I didn’t set out to create a magazine. Not really.

One week, I sold $1 million in advertising for the company I worked for. The next, I was laid off for “geopolitical reasons.” In every interview that followed, I heard some variation of the same question: I see you’re analytical, but are you creative? Saying yes was one thing; putting the work on the page was another. So I decided to create something tangible.

I would publish three issues of a travel magazine showcasing my ability to write, edit, and design. Three issues. That was the plan.

But by the time I reached the third, the audience had grown, the responses were rolling in, and I knew I wasn’t going to turn back. Every issue became a love letter...to the industry I spent 20 years promoting, to the art of traveling well, and to the people and places that change us—written with the luxury traveler in mind.

Early in the life of the magazine, I found myself in Miami, a city I’ve visited more times than I can count. But I have a habit when I travel: even in places I know well, I want to find something I haven’t seen before. So I wandered a little farther from the familiar, found a charming little courtyard, ordered a mocktail and settled in to do one of my favorite things—watch people.

And somewhere between the clink of glasses, the passing conversations and the rhythm of the afternoon, it hit me: this is me.

Not that I didn’t already know I loved travel. I had spent 20 years building a career around it. But this felt different. Deeper. The kind of knowing you don’t arrive at through a résumé or a job title. I could feel it in my bones.

Maybe that was what Curated Travel had been becoming all along: not simply a magazine about where to go, but an invitation to look a little closer once you get there.

I stayed up past midnight planning layouts and narrative arcs, researching destinations, and obsessing over the details. I pored over other magazines for inspiration—not just travel, but fashion, food, and, yes, even a decidedly unexpected fishing magazine that somehow made it into the stack.

A year, seven issues, and a frankly absurd amount of iced coffee later, the road hasn’t been without its hurdles.

One of the early hurdles was structural. A major industry platform required a specific format for access. Instead of reshaping the magazine to fit, I built a parallel channel that met the requirement while keeping the editorial standard intact. That channel later became the main route for syndication.

That moment was the pivot point. The accidental experiment stopped being finite and started feeling like a place with its own center of gravity.

I love curating the destination mix, finding the hotels worth highlighting, discovering the stories hiding beneath a place’s obvious attractions—and hearing what you think of the world we’re building here. I’ve learned that some of the best narratives begin in the most unexpected places.

Before you cross the street, you look both ways. So, on this anniversary, I’m taking a moment to look back at where we started—and then forward to wherever we’re headed. To everyone who has subscribed, read, shared, recommended, and wandered through these pages: thank you. You’ve made this possible.

Now, let’s see where we curate next.

This piece is part of the latest issue of Curated Travel Magazine, where we explore travel through immersive stories, cultural insight, and thoughtfully curated experiences around the world.

If you enjoyed this article, you can read the complete issue—including more destination features, travel essays, and curated recommendations—here:
http://www.curatedtravelmagazine.com/issues.html