The Curation: Volume 62
Good travel content needs a paywall, hotels on the Med to go for Labor Day weekend, and industry and culture news and noteworthy.
It’s all happening. I’m currently en-route to Florence. Which means less is going on here today, by sheer force of life. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a home again and to be a citizen of Florence. I can’t wait to buy all the little delicacies from the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio and to finally learn the future tense in Italian and to make friends and rejoin Hinge. I can’t wait to escape for the weekend, if I want. To Liguria or Campania or Lago Maggiore or somewhere I’ve never been.
Right now, I was supposed to be wrapping up a short but mighty girl’s trip in Capri and thus thought this would be a vacation week, Happy Hoteling-wise. But down to the wire, I realized I was not setting myself up for success by going full on in Capri straight into a 5th-floor move in 105-degree heat. The latter had to take took precedence and priority. But I do have FOMO for one of the first times in my life because Elton John is there and the whole piazzetta turned into the taverna last night and as my Caprese said, “the most epic Capri weekend ever.” To think that it’s not even over!
But alas, it’s time to set up life. What a privilege! I never thought of that before and it’s ringing so damn true. I’m so excited to share all about the first week, heatwave and all.
Talk soon, Happy Hoteling, and see you on Instagram Stories in the meantime.
Today’s Agenda
Some food for thought on why travel content needs to be behind a paywall and also ways to be a traveler and creator who doesn’t contribute to ruining locals’ homes.
Answering a reader request on places on the Mediterranean that are fairly easy to go to for a long weekend, ideally Labor Day Weekend. We have Italy and Spain and the South of France and the criteria are direct flights, only one additional form of transportation (and less than an hour), it feels summery, and the hotel is part of the destination.
A wide-ranging list of new and noteworthy hotels, concerts, restaurants, etc! A grab bag.
(There are no photos today, I’m so sorry, this is the one thing I couldn’t pull off! It won’t happen again.)
For Reading Consideration
I just finished The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram and it was my favorite type of summer book. Kind of smart and kind of not, well-written but not all that deep. Good characters and an easy-to-immerse plot. There are people who don’t agree, but it was a 5/5 for me.
I’ve also finished four thrillers in the past few weeks. My favorite was We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry, which had a stellar ending and an important topic centering around the fact that missing Black women don’t get media attention or resources. I liked Lisa Jewell’s latest Don’t Let Him In, but it wasn’t my favorite and definitely not a summer read – wait until after Labor Day if you’re seeking sunny in any way. Don’t Open Your Eyes is the latest by Liv Constantine and while it had such a good premise of having dreams of bad events from the future, I already forget what happened. I finally read Saltwater by Katy Hays, the thriller that takes places in Capri, and I don’t feel like I’m able to give it a fair rating or opinion. It was good but not great, even though the ending was satisfying. Not detailed enough!
For Consumption
I tried so hard to get these chunky knit striped slides before I left but I found them too late.
For someone who is size two, there is one left of this super on sale skirt by Isabel Marant that is everything I want bohemian as a style to be.
This bathing suit has me obsessing over the simple but special cut.
These funky Loewe aviators I shared a while ago are finally on sale!
I personally prefer butter on my bread and my yellow a bit more…well, yellow, and this cardholder (on sale) nails it. Jil Sander for the forever win.
Why Travel Content Deserves a Paywall
In all of the befuddling nonsense that’s been going on around the Bezos wedding in Venice and with similar tourism rebuttal across Europe’s cities, I’ve been ethically more grateful than ever that I chose Substack to be my platform for travel talk, which comes with a paywall.
I must address this pivotal moment in tourism, and perhaps how to negative the impacts of it. It’s the only way to do what I do and have it be a good thing. At the highest level, it’s about going where you are wanted and as a guest. But also, it’s how to navigate going to places that are over-popular but for a reason. How do we travel as we love to and many of us, live to, while retaining the soul of people’s home? Clickbait culture fueled by a desire to go viral and a subsequent acceptance of copying has ruined places all over the world. How do we get inspired by others in a way that isn’t at the detriment of the destinations? After all, as citizens of the internet, everyone is always telling us we have to go to the most beautiful beach in the whole world or to this restaurant where there is simply the freshest fish in the world or to this one viewpoint to get the perfect grid-worthy shot.
Yes, travel tomes have been around forever sharing where to go and where to stay and eat and all the everything. But, there wasn’t always an associated web article, Instagram post with a call to action to click the link in bio, Instagram story driving you to the same, TikTok, email, etc. to garner attention to all these places.
Where there used to be some barrier to entry, or I should say, barrier to recommendation retrieval, now there are algorithms designed for virality. Before, people would need to self-select themselves as a Travel Person, and subscribe to the print publication of their choice, or decide to purchase an issue. Now, you just must use one single thumb.
When I wrote On TikTok as I was exiting the platform that gave me this running start with hotels, I shared about having immense guilt in helping a place get “ruined.” While my ego and career liked to go viral, I would always fear what would often come next – price hikes, a vibe change, and a decrease in feasibility for locals. Supply and demand, you know.
It’s tough, because the creator economy, of which I’m a part of, needs virality for financial success. Free meals or hotel stays do not pay for rent or healthcare. And there are so many cooks in this kitchen. For anyone or anything that makes content, the goal is for it to be seen. Brands partner with creators to boost awareness and sales, creators largely need brands to actually pay rent. Photographers, stylists, writers, etc. are all involved and on the line. In order to make the ROI impactful in those instances, some semblance of virality must remain a target.
But virality and lack of barriers to entry are ruining so many neighborhoods of the world.
Let’s take my hometown, for example. Mill Valley, California. Population of less than 14k people. It has never been an unknown town. It was home to Jack Kerouac and then the Grateful Dead and so many others. People from around the world always went to Sausalito and to Muir Woods and obviously to Napa and San Francisco, but much less often to our small town. And then TikTok happened, and now my hometown public library is a selfie spot. But really, nearly anywhere with merit in the world has succumb to the same fate.
Even in the places that rely almost entirely on tourism, too much is not better. Even the owners of the most popular restaurants in Capri get overwhelmed when they are over-packed and over-desired.
But, it’s a tough thing to face when you’re on the inside track.
To oversimplify it, travel content on social media comes down to one of two goals: this is the most (insert adjective) (insert place or thing) you’ll ever see, or this is a hidden gem no one knows, subsequently making it unhidden.
Sadly, I play into this too. I am a travel creator and I want people to see my work and I need to make a living. But, in recent months, I’ve shared very little actual information for free on Instagram, instead always directing here. And sure, yes, there is an innate financial incentive, but I promise the primary intent is to not oversaturate a place. I think about it far too often so I really hope you believe me. It has made me feel better, too.
We all want to travel. Some places are popular for a reason. We’re not going to not go. This isn’t about that, per se, it’s more about having the immense awareness about your role as a tourist (or tourist-facilitator) and wanting to be a good one but not knowing how, in today’s digital day and age.
Long live the paywall. There are infinite merits to it, it provides people livelihood, but I’d argue it provides the most good for the world in the travel sector. We gotta start gatekeeping somehow.
To love to travel is a financial burden, to be blunt. It’s expensive to see the world, and much more in comfort and style. Personally, I consider the paywall the easiest barrier to entry to keep places special and sacred.
I think the majority of you are looking to go meaningful places see and experience the world and either contribute to it or leave no trace. I have a really great reader-base and I’m thankful to the moon for it. You really rock.
I want to try to help with all of the above, so I did a proper brainstorm. How to see as much of the world while contributing positively to it. This is free. This is opinion! You don’t pay for that alone, I’m well aware. The recs will live behind the paywall, precious keepers of our world gate.
FOR EVERYONE
If someone posts on social media and doesn’t tag or mention where they are, they are intentionally not sharing either to keep it special or for their safety. Reconsider your “where are you” or “where is this” comments and DMs. I get the “why post it then?” argument but the reality is people want to share the pretty places they go.
Take time to find names in travel you trust and then invest in them. Pay for the print issues or the digital subscription or to get past the paywall. This is the most sustainable way to play the recommend and follow game.
Even when seeking hidden gems, travel where you are wanted and can improve local life in some way.
A local shares a “local’s only” swimming cove? Guard that secret with all you have.
Whenever you come across a piece of travel content that hooks you with the word viral, keep scrolling, don’t contribute.
Unless it’s a museum or something of the sort, don’t wait in lines. Locals nowhere like lines of non-locals.
I’m not just saying this because it’s my business and I’m biased, but if it works for your travel style, try to stay in hotels over AirBnBs in cities. There are too many housing crises!
Before you go to “that place you saved on TikTok” or that viral Instagram post, try to find out if it has become a hotspot because of social media. If it has, I would say to do your part and find elsewhere. If it hasn’t totally go for it and support that business.
While I’m all for no shame in documenting one’s OOTD game, try to be cognizant of where and when you do it – is going to disrupt the natural flow for those around you, will it be an unwelcome distraction that detracts from the moment for everyone else?
When you walk around in residential neighborhoods at night, try to keep your voices down.
If and when you ask a local for a recommendation, try to frame it as “what is your favorite ____?” instead of “somewhere local, not lots of tourists.” People naturally want to be honest and helpful, so no need to wedge them into a corner where they feel compelled to share places they wouldn’t otherwise.
If you can, really do consider traveling off-season in places that are open year-round. The cities still depend on tourism spending throughout the year!
On the flip side, if you’re traveling somewhere seasonal, do tip. A living wage was a living wage a long time ago and it often has to last all year.
If you’re doing something like a neighborhood walking food tour, if you can, try to do a private one instead of a big group – it helps keep the neighborhood feeling like a neighborhood.
Because it’s always relevant, try to be in less of a rush, especially when you are in a neighborhood.
FOR FELLOW TRAVEL CREATORS
Paywall! This is the time to gatekeep!
If and when you post hidden gem content on social, try to make sure it has some sort of barrier to entry – hard to reach, not widely likable, pricey, etc.
Tread lightly on publicly sharing the great hole-in-the-wall restaurants, perhaps? The restaurant ruining is the issue I’m most trying to negate.
Reconsider content or language around places to take photos – I have the feeling that the pursuit of the perfect pic has, in some part, contributed to a lot of the bad at hand.
FOR TRAVEL AGENTS/ADVISORS
Besides hotels, try to diversify where you book people, of course unless it’s a known and celebrated hotspot.
Reconsider referring to and utilizing databases of recommendations – this is an unsuspecting place where I think a lot of place-ruining is happening, little by little. And if you do, use it to send people to places that are ripe for tourists, not the word-of-mouth gems.
Try to discourage your clients from going to the viral place from TikTok and encourage the good old fashioned wander, even though it’s non-commissionable.
Consider really specializing in certain places that you know well yourself so you can give individual recommendations you love yourself.
FOR FELLOW WRITERS/EDITORS
We all know words are important. Yes, SEO is huge. But also, reconsider the negative impact of using words like viral or headlines with the sentiment of “This is the Italian island that nobody wants you to know about.” Places deserve context, locals deserve respect, and this just doesn’t help, even if it’s true.
Hotels for an Extra-Long Labor Day Weekend Mediterranean Getaway
More and more, I’ve been getting questions about where to go in Italy for four days. Just a quick trip, easy to get to. And now that it’s the week of July 4th, Labor Day weekend is the US’ next long one. Now is the time to book!
To me, the requirements are that there are direct flights from the US and then there is only one form of transportation required to get to your final destination. Also, more than ever, the hotel needs to be part of the destination. Sleeping deserves to happen in style. And because this is the unofficial end of summer, it should be somewhere that feels celebratory and of-the-season.
A direct flight to Barcelona
For this, you either go the renting a car at the airport route or the private transfer both ways route. In both hotels, the agenda is food and beach, in different fonts. The Costa Brava is often thought of as a go-to weekend getaway for people who live across Europe, but it’s really quite feasible from the US as well. And to end the summer it sounds pretty great to wake up late and take a swim and then have a really long lunch and have another swim and then a really long nap and then some tapas and wine and then a really summery dinner and that’s it. It can be done in intimacy at Hostal Sa Rascassa, which is known for its restaurant and picturesque cove, or at Hostal de la Gavina, which is family-friendly and also much more of an institution and household name in Spanish luxury hospitality.
A direct flight to Málaga
From Newark, you can fly direct to Málaga and then take a taxi or private car to Marbella. I feel like I mention them a lot, but they’re two places that I consistently get people saying they loved and they’re perfect for a long weekend. If you’re looking for Luxury, Marbella Club is as cool as it gets, and there’s anything and everything you want or need on-property. If you’re looking for a bit of regional exploration and wanting a more intimate, boutique hotel, curio and art-filled Alcuzcuz is the place.