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The Scuttlebutt
Words, Books & More from Today’s
Top Travel Writers
October 2026
Welcome to the October issue of our writers’ newsletter. The Scuttlebutt is our way of highlighting why we do what we do at Travel Classics – celebrating the best travel writing about the best places on earth – which is made possible by our talented community of stellar writers. We hope you enjoy seeing your words, celebrating your wins and sharing your stories. Thank you for continuing to share your view of the world with us and the broader travel community.
Spotlight
In each edition, we look forward to highlighting one piece of work that took our breath away – more than just a compelling story, a tale that evoked the true feeling of a place. We hope these stories linger with you in the same way they have with us.
Recent Work by Travel Classics Writers
Please visit TravelClassics.com to see all the latest published works from our community.
Books
Frommer’s Comfort in the Wild
Bronze winner, Best Travel Guidebook, at the SATW Lowell Thomas Awards.
How to Be a Travel Writer: The Essential Guide to Writing Stories That Matter
See all Travel Classics writers’ books
Podcasts & Videos
Hot Springs, Arkansas: Where Hoodlums & Hot Water Made History
Mark Orwoll on the Radio St. Pete podcast.
A Visit to Ticino: Switzerland with an Italian Soul
A video from Barbara Noe Kennedy.
New & Noteworthy
Amy Alipio and Brooke Sabin, former National Geographic travel editors, cover travel, books and more at The Travel Book Club on Substack.
Adam Pitluck has been named CEO of the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA).
Norie Quintos has been named Executive Editor of Journeywoman, the world’s first and longest-running solo travel publication for women.
Awards
We were thrilled to see 28 of our Travel Classics writers and editors announced as winners at the 2025–2026 SATW Lowell Thomas Awards. Here are our Gold winners; for a complete list of winners, visit SATWFoundation.org. Congratulations to all!
- Grand Award, Journalist of the Year – Jen Rose Smith
- Travel Magazines – Travel + Leisure, Jacqui Gifford, Editor-in-Chief
- Editorial Travel Website – BBC Travel, Eliot Stein, Deputy Editor
- Robert Haru Fisher Award for Travel Health/Safety Coverage – Randy Johnson
- U.S. and Canada Travel – Peter Fish
- Multimedia Single Work – Lale Arikoglu
- Cultural Tourism – Naomi Tomky
Have a new story, book, award or project we should know about? Email thescuttlebutt@travelclassics.com with the subject line “Scuttlebutt” – we’d love to feature it in a future issue.
Know a writer who should be getting The Scuttlebutt? Send them to travelclassics.com/the-scuttlebutt to subscribe.
This issue of The Scuttlebutt is brought to you by Experience Scottsdale, co-host of Travel Classics West, April 1–4, 2027. We hope to see you there!
