It’s hard to believe that a year ago, I was sitting at my parent’s kitchen table in San Diego, penning the first edition of The Beau Yorker. I’m back in SD for the holidays, recovering from a grand finale of back-to-back work trips to Las Vegas for the Fontainebleau opening, followed by a few magical days of skiing and champagne sabering in Park City, Utah.
It’s a tough job, folks.
While we’re on the topic, 2023 has been a banner year for me professionally and from an earnings perspective. Thanks to a couple of regular copywriting gigs, I spent more time creating branded content, and I intend to continue building out that side of my business in 2024.
Personally, I’m ready to close this chapter and move on to bigger, better, and hopefully more peaceful times ahead.
In last month’s newsletter, I wrote candidly about how I’ve been feeling lately now that we’re fully embedded down South. I stand by what I wrote, and while I still feel generally unmoored in our current reality, after spending a few days visiting with friends in NYC last month, I left with a deeper sense of appreciation for the time and life we built there. No matter where we live, New York will always be a part of me. It will always be home.
In her 1967 essay “Goodbye to All That,” Joan Didion so perfectly encapsulates the New York experience: “Nothing was irrevocable; everything was within reach. Just around every corner lay something curious and interesting, something I had never before seen or done or known about.”
She goes on to write: “It is distinctly possible to remain too long at the fair.”
I love all of Didion’s works, but this one will always be my favorite. She knew what it meant to love a place so deeply and inexplicably, even when it doesn't necessarily love you back. Of course, she eventually tired of New York and moved to Los Angeles.
If there’s one thing I learned over the 15 years I spent living in New York, it’s that no matter where you go or where you live, you have to have grit and carve your own path if you want to thrive in this world. Actually, I learned a lot living there. Perseverance, how to pick my battles, how to hustle, how to stand my ground. I think I lost sight of that part of myself this year. It happens. But I’m back. And I’m ready to work and build and grow and learn. I’ll always continue to learn. I’m committed to staying curious, maybe with a little more edge and a firmer grasp of who I am and, more importantly, who I’m not.
2023 Travel Recap
Travel-wise, 2023 has been an absolutely incredible year
From discovering the secrets of longevity on a solo reporting trip to Okinawa, Japan, and spending my 39th birthday exploring the Scottish Highlands to a glorious and boiling hot few days in Rome reporting on the luxury hotel boom with my brother and a memorable Nile River cruise on assignment for Robb Report, it continues to be the privilege of my lifetime to write and report from some of the most remarkable destinations around the world.
This April marks my five-year anniversary as a Forbes contributor, and while my top-performing story to date continues to be about the World’s Largest Cruise Ship Setting Sail in 2024, from The Most Romantic All-Inclusive Hotels In The U.S. and A $3.7 Billion Mega Resort Is Opening On The Las Vegas Strip to Dolly Parton’s New Hotel In The Great Smoky Mountains and The 10 Best Hotels in Savannah, I’ve continued to hone in on the luxury hotel beat, and I’m so excited to keep the party going and cover all the new and exciting openings in 2024.
Speaking of hotel openings, one story that took me by surprise this year was an Exclusive First Look at The PGA Frisco Resort in Texas. I pitched this story to Robb Report, and it was one of those reporting trips that exceeded my expectations in all the best ways possible. The fact that the story performed so well and topped the RR homepage for the better part of that week was an added bonus. One of my favorite stories I wrote and reported on that really seemed to resonate with readers is about the trend in Luxury Treehouse Hotels Around the World. After a magical few days staying in treehouse hotels in the remote jungle of Nago, Japan, and the dense forest of Greenough, Montana, I can safely say these were among the coolest places I’ve ever stayed, and I highly recommend checking into one of these amazing places in 2024.
One travel trend that looks like it’s here to stay is the rise in private jet experiences. I got the chance to hop on and experience one such trip in California on assignment for Robb Report in the spring. While nothing could have prepared me for the majesty of the Nile River, one of my favorite assignments this year (and possibly ever) was the chance to sail on Viking’s Luxe New River Ship, which was far and away, one of the most enriching travel experiences I’ve ever had.
I wrote a handful of print stories this year, from Baby Boomers Paradise at The New Tommy Bahama Hotel in Palm Springs to brand new woo-woo retreats and wellness hotels in Mexico and the latest and greatest in CDMX’s dining scene for The New York Post. I covered all the best things to see, eat, and discover in Kyoto, a Luxury Guide to Boston, and reported on The Glamourous New Fontainebleau Las Vegas for Elite Traveler (coming soon!)
It’s hard to pick a favorite story because so much goes into each and every piece. However, I committed to writing and pitching stories that I love and am passionate about and wrote over a dozen stories (both branded and editorial) about one of my favorite destinations, which, as many of you likely know, is Japan, starting with a complete guide on Where To Go Hot Spring Hopping in Japan for Thrillist. Hot tip: Do not miss the opportunity to onsen in Japan; it’s one of the best ways to soak up the local culture, pun intended. In addition to my Luxury Guide to Kyoto, I wrote about the opening of the Luxe New Bulgari Hotel in Tokyo for Elite Traveler, waxed poetic on the benefits of traveling solo to Japan for Insider, and shared how Hotels Are Helping You Plan The Ultimate Trip To Okinawa for Islands.com. In October, I was tapped to write The First Timer’s Guide To Tokyo for TripAdvisor, which is slated to run soon, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
There are some exciting new hotel openings slated to open in Tokyo and beyond in 2024, and you bet your bottom dollar I’ll be there with bells on for all of it, so stay tuned!
Onward and Upward
Here’s to all new adventures in 2024
On a personal note, thanks for sticking with me this year. It’s been one hell of a ride, and I’m excited to get a move on things in the new year. I feel extremely fortunate to have a bunch of assignments already lined up, and it’s crazy to imagine I’m booking out work trips through April, starting with visits to Thailand, Costa Rica, and Turks & Caicos on the horizon for early next year.
In the meantime, I’m actively on the lookout for new branded and sponsored content clients, so if you have any leads, please feel free to send them my way! Other than that, I think that’s a wrap. Thank you again for reading, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of my life and work with you all in 2024.
All my best wishes for a happy, healthy, and hearty year of travel in the year ahead, and I’ll see you back here in 2024!
What a great year of adventures and beautiful writing!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Here’s to an exciting 2024 year of new places to discover!🌟🌟🌟
What a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing your year in review with us.. I will send it on to others!💕💕💕