I’m increasingly impressed with Departures Magazine, the luxury imprint of American Express publishing. While the title knows its audience – higher-end, aspirational travelers able to plan ahead or take a spontaneous trip – it’s the commitment to quality travel news features that makes the mag stand apart.
Case in point: the September 2014 issue, which also happens to be the 25th anniversary issue. Beyond the Barneys and Valentino ads (all quite fetching, mind you) you’ll find several pieces on destinations in the midst of change:
- Greece – Jill Abramson reports back how the country is rebounding in fits and starts, six years after the financial crisis of 2008. Is now the time to visit, if so, what will you find?
- Amsterdam – Once the go-to spot for the American collegiate backpacker seeking cannibis abroad, Amsterdam is distancing itself from its stoner-Mecca heyday. Times are changing, says Zeke Turner. “As legal grass becomes increasingly normal in America,” says Zeke Turner, “the idea of traveling to Amsterdam to smoke dope is increasingly becoming passe for the American traveler.” Cue up the Colorado Tourism Board, now calling on line two.
- Richmond, VA – “The Next Great American Food City,” according to Colman Andrews, Richmond is blending Southern roots cooking with the farm-to-table bounty of Virginia’s farms and waterways. In a classic “X is the New Y” travel article, Andrews includes about 20 places with specialties from grilled lamb to coffee-flavored doughnuts.
Further, the issue’s “New Think” section includes the “Out Future Utopias” roundup of a bunch of places in the midst of innovative new thinking, like Detroit, evolving into a major go-to place for industrial artists, and Copenhagen, aiming for 75% of total trips done by foot, bike or public transport by 2025. Props to authors Eva Hagberg and Ian Volner for the piece.
So what can a travel writer learn from this issue? Three takeaways:
- Look for a news hook to update a classic travel destination, providing solid “why now” reasons for running this piece.
- Think about the future: Capitalize on places that are actively pursuing change. Write about them now while they are in transition, and you’ll have reasons to revisit the places after they’ve changed and report back.
- X is the New Y. If you can make the case for a destination being the “new new thing”, do it! Travel writers by their nature can set the agenda too.
OK that’s it for this installment – hope it helps, and happy trails!