Travel & Photography
Globetrotters Boosted Stories and Editor Picks From January
Getting you through the winter with great travel writing! Plus an important note about AI use on Globetrotters
Dear Globetrotters,
Don’t know about you, but the older I get the more life seems to fly by like a racing speedboat. Here we are well into February already!
And speaking of boats, I’ve been enjoying spending time here in Seattle with the tease of the Pacific Ocean, Puget Sound, Elliott Bay, and Lake Washington, and all the many hills and mountains between. Hadn’t realized how long I’d been living in mostly flat places until coming here.
On a clear day, I can easily see Mount Rainier from the wrap-around windows where I’m housesitting, and it’s just a magical sight to behold.
Not to mention getting to meet fellow Medium writers IRL, like my recent enjoyable afternoon spent with Seconde Nimenya. Lovely person she is!
It’s a beautiful life, all the ups and downs and the good and the bad. And not that life is just farting rainbows all the time. I’m still nursing a badly broken heart and trying to figure out what happens next… it gets quite confusing at times… and that’s all I have to say about that right now!
Many of our best stories here at Globetrotters are a tantalizing mix of all kinds of ups and downs, which is just one of the many reasons that make them such great reading!
An important note about the use of AI
Hope you don’t mind me bringing this up here, but it’s an important topic for us publishers for sure. For some time we editors have been discussing the use of AI by writers here on Medium and specifically at Globetrotters. Back when we first got going as an editing team we collectively decided to weed out articles that seem too AI-ish or what we like to call starchy or ‘cookie cutter’— too much like a pressed and ironed shirt or like something that has been cut out of other sections of the internet like a cookie.
Nothing has changed in this regard although we are starting to use AI detectors more and this has caused us much surprise and has led to us making some pretty difficult decisions, as fellow editor Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages mentioned in this recent article: Tips To Remember When Submitting to Globetrotters in 2024.
To be sure, AI detectors are merely a tool and not a rule. Often we’ve found the AI detectors merely back up what we’d already suspected to be true.
Bottom line: just don’t do it, at least not here at Globetrotters or In Living Color.
Yes, it’s true, Medium does indeed allow the use of AI on the platform. However, they also have been clear that stories written with the use of AI aren’t exactly welcomed, as VP of Content Scott Lamb detailed the difference in this article, Medium is for human storytelling, not AI-generated writing, wherein he highlighted clear changes in distribution guidelines.
This was further underscored by Buster Benson’s article: New Partner Program incentives focus on high-quality human writing.
And so, it’s important to know that even though Medium tolerates AI use it’s still up to pub owners and editors to make the decision to not accept AI stories, and to be sure we do not want them at Globetrotters or In Living Color. Rather, I would say your time is much better spent in training your own brain to become a more effective writer. It can be done.
‘Nough said about that. Onto our boosted story list for January!
Boosted Stories — January
These are more or less in chronological order except in the case where an author had more than one boosted story. Please do let me know if I’ve missed any from the month of January. I do my best to catch them all.
1. My First Solo Trip That Could Have Gone So Wrong
Most of us don’t share our lives with more than a handful of intimate people and here she was, sharing the not-so-general details about her life with a stranger she met 10 hours ago at a bus stop. At that very moment, she made me family!
This writer discovers the joy of solo travel but also of meeting interesting people full of hospitality and friendliness.
2. A Chance Encounter Near the Himalayas
As I sat in my seat, a constant stream of emotions buzzed through my body. I felt overwhelming gratitude for all the kindness I’d experienced on the journey thus far. Like the Zirakpur couple, so many people I’d met extended unconditional care and took me in as their own.
Chance encounters with interesting strangers while traveling can be such a delightful experience and it’s amazing what we can learn about life and ourselves.
3. How I Came to Photograph Heads of State in the Balkans
Traveling with this group, in this capacity offered more depth of experience than anything I could have planned on my own. It allowed me to see what citizen diplomacy when done right, can do for everyday people.
Matthew David is living the life and taking us along with him. Whatever he’s writing about, we just want to read it. Just like this story of a rather unlikely connection between Kosovo and Iowa.
Matthew also had these other two boosted stories in January. Congrats MD!
4. What’s in a Name?
5. Arriving Alone at the Edge of Africa
6. Living Next to North Korea
There was a hole in the fence big enough for my hand to go through. And through it went. My right hand has now been to North Korea. Satisfied with this we head back. However, we notice security cameras up in the trees, pointed right at us.
Shit.
Shawn shares his adventures living in China and visiting, in a roundabout way, a nearby country often shrouded in mystery, North Korea.
7. A Montana Visit to Find My Great-Great-Grandfather’s Grave
What must it have been like to move from Calabria, to São Paulo, to Chicago and then to Montana in the early 20th century, before one could scope out places online, or use technology to keep in touch with those left behind?
Wanting to trace old family roots is something we can all relate to and Vincent did a great job detailing his journey and the lessons he learned in this story.
8. Shark Diving in Jupiter Florida
Adjusting my buoyancy, I floated effortlessly just above the reef. Like an underwater Buddha, I “sat” cross-legged, drifting with the current. My eyes scanned the pock-marked limestone reef, searching for interesting critters on the sponges, sea fans, and small coral heads.
Dan shares his love of scuba diving and one of his most beloved places to dive off the coast of Jupiter, Florida with some amazing underwater photography. Can’t wait to get back to Florida myself. Been too long!
9. You Can’t Outrun A Plastic Tsunami
So being the good, environmentally conscious folk that we are, we separate our plastics, put them in our labelled bins, and kick that can both physically and metaphorically down the road without much thought as to what happens next.
Well, let me tell you, all of that plastic has to go somewhere and most of it ends up here.
Our world has a plastics problem, no doubt, and it washes up on beaches all over the world, including Thailand. Paul highlights the problem for both developed and developing nations.
Paul also had these two additional boosted stories in January. Congrats PM!
10. Finding Diamonds in the Rough Parts of Thailand
11. Is It Okay For Tourists To Celebrate Australia Day?
12. Abode of Peace
While waiting for the return bus outside the mosque, a couple stopped by and asked if we needed a ride. A rainstorm was about to hit, so we agreed and piled in. They were animated and curious about what we were doing in Brunei, asking many questions for the ten minutes we rode with them. It was the sort of experience I only have in places where tourists are uncommon.
A fascinating read, Brad gives us an interesting snapshot of a place many of us know little about.
Brad also had this boosted story in January. Congrats!
13. Demise Of The Sacred Tree Of Fruits
14. When the Rainbow Shone Bright Above the Rain-Heavy Mountains
I sit back down with my cup of tea and a bowl of oats in my hands. My bum is wet from the sand and I don’t mind the short rain shower pouring down on me. There is a tranquility surrounding me that is hard to describe. A silence flowing across the lake, only cut by the distinct cries of the seagulls.
Love it when Anne shares her hikes and explorations into nature. In this story she’s sure to appreciate the rain, rainbows, birds, and lake.
Anne also had this boosted story from January. Congrats!
15. The Return Hike From the Hut in the Valley
16. He Stole the Turtle Eggs and it Was Devastating
Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages
I caught myself standing on my tiptoes, trying to catch glimpses of it as long as I could. We watched its teeny tiny head pop up above the surface of the water for a few minutes until, finally, we could no longer see it.
Jill shares her adventures in housesitting in Costa Rica and a not-so-pretty side of traveling — sadly, sometimes we do have to be careful who we trust.
17. How Much Pizza Is Too Much Pizza?
My partner is full of great ideas, and that might have been sarcastic. When we last visited my parents in Rome during the holidays, he decided to lead us on a pizza tour, whose main goal was to corroborate if the number one pizza in the world was in fact the number one pizza in the world.
I think most all of us will have the same answer to this question, but it was still fun reading about sampling pizza in none other than the pizza heaven of Italy.
More Great Stories
Editor picks
It’s true, not every great story gets boosted for one reason or another.
Here are just a few we handpicked for you:
Adrienne: The More I Travel The Less I Know by Greyson Ferguson
Greyson’s story touched a nerve in me. Here are a few excerpts that rang true.
When I travel, I want to know why a city was conquered, what happened to the people who lived there, and what the people now think of their former conquerors.
I learn, I absorb, and I expand my knowledge. But I can’t keep up with the expanding world of my travels. It expands faster than I can learn to a point where I’ll never catch up.
I’ll tell of future travel plans, the next cities and countries I’ll visit. Someone will always remark on how dangerous the place is. The comment comes from someone who has never left the country and rarely leaves the state.
I enjoyed Greyson’s other stories too. They’re always fun to read. The Best Buckeyes Are NOT In Ohio and The Horrors of a Late Night Motel-6 Check-In
Michele: The Grandest Canyon of Them All by Claire Elizabeth Levesque
Claire wants to visit all of the national parks and so do I, so I have loved following along in her journey. Her story about her time at the Grand Canyon made me want to return. I didn’t see enough when I went because it was too cold and her article highlights all of the things I wish to see.
To say that the Grand Canyon is vast would be an understatement. Its size truly is beyond comprehension. It is spectacular and goes on farther than the eye can see, and I’m not sure that anything, even photos, can really prepare you for seeing it in person. I could only gawk at it in wonder and amazement.
Anne: I Don’t Chat With Locals When I Travel by Erie Astin
While I wanted to disagree with her words immediately after reading the title, I was hooked from the first line. Well, I might enjoy talking to locals when I travel but why should that mean others have to as well?
Just like I don’t like it when someone tells me which place I have to visit when in a city, I wouldn’t want to be told I have to talk to a said person when in a foreign country. And Erie explains why she travels the way she does and I think it is beautiful.
“As an introvert, I don’t like going up and beginning conversations with people I don’t know. Interacting with people is stressful, not a pleasure. This is true in my hometown as much as when I travel.” — Erie Astin
Jillian: I Let An Airline Book A Flight To A Random Destination In Europe… The Result? Best Weekend Ever! by TRAVEL STORIES BY GABE
Gabe’s story really stood out to me in January. It’s something that I have always wanted to do, just show up to the airport and decide where to go based on what is available and affordable. Little did I know that Ryan Air offers this service online(!), except, they decide a destination for you. How cool is that?
Gabe truly embraced this unique experience and had a wonderful time while making new friends and adding to his huge list of life experiences. This, to me, is the epitome of travel. Completely opening ourselves up to new experiences without having any sort of expectations or agendas. Congrats Gabe! What a great story and I’m so glad you had such a wonderful time!
JoAnn: How I Built a Home On Wheels and Lived the Maui Van Life by Jason Abranches
I strung battery-powered Christmas lights throughout the van, weaving them in and out of the pockets of the metal frame, and hung up tiki-style siding to make the walls look nice. Quickly, the van began to feel like a cozy home as everything found its place.
There were so many stories I loved in particular from January including the above story from Jason about converting a van to live in as well as this story: How I Got Slapped by a Monk in Bangkok
Here are a two others I particular enjoyed:
Fisher LeVasseur writes about one of the few U.S. states I have yet to visit: On A Small Island in Maine, A Better Way of Life
Also enjoyed reading this story by Seconde Nimenya about her take on going on safari in Tanzania: An Altercation with Baboons in the Ngorongoro Crater
Story recaps
Each week, our editors put together a recap of stories so that everyone can get caught up on their reading: STORY RECAPS — Globetrotters.
Challenge stories
Each month, we host wildly popular travel writing challenges. This month, our challenge is on bridges:
You can catch up on reading challenge stories here: MONTHLY CHALLENGE — Globetrotters.
Spotlight stories
If you haven’t yet, introduce yourself to our travel writing community by writing your Writer Spotlight Story.
Check out prior stories and say hello to each other here: WRITER SPOTLIGHT STORIES — Globetrotters
Thank you to everyone for being here and congrats to both the viral story writers and those who got more modest views and reads! We love you all!
Thank you as well to my fellow awesome editors: Michele Maize, Adrienne Beaumont, Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages, and Anne Bonfert.
Happy travels to you!
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