Belated New Year’s Greetings!
/Dear friends old and new,
2018 may have been another 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, clients, and friends—I am grateful.
Travel!
It truly is a wonderful world. This year had me bagel-hunting in New York City in January; searching for the best dates in Abu Dhabi in February; getting caffeinated in Seattle and snowshoeing in Alberta in March; driving the northern California coast in April; biking the Douro Valley in Portugal and getting stamps for a pilgrim’s passport in Spain in July; finding Picasso in Saskatoon in August; toeing the equatorial line in Ecuador in September; walking under the Tuscan sun in October; searching for pierogies back in Saskatoon in November; and exploring my backyard of Washington, D.C. in December.
Stories and Projects!
I worked with great journalism outlets and consulting clients this year, including National Geographic Traveler, Washingtonian, AARP, World Nomads, Destination British Columbia, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, Preferred Hotels, Choose LATAM, and several tour operators. I wrote, reported, edited, managed projects, trained, spoke, emceed, consulted, and presented. I also coached individual clients on travel writing or work/life transitions.
A sampling:
Nat Geo Asia story, writer
The World’s Greatest Expeditions, consulting editor
ITAC Guide, consulting editor
Conferences, Committees, and Boards!
Okay, right now I know you’re saying, “Really, Norie, who can get excited about conferences and board work?” But when you’re talking about cultural, indigenous, transformational, or sustainable travel, it can be compelling! I moderated the Latin America panel at the New York Times Travel Show; gave the keynote at the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Adventure and Responsible Travel Conference in Abu Dhabi; emceed the Adventure Elevate conference in Banff; attended Canada Media Marketplace in San Francisco; keynoted the International Conference for Tourism and Marketing in Quito; moderated a panel at the “Digital Platforms and the Future of Tourism” at the World Bank in Washington, DC; emceed the World Tourism Day Forum on Overtourism, hosted by the Center for Responsible Travel and George Washington University; attended the Adventure Travel World Summit in Tuscany; and co-hosted the Indigenous Tourism Awards at the International, Indigenous Tourism Conference in Saskatoon.
My work as an advisor or on the boards of the Transformational Travel Council, Impact Travel Alliance, Adventure Media, and Giving Way is gratifying. I’ll make special mention of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, which funds projects in places where the adventure tourism industry operates; this year $80,000 was distributed to four different projects.
Throughout, I’m grateful to have had the support of colleagues at National Geographic, an organization I have been associated with for more than 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 you the best this year! This winter I’m looking forward to ticking off something from my personal bucket list: taking a month of Spanish immersion study. I’ll be doing it in Ecuador and combining it with travel and work, so it’s not exactly a sabbatical. And who knows what the rest of the year will bring?
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.