4/18/2011
the trip Magazine is not your usual travel magazine. Not only it’s a free publication, but it doesn’t promote destinations, hotels, airlines and the likes. Instead, it throws you right into travelers’ stories, experienced and told by the travelers themselves. We’re not talking about those going on vacation, but people that made traveling a way of life.
The stories are accompanied by plenty of original photographs from around the world, which give readers first hand encounters with and tips about places, people and lifestyles.
More info below in the interview I had the pleasure to conduct with the trip’s Vice Director Veronica Gabbuti.
Sayonara!
Who are the creators of the trip magazine?
The creators of the trip magazine are Valentina Diaconale /Director, Veronica Gabbuti (me) /Vice Director, Francesca Rosati /Editor in Chief, Luca Salice/ Marketing Manager, Lorenzo Verrecchia/Publisher, and Andrea Bennati /Artistic Director. But more than us, the real creators of the trip are the travelers themselves.
How and when did the trip adventure start?
It was almost two years ago. We were lazily talking about dreams and plans for the future. None of us had the slightest idea of what we wanted to do. I used to write a monthly column for a fashion and lifestyle magazine. You know I like fashion, but that doesn’t mean a closet full of shoes and bags, so I needed to write something that was more MINE. At some point I understood that what I really wanted to do was traveling and write stories about it, about the “slices” of life I’d encounter “on the road”. Basically, the only thing that each one of us wanted to do for sure was traveling. Experiencing. Moving. That’s why we decided to work something out and to start the trip.
What is the concept behind the trip?
the trip isn’t just a magazine about travels. We give our readers a look out of their windows, a different point of view. We tell them real stories about traveling and living. the trip wants to give travelers a voice, allowing them to tell exactly what they loved, disliked and learned about the countries they’ve visited. In other words: we encourage traveling, not going on vacation.
Who are usually your international collaborators?
Our correspondents are people who travel for business, study, or sometimes, just for leisure. They are observers, more than journalists. They tell us trends, events, lifestyle and curiosities about the cities and countries they visit or even live in. Just like friends who live abroad. A kind of word of mouth thing.
What kind of audience do you seek to reach?
Our audience can’t be defined by age. the trip is a magazine for people who embrace our travel philosophy. Whether they are travelers or not it doesn’t really matter. Our readers share interests and a sense of adventure. They are people who can’t just “stay” somewhere. They touch, talk, look, ask, understand and live things, people and places.
What’s the difference between the trip and other travel magazines?
First of all, the trip is a free publication. Second of all, it shows the world in a different way. We’ll never tell you: “Go there!” Instead, we’ll tell you what you could find in one place, what people who experienced it say about it, without filters nor commercial purposes. And photos speak for themselves.
Which destination would you recommend to the readers of this blog?
Definitely Panama, a fascinating growing country, where there’s a particular connection between different cultures. Colonial magnificence and South American temper make Panama a unique destination.
