Welcome to my weekly newsletter — the premise of which is, quite simply, to share great things.

The Internet is a busy, busy place, full of distractions vying for our attention and people trying to sell us something (real talk.) It can all be a bit, well, draining. What would it look like to slow down and step away from some of that?

I started asking myself where I find the most energy and peace online. Over the past few years, an unexpected source of digital joy has been reading trusted recommendations. My favorite format for them? A newsletter, of course.

This newsletter is born out of a desire, a need, to return to pre-algorithm times. I want to write to you genuinely, without optimizing for hashtags, trends, or a search engine. And I want you, to be able to choose to read my words — and have full control over whether or not you see them each week.

So, what can you expect to see here?

Five or more favorite things, delivered weekly.

In short, I share the best of what I'm reading/watching/cooking etc. at home each week, plus a monthly travel issue. (Preview all my travel guides here.)

You’ll find a mix of the following in each issue:

plus, the occasional themed five favorites (i.e. favorite foreign television shows, favorite beach towns, or favorite dishes to eat in a city).

If you love to travel but also like to stay home, this is for you.

and, for paid subscribers,

• all travel content and guides (no affiliate links!)

• community-based recommendations and discussion

• personal updates and musings shared nowhere else on the Internet

• the occasional un-favorite: aka “the dark side” — something I can no longer recommend or have personally had trouble with lately

Plus:

• access to the full archive of posts

• NEW: access to the favorites directory, a repository of all recs ever made (!)

So, why would you want recommendations from moi?

I’m a writer and a traveler who has been publishing online for (many) years and loves connecting with others. I live for adventure, and food (always food.)

I’m also a homebody, a new mother, and a person still figuring out how to balance all the things in life.

You may be here because you know my blog, which I started over a decade ago (!) I created Part-Time Traveler because I couldn’t find a travel blog for people who love traveling frequently while also keeping a home base.

Since then I’ve traveled to more than 65 countries and worked as a full-time travel writer, book editor, and content designer —everywhere from a small business of one to the largest social media company in the world. My work has appeared in Eater, Travel + Leisure, AFAR, Buzzfeed, BBC Travel, and more.

I keep vetted ‘best restaurant’ lists for cities worldwide — most of all in San Francisco, where I’ve been dining, living, and exploring for 10+ years. My kitchen is my happy place. I used to edit cookbooks, so I know my way around great recipes, too.

Note that travel issues are free of any affiliate links or sponsored content — so you’ll only ever see my genuine, vetted recommendations, thanks to the support of paid subscribers.

Whether you open it in tabs to read when you have a free moment, or sit down with a cup of tea and read it at the same time every week — know that I don’t expect that all of my favorite things will also be your favorite things.

My intent is to provide little online pockets of calm and discovery. The aim is to make this something you want in your inbox every week and look forward to reading. And if you discover some of your own favorite things along the way…brilliant!

Here’s what one reader has to say:

Just as we often experience “big” moments with travel, together we’ll seek out and savor small moments at home here.

When you subscribe, every new issue goes directly to your inbox. You can also read it on the website, or in the Substack app. Questions? I can be reached at fivefavoritesnewsletter@gmail.com.

I’m certain that the readers of Five Favorites will soon be one of my favorite things. Thank you for being here! xx