in Long-form Narrative/Personal Essay category
• Winner of gold for Heidi Mitchell's story "Privacy Please" in Luxury and Resort Travel category
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Mastering The Art Of Travel Journalism: Tips And Techniques For Aspiring Writers

• Last updated May 26, 2024
• Difficulty Beginner

• Category Travel

Are you an aspiring travel writer looking to capture the magic and essence of your adventures on paper? Look no further than Mastering the Art of Travel Journalism: Tips and Techniques for Aspiring Writers. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the world of travel journalism, providing you with invaluable tips and techniques to help you craft compelling narratives that transport readers to far-flung destinations. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, this book is your roadmap to becoming a master of the craft and unlocking the secrets to captivating travel writing. So grab your pen and notebook, and let's embark on a journey to explore the art of travel journalism!

What You'll Learn

Research and familiarize yourself with the destination, develop a unique writing style and voice, include vivid descriptions and engaging details, capture the essence of the destination through personal experiences.

As a travel journalist, one of the most important steps you can take to write like a pro is to thoroughly research and familiarize yourself with the destination you are writing about. This not only helps you to provide accurate and up-to-date information to your readers, but it also allows you to offer unique insights and perspectives that will set your writing apart.

So, how can you effectively research and familiarize yourself with a destination? Here are some tips to get you started:

• Read travel guides and books: Start by reading travel guides and books about the destination. Look for reputable sources that offer detailed information on the history, culture, attractions, and local customs. This will help you understand the essence of the place and give you a solid foundation to build upon.
• Explore online resources: Utilize the vast amount of information available online to dive deeper into the destination. Visit tourism board websites, read travel blogs and forums, and explore social media platforms for real-time updates and insights from other travelers. These resources can provide valuable firsthand experiences and current trends that you can incorporate into your writing.
• Watch documentaries and travel shows: Watching documentaries and travel shows can give you a visual sense of the destination. Look for programs that highlight the local cuisine, landmarks, and unique aspects of the culture. Pay attention to the way the hosts present the information and try to incorporate their storytelling techniques into your own writing.
• Follow social media influencers and bloggers: Nowadays, social media influencers and bloggers play a huge role in the travel industry. Follow those who specialize in the destination you are researching and see what they have to say. Pay attention to the places they visit, the activities they engage in, and the unique angles they take in their content. This can help you discover hidden gems and inspire your own writing style.
• Talk to locals: Nothing beats firsthand knowledge from locals themselves. Reach out to people who live or have visited the destination and ask them about their experiences. This could be done through online forums, social media groups, or even contacting tourism boards for recommendations. Locals often have insider tips and recommendations that can add depth and authenticity to your writing.

By thoroughly researching and familiarizing yourself with the destination, you will be better equipped to write like a travel journalist. Your articles will be filled with accurate information, unique insights, and captivating storytelling that will inspire your readers to embark on their own adventures. So, take the time to immerse yourself in the destination before putting pen to paper – your writing will thank you for it!

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Are you looking to break into travel journalism and want to develop a unique writing style and voice? Being able to captivate your readers is a crucial skill for any travel journalist. By following these tips, you can develop your own writing style and voice that will set you apart from the rest.

• Read widely: To develop your writing style, it's essential to read widely and expose yourself to different writing techniques. Read books, articles, and blogs written by established travel journalists. Pay attention to their choice of words, sentence structure, and how they engage their readers. By immersing yourself in various writing styles, you can begin to develop your own unique voice.
• Find your passion: Travel journalism should come from a place of passion. Identify what makes you tick when it comes to travel—whether it's food, adventure, or culture—and focus on that. Writing about what you love will make your voice authentic and engaging.
• Be observant: As a travel journalist, you need to be observant and pay attention to detail. Take notes on the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions you experience during your travels. Use these observations to bring your writing to life and create vivid descriptions for your readers.
• Write with intention: Give some thought to the tone and voice you want to convey in your writing. Do you want it to be conversational and informal, or more formal and authoritative? Consider who your target audience is and how you want to connect with them.
• Be descriptive: Travel journalism is all about transporting your readers to different places. Use descriptive language to paint a picture of the destinations you're writing about. Engage all the senses and create a multi-dimensional experience for your readers.
• Inject personality: Don't be afraid to let your personality shine through in your writing. Injecting a bit of humor, personal anecdotes, or unique insights can make your writing more relatable and enjoyable to read. Be authentic and let your own voice come through.
• Experiment with structure: Avoid falling into a formulaic writing style. Experiment with different structures—such as narrative, listicles, or profiles—to keep your writing fresh and engaging. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new approaches.
• Edit and revise: Good writing is often the result of careful editing and revision. After you've written your piece, take the time to review and refine your work. Look for areas where you can tighten your prose, improve transitions, or add more detail. Keep editing until you feel confident that your writing reflects your unique style and voice.

Developing a unique writing style and voice as a travel journalist takes time and practice. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't happen overnight. Keep reading, writing, and experimenting, and with persistence, your voice will become stronger and more distinct.

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When it comes to travel writing, one of the most important skills to develop is the ability to create vivid descriptions and engaging details. These elements are what bring a travel story to life and help readers to truly experience a place through your words. Here are some tips on how to write like a travel journalist and include vivid descriptions and engaging details in your writing:

Use all of your senses: When describing a place, try to engage all of your senses. What does it look like? What do you hear? What does it smell like? What does it feel like? By using sensory language, you can transport your readers to the destination and help them to feel as though they are there with you.

For example, instead of simply saying "the beach was beautiful," you could say "the powdery white sand felt cool beneath my feet as I walked along the shore, and the salty sea breeze carried the sound of crashing waves and the scent of coconut sunscreen."

Be specific: Instead of using vague or general language, be specific in your descriptions. This will help to paint a clear picture in your readers' minds and make your writing more engaging.

For example, instead of saying "the city had interesting architecture," you could say "the old town was a maze of narrow cobblestone streets lined with colorful, centuries-old buildings adorned with intricate carvings and ornate balconies."

Include anecdotes and personal experiences: Sharing personal experiences and anecdotes can add depth and authenticity to your writing. This allows readers to connect with you on a more personal level and makes your writing more relatable.

For example, instead of simply describing a local market, you could share a story about a conversation you had with a vendor or an interesting item you discovered while exploring the market.

Pay attention to details: As a travel writer, it's important to pay attention to the small details that make a place unique. Look for interesting and unusual sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures that you can include in your writing.

For example, instead of simply describing a famous landmark, you could focus on the intricate architectural details, the sound of the bustling crowds, or the aroma of street food wafting through the air nearby.

Use descriptive language: Finally, don't be afraid to use descriptive language to make your writing more engaging. Use vivid adjectives, strong verbs, and figurative language to bring your descriptions to life.

For example, instead of saying "the sunset was beautiful," you could say "the sky was ablaze with hues of fiery orange and deep purple as the golden sun sank below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the tranquil sea."

By incorporating these tips into your travel writing, you can create vivid descriptions and engaging details that will transport your readers to the destinations you are writing about. Remember to use all of your senses, be specific, include anecdotes and personal experiences, pay attention to details, and use descriptive language. Happy writing!

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If you want to write like a travel journalist and capture the essence of a destination through your personal experiences, there are several key aspects to keep in mind. Here are some tips and techniques to help you write compelling travel articles that transport your readers to the places you visit.

Immerse yourself in the destination:

Before you can capture the essence of a place, you need to fully immerse yourself in its atmosphere and culture. Spend time exploring neighborhoods, talking to locals, and trying traditional cuisine. Take part in local activities and events to understand the destination on a deeper level.

Observe and take notes:

Pay attention to the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that define the destination. Take detailed notes about your observations, including vivid descriptions of landmarks, architecture, landscapes, and people you encounter. These details will help bring your articles to life and transport your readers to the destination.

Seek out unique experiences:

To truly capture the essence of a destination, go beyond the typical tourist attractions. Discover hidden gems, off-the-beaten-path locations, and cultural experiences that are less known to the average traveler. These unique experiences will provide a fresh perspective and make your articles stand out.

Tell personal stories:

Instead of just providing generic information about a destination, infuse your writing with personal anecdotes and experiences. Share moments that moved you, made you laugh, or surprised you. Personal stories create a deeper connection with your readers and allow them to experience the destination through your eyes.

Engage the senses:

Engaging the senses is crucial in travel writing. Describe the tastes of local dishes, the feel of the sun on your skin, the aroma of flowers in a garden, or the sound of local music. By evoking sensory details, you can transport your readers into the heart of the destination and make them feel like they are right there with you.

Use descriptive language:

To capture the essence of a place, use vivid and descriptive language. Avoid generic adjectives and opt for specific and evocative words. Instead of saying a street is beautiful, describe its cobblestone pavement, the colorful facades of the buildings, and the enchanting sound of street musicians.

Incorporate cultural insights:

Share your understanding of the local culture and traditions. Explain how local customs, festivals, or historical events shape the destination's identity. This will help your readers gain a deeper appreciation for the place and its people.

Include practical tips:

While capturing the essence of a destination is important, don't forget to provide practical information to your readers. Include recommendations for accommodations, transportation, and must-visit attractions. Add tips on local etiquette, safety precautions, and any unique cultural practices your readers should be aware of.

Edit and revise:

After writing your travel articles, take the time to edit and revise them. Check for grammar and spelling errors, and make sure the content flows smoothly. Trim any unnecessary information and ensure your writing is clear and concise.

Inspire and entertain:

Ultimately, travel writing should inspire and entertain your readers. Take them on a journey, make them dream, and ignite their wanderlust. That way, you can capture the essence of the destination and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

By following these tips and techniques, you can write like a travel journalist and effectively capture the essence of a destination through your personal experiences. Remember to write with passion and authenticity, and always bring your readers along on your adventures.

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Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever

Seven agonizing nights aboard the Icon of the Seas

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Updated at 2:44 p.m. ET on April 6, 2024.

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MY FIRST GLIMPSE of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, from the window of an approaching Miami cab, brings on a feeling of vertigo, nausea, amazement, and distress. I shut my eyes in defense, as my brain tells my optic nerve to try again.

The ship makes no sense, vertically or horizontally. It makes no sense on sea, or on land, or in outer space. It looks like a hodgepodge of domes and minarets, tubes and canopies, like Istanbul had it been designed by idiots. Vibrant, oversignifying colors are stacked upon other such colors, decks perched over still more decks; the only comfort is a row of lifeboats ringing its perimeter. There is no imposed order, no cogent thought, and, for those who do not harbor a totalitarian sense of gigantomania, no visual mercy. This is the biggest cruise ship ever built, and I have been tasked with witnessing its inaugural voyage.

Explore the May 2024 Issue

Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.

“Author embarks on their first cruise-ship voyage” has been a staple of American essay writing for almost three decades, beginning with David Foster Wallace’s “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again,” which was first published in 1996 under the title “Shipping Out.” Since then, many admirable writers have widened and diversified the genre. Usually the essayist commissioned to take to the sea is in their first or second flush of youth and is ready to sharpen their wit against the hull of the offending vessel. I am 51, old and tired, having seen much of the world as a former travel journalist, and mostly what I do in both life and prose is shrug while muttering to my imaginary dachshund, “This too shall pass.” But the Icon of the Seas will not countenance a shrug. The Icon of the Seas is the Linda Loman of cruise ships, exclaiming that attention must be paid. And here I am in late January with my one piece of luggage and useless gray winter jacket and passport, zipping through the Port of Miami en route to the gangway that will separate me from the bulk of North America for more than seven days, ready to pay it in full.

The aforementioned gangway opens up directly onto a thriving mall (I will soon learn it is imperiously called the “Royal Promenade”), presently filled with yapping passengers beneath a ceiling studded with balloons ready to drop. Crew members from every part of the global South, as well as a few Balkans, are shepherding us along while pressing flutes of champagne into our hands. By a humming Starbucks, I drink as many of these as I can and prepare to find my cabin. I show my blue Suite Sky SeaPass Card (more on this later, much more) to a smiling woman from the Philippines, and she tells me to go “aft.” Which is where, now? As someone who has rarely sailed on a vessel grander than the Staten Island Ferry, I am confused. It turns out that the aft is the stern of the ship, or, for those of us who don’t know what a stern or an aft are, its ass. The nose of the ship, responsible for separating the waves before it, is also called a bow, and is marked for passengers as the FWD , or forward. The part of the contemporary sailing vessel where the malls are clustered is called the midship. I trust that you have enjoyed this nautical lesson.

I ascend via elevator to my suite on Deck 11. This is where I encounter my first terrible surprise. My suite windows and balcony do not face the ocean. Instead, they look out onto another shopping mall. This mall is the one that’s called Central Park, perhaps in homage to the Olmsted-designed bit of greenery in the middle of my hometown. Although on land I would be delighted to own a suite with Central Park views, here I am deeply depressed. To sail on a ship and not wake up to a vast blue carpet of ocean? Unthinkable.

Allow me a brief preamble here. The story you are reading was commissioned at a moment when most staterooms on the Icon were sold out. In fact, so enthralled by the prospect of this voyage were hard-core mariners that the ship’s entire inventory of guest rooms (the Icon can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers, but its inaugural journey was reduced to 5,000 or so for a less crowded experience) was almost immediately sold out. Hence, this publication was faced with the shocking prospect of paying nearly $19,000 to procure for this solitary passenger an entire suite—not including drinking expenses—all for the privilege of bringing you this article. But the suite in question doesn’t even have a view of the ocean! I sit down hard on my soft bed. Nineteen thousand dollars for this .

The viewless suite does have its pluses. In addition to all the Malin+Goetz products in my dual bathrooms, I am granted use of a dedicated Suite Deck lounge; access to Coastal Kitchen, a superior restaurant for Suites passengers; complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream (“the fastest Internet at Sea”) “for one device per person for the whole cruise duration”; a pair of bathrobes (one of which comes prestained with what looks like a large expectoration by the greenest lizard on Earth); and use of the Grove Suite Sun, an area on Decks 18 and 19 with food and deck chairs reserved exclusively for Suite passengers. I also get reserved seating for a performance of The Wizard of Oz , an ice-skating tribute to the periodic table, and similar provocations. The very color of my Suite Sky SeaPass Card, an oceanic blue as opposed to the cloying royal purple of the standard non-Suite passenger, will soon provoke envy and admiration. But as high as my status may be, there are those on board who have much higher status still, and I will soon learn to bow before them.

In preparation for sailing, I have “priced in,” as they say on Wall Street, the possibility that I may come from a somewhat different monde than many of the other cruisers. Without falling into stereotypes or preconceptions, I prepare myself for a friendly outspokenness on the part of my fellow seafarers that may not comply with modern DEI standards. I believe in meeting people halfway, and so the day before flying down to Miami, I visited what remains of Little Italy to purchase a popular T-shirt that reads DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL across the breast in the colors of the Italian flag. My wife recommended that I bring one of my many T-shirts featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, as all Americans love the beagle and his friends. But I naively thought that my meatball T-shirt would be more suitable for conversation-starting. “Oh, and who is your ‘daddy’?” some might ask upon seeing it. “And how long have you been his ‘little meatball’?” And so on.

I put on my meatball T-shirt and head for one of the dining rooms to get a late lunch. In the elevator, I stick out my chest for all to read the funny legend upon it, but soon I realize that despite its burnished tricolor letters, no one takes note. More to the point, no one takes note of me. Despite my attempts at bridge building, the very sight of me (small, ethnic, without a cap bearing the name of a football team) elicits no reaction from other passengers. Most often, they will small-talk over me as if I don’t exist. This brings to mind the travails of David Foster Wallace , who felt so ostracized by his fellow passengers that he retreated to his cabin for much of his voyage. And Wallace was raised primarily in the Midwest and was a much larger, more American-looking meatball than I am. If he couldn’t talk to these people, how will I? What if I leave this ship without making any friends at all, despite my T-shirt? I am a social creature, and the prospect of seven days alone and apart is saddening. Wallace’s stateroom, at least, had a view of the ocean, a kind of cheap eternity.

Worse awaits me in the dining room. This is a large, multichandeliered room where I attended my safety training (I was shown how to put on a flotation vest; it is a very simple procedure). But the maître d’ politely refuses me entry in an English that seems to verge on another language. “I’m sorry, this is only for pendejos ,” he seems to be saying. I push back politely and he repeats himself. Pendejos ? Piranhas? There’s some kind of P-word to which I am not attuned. Meanwhile elderly passengers stream right past, powered by their limbs, walkers, and electric wheelchairs. “It is only pendejo dining today, sir.” “But I have a suite!” I say, already starting to catch on to the ship’s class system. He examines my card again. “But you are not a pendejo ,” he confirms. I am wearing a DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL T-shirt, I want to say to him. I am the essence of pendejo .

Eventually, I give up and head to the plebeian buffet on Deck 15, which has an aquatic-styled name I have now forgotten. Before gaining entry to this endless cornucopia of reheated food, one passes a washing station of many sinks and soap dispensers, and perhaps the most intriguing character on the entire ship. He is Mr. Washy Washy—or, according to his name tag, Nielbert of the Philippines—and he is dressed as a taco (on other occasions, I’ll see him dressed as a burger). Mr. Washy Washy performs an eponymous song in spirited, indeed flamboyant English: “Washy, washy, wash your hands, WASHY WASHY!” The dangers of norovirus and COVID on a cruise ship this size (a giant fellow ship was stricken with the former right after my voyage) makes Mr. Washy Washy an essential member of the crew. The problem lies with the food at the end of Washy’s rainbow. The buffet is groaning with what sounds like sophisticated dishes—marinated octopus, boiled egg with anchovy, chorizo, lobster claws—but every animal tastes tragically the same, as if there was only one creature available at the market, a “cruisipus” bred specifically for Royal Caribbean dining. The “vegetables” are no better. I pick up a tomato slice and look right through it. It tastes like cellophane. I sit alone, apart from the couples and parents with gaggles of children, as “We Are Family” echoes across the buffet space.

I may have failed to mention that all this time, the Icon of the Seas has not left port. As the fiery mango of the subtropical setting sun makes Miami’s condo skyline even more apocalyptic, the ship shoves off beneath a perfunctory display of fireworks. After the sun sets, in the far, dark distance, another circus-lit cruise ship ruptures the waves before us. We glance at it with pity, because it is by definition a smaller ship than our own. I am on Deck 15, outside the buffet and overlooking a bunch of pools (the Icon has seven of them), drinking a frilly drink that I got from one of the bars (the Icon has 15 of them), still too shy to speak to anyone, despite Sister Sledge’s assertion that all on the ship are somehow related.

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The ship’s passage away from Ron DeSantis’s Florida provides no frisson, no sense of developing “sea legs,” as the ship is too large to register the presence of waves unless a mighty wind adds significant chop. It is time for me to register the presence of the 5,000 passengers around me, even if they refuse to register mine. My fellow travelers have prepared for this trip with personally decorated T-shirts celebrating the importance of this voyage. The simplest ones say ICON INAUGURAL ’24 on the back and the family name on the front. Others attest to an over-the-top love of cruise ships: WARNING! MAY START TALKING ABOUT CRUISING . Still others are artisanally designed and celebrate lifetimes spent married while cruising (on ships, of course). A couple possibly in their 90s are wearing shirts whose backs feature a drawing of a cruise liner, two flamingos with ostensibly male and female characteristics, and the legend “ HUSBAND AND WIFE Cruising Partners FOR LIFE WE MAY NOT HAVE IT All Together BUT TOGETHER WE HAVE IT ALL .” (The words not in all caps have been written in cursive.) A real journalist or a more intrepid conversationalist would have gone up to the couple and asked them to explain the longevity of their marriage vis-à-vis their love of cruising. But instead I head to my mall suite, take off my meatball T-shirt, and allow the first tears of the cruise to roll down my cheeks slowly enough that I briefly fall asleep amid the moisture and salt.

I WAKE UP with a hangover. Oh God. Right. I cannot believe all of that happened last night. A name floats into my cobwebbed, nauseated brain: “Ayn Rand.” Jesus Christ.

I breakfast alone at the Coastal Kitchen. The coffee tastes fine and the eggs came out of a bird. The ship rolls slightly this morning; I can feel it in my thighs and my schlong, the parts of me that are most receptive to danger.

I had a dangerous conversation last night. After the sun set and we were at least 50 miles from shore (most modern cruise ships sail at about 23 miles an hour), I lay in bed softly hiccupping, my arms stretched out exactly like Jesus on the cross, the sound of the distant waves missing from my mall-facing suite, replaced by the hum of air-conditioning and children shouting in Spanish through the vents of my two bathrooms. I decided this passivity was unacceptable. As an immigrant, I feel duty-bound to complete the tasks I am paid for, which means reaching out and trying to understand my fellow cruisers. So I put on a normal James Perse T-shirt and headed for one of the bars on the Royal Promenade—the Schooner Bar, it was called, if memory serves correctly.

I sat at the bar for a martini and two Negronis. An old man with thick, hairy forearms drank next to me, very silent and Hemingwaylike, while a dreadlocked piano player tinkled out a series of excellent Elton John covers. To my right, a young white couple—he in floral shorts, she in a light, summery miniskirt with a fearsome diamond ring, neither of them in football regalia—chatted with an elderly couple. Do it , I commanded myself. Open your mouth. Speak! Speak without being spoken to. Initiate. A sentence fragment caught my ear from the young woman, “Cherry Hill.” This is a suburb of Philadelphia in New Jersey, and I had once been there for a reading at a synagogue. “Excuse me,” I said gently to her. “Did you just mention Cherry Hill? It’s a lovely place.”

As it turned out, the couple now lived in Fort Lauderdale (the number of Floridians on the cruise surprised me, given that Southern Florida is itself a kind of cruise ship, albeit one slowly sinking), but soon they were talking with me exclusively—the man potbellied, with a chin like a hard-boiled egg; the woman as svelte as if she were one of the many Ukrainian members of the crew—the elderly couple next to them forgotten. This felt as groundbreaking as the first time I dared to address an American in his native tongue, as a child on a bus in Queens (“On my foot you are standing, Mister”).

“I don’t want to talk politics,” the man said. “But they’re going to eighty-six Biden and put Michelle in.”

I considered the contradictions of his opening conversational gambit, but decided to play along. “People like Michelle,” I said, testing the waters. The husband sneered, but the wife charitably put forward that the former first lady was “more personable” than Joe Biden. “They’re gonna eighty-six Biden,” the husband repeated. “He can’t put a sentence together.”

After I mentioned that I was a writer—though I presented myself as a writer of teleplays instead of novels and articles such as this one—the husband told me his favorite writer was Ayn Rand. “Ayn Rand, she came here with nothing,” the husband said. “I work with a lot of Cubans, so …” I wondered if I should mention what I usually do to ingratiate myself with Republicans or libertarians: the fact that my finances improved after pass-through corporations were taxed differently under Donald Trump. Instead, I ordered another drink and the couple did the same, and I told him that Rand and I were born in the same city, St. Petersburg/Leningrad, and that my family also came here with nothing. Now the bonding and drinking began in earnest, and several more rounds appeared. Until it all fell apart.

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My new friend, whom I will refer to as Ayn, called out to a buddy of his across the bar, and suddenly a young couple, both covered in tattoos, appeared next to us. “He fucking punked me,” Ayn’s frat-boy-like friend called out as he put his arm around Ayn, while his sizable partner sizzled up to Mrs. Rand. Both of them had a look I have never seen on land—their eyes projecting absence and enmity in equal measure. In the ’90s, I drank with Russian soldiers fresh from Chechnya and wandered the streets of wartime Zagreb, but I have never seen such undisguised hostility toward both me and perhaps the universe at large. I was briefly introduced to this psychopathic pair, but neither of them wanted to have anything to do with me, and the tattooed woman would not even reveal her Christian name to me (she pretended to have the same first name as Mrs. Rand). To impress his tattooed friends, Ayn made fun of the fact that as a television writer, I’d worked on the series Succession (which, it would turn out, practically nobody on the ship had watched), instead of the far more palatable, in his eyes, zombie drama of last year. And then my new friends drifted away from me into an angry private conversation—“He punked me!”—as I ordered another drink for myself, scared of the dead-eyed arrivals whose gaze never registered in the dim wattage of the Schooner Bar, whose terrifying voices and hollow laughs grated like unoiled gears against the crooning of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

But today is a new day for me and my hangover. After breakfast, I explore the ship’s so-called neighborhoods . There’s the AquaDome, where one can find a food hall and an acrobatic sound-and-light aquatic show. Central Park has a premium steak house, a sushi joint, and a used Rolex that can be bought for $8,000 on land here proudly offered at $17,000. There’s the aforementioned Royal Promenade, where I had drunk with the Rands, and where a pair of dueling pianos duel well into the night. There’s Surfside, a kids’ neighborhood full of sugary garbage, which looks out onto the frothy trail that the behemoth leaves behind itself. Thrill Island refers to the collection of tubes that clutter the ass of the ship and offer passengers six waterslides and a surfing simulation. There’s the Hideaway, an adult zone that plays music from a vomit-slathered, Brit-filled Alicante nightclub circa 1996 and proves a big favorite with groups of young Latin American customers. And, most hurtfully, there’s the Suite Neighborhood.

I say hurtfully because as a Suite passenger I should be here, though my particular suite is far from the others. Whereas I am stuck amid the riffraff of Deck 11, this section is on the highborn Decks 16 and 17, and in passing, I peek into the spacious, tall-ceilinged staterooms from the hallway, dazzled by the glint of the waves and sun. For $75,000, one multifloor suite even comes with its own slide between floors, so that a family may enjoy this particular terror in private. There is a quiet splendor to the Suite Neighborhood. I see fewer stickers and signs and drawings than in my own neighborhood—for example, MIKE AND DIANA PROUDLY SERVED U.S. MARINE CORPS RETIRED . No one here needs to announce their branch of service or rank; they are simply Suites, and this is where they belong. Once again, despite my hard work and perseverance, I have been disallowed from the true American elite. Once again, I am “Not our class, dear.” I am reminded of watching The Love Boat on my grandmother’s Zenith, which either was given to her or we found in the trash (I get our many malfunctioning Zeniths confused) and whose tube got so hot, I would put little chunks of government cheese on a thin tissue atop it to give our welfare treat a pleasant, Reagan-era gooeyness. I could not understand English well enough then to catch the nuances of that seafaring program, but I knew that there were differences in the status of the passengers, and that sometimes those differences made them sad. Still, this ship, this plenty—every few steps, there are complimentary nachos or milkshakes or gyros on offer—was the fatty fuel of my childhood dreams. If only I had remained a child.

I walk around the outdoor decks looking for company. There is a middle-aged African American couple who always seem to be asleep in each other’s arms, probably exhausted from the late capitalism they regularly encounter on land. There is far more diversity on this ship than I expected. Many couples are a testament to Loving v. Virginia , and there is a large group of folks whose T-shirts read MELANIN AT SEA / IT’S THE MELANIN FOR ME . I smile when I see them, but then some young kids from the group makes Mr. Washy Washy do a cruel, caricatured “Burger Dance” (today he is in his burger getup), and I think, Well, so much for intersectionality .

At the infinity pool on Deck 17, I spot some elderly women who could be ethnic and from my part of the world, and so I jump in. I am proved correct! Many of them seem to be originally from Queens (“Corona was still great when it was all Italian”), though they are now spread across the tristate area. We bond over the way “Ron-kon-koma” sounds when announced in Penn Station.

“Everyone is here for a different reason,” one of them tells me. She and her ex-husband last sailed together four years ago to prove to themselves that their marriage was truly over. Her 15-year-old son lost his virginity to “an Irish young lady” while their ship was moored in Ravenna, Italy. The gaggle of old-timers competes to tell me their favorite cruising stories and tips. “A guy proposed in Central Park a couple of years ago”—many Royal Caribbean ships apparently have this ridiculous communal area—“and she ran away screaming!” “If you’re diamond-class, you get four drinks for free.” “A different kind of passenger sails out of Bayonne.” (This, perhaps, is racially coded.) “Sometimes, if you tip the bartender $5, your next drink will be free.”

“Everyone’s here for a different reason,” the woman whose marriage ended on a cruise tells me again. “Some people are here for bad reasons—the drinkers and the gamblers. Some people are here for medical reasons.” I have seen more than a few oxygen tanks and at least one woman clearly undergoing very serious chemo. Some T-shirts celebrate good news about a cancer diagnosis. This might be someone’s last cruise or week on Earth. For these women, who have spent months, if not years, at sea, cruising is a ritual as well as a life cycle: first love, last love, marriage, divorce, death.

Read: The last place on Earth any tourist should go

I have talked with these women for so long, tonight I promise myself that after a sad solitary dinner I will not try to seek out company at the bars in the mall or the adult-themed Hideaway. I have enough material to fulfill my duties to this publication. As I approach my orphaned suite, I run into the aggro young people who stole Mr. and Mrs. Rand away from me the night before. The tattooed apparitions pass me without a glance. She is singing something violent about “Stuttering Stanley” (a character in a popular horror movie, as I discover with my complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream Internet at Sea) and he’s loudly shouting about “all the money I’ve lost,” presumably at the casino in the bowels of the ship.

So these bent psychos out of a Cormac McCarthy novel are angrily inhabiting my deck. As I mewl myself to sleep, I envision a limited series for HBO or some other streamer, a kind of low-rent White Lotus , where several aggressive couples conspire to throw a shy intellectual interloper overboard. I type the scenario into my phone. As I fall asleep, I think of what the woman who recently divorced her husband and whose son became a man through the good offices of the Irish Republic told me while I was hoisting myself out of the infinity pool. “I’m here because I’m an explorer. I’m here because I’m trying something new.” What if I allowed myself to believe in her fantasy?

“YOU REALLY STARTED AT THE TOP,” they tell me. I’m at the Coastal Kitchen for my eggs and corned-beef hash, and the maître d’ has slotted me in between two couples. Fueled by coffee or perhaps intrigued by my relative youth, they strike up a conversation with me. As always, people are shocked that this is my first cruise. They contrast the Icon favorably with all the preceding liners in the Royal Caribbean fleet, usually commenting on the efficiency of the elevators that hurl us from deck to deck (as in many large corporate buildings, the elevators ask you to choose a floor and then direct you to one of many lifts). The couple to my right, from Palo Alto—he refers to his “porn mustache” and calls his wife “my cougar” because she is two years older—tell me they are “Pandemic Pinnacles.”

This is the day that my eyes will be opened. Pinnacles , it is explained to me over translucent cantaloupe, have sailed with Royal Caribbean for 700 ungodly nights. Pandemic Pinnacles took advantage of the two-for-one accrual rate of Pinnacle points during the pandemic, when sailing on a cruise ship was even more ill-advised, to catapult themselves into Pinnacle status.

Because of the importance of the inaugural voyage of the world’s largest cruise liner, more than 200 Pinnacles are on this ship, a startling number, it seems. Mrs. Palo Alto takes out a golden badge that I have seen affixed over many a breast, which reads CROWN AND ANCHOR SOCIETY along with her name. This is the coveted badge of the Pinnacle. “You should hear all the whining in Guest Services,” her husband tells me. Apparently, the Pinnacles who are not also Suites like us are all trying to use their status to get into Coastal Kitchen, our elite restaurant. Even a Pinnacle needs to be a Suite to access this level of corned-beef hash.

“We’re just baby Pinnacles,” Mrs. Palo Alto tells me, describing a kind of internal class struggle among the Pinnacle elite for ever higher status.

And now I understand what the maître d’ was saying to me on the first day of my cruise. He wasn’t saying “ pendejo .” He was saying “Pinnacle.” The dining room was for Pinnacles only, all those older people rolling in like the tide on their motorized scooters.

And now I understand something else: This whole thing is a cult. And like most cults, it can’t help but mirror the endless American fight for status. Like Keith Raniere’s NXIVM, where different-colored sashes were given out to connote rank among Raniere’s branded acolytes, this is an endless competition among Pinnacles, Suites, Diamond-Plusers, and facing-the-mall, no-balcony purple SeaPass Card peasants, not to mention the many distinctions within each category. The more you cruise, the higher your status. No wonder a section of the Royal Promenade is devoted to getting passengers to book their next cruise during the one they should be enjoying now. No wonder desperate Royal Caribbean offers (“FINAL HOURS”) crowded my email account weeks before I set sail. No wonder the ship’s jewelry store, the Royal Bling, is selling a $100,000 golden chalice that will entitle its owner to drink free on Royal Caribbean cruises for life. (One passenger was already gaming out whether her 28-year-old son was young enough to “just about earn out” on the chalice or if that ship had sailed.) No wonder this ship was sold out months before departure , and we had to pay $19,000 for a horrid suite away from the Suite Neighborhood. No wonder the most mythical hero of Royal Caribbean lore is someone named Super Mario, who has cruised so often, he now has his own working desk on many ships. This whole experience is part cult, part nautical pyramid scheme.

From the June 2014 issue: Ship of wonks

“The toilets are amazing,” the Palo Altos are telling me. “One flush and you’re done.” “They don’t understand how energy-efficient these ships are,” the husband of the other couple is telling me. “They got the LNG”—liquefied natural gas, which is supposed to make the Icon a boon to the environment (a concept widely disputed and sometimes ridiculed by environmentalists).

But I’m thinking along a different line of attack as I spear my last pallid slice of melon. For my streaming limited series, a Pinnacle would have to get killed by either an outright peasant or a Suite without an ocean view. I tell my breakfast companions my idea.

“Oh, for sure a Pinnacle would have to be killed,” Mr. Palo Alto, the Pandemic Pinnacle, says, touching his porn mustache thoughtfully as his wife nods.

“THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S your time, buddy!” Hubert, my fun-loving Panamanian cabin attendant, shouts as I step out of my suite in a robe. “Take it easy, buddy!”

I have come up with a new dressing strategy. Instead of trying to impress with my choice of T-shirts, I have decided to start wearing a robe, as one does at a resort property on land, with a proper spa and hammam. The response among my fellow cruisers has been ecstatic. “Look at you in the robe!” Mr. Rand cries out as we pass each other by the Thrill Island aqua park. “You’re living the cruise life! You know, you really drank me under the table that night.” I laugh as we part ways, but my soul cries out, Please spend more time with me, Mr. and Mrs. Rand; I so need the company .

In my white robe, I am a stately presence, a refugee from a better limited series, a one-man crossover episode. (Only Suites are granted these robes to begin with.) Today, I will try many of the activities these ships have on offer to provide their clientele with a sense of never-ceasing motion. Because I am already at Thrill Island, I decide to climb the staircase to what looks like a mast on an old-fashioned ship (terrified, because I am afraid of heights) to try a ride called “Storm Chasers,” which is part of the “Category 6” water park, named in honor of one of the storms that may someday do away with the Port of Miami entirely. Storm Chasers consists of falling from the “mast” down a long, twisting neon tube filled with water, like being the camera inside your own colonoscopy, as you hold on to the handles of a mat, hoping not to die. The tube then flops you down headfirst into a trough of water, a Royal Caribbean baptism. It both knocks my breath out and makes me sad.

In keeping with the aquatic theme, I attend a show at the AquaDome. To the sound of “Live and Let Die,” a man in a harness gyrates to and fro in the sultry air. I saw something very similar in the back rooms of the famed Berghain club in early-aughts Berlin. Soon another harnessed man is gyrating next to the first. Ja , I think to myself, I know how this ends. Now will come the fisting , natürlich . But the show soon devolves into the usual Marvel-film-grade nonsense, with too much light and sound signifying nichts . If any fisting is happening, it is probably in the Suite Neighborhood, inside a cabin marked with an upside-down pineapple, which I understand means a couple are ready to swing, and I will see none of it.

I go to the ice show, which is a kind of homage—if that’s possible—to the periodic table, done with the style and pomp and masterful precision that would please the likes of Kim Jong Un, if only he could afford Royal Caribbean talent. At one point, the dancers skate to the theme song of Succession . “See that!” I want to say to my fellow Suites—at “cultural” events, we have a special section reserved for us away from the commoners—“ Succession ! It’s even better than the zombie show! Open your minds!”

Finally, I visit a comedy revue in an enormous and too brightly lit version of an “intimate,” per Royal Caribbean literature, “Manhattan comedy club.” Many of the jokes are about the cruising life. “I’ve lived on ships for 20 years,” one of the middle-aged comedians says. “I can only see so many Filipino homosexuals dressed as a taco.” He pauses while the audience laughs. “I am so fired tonight,” he says. He segues into a Trump impression and then Biden falling asleep at the microphone, which gets the most laughs. “Anyone here from Fort Leonard Wood?” another comedian asks. Half the crowd seems to cheer. As I fall asleep that night, I realize another connection I have failed to make, and one that may explain some of the diversity on this vessel—many of its passengers have served in the military.

As a coddled passenger with a suite, I feel like I am starting to understand what it means to have a rank and be constantly reminded of it. There are many espresso makers , I think as I look across the expanse of my officer-grade quarters before closing my eyes, but this one is mine .

A shocking sight greets me beyond the pools of Deck 17 as I saunter over to the Coastal Kitchen for my morning intake of slightly sour Americanos. A tiny city beneath a series of perfectly pressed green mountains. Land! We have docked for a brief respite in Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis. I wolf down my egg scramble to be one of the first passengers off the ship. Once past the gangway, I barely refrain from kissing the ground. I rush into the sights and sounds of this scruffy island city, sampling incredible conch curry and buckets of non-Starbucks coffee. How wonderful it is to be where God intended humans to be: on land. After all, I am neither a fish nor a mall rat. This is my natural environment. Basseterre may not be Havana, but there are signs of human ingenuity and desire everywhere you look. The Black Table Grill Has been Relocated to Soho Village, Market Street, Directly Behind of, Gary’s Fruits and Flower Shop. Signed. THE PORK MAN reads a sign stuck to a wall. Now, that is how you write a sign. A real sign, not the come-ons for overpriced Rolexes that blink across the screens of the Royal Promenade.

“Hey, tie your shoestring!” a pair of laughing ladies shout to me across the street.

“Thank you!” I shout back. Shoestring! “Thank you very much.”

A man in Independence Square Park comes by and asks if I want to play with his monkey. I haven’t heard that pickup line since the Penn Station of the 1980s. But then he pulls a real monkey out of a bag. The monkey is wearing a diaper and looks insane. Wonderful , I think, just wonderful! There is so much life here. I email my editor asking if I can remain on St. Kitts and allow the Icon to sail off into the horizon without me. I have even priced a flight home at less than $300, and I have enough material from the first four days on the cruise to write the entire story. “It would be funny …” my editor replies. “Now get on the boat.”

As I slink back to the ship after my brief jailbreak, the locals stand under umbrellas to gaze at and photograph the boat that towers over their small capital city. The limousines of the prime minister and his lackeys are parked beside the gangway. St. Kitts, I’ve been told, is one of the few islands that would allow a ship of this size to dock.

“We hear about all the waterslides,” a sweet young server in one of the cafés told me. “We wish we could go on the ship, but we have to work.”

“I want to stay on your island,” I replied. “I love it here.”

But she didn’t understand how I could possibly mean that.

“WASHY, WASHY, so you don’t get stinky, stinky!” kids are singing outside the AquaDome, while their adult minders look on in disapproval, perhaps worried that Mr. Washy Washy is grooming them into a life of gayness. I heard a southern couple skip the buffet entirely out of fear of Mr. Washy Washy.

Meanwhile, I have found a new watering hole for myself, the Swim & Tonic, the biggest swim-up bar on any cruise ship in the world. Drinking next to full-size, nearly naked Americans takes away one’s own self-consciousness. The men have curvaceous mom bodies. The women are equally un-shy about their sprawling physiques.

Today I’ve befriended a bald man with many children who tells me that all of the little trinkets that Royal Caribbean has left us in our staterooms and suites are worth a fortune on eBay. “Eighty dollars for the water bottle, 60 for the lanyard,” the man says. “This is a cult.”

“Tell me about it,” I say. There is, however, a clientele for whom this cruise makes perfect sense. For a large middle-class family (he works in “supply chains”), seven days in a lower-tier cabin—which starts at $1,800 a person—allow the parents to drop off their children in Surfside, where I imagine many young Filipina crew members will take care of them, while the parents are free to get drunk at a swim-up bar and maybe even get intimate in their cabin. Cruise ships have become, for a certain kind of hardworking family, a form of subsidized child care.

There is another man I would like to befriend at the Swim & Tonic, a tall, bald fellow who is perpetually inebriated and who wears a necklace studded with little rubber duckies in sunglasses, which, I am told, is a sort of secret handshake for cruise aficionados. Tomorrow, I will spend more time with him, but first the ship docks at St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie, the capital, is more charming in name than in presence, but I still all but jump off the ship to score a juicy oxtail and plantains at the well-known Petite Pump Room, overlooking the harbor. From one of the highest points in the small city, the Icon of the Seas appears bigger than the surrounding hills.

I usually tan very evenly, but something about the discombobulation of life at sea makes me forget the regular application of sunscreen. As I walk down the streets of Charlotte Amalie in my fluorescent Icon of the Seas cap, an old Rastafarian stares me down. “Redneck,” he hisses.

“No,” I want to tell him, as I bring a hand up to my red neck, “that’s not who I am at all. On my island, Mannahatta, as Whitman would have it, I am an interesting person living within an engaging artistic milieu. I do not wish to use the Caribbean as a dumping ground for the cruise-ship industry. I love the work of Derek Walcott. You don’t understand. I am not a redneck. And if I am, they did this to me.” They meaning Royal Caribbean? Its passengers? The Rands?

“They did this to me!”

Back on the Icon, some older matrons are muttering about a run-in with passengers from the Celebrity cruise ship docked next to us, the Celebrity Apex. Although Celebrity Cruises is also owned by Royal Caribbean, I am made to understand that there is a deep fratricidal beef between passengers of the two lines. “We met a woman from the Apex,” one matron says, “and she says it was a small ship and there was nothing to do. Her face was as tight as a 19-year-old’s, she had so much surgery.” With those words, and beneath a cloudy sky, humidity shrouding our weathered faces and red necks, we set sail once again, hopefully in the direction of home.

THERE ARE BARELY 48 HOURS LEFT to the cruise, and the Icon of the Seas’ passengers are salty. They know how to work the elevators. They know the Washy Washy song by heart. They understand that the chicken gyro at “Feta Mediterranean,” in the AquaDome Market, is the least problematic form of chicken on the ship.

The passengers have shed their INAUGURAL CRUISE T-shirts and are now starting to evince political opinions. There are caps pledging to make America great again and T-shirts that celebrate words sometimes attributed to Patrick Henry: “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.” With their preponderance of FAMILY FLAG FAITH FRIENDS FIREARMS T-shirts, the tables by the crepe station sometimes resemble the Capitol Rotunda on January 6. The Real Anthony Fauci , by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appears to be a popular form of literature, especially among young men with very complicated versions of the American flag on their T-shirts. Other opinions blend the personal and the political. “Someone needs to kill Washy guy, right?” a well-dressed man in the elevator tells me, his gray eyes radiating nothing. “Just beat him to death. Am I right?” I overhear the male member of a young couple whisper, “There goes that freak” as I saunter by in my white spa robe, and I decide to retire it for the rest of the cruise.

I visit the Royal Bling to see up close the $100,000 golden chalice that entitles you to free drinks on Royal Caribbean forever. The pleasant Serbian saleslady explains that the chalice is actually gold-plated and covered in white zirconia instead of diamonds, as it would otherwise cost $1 million. “If you already have everything,” she explains, “this is one more thing you can get.”

I believe that anyone who works for Royal Caribbean should be entitled to immediate American citizenship. They already speak English better than most of the passengers and, per the Serbian lady’s sales pitch above, better understand what America is as well. Crew members like my Panamanian cabin attendant seem to work 24 hours a day. A waiter from New Delhi tells me that his contract is six months and three weeks long. After a cruise ends, he says, “in a few hours, we start again for the next cruise.” At the end of the half a year at sea, he is allowed a two-to-three-month stay at home with his family. As of 2019, the median income for crew members was somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000, according to a major business publication. Royal Caribbean would not share the current median salary for its crew members, but I am certain that it amounts to a fraction of the cost of a Royal Bling gold-plated, zirconia-studded chalice.

And because most of the Icon’s hyper-sanitized spaces are just a frittata away from being a Delta lounge, one forgets that there are actual sailors on this ship, charged with the herculean task of docking it in port. “Having driven 100,000-ton aircraft carriers throughout my career,” retired Admiral James G. Stavridis, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, writes to me, “I’m not sure I would even know where to begin with trying to control a sea monster like this one nearly three times the size.” (I first met Stavridis while touring Army bases in Germany more than a decade ago.)

Today, I decide to head to the hot tub near Swim & Tonic, where some of the ship’s drunkest reprobates seem to gather (the other tubs are filled with families and couples). The talk here, like everywhere else on the ship, concerns football, a sport about which I know nothing. It is apparent that four teams have recently competed in some kind of finals for the year, and that two of them will now face off in the championship. Often when people on the Icon speak, I will try to repeat the last thing they said with a laugh or a nod of disbelief. “Yes, 20-yard line! Ha!” “Oh my God, of course, scrimmage.”

Soon we are joined in the hot tub by the late-middle-age drunk guy with the duck necklace. He is wearing a bucket hat with the legend HAWKEYES , which, I soon gather, is yet another football team. “All right, who turned me in?” Duck Necklace says as he plops into the tub beside us. “I get a call in the morning,” he says. “It’s security. Can you come down to the dining room by 10 a.m.? You need to stay away from the members of this religious family.” Apparently, the gregarious Duck Necklace had photobombed the wrong people. There are several families who present as evangelical Christians or practicing Muslims on the ship. One man, evidently, was not happy that Duck Necklace had made contact with his relatives. “It’s because of religious stuff; he was offended. I put my arm around 20 people a day.”

Everyone laughs. “They asked me three times if I needed medication,” he says of the security people who apparently interrogated him in full view of others having breakfast.

Another hot-tub denizen suggests that he should have asked for fentanyl. After a few more drinks, Duck Necklace begins to muse about what it would be like to fall off the ship. “I’m 62 and I’m ready to go,” he says. “I just don’t want a shark to eat me. I’m a huge God guy. I’m a Bible guy. There’s some Mayan theory squaring science stuff with religion. There is so much more to life on Earth.” We all nod into our Red Stripes.

“I never get off the ship when we dock,” he says. He tells us he lost $6,000 in the casino the other day. Later, I look him up, and it appears that on land, he’s a financial adviser in a crisp gray suit, probably a pillar of his North Chicago community.

THE OCEAN IS TEEMING with fascinating life, but on the surface it has little to teach us. The waves come and go. The horizon remains ever far away.

I am constantly told by my fellow passengers that “everybody here has a story.” Yes, I want to reply, but everybody everywhere has a story. You, the reader of this essay, have a story, and yet you’re not inclined to jump on a cruise ship and, like Duck Necklace, tell your story to others at great pitch and volume. Maybe what they’re saying is that everybody on this ship wants to have a bigger, more coherent, more interesting story than the one they’ve been given. Maybe that’s why there’s so much signage on the doors around me attesting to marriages spent on the sea. Maybe that’s why the Royal Caribbean newsletter slipped under my door tells me that “this isn’t a vacation day spent—it’s bragging rights earned.” Maybe that’s why I’m so lonely.

Today is a big day for Icon passengers. Today the ship docks at Royal Caribbean’s own Bahamian island, the Perfect Day at CocoCay. (This appears to be the actual name of the island.) A comedian at the nightclub opined on what his perfect day at CocoCay would look like—receiving oral sex while learning that his ex-wife had been killed in a car crash (big laughter). But the reality of the island is far less humorous than that.

One of the ethnic tristate ladies in the infinity pool told me that she loved CocoCay because it had exactly the same things that could be found on the ship itself. This proves to be correct. It is like the Icon, but with sand. The same tired burgers, the same colorful tubes conveying children and water from Point A to B. The same swim-up bar at its Hideaway ($140 for admittance, no children allowed; Royal Caribbean must be printing money off its clientele). “There was almost a fight at The Wizard of Oz ,” I overhear an elderly woman tell her companion on a chaise lounge. Apparently one of the passengers began recording Royal Caribbean’s intellectual property and “three guys came after him.”

I walk down a pathway to the center of the island, where a sign reads DO NOT ENTER: YOU HAVE REACHED THE BOUNDARY OF ADVENTURE . I hear an animal scampering in the bushes. A Royal Caribbean worker in an enormous golf cart soon chases me down and takes me back to the Hideaway, where I run into Mrs. Rand in a bikini. She becomes livid telling me about an altercation she had the other day with a woman over a towel and a deck chair. We Suites have special towel privileges; we do not have to hand over our SeaPass Card to score a towel. But the Rands are not Suites. “People are so entitled here,” Mrs. Rand says. “It’s like the airport with all its classes.” “You see,” I want to say, “this is where your husband’s love of Ayn Rand runs into the cruelties and arbitrary indignities of unbridled capitalism.” Instead we make plans to meet for a final drink in the Schooner Bar tonight (the Rands will stand me up).

Back on the ship, I try to do laps, but the pool (the largest on any cruise ship, naturally) is fully trashed with the detritus of American life: candy wrappers, a slowly dissolving tortilla chip, napkins. I take an extra-long shower in my suite, then walk around the perimeter of the ship on a kind of exercise track, past all the alluring lifeboats in their yellow-and-white livery. Maybe there is a dystopian angle to the HBO series that I will surely end up pitching, one with shades of WALL-E or Snowpiercer . In a collapsed world, a Royal Caribbean–like cruise liner sails from port to port, collecting new shipmates and supplies in exchange for the precious energy it has on board. (The actual Icon features a new technology that converts passengers’ poop into enough energy to power the waterslides . In the series, this shitty technology would be greatly expanded.) A very young woman (18? 19?), smart and lonely, who has only known life on the ship, walks along the same track as I do now, contemplating jumping off into the surf left by its wake. I picture reusing Duck Necklace’s words in the opening shot of the pilot. The girl is walking around the track, her eyes on the horizon; maybe she’s highborn—a Suite—and we hear the voice-over: “I’m 19 and I’m ready to go. I just don’t want a shark to eat me.”

Before the cruise is finished, I talk to Mr. Washy Washy, or Nielbert of the Philippines. He is a sweet, gentle man, and I thank him for the earworm of a song he has given me and for keeping us safe from the dreaded norovirus. “This is very important to me, getting people to wash their hands,” he tells me in his burger getup. He has dreams, as an artist and a performer, but they are limited in scope. One day he wants to dress up as a piece of bacon for the morning shift.

THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC (the Icon of the Seas is five times as large as that doomed vessel) at least offered its passengers an exciting ending to their cruise, but when I wake up on the eighth day, all I see are the gray ghosts that populate Miami’s condo skyline. Throughout my voyage, my writer friends wrote in to commiserate with me. Sloane Crosley, who once covered a three-day spa mini-cruise for Vogue , tells me she felt “so very alone … I found it very untethering.” Gideon Lewis-Kraus writes in an Instagram comment: “When Gary is done I think it’s time this genre was taken out back and shot.” And he is right. To badly paraphrase Adorno: After this, no more cruise stories. It is unfair to put a thinking person on a cruise ship. Writers typically have difficult childhoods, and it is cruel to remind them of the inherent loneliness that drove them to writing in the first place. It is also unseemly to write about the kind of people who go on cruises. Our country does not provide the education and upbringing that allow its citizens an interior life. For the creative class to point fingers at the large, breasty gentlemen adrift in tortilla-chip-laden pools of water is to gather a sour harvest of low-hanging fruit.

A day or two before I got off the ship, I decided to make use of my balcony, which I had avoided because I thought the view would only depress me further. What I found shocked me. My suite did not look out on Central Park after all. This entire time, I had been living in the ship’s Disneyland, Surfside, the neighborhood full of screaming toddlers consuming milkshakes and candy. And as I leaned out over my balcony, I beheld a slight vista of the sea and surf that I thought I had been missing. It had been there all along. The sea was frothy and infinite and blue-green beneath the span of a seagull’s wing. And though it had been trod hard by the world’s largest cruise ship, it remained.

This article appears in the May 2024 print edition with the headline “A Meatball at Sea.” When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

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The 25 Essential Pasta Dishes to Eat in Italy

Two chefs, one cookbook author, a culinary historian and a food writer made a list of the country’s most delicious meals, from carbonara in Rome to ravioli in Campania.

Credit... Enea Arienti

Supported by

By Deborah Dunn ,  Vicky Bennison ,  Marianna Cerini ,  Robyn Eckhardt ,  Laurel Evans ,  Kristina Gill ,  Andrew Sean Greer ,  Lee Marshall ,  Elizabeth Minchilli ,  Marina O’Loughlin ,  Katie Parla ,  Rachel Roddy ,  Eric Sylvers and Laura May Todd

Photographs by Enea Arienti

• Published May 17, 2024 Updated May 22, 2024

For a food that begins with just flour, water or sometimes eggs, there are infinite variations of pasta. So what happens when you convene a panel of five Italian cuisine experts and ask them to determine the 25 most essential pasta dishes throughout Italy? “I’m sweating,” said Davide Palluda, the chef and owner of All’Enoteca restaurant and osteria in the Piedmont region. “This is too heavy,” he joked during the two-hour video call that I convened to debate his nominations and those of the four other panelists: Stefano Secchi, the chef and a co-owner of New York City’s Rezdôra ; the Tuscany-based cookbook author Emiko Davies ; the Umbria-based culinary historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi ; and the food writer and novelist Roberta Corradin, who lives in Florence, Sicily and Boston. A week before our call, I’d asked each to make their own list of 10 standouts (since he was a panelist, Palluda’s restaurants were automatically excluded); after an energetic debate and several more phone calls, emails and WhatsApp messages, we whittled that list in half. The final picks appear below in unranked alphabetical order, along with the ideal wine to drink with each pasta dish, as recommended by the chosen restaurants and reviewed by Davies’s husband, the sommelier Marco Lami.

This list is the latest in our T 25 series , which highlights significant achievements in the worlds of design, literature , fashion , architecture and food . Previous debates about where to eat right now were confined to major cities like Paris and Mexico City , but this time around, we wanted to see what we might learn if we surveyed the culinary landscape across an entire food-crazed country. We chose pasta because it’s the food most associated with Italy, and because it’s the subject of T’s new Travel issue . It’s also the staple that reveals just how much Italian cooking, even in 2024, remains firmly anchored to a specific place. While most countries have regional fare, Italy is particularly fixated on a recipe’s exact provenance — the town, the valley, the strip of coastline — which is why you’ll often find different pasta shapes or sauces, even over the span of just a few miles.

This culinary diversity informed many of the panelists’ decisions: sometimes, they opted to include a dish because it’s rarely made beyond its birthplace (see Lombardy’s pizzoccheri, No. 12); other times, they chose a favorite sauce (for example, carbonara) or simply a type of pasta like strangozzi (typical of Umbria) since it, like so many local specialties found in the countryside, is paired with different ingredients depending on the time of year.

Only two specific dishes were nominated by more than one panelist: the agnolotti del plin at Madonna della Neve in the Piedmont and the vincisgrassi at Osteria dei Fiori in the Marche region, both centuries-old dishes served at decades-old restaurants. The classics, in general, came up again and again. Even the more idiosyncratic dishes that merited inclusion were riffs on familiar fare: Secchi, for example, made an impassioned plea for the dish called the Crunchy Part of the Lasagna, the chef Massimo Bottura’s technical take on the beloved casserole, offered at his Francescana restaurant at Maria Luigia in Modena, Emilia-Romagna. “If we’re talking about transcendent pasta experiences, that’s it,” Secchi said. (Lasagna, in fact, made a strong showing on this list, which features three varieties.) Secchi suggested one reason the old favorites took primacy: relentless demand.

Northern and central Italy are also overrepresented, perhaps because that’s where most of the participants are based, though Corradin argued that she could easily make an entire list dedicated to any region. And Palluda worried about omitting gnocchi, though there was some disagreement about whether the dumplings usually made with potato and flour are even considered pasta. But Corradin had the final word: “No. Gnocchi is gnocchi. It’s a different chapter. Next time.” — Deborah Dunn

The interview portion has been edited and condensed.

1. The Agnolotti del Plin at Ristorante Madonna Della Neve

Cessole, piedmont.

Overlooking the Bormida valley, Ristorante Madonna della Neve sits opposite the 16th-century chapel for which it’s named. With large windows framing bucolic views, its classic osteria ambience is echoed in its menu of time-honored dishes. While agnolotti is a term used for many kinds of stuffed pasta, especially in Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region, it’s the agnolotti del plin — penny-size filled pasta that’s named for the pinch with which it’s sealed (“pinch” is plin in the Piedmontese dialect) — that are the real star. The manager, Piermassimo Cirio, whose grandparents opened Ristorante Madonna della Neve in 1952 and who sometimes heads up the kitchen, says that meeting the demand for agnolotti del plin requires a full day of filling and folding each week from a crew of staff and family members. And for many guests, the pasta — which is filled with a mixture of ground veal, pork and rabbit, Parmigiano-Reggiano, rosemary and borage — is, in itself, a multicourse meal. Start with the version served al tovagliolo, meaning on a linen napkin without sauce, allowing the gentle sweetness of the filling’s leafy greens to shine. Follow with agnolotti with sage and butter or, more bracingly, sage and lemon juice (Cirio’s invention). Next, try them with a sauce of Bolognese-ish ragù or, as an alternative, the juices and tender scraps of a beef roast (arrosto). For a final course, order a small bowl of agnolotti doused with Barbera wine. Suggested wine pairing: Isolabella della Croce Maria Teresa Barbera d’Asti 2022. — Robyn Eckhardt

2 Reg. Madonna della Neve

Roberta Corradin: I grew up in Piedmont and homemade agnolotti with a roasted meat filling is mandatory.

Karima Moyer-Nocchi: Madonna della Neve is an incredible experience.

Stefano Secchi : I was just there last year and it’s fantastic.

Davide Palluda: I took a picture with the almost 90-year-old [Piera Cirio, Piermassimo’s mother] a few years ago, and I asked her how many agnolotti she’s made in her life. I think a million. She has the forearms! She’s the one that [reminds] all the young chefs in Piedmont why we have to respect [the traditions]. The nicest way to have it is just boiled and naked, without sauce.

Moyer-Nocchi: Oh, yeah, that’s gorgeous. It’s homey and nurturing, and that humble way that it’s served makes it a transformative experience.

2. The Busiate at Duomo

Ragusa ibla, sicily.

The Sicilian chef Ciccio Sultano calls the busiate, an elegant but sturdy corkscrew pasta shape that was historically formed by wrapping the dough around knitting needles (or the stem of a local grass) , “matriarchal.” It’s a specialty of Trapani, on Sicily’s west coast, and usually served with pesto Trapanese: almonds, basil, garlic, tomatoes, pecorino, perhaps a touch of fresh mint. But at Duomo, a gastronomic institution in Ragusa Ibla, on the southern end of the island, Sultano goes much further, imbuing the pasta (always made in-house from heritage grains such as tumminia and perciasacchi) with intense local flavors. The busiate on the current menu features fragrant wild fennel and saffron and a ragù of glittering anchovies and mackerel. And to finish: grated red tuna heart. Another longtime favorite version, which resurfaces from time to time, is the busiate kneaded with rosewater and topped with plump, sweet Mazara prawns (pictured above). Opened nearly 24 years ago, Duomo, as the name suggests, sits in a handsome townhouse down the street from Ragusa Ibla’s dramatic Baroque cathedral, less than an hour from where Sultano took his first job in a kitchen, at a pastry shop, when he was just 13. Eating this dish, he suggests, evokes the island life, culinary influences via Sicily’s many centuries of invaders, from the Greeks and Arabs to the Normans, and the voluptuousness of a cuisine born of the sea. Suggested wine pairing: Pietradolce Archineri Etna Bianco 2018. — Marina O’Loughlin

31 Via Capitano Bocchieri

Corradin: Busiate are Sicily’s version of fusilli. In the western part of Sicily, they make long busiate, which are difficult to eat. If you’re a gentleman, the busiate will slap your tie. That’s the kind that Ciccio Sultano at Duomo makes. The rosewater he puts in the dough gives a hint of the region’s past, when it was under Arab domination. It bounces you back to another time.

3. The Cacio e Pepe at Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina

Made with only pasta, cheese and pepper, cacio e pepe seems downright simple, yet this classic Roman dish is mired with potential pitfalls: cooks know to beware the dreaded clumping. Not only does Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina make a perfect version, they’re unafraid to tweak it when necessary: If the pecorino is fresher, and so less intensely salty, the chefs use only that. If it’s older, they’ll perhaps add some Parmesan to temper the ferocity. Their special blend of ground black peppercorns — including the perfumed, potent Sarawak — makes this simple dish, prepared with tonnarelli (a spaghetti-like egg pasta), memorable. This, at a mere 20 years old, is one of the newer additions to the small Roscioli group of restaurants and bakeries in Rome (a pasticceria also opened 10 years ago). All are popular among tourists, but escaping the chaos of Campo dei Fiori for a seat at the counter here, a glass of red wine in hand, the cacio e pepe in front of you, feels like the real Rome. Suggested wine pairing: Damiano Ciolli Podere Ciriolino Cesanese di Olevano 2022. — M.O.

21 Via dei Giubbonari

Palluda: Cacio e pepe is easy to prepare but it’s not easy to make a good one. Roscioli cooks it the right way, with the right ingredients. If I have the chance I always go when I’m in Rome — if I can get in, it’s a small restaurant — and I always eat the cacio e pepe.

4. The Carbonara at Ristorante l’Arcangelo

Though Rome is the Italian city most often associated with antiquity, carbonara — arguably the most popular of its classic pastas, which also include cacio e pepe, amatriciana and alla gricia — is actually a 20th-century innovation. The dish’s creator and exact place of origin are unknown, but an often-told story involves the arrival of Allied troops in Rome in 1944: The soldiers, or someone cooking for them, allegedly mixed eggs, powdered milk and bacon with pasta. Today, carbonara is usually made with eggs, guanciale (cured pork jowl), pecorino cheese, black pepper and spaghetti. Some chefs use only yolks while others add the whole egg. Some stick to pecorino while others mix in parmigiano. Some pair the sauce with rigatoni instead of spaghetti. Every chef in the city likely believes they make the best version, but the rigatoni alla carbonara at Ristorante l’Arcangelo — a white-tableclothed establishment near Vatican City — has earned its place among the essential dishes of Rome. The silky sauce, salty but not overpowering, evenly coats the rigatoni, pooling just enough in the bottom of the plate so you can dip a piece of bread at the end. The fresh eggs give the dish a vivid yellow hue, and the hefty, crisp pieces of guanciale are doled out with precision; it’s said that the chef personally counts the seven pieces allotted to each plate. Suggested wine pairing: Tenute Filippi Ipazia 2022. — Kristina Gill

59 Via Giuseppe Gioachino Belli

Moyer-Nocchi: I was really torn between including [head chef of Ristorante l’Arcangelo] Arcangelo Dandini’s carbonara or Nabil Hadj Hassen’s. When Nabil was the chef at Salumeria Roscioli, he won a national competition, in 2008, for the best carbonara in Rome. He left Roscioli after 18 years and now he’s at Baccano [also in Rome]. It was a close call between Dandini and Hassen. Post-Covid, when everyone was sitting around thinking about what they were going to do with their lives, Arcangelo made adjustments to the cheeses he uses in the dish. He now uses 80 percent Pecorino Romano sourced locally, from a particular milking. And he’s added 20 percent smoked pecorino di Gavoi from Sardinia, which for him recalls the time when smoking was one of the ways of preserving foods. And he uses these eggs — you’re going to have to trust me — these are just outstanding eggs with the creamiest egg yolks ever. He’s a miraculously inventive chef in the way that he pulls history into his modern iterations of dishes.

Corradin: The carbonara is very good at Arcangelo, and it’s in Prati, a nice bourgeois neighborhood that I believe is also home to several kosher restaurants. It isn’t a place for tourists. Well, in Rome tourists are everywhere, but this is a classic location for real Roman families.

5. The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna at Francescana at Maria Luigia

San damaso, emilia-romagna.

Though it’s served with a fork and spoon, it’s hard to keep your hands off the chef Massimo Bottura’s famous recreation of the coveted corner slice of lasagna. The crispy tower begs to be broken apart with your fingers, the rich ragù and aerated béchamel scooped up, nacho-like, from the plate. To make the dish, Bottura boils spaghetti and then purées it to form a dough, which is divided into three parts, each mixed with a different sauce: basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano or tomato. After being rolled out, the pasta sheets are fried, smoked, and, finally, lightly charred with a torch. The result is somehow both familiar and disorienting: “It’s about feeding people with emotions,” Bottura says. Originally, he served his postmodern take on the homey favorite at his Osteria Francescana , which opened in 1995, but these days it’s available only at Francescana at Maria Luigia , one of the restaurants at Casa Maria Luigia, the guesthouse he opened with his wife, Lara Gilmore, in 2019 in San Damaso, just outside the city of Modena. Here, the sole offering is a nine-course tasting menu comprising Bottura’s well-known dishes, served at communal tables facing an open kitchen. Suggested wine pairing: Comte Lafond Sancerre 2022. — Laurel Evans

56 Stradello Bonaghino

Secchi: I’m biased because I worked at Francescana and I know what it takes [to prepare this lasagna]. It takes three or four days to make. That ragù alone isn’t just made with traditional beef: There’s cheek and side, tongue and a special ingredient I can’t name because Massimo [Bottura] would kill me.

Palluda: Especially in the last 15 years, Massimo Bottura never stops talking about his region, Emilia-Romagna. One of the things he always says is to make good food in Italy, you have to stay with your feet on the land and your brain in the clouds. In his dishes with ragù, you can feel this point of view. Like a lot of guys in Emilia, he probably grew up with the smell of [the sauce] in the house. It’s very important that someone as famous as Bottura still talks about his ingredients and his history — it makes the people and the producers of that region really proud of their home.

6. The Culurgiones at Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli

Dorgali, sardinia.

From April until October, Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli serves reimagined Sardinian classics overlooking a patchwork of terraced vineyards, olive groves and fruit orchards that descend toward the Gulf of Orosei on the east coast of Italy’s second-largest island. Among the restaurant’s specialties are culurgiones, fresh pasta parcels filled with a blend of potato, cheese, garlic and mint that are pinched closed, the seams resembling ears of wheat. Native to the Ogliastra subregion of Sardinia that’s about a 90-minute drive south, culurgiones have transcended their hyperlocal origins and are now served across the island, though the filling proportions change from cook to cook. At Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli, the chef Giovanni Cossu, along with the chef Gian Nicola Mula, leads a multigenerational family-run kitchen that plates them in a novel way: They don’t toss and coat their culurgiones with tomato sauce in the rustic fashion but rather crown each with a spoonful, then top with a dusting of pecorino. Suggested wine pairing: Cantina Tani Taerra Vermentino di Gallura 2022. — Katie Parla

125 Strada Statale

Secchi: This restaurant has been in the family for three generations. It’s about an hour and a half from where my family is from and it has one of the best views in Sardinia. One of the chefs [the nephew of the head chef Cossu] used to work at Osteria Francescana [see No. 5]. He’s cooking traditional pasta, but also doing contemporary things because of his time at high-end restaurants on mainland Italy. I thought he’d go chase the stars, but it’s just the opposite — he wanted to bring everything he learned back home.

7. The Mezzanelli Alla Genovese at Coco Loco

Genoa, the city that lends its name to this meaty pasta sauce, is a good 400 miles from Naples, the place best known for it. Every local seems to have a different origin story for the dish, including the tale that credits Swiss mercenaries for bringing this slow-cooked beef and onion sauce to the southern Italian city sometime around 1495. Though it’s commonly ladled onto short cylindrical pasta shapes such as paccheri or rigatoni, at Coco Loco, which opened in the middle of Naples’s historic center in 1995, the chef and owner, Diego Nuzzo, prefers to use mezzanelli, a longer, skinnier version of ziti. He models his Genovese after the recipe used by monzù, private cooks to the city’s aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centuries who applied French culinary techniques to regional ingredients. Like the monzù, Nuzzo braises the beef shank and lots of red onions in lard rather than olive oil, intensifying the flavor of both ingredients. He then adds white wine, a few cubes of pork and simmers the sauce for up to five hours, adding a little tomato paste toward the end “just to give a touch of color.” But the real secret to the dish, he says, is to choose a dried pasta that doesn’t release too much starch (he prefers the Garofalo brand) to keep the sauce from getting too gluey. Suggested wine pairing: Quintodecimo Terra d’Eclano Irpinia Aglianico 2015. — Lee Marshall

4 Vicoletto Cappella Vecchia

Palluda: It’s difficult to explain to people that this is a [Neapolitan] dish and the name Genovese only refers to the people who moved from Genoa to Napoli. In Genoa, you usually get a pesto condimento [sauce]. Here, it’s a lot of meat and the protagonist of this recipe is the onions. You just color the onion with tomatoes.

Corradin: It’s one of the many geographically confusing dishes in Italian cuisine — like zuppa inglese; inglese means “English” and it’s not English at all. And it’s not a soup at all, it’s dessert. [We call them] false friends.

Moyer-Nocchi: It’s a fabulous dish. That five-hour braise renders something that tastes like a sweet, beef-flavored onion butter that loses whatever negative connotations onions have and becomes a larger-than-the-sum-of-its-parts dish. Diego Nuzzo is the most renowned for [pasta alla Genovese] and [he serves it] in a really elegant setting.

Corradin: And unlike most pastas, in Napoli, pasta alla Genovese is served as a main course.

8. The Minestra di Pasta Mista With Shellfish and Rockfish at La Torre del Saracino

Vico equense, campania.

A meal at La Torre del Saracino, in the seaside town of Vico Equense, is something of a ceremony. It begins in a Medieval watchtower overlooking the Bay of Naples where you’re welcomed with an aperitif (a sparkling Franciacorta, for example) and small bites (perhaps a free range-chicken cacciatora panino) while listening to music chosen by guests from the chef Gennaro Esposito’s vinyl collection, with plenty of 20th-century Neapolitan pop and jazz. Then you’re led down a winding stone staircase to a 20-seat main dining room with high arched windows overlooking the sea. The minestra di pasta mista con crostacei e pesci di scoglio, one of Esposito’s signature dishes, is a nod to the fish soup that the 54-year-old chef, a native of Vico Equense, grew up eating. In those days, it was made mostly with the catch that couldn’t be sold at the markets and typically took hours to prepare. Now, at La Torre del Saracino, it’s a symbol of gleeful abundance: Esposito uses more than a pound and a half of Mediterranean rockfish, shrimps, squid and prawns to make one portion. Still one of the more time-consuming dishes in his repertoire, it involves slow-cooking the rockfish in a light fish stock, then squeezing them in a French duck press to retain the juices. Once all the seafood and San Marzano tomatoes are left to simmer on the stove top, for several hours, he adds a mix of as many as 15 different pasta shapes, both tubes and spirals (families traditionally made minestre like this to use up those annoying bottom-of-the-package leftovers). The pasta is left to cook in the soup so that, in Esposito’s words, “it absorbs all its goodness.” Suggested wine pairing: Mastroberardino Stilema Fiano di Avellino 2015. — L.M.

9 Via Torretta

Palluda: Gennaro Esposito is one of the new generation of chefs from Campania, from Napoli. Twenty-five years ago, it wasn’t so easy to introduce new ideas in Campania — it seemed like you were fighting with tradition, but that’s not why he did it. He learned a lot of new techniques in France [and elsewhere] and then used products that were close to him. He made new recipes without losing the identity of the original one. A lot of young chefs followed him. His minestra pasta is a very interesting dish. You mix in a lot of types of pasta. Every spoonful is different. Like chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get. It’s a very rustic dish, but very technical.

9. The Orecchiette With Broccoli at Ricci Osteria

If you find yourself wandering the whitewashed back streets of a Pugliese town, you’ll likely encounter women gathered near the stoops of their houses, forming semolina flour dough into quarter-size orecchiette, which they leave to dry on netted boxes balanced atop wooden stands. Shaped vaguely like an earlobe (the name translates to little ear) orecchiette is often served with ragù or turnip greens, but among the most beloved variations is one made with broccoli. In Milan, some 550 miles to the north of Italy’s heel, the chefs Antonella Ricci and Vinod Sookar have created their own version of the recipe at the Pugliese-inflected mainstay Ricci Osteria, which opened in 2022. Usually, the dish is made by sautéing parboiled broccoli with garlic, anchovies and mildly spicy pepperoncini in extra virgin olive oil; theirs also includes sweet, soft confit tomatoes. The finishing flourish is a generous sprinkling of crunchy toasted bread crumbs, which serve as the ideal foil to the orecchiette’s chewy texture. Suggested wine pairing: a 2020 negroamaro from Agricola Felline. — Laura May Todd

27 Via Pasquale Sottocorno

Moyer-Nocchi.: Antonella Ricci is from Puglia and her husband and partner in the restaurant [Vinod Sookar] is from Mauritius. And together they really represent Milan. [The city] is a micro-melting pot in Italy that since the end of World War II has pulled in a great exodus from the rural south, because that’s where the jobs were, and then later, a great influx of people of Sri Lankan and Indian origin. It’s good to see a person of color in the position of chef as well, because Italy’s restaurants would not go on without this population.

Palluda : It’s a dish made with briciole [breadcrumbs], which is something you usually throw away. They call it the poor man’s Parmesan. And with these scraps, they’ve built this amazing dish.

10. The Paccheri Alla Vittorio at Da Vittorio

Brusaporto, lombardy.

What happens when a restaurant with such fine-dining pedigree takes on pasta with tomato sauce, one of the simplest of all the primi? You get a creamy, almost velvety rendition that’s become the calling card for Da Vittorio, a luxurious fixture of the northern city of Bergamo since 1966. In the early 2000s, Vittorio Cerea and his family, including his son, the current head chef, Enrico “Chicco” Cerea, moved the restaurant from the historic core of the city to a villa surrounded by parkland, less than five miles outside of town. From there, Enrico expanded the menu, offering innovative dishes like scampi with fermented miso and tempura sardines with a lemon sauce. But diners who come from Milan — about 30 miles to the southwest — and much farther (there’s a heliport and a hotel on the property) often have just one item on their mind: the paccheri alla Vittorio. A cork-size tubular pasta, paccheri are served here slightly al dente and swimming in a sauce made with three types of tomatoes, basil, olive oil and sautéed garlic, thickened at the end with butter and Parmesan. The dish, offered as part of an eight-course tasting menu, also comes with a bib — you’re invited to mop up the sauce with freshly baked farro bread. Suggested wine pairing: Vie di Romans Chardonnay 2020. — Eric Sylvers

17 Via Cantalupa

Palluda: It’s cooked like risotto, meaning that you cook it for just 80 percent of the time in the water, and then you finish the dish directly in the [sauce], and they do that at the table in front of the people.

Secchi: [They serve] it convivio, family-style, which is a beautiful way to do it.

Moyer-Nocchi: What makes the dish so worthy of this list is the sauce. My advice: Opt for the bib.

11. The Pasta con le Sarde at Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo

Palermo, sicily.

When your massive portion of pasta con le sarde at Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo in Palermo is set in front of you, your first thought is likely, “What is this mess of gloopy spaghetti covered with greenish-brown sauce?” But it’s precisely the dish’s aggressively ugly appearance that makes the first bite — and smell — so surprising. The rustic recipe is full of all the contradictions and complexities inherent to Sicilian cooking: High-end ingredients like plump sweet raisins and resinous pine nuts mix with sardines, the poorest of fish, barely boned, to form more of a stew than a pasta sauce; it’s also redolent of wild fennel. The warm, chaotic Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo, which opened in 1944 and is in the heart of the old city, doesn’t take reservations, but with the two big rooms inside, and the large covered terrace outside, you’ll rarely have to wait long. Suggested wine pairing: Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Bianco 2022. — Elizabeth Minchilli

20 Via Venezia

Moyer-Nocchi: Pasta con le sarde doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Ferro di Cavallo puts a lot of care into it. They have an investment in the tradition of this dish. It’s a very colorful, classic trattoria.

12. The Pizzoccheri at Ristorante Quattro Stagioni

Mantello, lombardy.

Some pasta dishes demand you put aside restraint. Pizzoccheri certainly qualify — the fettuccine-like buckwheat pasta is typically tossed together with copious amounts of Valtellina Casera cheese and butter, potatoes and a vegetable (usually cabbage). Said to be born at least 200 years ago at the foot of the Alps in Valtellina — a valley that runs east from the northern shores of Lake Como — the hearty dish is still the perfect thing to eat at Quattro Stagioni, with its exposed beams, simple wooden chairs and stone fountain in the middle of the main dining room. The restaurant is part of the La Fiorida agriturismo, a working farm that doubles as a country inn, with 29 guest rooms, some 500 animals (mainly cows, goats and sheep), a cheese-making facility and 150 acres of cultivated fields. While the buckwheat is sourced from a nearby farm, nearly everything else used in the pizzoccheri comes from on site. This means that, depending on the time of year, you might find spinach or Swiss chard in your pizzoccheri. “There is no exact recipe because it’s always changing,” says the head chef, Gianni Tarabini. Suggested wine pairing: Nino Negri Inferno Valtellina Superiore 2019. — E.S.

12 Via Lungo Adda

Moyer-Nocchi: Very few pasta dishes use non-wheat flours but the pizzoccheri of Valtellina, made with mostly buckwheat, has been awarded European Union P.G.I. [Protected Geographical Indication] certification, bringing it into the panoply of Italy’s most highly valued traditional dishes. It’s a deeply comforting pasta.

Davies: I love pizzoccheri.

Palluda: I just don’t know if American people know about pizzoccheri.

Davies: Maybe that’s why it should be on the list.

Moyer-Nocchi: La Fiorida makes an excellent pizzoccheri, and it’s a beautiful agriturismo. Very small, local everything.

13. The Rasnal Soup at Maggese

San miniato, tuscany.

The faded grocery store sign still hangs above the door of Maggese in the ancient Tuscan hill town of San Miniato. Step into the small retro-modern interior, glance to the right and there, behind a two-seater counter, you’ll usually find Fabrizio Marino, fielding orders and greeting clients. Opening a vegetarian restaurant in meat-oriented Tuscany back in 2019 was a risk, Marino admits. But he needn’t have worried: Maggese books out days in advance. Rasnal — which he says means “of the Etruscans” — is a soup that’s been a fixture on the Maggese menu from the beginning. It pairs slow-braised seasonal vegetables — some foraged, some cultivated — like wild asparagus and artichoke with a sauce of local red heirloom beans. The dish’s pasta component consists of just four simple, bite-size eggless-pasta parcels made from heirloom flour. Their fillings can change with the seasons — they might be celeriac or chickpeas, pumpkin or carrot — but they always deliver a sweet note to balance the broth’s bitterness. Suggested wine pairing: Il Borghetto Montigiano Sangiovese 2019. — L.M.

29 Via IV Novembre

Davies : I love everything that they do at this restaurant. It’s in my town, San Miniato. We’re in the middle of a place that is very, very well known for red meat. They used to have seven butcher shops in this small town.

Palluda: They eat the vegans there.

Davies: When Maggese opened, it was like this breath of fresh air because everything they do is vegetarian. The owner and head chef [Marino] is from a nearby town and there are a few Japanese chefs [in his kitchen], and they often use ingredients like miso within their dishes. Not in a really obvious way; you just get this little kick of umami. This minestra [reminds me] of pasta e fagioli. When it arrives at the table, the pasta and the soup are separate so you can tip the pasta into the soup or you can eat them separately. It’s a joy.

14. The Ravioli With Ricotta, Walnuts and Burnt Garlic at Oasis Sapori Antichi

Vallesaccarda, campania.

Since the day it opened in 1988, Oasis Sapori Antichi, in the rural town of Vallesaccarda, a two-hour drive east of the Amalfi Coast, has had ravioli with ricotta, walnuts and burnt garlic on the menu. It’s a dish of happenstance: Founder Giuseppina Fischetti neglected a pan on the stovetop and a sauce was born. This could so easily be another accidental origin story, charming but entirely forgettable; but, more than three decades later, it’s become the cornerstone of an exceptional kitchen. Now in the hands of Giuseppina’s five children and grandchildren (both in the kitchen and front of house), Oasis Sapori Antichi focuses primarily on the ingredients grown just outside town, in the territory of Irpinia with its great natural resources. The garlic used in their sauce — toasted, rather than burnt, until it has a savory toffee-like flavor — is blended with the area’s malizia walnuts and olive oil produced by the Fischetti family less than a mile from the front door. The ravioli is also made daily and filled with local cow’s milk ricotta and flecks of minced parsley. The restaurant itself looks like a slightly theatrical living room, with its scattering of Persian rugs and tall candlesticks. But while the service is formal and elegant, the family’s natural ease warms the room. Suggested wine pairing: Boccella Rosa Taurasi Aglianico 2015. — Rachel Roddy

8/10 Via Provinciale

Corradin: The garlic tastes more smoky than burnt. I first had it 14 years ago, and I spent part of my life thinking about when I could go back. I’ve been back several times since.

Palluda: No one has said that to me in my life.

Corradin: The dream of each and every chef.

15. The Spaghetti all’Assassina at Al Sorso Preferito

Bari, puglia.

A few years ago, if you had asked anyone outside of Bari about spaghetti all’Assassina they’d have given you a blank stare. The dish was so specific to the capital of Puglia that only one or two restaurants served it. The method, which was handed down to Pierino Lonigro, the owner of the town’s Al Sorso Preferito, by the supposed inventor of this dish, in the 1960s, involves cooking the spaghetti into a tomato sauce filled with pepperoncini until the mixture forms a crust that’s spicy and slightly crispy. It’s a difficult technique to get right, but Lonigro credits his well-seasoned cast-iron pan that he’s been using for decades. He bought the restaurant in 1974; that same year, he moved it to its current location in the elegant Murat neighborhood. Most locals start with the mixed antipasto, an array of raw and cooked seafood, before having the Assassina. Legend has it that the name of this dish came from the fact that the spiciness of the sauce almost killed customers, though Lonigro’s version, a nice balance of sweetness and mild heat, presents very little danger. Suggested wine pairing: Paololeo Alture Susumaniello 2020. — E.M.

40 Via Vito Nicola De Nicolò

Moyer-Nocchi: While the concept is easy enough, it takes an experienced hand to produce the desired effect: crispy, fiery spaghetti. Al Sorso Preferito may be an unassuming, few-frills restaurant, but it’s the mecca for this dish.

16. The Spaghettone all’Amatriciana at Santo Palato

When you order spaghettone all’amatriciana at Santo Palato near the Basilica di San Giovanni in Rome, the servers tell you that it will take at least 15 minutes. This is both a courtesy and reassurance that the thick spaghetti will be boiled to order, not always the case in a city where, more often than you might imagine, the reliance on precooked pasta keeps service swift, but means the dishes can often lack texture. Santo Palato is a small trattoria, simply furnished and decorated with Futurist-style posters, the daily specials chalked-up on a blackboard. The chef and owner, Sarah Cicolini, sources the spaghettone from a Roman pasta maker called Pastificio Lagano, and the jarred cherry tomatoes from Agricola Paglione, a farm in Puglia. The pigs’ cheek guanciale and the sheep’s milk Pecorino Romano cheese she chooses are also from small producers. One of the four canonical Roman pasta dishes, amatriciana is the sum of these four parts, which Cicolini — often visible through an opening into the kitchen — brings together expertly. Suggested wine pairing: Cantina Ribelà Saittole 2020. — R.R.

4 A/B Piazza Tarquinia

Secchi: When I first went there, about seven years ago, Sarah was one of the very few women in this new avant-garde of Roman chefs, and she was cooking offal, which had always been butch men territory.

Moyer-Nocchi: Santo Palato is a seamless combination of an old trattoria and modern design and it reflects Sarah’s approach to the way she reconceptualizes traditional Roman food.

Secchi: She cooks all the four classic Roman pastas and she does it damn well.

17. The Squash Tortelli at Dal Pescatore Santini

Runate, lombardy.

Tortelli di zucca, a winter squash stuffed pasta, is made a little differently throughout Lombardy but perfected at Dal Pescatore, outside of Mantova (the dish’s supposed birthplace), in the village of Runate. Much can go wrong with this seasonal pasta (at its best in autumn), from the inclusion of amaretti cookies at some places to the addition of strange, mustardy candied fruits at others; it can be too sweet, too spicy, too sour or otherwise unbalanced. Perhaps worst of all, the dish can be oversauced, with a creamy topping drowning out the flavor and texture of the pasta. But at Dal Pescatore, the chefs Nadia and Giovanni Santini have made tortelli the centerpiece: from the slight bite of the outer rim to the tender interior that encloses the filling. The five pieces they provide — which aren’t so much coated with as touched by butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano — are just enough. Suggested wine pairing: Ca’ del Bosco Annamaria Clementi Franciacorta 2015. — Andrew Sean Greer

15 Riserva del Parco Oglio Sud

Secchi: It’s in the middle of nowhere, but they have a helicopter pad there, so people from Milano fly in and have dinner. That place is an institution.

Corradin: The first time I went to Dal Pescatore, Nadia realized I was sick and she cooked me tortellini en brodo [tortellini in broth]; after that, I could’ve eaten a 25-course meal. But I agree with Stefano that the iconic dish there is tortelli di zucca.

18. The Strangozzi at Enoteca L’Alchimista

Montefalco, umbria.

At first glance, strangozzi looks like spaghetti. But unlike that more ubiquitous pasta, which tends to originate in factories, the slightly chubbier strangozzi are hand-rolled, hand-pulled and mostly found in central Italy. At L’Alchimista, established in 2001 in the medieval Umbrian hill town of Montefalco, the chef and co-owner Patrizia Moretti makes it the old-fashioned way: with just water and extra-fine “00” wheat flour, which makes them pleasantly chewy. Go in the warm weather and you’ll likely be seated at an outdoor table in what might be one of Italy’s prettiest piazzas. This, too, is the time of year Moretti serves the pasta with tender greens foraged from nearby fields or with a pesto, made from two of the greens and wild garlic. If you come in summer, you might find your plate of strangozzi tossed with zucchini and in fall, topped with black truffles. Suggested wine pairing: a young trebbiano Spoletino from Tenuta Bellafonte. — E.M.

14 Piazza del Comune

Davies: When I was last there, there was a strangozzi with wild herbs — [ones] no one will have ever heard of that you collect in the Umbrian countryside. It’s just a very simple dish but it’s special . One is called strigoli and another is vitalba, whose English names are not very appetizing (bladder campion and old man’s beard). They’re herbs that need to be picked young and have been foraged for centuries — it’s a really ancient sort of dish.

19. The Tagliolino Cacio e Burro at Cibrèo Caffè

Cibrèo Caffè, the more informal outpost of a small, influential group of restaurants near Mercato Sant’Ambrogio (the locals’ preferred traditional food market), opened in 1983, and it’s still one of Florence’s most inviting places to stop in for a negroni and a snack (say, a pizzetta). But those in the know head straight for the cacio e burro. Here, the ultimate comfort food — pasta doused in melted butter and cheese — is approached with the same earnestness you might expect of fussier fare: Butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano and hot milk are blended together with enough force that it forms a paste, which melts into a cream on contact with the hot pasta — at Cibrèo, it’s tagliolini, the narrower, more delicate sibling of tagliatelle. Its yolk-yellow color, and faint sweetness, comes from the unlikely addition of boiled carrots into the purée. Suggested wine pairing: Podere Erica l’Erica Rosé Sangiovese 2022‌. — M.O.

5r Via Andrea del Verrocchio

Corradin: If we mention Cibrèo, we have to mention the tagliolino cacio e burro.

Secchi: Oh, I agree.

Emiko Davies: Cibrèo is my go-to restaurant in Florence. My husband worked there, as the head sommelier, but he doesn’t anymore. The cacio e burro is still one of my favorite dishes there. Fabio Picchi [the founder of Cibrèo who died in 2022] cheekily called it “rubato,” stolen, because it’s a revisitation of another iconic Florentine dish, the taglierini gratinati from Harry’s Bar, a favorite since the 1950s.

20. The Tagliolini With Lobster at Ristorante Cecio

Corniglia, liguria.

Set atop a steep hill on a particularly dramatic stretch of Italian coastline, Corniglia is considered the quietest of the touristy Cinque Terre villages. When you finally reach town, after climbing a 382-step brick stairway up a rocky cliff from the train station (or taking the shuttle bus), you’ll be ready for a large plate of pasta. Ristorante Cecio in Corniglia — which has been family owned and operated since 1976 — is the place to find it. The menu revolves around local seafood that’s sourced daily and pasta dishes by the head chef, Gabriele Pittavini, who’s honed his craft over the 20 years he spent operating a fresh pasta shop. One favorite is the tagliolini all’astice, a thin, homemade egg pasta with lobster, available for a minimum of two people. At first glance, it’s a flamboyant dish: a cherry-red claw reaches straight up from the ribbons of pasta, adorned with fat morsels of pink meat and a sprinkling of parsley. Half a lobster fills one side of the plate. Upon tasting it, however, you’ll find it showcases the fresh ingredients without overembellishing them. Be sure to reserve a table outside: The view from the veranda alone justifies a visit. Suggested wine pairing: Cinque Terre DOC 2023. — L.E.

58 Via Serra

Davies: I’ve been going here with my family for well over a decade — we love the Cinque Terre but it’s changed a lot and this trattoria has always stayed the same. The seafood is incredibly fresh. There’s nothing like a summertime dinner there.

21. The Tajarin al Ragù at Osteria da Gemma

Roddino, piedmont.

Gemma Boeri has been hand-rolling and cutting tajarin pasta for the locals in Roddino, a small town in southern Piedmont, for almost four decades. “Why would I stop? This is what I know how to do,” she says. The large glass window connecting the dining area of her hilltop trattoria with the prep room affords a view of Boeri and her helpers preparing the long, skinny strands of egg pasta (similar to spaghetti but with a golden hue), while the outside-facing windows overlook the Langhe hills known for producing quality food and wine, including Barolo. Boeri serves the tajarin (the Piedmontese word for tagliolini, a thinner version of tagliatelle) with a thick beef ragù sauce, which she says has won over diners because it reminds them of the comfort food they enjoyed when they were kids. “There’s no secret, I just prepare the food like nonna used to,” she says. It can take several months to get a reservation. Yet da Gemma has nonetheless remained relaxed and unpretentious: its walls lined with photos dating back to when Boeri first started serving customers in 1986. She serves only a single fixed menu that, in addition to the tajarin, includes Piedmontese classics, such as beef tartare and agnolotti del plin, the area’s signature stuffed pasta (see No. 1). Suggested wine pairing: Agricola Gianpiero Marrone La Pantalera Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2020. — E.S.

6 Via Guglielmo Marconi

Palluda: Every month I go see Gemma just to kiss her hand. It’s true, I’m not joking. She’s our pope.

Secchi: Her place is in the mountains. It’s very hard to get to, and it’s very blue-collar. When you sit down to eat, everything is served family-style, and the amount of food that comes to your table is … I mean, completely unnecessary. Gemma is like the original nonna. A few times a week, all the nonnas in the village come to roll pasta with her, and then they all sit down together for lunch. How does that tradition carry on when her time passes? There’s got to be a way.

22. The Tortelloni With Ricotta, Parmesan and Butter at Hosteria Giusti

Modena, emilia-romagna.

Salumeria Giusti , in operation since at least 1605, is reported to be the world’s oldest delicatessen, but that’s not its only claim to fame. Beyond the antique wood and marble counter a hallway leads to a tiny dining room with only four tables. Reservations here are among Modena’s most coveted, especially after the restaurant, a favorite of locals for decades, was featured on the Netflix series “Master of None” in 2017. Daniele Morandi, whose grandparents opened Hosteria in 1989, is in charge of the pasta making. He rolls out each sheet of dough by hand with a long wooden pin and shapes every raviolo and tortellino with skill and speed he learned from his grandmother. Among his most popular offerings are tortelloni — pillowy larger versions of typical Modenese tortellini — filled with a mix of local ricotta, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, spinach and freshly grated nutmeg. Bathed in an emulsion of pasta water and unpasteurized French butter, the dish is a study in simplicity. (Lunch only, though dinner can be prearranged for groups of 12 or more.) Suggested wine pairing: Corte d’Aibo Spungola Sauvignon Blanc 2022. — L.E.

75 Via Luigi Carlo Farini

Secchi: I worked there when I first moved to Modena, but only after I went to 30 different places to taste fresh pasta. In terms of technique and ambience, Giusti blew my mind. And that tortelloni? I think the ricotta is still warm when it’s delivered to the kitchen. It just disintegrates in your mouth.

23. The Traditional Lasagna at Al Cambio

Bologna, emilia-romagna.

In a bland, busy neighborhood not far from Bologna’s exhibition center, Al Cambio has been drawing a business crowd during weekday lunches and couples and families for dinner and on weekends for the past three decades. After booking weeks in advance, they file into the spare, white and beige dining room, debate the offerings on the extensive wine list (dominated by varieties from the Emilia-Romagna region) and settle in for a long lunch or dinner of local specialties, from breaded veal cutlets and mortadella to sformatino (a type of potato soufflé). But the most ordered — and scrutinized — dish is the one that bears the city’s name: lasagna alla Bolognese. Like most places in town, Al Cambio offers a seven-layer lasagna made with jade-green spinach noodles sandwiched between coats of béchamel and ragù. But Al Cambio’s ragù is meatier than most, made with beef minced together with prosciutto and pork sausage, and then topped with a thick layer of the ragù, the “final flourish,” as the manager Piero Pompili says: “It’s our way of symbolizing Bologna’s food heritage.” Suggested wine pairing: San Patrignano Avi Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Riserva 2019. — Vicky Bennison

150 Via Stalingrado

Stefano Secchi: People are going to have a lot of opinions about where to find the best [lasagna alla Bolognese in Bologna], but for me, this is it. It has the perfect amount of crispness and gooeyness.

24. The Trofie With Pesto at Antica Osteria di Vico Palla

Pesto alla Genovese — the pungent bright green sauce made from basil, extra-virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, pine nuts, garlic and salt — can be tossed with almost any shape of pasta, from spaghetti to fusilli. Its most authentic pairing, however, is trofie, a short, hand-twisted noodle typical of Recco , just down the coast from Genoa. It’s here that the most commonly known pesto originated (what’s thought to be the earliest printed recipe appeared in the 1863 book “La Cuciniera Genovese”), and at Antica Osteria di Vico Palla the dish is served at its most elemental. The rustic restaurant — where patrons sit at simple wooden tables laid with brown paper place mats under vaulted brick ceilings that date back to the 1500s — serves its trofie pesto mixed with boiled potatoes and green beans, as local families have for generations. The menu changes daily; ask for this dish if you don’t see it. Suggested wine pairing: a young vermentino di Albenga from the Ligurian coast. — Marianna Cerini

15/r Vico Palla

Palluda: You can’t have a list of Italian dishes without pesto. It’s the most popular condimento in the world. It’s very light, it’s modern, and it’s easy to make. If you want to blend it, instead of making it with a mortar, and you want to make a good, lively pesto, you really should have cold ingredients.

Corradin : In Genoa, poor people added potatoes and green beans to their pasta with pesto to make it a piatto unico, richer in nutrients but still affordable. [It’s common] to eat it scarpetta, the Italian ritual of scraping up the remaining sauce with bread. But here you use potatoes instead of bread. The beauty of this kind of dish and this kind of trattoria is that they’re both reminders that, in Italy, you don’t have to be rich to enjoy a good meal.

25. The Vincisgrassi at Osteria Dei Fiori

Macerata, marche.

Tourists tend to flock to Macerata, a small hilltop city in the eastern part of the Marche region, for two reasons: The summer opera festival and the decidedly unsummery seven-layer baked pasta dish known as vincisgrassi. Letizia Carducci, one of the three siblings who have been running the 30-seat Osteria Dei Fiori, which opened in 1980 on a cobblestone street close to the main square, says the dish evolved from princisgras, a pasta casserole made with black truffles and prosciutto that was served to the local nobility in the 18th century. In the Marcerate province, resourceful housewives made a ragù using meat from various farmyard animals, including bones and offal; that’s the recipe that Iginia and her brother, Paolo (they cook; their sister Letizia is the maitre’d), have built on to make their vincisgrassi, which consists of duck, chicken, rabbit and a little pork. Dessert wine, vino cotto, also plays a key role: It’s added to the dough that the Carduccis knead into silk-thin pasta sheets, then used to saute the chicken and duck livers, which are stirred into the sauce at the very end. The meaty ragù covers the four bottom layers, while the top one is reserved for the nutmeg-inflected béchamel sauce. Baked in an oven, the whole thing is both earthy and luxurious, with subtle hints of smoke. Suggested wine pairing: Gàjole Verdicchio di Matelica 2021. — V.B.

61 Via Lauro Rossi

Secchi: What is vincisgrassi? I’ve never had it.

Corradin: It’s Macerata’s ancestral lasagna. One story says that it’s named for an Austrian officer named Windisch-Graetz who was stationed in Macerata province around the early 1800s.

Moyer-Nocchi: Lasagna has become a specific dish, associated with a specific place. The Maceratese prefer not to call their dish a lasagna, even though it, too, is a rich, layered pasta dish.

Palluda: When these dishes were born, there were no computers [people didn’t sit all day] and no radiators. They stayed warm with a fire, but with the food also. They expended calories to stay warm. People ate just one meal every day.

Moyer-Nocchi: Historically, you’d only eat these things once or twice a year. It’s not like you’d be picking these dishes off a menu every day. In the meantime, you’d be eating much more frugally: cabbage, beans, leafy greens.

Palluda: Somebody said to me, “Why don’t you make some of these traditional pastas lighter?” But that’s not the right way to respect the dishes. We can make the portions smaller, but you need to keep the flavor.

Photo editor: Lauren Poggi

Research editor: Alexis Sottile

Copy editor: Magnus Schaefer

An earlier version of this article misidentified the restaurant where Nabil Hadj Hassen was the chef in 2008; it was Salumeria Roscioli, not Antico Forno Roscioli.

How we handle corrections

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50+ Easy Travel Journal Ideas and Writing Prompts for Kids

T ravel brings inspiration in all shapes and forms. If you are looking for a way for your little ones to continue writing while they explore, check out these travel journal ideas and prompts for kids. My own boys helped develop the questions, thinking about what they would want to tell their friends back home.

Each prompt is meant to open up discussion and lead to further writing while they flesh out ideas. It doesn’t take much—even a one-sentence answer can say a lot. Your kids can write for themselves or pretend they are writing to a friend or family member, whatever gets them excited to express themselves on the page.

How to get started with your travel journal

First, you need a journal. A travel journal doesn’t have to be fancy, but you do need some paper and something to write with, like crayons, colored pencils or markers. My boys like to use a travel notebook with lined pages that are bound and ready to use.

Sometimes my kids steal the leather bound journals with blank pages that I pick up at conferences. You can also make one by folding paper in half and stapling it at the seam. Either way, make sure your child’s travel journal has lots of pages to write and scribble on, and glue in ticket stubs, postcards and Polaroids.

And never think you can’t make a travel journal on the fly. My youngest has several journals created out of anything and everything he has found along our journeys, even hotel stationery.

Gather your journal supplies

You’ll want to bring supplies for your travel journal that make it really fun to use. No one wants to lug one more book around that their kids will never even open. Bring colored pencils and markers, tape, and a glue stick to make recording your child’s travel memories as easy as possible.

On every trip, I grab a simple pencil box from our craft shelf and fill it with the following fun art supplies:

• Washable markers
• Colored pencils
• Small pad of Post-It notes
• Paper clips
• Water colors
• Travel paint brushes
• Collapsible cup

You don’t need to take all of these craft supplies with you, but definitely bring your child’s favorites.

Travel Journal Ideas

It can be hard to get started on a travel journal, which is why you may need a few ideas or prompts to get going. Some pre-made journals have sections where your child can fill in their itinerary, feelings about the day, packing lists or even boxes to draw something they saw.

If you are making your own journal, even if it is just a leather journal you picked up on Uncommon Goods , you can make your own prompts and sections. Your kids will love coming up with travel journal ideas with you.

Use small Post-It notes to create chapter tabs in a blank notebook. Label each tab with a journal idea or prompt. You can also mix and match your papers and materials.

Journal sections can include:

• Blank “comic book” squares
• Mad-Lib pages for your kids to fill out
• Drawing prompts and ideas
• Wax paper to press flowers between the pages
• Water color paper to paint the colors your kids see and scenes you pass by in the car
• 5 senses grid: What did your kids see, hear, touch, smell and taste today that made them happy, sad, excited, grossed out, etc.?
• Journal prompt headlines on each page for your child to write about (see below)

No matter which way you go with your kids’ travel journals, you are sure to be surprised by what they create. Try not to give them too much direction. Don’t hover as they write and sort out their feelings. Give them a quiet place at night, during lunch or quiet time to reflect. When you let a child’s imagination go wild, they come up with the most amazing things.

Travel Journal Prompts

• What did you pack on the trip?
• Where are you going this week?
• What’s your favorite place you explored today?
• What are you looking forward to most about the day?
• Write about your daily schedule.
• What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the day?
• What is one weird thing you ate today?
• What kind of transportation did you ride? Have you ever ridden that type before? What did you think?
• Did you play any sports? If so, which one and with who?
• Did you make any new friends? If so, how? Was it through sports, just introducing yourself, or during a conversation?
• How do you think the day could have been better? How would you change it?
• What are three things you always pack?
• Do you have a favorite stuffed animal that you always travel with? Describe it.
•  Do you prefer to road trip or fly? Why?
• Do you prefer to travel by car, plane or train? Why?
• What’s one thing you want to bring back from your trip?
• What animal did you see today? Can you describe it? Draw it?
• If you could add ONE person to your trip, who would it be?
• Write a poem about where you are today.
• What was the funniest moment on your trip?
• What is one interesting thing you learned on your trip?
• Did you hear any music on your trip? How did it make you feel?
• Describe how the people are dressed around you.
• Did you see any other kids? What were they doing?
• What’s one weird thing you touched?

What other Travel Journal questions would you add?

28 Travel Sketches and Drawing Ideas for your Journal

• Make a trail map, highlighting key points of interest
• Illustrate a custom map of your trip.
• What’s something unique that happened to you today?
• What’s a random thing that happened?
• What made you laugh today? Cry? Get frustrated?
• Draw a comic strip about a place you visited today.
• Put your own spin on eye-catching signs and posters you see.
• Draw the skyline (city, mountains, flat lands, etc.)
• Draw design details and architectural elements.
• Sketch the activity in a crowded space (public square).
• Draw your meal or favorite bites from your trip.
• Draw the view from your table at a restaurant.
• Sketch the scene at the local grocery store or farmer’s market.
• Find pops of color on your walk to interpret in your own style.
• Create a collage of your tickets (plane, museum, tour, etc.).
• Do a 30-second sketch of what you see right now.
• Sketch someone you met along your journey.
• Doodle the icons that make your destination special.
• Go out at night (if it’s safe) and draw a street scene.
• Find one detail of where you are and draw it.
• Look for interesting door knockers and make a sketch of each one.
• On a road trip? Draw what you see from the car window.
• Hiking? Draw the trail, waterfall you find, mountain ridges, etc.
• Find a leaf or flower and draw it larger than life.
• See an animals? Draw it as your best friend traveling with you.
• What did you buy today? Draw it!
• Sketch your outfits from your trip
• Sketch your packed suitcase (still open), detailing everything in it

Want to Buy a Travel Journal?

Not ready to make your own? Craving more of a structured journaling experience? Check out our favorite travel logs and travel journal ideas that include prompts for kids and adults. After all, why should mom and dad miss out on all of the fun?

Kid Travel Journals

• The Ultimate Travel Journal for Kids by Rob Taylor
• Write On: My Story Journal by Wee Society
• GO!: A Kids’ Interactive Travel Diary and Journal by Wee Society
• Camping Journal for Kids by Happy Kids BR Press
• Kids’ Travel Journal by Peter Pauper Press
• Travel Journal by JB Books
• My Travel Journal by Lonely Planet Kids

JournalS FoR any age

• Page-A-Day Artisan Travel Journal by Inc. Peter Pauper Press
• Compact Travel Journal by Promptly Journals
• Travel Checklist Journal by Claudine Gandolfi
• You Are Here: A Mindful Travel Journal by Emma Clarke
• Leather Travel Journal Notebook by ai-natebok

Ready to create a watercolor journal? CLICK here to find out how to make a watercolor journal on your next trip.

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The post 50+ Easy Travel Journal Ideas and Writing Prompts for Kids appeared first on Twist Travel Magazine .