10 Conscious Travel Magazines Inspiring Wanderlust + Cultural Appreciation
Travel Magazines To Expand Your Horizons
Searching for your next summer read or magazine to take in-flight? Skip the tabloids and pick up a digital or print copy of one of the following travel publications. Each magazine is carefully crafted by dedicated storytellers and creators who all have one thing in common: a longing to better understand the world and its people. Challenging and important topics are not avoided; rather, readers are invited to explore culture, place, and identity while allowing themselves to see the world through the eyes of others. With captivating photography, honest words, and inspiring art, here are 10 of the most impactful digital and print travel magazines inspiring cultural appreciation.
Jungles in Paris
Vision | Purpose-driven media telling stories about nature & culture – specifically celebrating human & non-human subjects at the risk of extinction
Articles That Inspire Us | People Of The Yak: Bhutan’s Brokpa Herders, Cutting It Fine: Hand-Mowers Of Addison County, Vermont
Named one of the best Independent Travel Magazines by The Guardian, The New York Times calls Jungles in Paris an artistic armchair travel platform. The online publication produces short, focused stories that invite readers to celebrate the diversity in the world and prioritize the local, the endemic, the time-honored, and the meaningful.
Apart from the stunning photo essays published to the website, Jungles in Paris produces incredible videos on Youtube.
Learn more about Jungles in Paris
Boat Magazine
Vision | An independent travel & culture publication focusing on a different, inspiring city for each issue
Articles That Inspire Us | Uzbekistan: Water In The Desert, Havana: The Mondays Club
Boat Magazine tells untold stories about cities all over the world, specifically from the perspective of locals. The publication is unique in that, for each issue of print, the staff physically relocates and lives in the focus city, working with locals to craft essays, photos, interviews, artwork, and more. By doing this, Boat Magazine hopes to redefine and update the readers’ perceptions of place – to act as a RESET button for all preconceived ideas. There are currently 13 issues covering cities from all over the world, as well as an online journal and city index.
Subscriptions and individual issues are available for purchase online.
Learn more about Boat Magazine
The Culture-ist
Vision | An online magazine, media platform, and movement designed for people who are passionate about being active members in a global society
Articles That Inspire Us | Why Our Planet And Its People Need Slow Fashion, Two Afternoons In A Syrian Refugee Camp
Founded by Maria and Anthony Russo, The Culture-ist covers conscious travel, social good, and holistic wellness. Featuring city guides and travel essays, wellness articles and nonprofit spotlights, as well as compelling videos and photography, the online publication uncovers the beauty and mystery of foreign lands, while also respecting different cultures and connecting people from all over the world.
The Culture-ist partners with HumanityUnified, a nonprofit organization empowering communities to rise out of poverty through education, food security projects, and economic opportunities.
Learn more about The Culture-ist
Cereal Magazine
Vision | A bi-annual travel & style magazine focusing on a select number of destinations, alongside engaging interviews and stories on unique design, art, and fashion
Articles That Inspire Us | The 7th Room, Dancing With The Taj
Published in the United Kingdom, Cereal Magazine captures exquisite and unique details around the world. Beautiful photography, alongside engaging interviews and stories, comprise the minimalist pages of each print issue. City guidebooks are also published, both online and in print, highlighting select restaurants, stores, and landmarks.
Subscriptions and individual issues are available for purchase online.
Learn more about Cereal Magazine
Off Assignment
Vision | A media platform for writers and journalists to share the untold, life-altering travel stories that often go unpublished
Articles That Inspire Us | Letters To A Stranger, What I Didn’t Say
More than a magazine, Off Assignment is also a literary space – an online platform for original writing about rare places, people, and stories. Sparked by renowned author and travel writer Pico Iyer, the no-gloss, no-frills magazine was founded on the principle that many writers are simply sitting on their best stories, the ones that rarely make the narrow confines of an article. These stories are raw, untold, and life-changing; they are the stories that shrink the gap between the traveler and the reader.
A nonprofit publication, Off Assignment is funded by generous donations from readers and friends.
Learn more about Off Assignment
Berlin Quarterly
Vision | To bring readers insightful and inquiring reportage and stories from around the globe
Issues That Inspire Us | The Sixth Issue
A bi-annual print publication, Berlin Quarterly is a European review and culture journal with global perspective and artistic flare. Each issue includes a variety of voices and art forms, ranging from nonfiction essays to poetry and drawings. In an interview with Stack, James Guerin, the publisher of Berlin Quarterly, describes the magazine as a way of looking at the world without prejudice. By using print art to cultivate empathy and tolerance, the publication achieves this.
Subscriptions and individual issues are available for purchase online.
Learn more about Berlin Quarterly
Passion Passport
Vision | An online publication sharing impactful stories about traveling on purpose
Articles That Inspire Us | Singing, Dancing, and Educating: A Women’s Health Initiative in Zimbabwe
Founded in 2013, Passion Passport is a media platform for storytellers to share about the pivotal moments, people, and places they’ve encountered while traveling. Through captivating imagery, videography, and written word, the publication provides online space for explorers and creators to tell the stories that have shaped their perspective and given them a better sense of who they are.
Learn more about Passion Passport
Peeps Magazine
Vision | A print magazine tracking cultural shifts around the world
Articles That Inspire Us | Mobile Autonomy
Peeps Magazine is a print publication aimed at capturing the bigger picture of human affairs through well-researched global stories, while also widening the lens through which we receive news and information. Each issue invites readers to join in on engaging analysis and insight to contemporary affairs through essays written by dedicated experts. These researchers are masters of subjects such as anthropology, sociology, human geography, and social psychology.
In collaboration with the magazine, Peep Talks are live events featuring expert speakers on people and culture, and Peeps Forum is a digital space for people who study people to share stories.
Learn more about Peeps Magazine
Drift Magazine
Vision | A print magazine devoted to exploring coffee culture around the world
Issues That Inspire Us | Volume 3: Havana
Printed bi-annually, Drift Magazine is a city-specific publication devoted to one of the world’s most beloved beverages: coffee. Each issue covers the wonderful beverage, as well as the people who drink it and the cities they inhabit. Recognizing that some of the most meaningful moments of life happen with coffee in the background, the magazine captures the tie between coffee, places, and communities around the world.
Subscriptions and individual issues are available on the website.
Learn more about Drift Magazine
Yuca Magazine
Vision | An independent publication inviting readers to reflect upon cultural constructs and personal identities through visual and written content
Issues That Inspire Us | Volume 2: The Architecture Alibi & Migrations Issue
Created in Colombia and distributed all over the world, Yuca Magazine is a bi-annual print publication devoted to art, photography, literature, and culture. Topics, such as migration, cultural perspective and constructs, architecture, place, and identity are explored through a variety of perspectives and artistic approaches.
Subscriptions and individual issues are available on the website.