New Year, New Mediums
This month, TMWY is getting a refresh with audio that will bring more intimacy and immediacy to our interviews. Take a listen!
THIS WEEK! We're amping up Take Me With You with new audio and video. Now, you'll be able not just to read interviews with travel trailblazers — but listen to the uncut, unfiltered conversations live! First out of the gate, we have:
The Medium Is the Message
Ever heard this phrase? "The medium is the message" is a profound concept introduced by media theorist Marshall McLuhan in his 1964 book "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man." The core idea is that the form of a medium itself, rather than the content it carries, is what primarily shapes how it affects society.
Think of how smartphones have reshaped human behavior and relationships. The fact that we carry internet-connected devices isn't just about the information we access— it's about how the medium itself has fundamentally changed how we interact, think, and behave. We've developed new social norms, different attention patterns, and altered expectations about availability and response times.
Analyzing Substack through McLuhan's lens is fascinating. The key "message" isn't just the articles writers publish, but how the medium itself is reshaping the relationship between writers and readers. Unlike social media's endless scroll, Substack creates a different temporal relationship with content. Readers make conscious choices about which writers to follow, leading to more focused, intentional reading patterns.
No institutional mediation. I’m here (on Substack) to prove authority and credibility in the travel space doesn’t require a gatekeeper. It does, however, require the participation of credible subject matter experts (my sources), great storytelling and professional fact-checking (sorry, Zuckerberg).
Take Me With You!
Here at TMWY, the TRIP is the message. Travel can be a form of resistance. Of rebellion. A way of claiming your own life and time. And sharing it with whom you choose. For me personally, travel is the lens through which I write. I write, therefore I am.
But lately, it’s become even more than that. It’s a coping mechanism. The world right now is full of many awful things that are making my head spin, but just knowing I can connect with you around our shared love of travel is a great comfort. Because when we move beyond our comfort zones, we can see the world from a different perspective. Spend five minutes in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa, and you'll know, deep in your bones, exactly what I mean.
Travel helped me survive the civilized brutality we like to call a mass corporate layoff, which occurred one year ago. It has colored my life in countless ways. But I'm not a victim, and you won't find a pity party here. What you will find is deep empathy for those facing similar challenges, which is roughly 16 million souls. In 2024, job cuts from U.S.-based companies were the highest they’ve been in 15 years—with the exception of 2020 job losses spurred by the pandemic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16.4 million people were laid off or discharged in the United States from January through October 2024.
I hope my writing can provide a balm, and help pave a path toward empowerment. Because I am increasingly empowered and emboldened with each trip and each new story assignment and publisher I take on. If you or anyone you know has been laid off recently, get in touch with me. I'm covering this subject in-depth, and I want to hear your story. Reach me here: takemewithyou@substack.com.
Where to Next?
To kick-off this year, I'll be heading to Ecuador and the Galapagos to discover the origin of the species. To Washington, D.C. to document the new landscape (think House of Cards, via the Watergate Hotel). Then, we'll fly across the Atlantic to the U.K. for an epic, ruddy romp through London, Bath and the coast of Cornwall to see just how many Cornish pasties I can eat!
Remember, all the cool girls get fired ;-) xoxo