It's like Carmen Sandiego Meets Carrie Bradshaw

Where in the world have I been?

Hello friends!

It’s been a minute. The last time we spoke in August, Smiley the Worm was still at the Paris Olympics. Where in the world have I been? That's a good question!

I’ve been traveling and desperately trying to get the hang of something I like to call The Juggle Struggle — in which, I balance writing this newsletter, producing a podcast, pitching editors, writing stories, creating content for Instagram, photographing Joe the Intern, starting a new part-time gig, and traveling frequently all while trying to maintain a semblance of a personal life.

When I write it like that, I think, “Wow, that’s a lot.” But because I am a Virgo and a recovering perfectionist with inherited Catholic guilt, I always feel like I am behind and not doing enough. Believe it or not, everything I listed above is just a fraction of what I want to create in my career (I have so many ideas and plans!) My biggest challenge as a creative is keeping all of the parts moving while balancing rest and my inner critic (his name is Brad and he is a total jerk).

Just when I think I’ve figured it out, I leave town. Since August, I’ve been to Tofino, Vancouver, Tampa, and Bardstown, Kentucky — and there’s still more travel this fall.

Later this fall, I’ll be heading on three back-to-back press trips in Mexico and the Caribbean. For non-journalists, a press trip is when the PR for hotels or destinations fly out writers to experience their destination and write about it. These trips aren’t paid — they’re a cool perk of being a travel writer and I make money later when I sell the stories to magazines. This is how the majority of my work travel works.

Am I insane for doing this much back-to-back work travel? Possibly. But, living on the West Coast, flying to the Caribbean is a pain in the butt so it just makes sense to maximize my time while I’m in the area.

I don’t want this space to become completely dormant while I’m out traveling. So, between doing mental gymnastics of how I can pack enough stuff for two weeks in just a carry-on and googling the top-rated personal item bags (Virgo things!), I’ve been thinking about how I want to use this space while I’m not at my desk. The great thing about Substack is that I can use it however I want.

I’m quick to take photos and edit them while on the road, but slow to post stuff on social media. So, I thought I’d experiment with using this space to do some photo-heavy posts — like an old-school Tumblr account (minus the angst) or better yet, digital postcards to you.

So, without further ado, here’s some yet-to-be-posted photos from my recent trip to Kentucky. I was in Bardstown — the Bourbon capital of the world.

(I don’t know what to call this series. Postcards from the road? Dispatches from the airport lounge? Let me know what you think below!)

Is this a feature you’d like to see more of? Let me know in the comments!