Andrea Zelinski
"Oh, the places you'll go!" I've sure many of you remember that famed Dr. Seuss book with the stocking-capped boy wandering past buildings and pink trees until he leaves the city to explore the world beyond it.
That story of adventure is a metaphor for life, and we can all relate to the curiosity and exploration that come with living. It's probably what drew many of us to the travel industry in the first place: to literally see the world and where it proverbially takes us.
That's the story I've been living over the past year. When you last saw my byline at Travel Weekly, I was the senior cruise editor, sailing the world to bring you details about new ships and trends like covercrowding plus more than 1,000 stories in between.
As much as I took to cruising, I missed traveling on land. So like that stocking-capped kid in the Dr. Seuss book, I left town. I departed my post in April to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,655-mile footpath that begins at the Mexican border in Southern California, passes through deserts and the Sierra Nevada and ends in Washington at the Canadian border.
As I did when I was cruising, I made many friends and memories that are hard to explain, except to say, "You needed to be there." I climbed to the top of Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48, and felt adrenaline pump through me as I scaled Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. I drank water from crystal clear alpine lakes and slept directly under the stars as often as I could. I have never felt so healthy. As much as I had enjoyed cruising the world, I felt in my bones how much I thrived playing on land.
With my return to Travel Weekly, I am paying attention to that feeling. I am taking on a new role as a contributing editor, where I hope to use my curiosity, sense of place and two decades of journalism experience to tell stories about Mexico, one of the U.S. market's most important travel destinations.
There is so much land to cover, like the new and redeveloping all-inclusives and boutique hotels, the effect the upcoming soccer World Cup will have on tourism and what destinations are doing to maintain their authenticity as their footprints grow. I want to tell you about trends in demand, in experiences, in safety and commissions, and yes, even cruise ship visits. With Zen Buddhism's "beginner's mindset," I will follow my curiosity without preconceived notions about what the answers are and where this path will lead me.
I never imagined exploring Mexico so intimately, let alone through the lens of what matters to travel advisors like you, who can catch a whiff of a trend as quickly as the rest of us catch the aroma of carne asada coming from a cantina. I can hardly wait to learn more from you. If you have expertise or questions about Mexico, drop me a line at azelinski@travelweekly.com. Let's talk.
I am excited to be back here at Travel Weekly reporting with a refreshed view of travel, life and the big picture. Oh, the places we'll go!