New Year’s Greetings

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Dear friends old and new,

2017 may have been a tumultuous year on the world stage, but it was a steady growth year at Norie Quintos Media and Consulting. To you who have made it possible—mentors, guides, colleagues, industry associates, and friends—I am grateful. Here are some highlights:

Travel!

I love travel that opens the mind and heart, and respects the place and the people. This year had me taking surf lessons in Tofino (notice I didn’t say surfing); watching the dawn light hit the ruins of Tulum; kayaking Idaho’s Lake Coeur d’Alene; stalking mid-century modern houses in Palm Springs; munching on cheese curds in Green Bay; avant-garde dining in Lima; bagel-hunting in New York City; and hiking with llamas in northern Argentina.

Stories and projects!

I worked with some great journalism outlets and consulting clients this year, including Skift, Nat Geo, Adventure Travel News, The Local Palate, Beattie Tartan, Academic Travel Abroad, KÜHL adventure clothing company, Destination British Columbia, Active Vacations, Signal Custom Content, Washington Post Brand Studio, Say Hueque, South Expeditions, Vamos Expeditions, Zegrahm Expeditions, and VS Content Strategies. I wrote, reported, edited, managed projects, trained, spoke, consulted, and presented.

Conferences!

I spoke at and/or attended some fascinating travel conferences this year, including Wendy Perrin’s WOW Summit in Mexico’s Riviera Maya; Canada Media Marketplace in New York; Adventure Elevate in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; PRSA Travel in Palm Springs, California; IPW in Washington, D.C.; the American Indian Tourism Conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin; the Hostelling International Top 100 Travel Blogger Summit on Study Abroad in New York City; and the Adventure Travel World Summit in Salta, Argentina. However, the one I’ll single out was the Travel + Social Good Summit in New York City, where I was the emcee at the United Nations Headquarters. As a schoolgirl I had wanted to become a diplomat and participated in model UN events, so this was somewhat of a childhood dream come true.

 

Committees and Boards!

Despite what they say about committees and advisory boards (“A committee is a group of the unwilling, chosen from the unfit, to do the unnecessary”), I participated in several very worthwhile ones, including:

 

Throughout, I’m grateful to have had the support of colleagues at National Geographic, an organization I have been associated with for 20 years. In my role as an Editor at Large and member of the Nat Geo Travel Media’s Advisory Group, I wrote stories, curated ideas, and represented the iconic brand at various conferences and events.

The work I do is meaningful and fascinating; the people I work and network with in the travel industry are indistinguishable from friends. All of which makes me a very lucky person.

Wishing all of you the best in 2018! The year starts out in New York, where I’ll be moderating a panel at the New York Times Travel Show, then to the United Arab Emirates for a speaking engagement and some fun in the sand, and then to a country I’ve come to love, Canada. After that, who knows?!

Thanks again. Keep the leads and work coming, and do let me know how I can return your many favors. And to those of you I haven’t yet had the pleasure of working with—I'm looking forward to our collaboration in the future!

Norie
Washington, D.C.

 
 
 

Photos © Norie Quintos