🌎 visiting more "second cities" and smaller destinations in 2025, a van life road trip giveaway & more
Plus if you're planning a trip to Greenland, you're more than likely going to want a twoque!
Welcome to the first official edition of The Weekly Traveller! 🌎
I recently shared a video on TikTok to round up 6 of my favourite trips from 2024. As artificial as the end of one year and the start of another may be, it’s a helpful bookend to think about all that’s happened, and what’s to come.
In this edition
My travel ins and outs for 2025 🎊
Destination inspiration spotlight for the week ✈️
Travel gear of the week 🧳
Deals and contests of the week 🏆
Must-know travel news of the week 🗞️
In the spirit of a new year, here are a few of my travel ins and outs as I welcome 2025
Ins
Being more intentional about revisiting destinations I love
I travelled for a month in Europe near the end of last year with my partner, Chris, and we spent about 95% of the trip in cities and regions we hadn’t returned to in years. It was glorious.
Focusing on “second city” and smaller town travel where possible
As much as some of the world’s great mega-cities like Seoul, Istanbul (both of which I’ve been lucky enough to live in), Buenos Aires and Mexico City have my heart, I love the opportunity to slow down and visit adjacent destinations. They make for excellent opportunities to better understand local culture, connect and learn from locals and avoid contributing to overtourism.
Visiting the quaint towns in and around Leesburg, VA and Loudoun County in Northern Virginia last year—just a hop, skip and a jump from bustling Washington, D.C.—stands out as one of many examples of this from last year.
Sipping on wine in Loudoun County, VA’s wine country
Outs
Trying to cram too much into one trip
I feel like this has been something I’ve been focusing on over the past few years, but I find that trips focusing on only a few destinations and activities are always the ones that leave a more lasting impression.
Over-envisioning or romanticizing too much in advance of a trip
Whether it’s a trip to a sunny destination where it rains every day, or a trip to a popular wine region in Argentina where almost no wineries accept walk-ins, I find the less you envision or plan about a trip in advance, the better it will be! Undersell it to yourself. It’s always worth it.
You really appreciate a moody sunset when the sun is completely hidden for almost all of November in Utrecht, NL. Travel is a privilege, and as soon as you romanticize a destination and envision the “perfect photo” to take on your trip, you eliminate the fact that it’s a place, just like any other. Focusing more on spur-of-the-moment plans, setting your sights on smaller, local businesses and connecting with more local activities will almost always lead to enjoying the trip all the more.
Destination Inspiration Spotlight for the Week: Greenland
Ever since I flew over Greenland on a trip back from Norway about 15 years ago, it’s been on my mind! Fortunately it’s becoming more accessible than ever for international tourists this year:
Nuuk International Airport officially expanded and reopened to become the Arctic’s first international airport last month. This year you’ll be able to take direct flights straight to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, with Air Greenland, Icelandair, United Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines via the cities of Copenhagen, Reykjavik, and Newark, NJ. Some of these routes are already operating, and others will be available by early summer 2025. The route from Newark will be just over 4 hours once it opens!
A trip to Greenland might involve soaking in the hot springs of Uunartoq Island, climbing and mountaineering the Arctic’s highest peak—Gunnbjørn Fjeld, or boat tripping to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ilulissat Icefjord to see icebergs. All of the above (except maybe not summiting a giant mountain) sound right up my alley!
On top of all of the ways for travellers to better get to know Greenland, an emphasis on food tourism and learning about Indigenous food culture and traditional ingredients will undoubtedly be a part of a trip here. Several chefs in Greenland are part of the New Arctic Kitchen, which is focused on preserving food practices throughout the Arctic and Subarctic regions. I love the shift to embracing more local, sustainable food practices globally, and where better to indulge than a country that has been so challenging to access by plane for so long.
Gear of the Week
As I write this from one of the coldest days of the season so far here in Toronto, Canada (it’s dropping down to feeling like -20C the past few days! 🥶), I can’t help but think about the need to bundle up in many parts of the northern hemisphere this time of year.
Mountain Equipment Company (or “MEC”; pronounced “meck” by Canadians) always has one or more tricks up their sleeve when it comes to incredible gear.
I just learned about this product and love how versatile it is. It’s called the “Twoque”, meaning it’s a toque (or “beanie” as our neighbours to the south like to say) that you can wear in two ways.
The first option is as a classic toque on your head.
And then if you’re doing any outdoor activity requiring a helmet, or you have a warm hood to keep you warm, you can open the top part of the toque up and the whole hat becomes a cozy fleece neck warmer, balaclava, or really whatever version of coverage you need for your neck and face.
I can see taking this being so useful to pack on a ski trip, a backcountry snowmobile trip, camping in colder seasons, etc. It really has too many uses to count.
Genius much?! And it’s currently on sale! I think I’m going to have to get one for myself…
Deals and Contests of the Week
Expedia is currently offering incredible deals on their North American Vacation Packages. If you travel from within North America, you can save up to 100% (that’s right, 100%!) on your flight price when you book a package. You can see some of their current offers here.
IHG currently has a Double Points Promotion on. You can earn double the points on stays in January this year. You can also maximize your earnings if you have elite status, or through some credit card programs.
You can win a 3-night winter trip with Karma Campervans, plus a $250 fuel card by entering this giveaway on Instagram. They have locations across Canada, making for one epic Canadian winter roadtrip. Entries close at midnight on January 12th.
A little Canadian winter inspiration from Kivi Park in Sudbury, ON
Must-Know Travel News of the Week
Starting today (January 8, 2025), non-European travellers must obtain an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation; essentially a visa) for entry into the UK. ETAs are good for up to 6 months of tourism in the region, but may be valid for less time depending on the type of trip you’re taking. I’ll be doing a full breakdown of this process soon, but for now you can check if you need a UK visa following these steps.
The beloved “Hawaii of Korea”, Jeju Island, is offering a digital nomad visa to remote workers. This is new as of Jan. 1, 2025. The visa is good for one year, with the possibility to extend for an additional year. You can find more details here.
Since this will be one of the best years for viewing the night sky in recent history, set your sights on Astrotourism in 2025. This method of travel prioritizes late nights, low light pollution and dark skies for the best of stargazing. Between northern lights, meteor showers, and several lunar events, it’s a good year for neck pain and eye strain.
That’s it for now! Thanks for coming along, and don’t forget to subscribe and share.
🫶 Bri