Who/What/Why?
Hello! I’m Rebecca, a food and travel journalist currently based in Italy, but often elsewhere. You can read some of my published work here.
This newsletter is a place for me to share stories that don’t make it into publications, as well as my thoughts on how to be a better traveler.
What does that mean? It means learning about the place you’re visiting aside from what to see/do/eat. It means looking at history, colonialism, and foodways. It means least a basic understanding of politics, social issues, and how that place interacts with wherever you’re coming from. (Can you imagine someone visiting the U.S. and not knowing who the president is? Yet Americans visit countries without knowing that or other basic facts all the time.) It definitely means acknowledging that travel is a privilege, and while it can and often should be an escape, it can also negatively impact destinations and communities.
This newsletter covers big travel issues like sustainable travel and overtourism, what to consider before moving abroad and whether to visit countries with terrible human rights records, as well as more practical tips like why touristy things are actually worth doing, non-touristy destinations in Italy, how to walk through Provence in 10 days, why you shouldn’t trust TripAdvisor, and the truth about female solo travel.
I have a one-year-old daughter who comes on all my travels. So every Wednesday, paid subscribers get product reviews and tips on traveling with a baby, including destination guides like 10 days in Tunisia with kids and everything you need to know about flying RyanAir with a baby.
I mostly travel for the food, as you’ll learn, and the Be a Better Eater section features dishes, restaurants, fun facts, and ingredient spotlights. Wine is also covered often. To be completely honest…half the time this is more of a food newsletter than a travel newsletter, but food is such an important part of travel and even at home it’s a great way to learn about the world!
Each Friday newsletter includes LOTS of links to my favorite articles, books, podcasts, YouTube videos, Instagram accounts, and more covering these food and travel topics. Every other week, expect an interview with a chef, journalist, or someone in the travel or food industry.
A few popular posts so far:
Why You Should Visit Eastern Europe This Summer
The Best Sparkling Water In the World
Stay up-to-date
Mondays are Be a Better Traveler or Eater days; Wednesdays are for Traveling Better With Kids; Fridays are for random guides and musings, links, and recommendations.
Join the Be a Better Traveler crew
Free subscribers get access to the Friday newsletter.
Paid subscribers get:
Access to full guides (including itineraries, info on politics and social issues, helpful phrases, packing lists, where to eat, etc. ) Here’s a great example on Venice.
Access to all paywalled Monday and Wednesday posts.
Access to the subscriber-only chat, where we share destination tips and more.
Occasional discount codes and giveaways.
