Travel. Besides the weather, it is one of the things we talk about (and dream about) the most. While there are all sorts of myths about the American traveler, statistics published by the U.S. Travel Association back up the fact that Americans like to travel. Last year, Americans took 1.8 billion person-trips. (Two people in one car going on vacation are two-person trips.) The population of the U.S. is 325.7 million — that equates to more than five and one-half trips per person per year.
Though I’ve taken my share of trips, along with my colleagues, and we regularly include Travel Journal stories in Evansville Living, we wouldn’t want to advise readers on the very best trips to take. It’s a big world! Instead we decided to assemble several travelers among our staff along with freelance travel writers Tracey Teo and Amy Abbott to produce a travelogue of recent trips, (“Let’s Explore!” page 32). Teo, a travel writer for 12 years who takes more than a dozen trips each year publishing hundreds of stories along the way, shares a recent Mississippi River cruise she took with her husband, photographer Wesley Teo. Abbott pitched us her travel story on San Diego. After learning the strong connection Evansville shares with the southern California city during her visit earlier this year, Abbott says she was compelled to share her experience through a travel story.
Triple threat Creative Director Heather Gray was tasked with reporting on the trip she took with her husband to Maine and Canada, illustrating cover and feature elements, and designing and producing the cover. Photographer Zach Straw used his vintage Polaroid OneStep camera, as well as his Olympus OM‑D E‑M1, on the images.
Straw also shares the big Western trip his family of four took last summer — a treat to see his beautiful photographs. Senior Writer Elisa Gross documents her mission trip to Myanmar in December and January. Hosted by Evansville faith-based mission Unchartered International, Gross was able to meet the young girl her family has sponsored and corresponded with for many years.
Impatient with our late-arriving spring, my family sought sun, beach, rest, and relaxation for spring break. We found it at the JW Marriott Cancun, Mexico, where my husband, youngest son, and I enjoyed a cloudless week of leisure.
We hope our travel journals will serve as some sort of inspiration for you. If travel is not on your calendar in the coming months, or perhaps you want to plan a nice respite at home with a staycation, then a good chunk of this magazine is for you: 70 pages of home and garden coverage. The annual At Home Special Advertising Section offers completely local coverage from an impressive array of experts in the field. While I was impatient with spring’s slow arrival, the azaleas at the traditional Tudor home of the Bill and Amy Samm family required our patience, blooming right before press time. Managing Editor Trista Lutgring takes us through the warm family home on Lincoln Avenue (“Nestled on Lincoln,” page 48).
The pale green film on everything outdoors now (along with the incessant chirping of birds and my allergies) signals spring finally has arrived. Soon the pastel colors will give way to summer, probably sooner than later, as this is the Ohio River Valley we live in. We hope you enjoy this issue.
As always, I look forward to hearing from you.
Kristen K. Tucker
Publisher & Editor
