Hello friend! I hope you’ve had a wonderful summer filled with the things that bring you joy in life. I’m enjoying a relaxing day at home after back to back trips in Paris & Switzerland. There’s a lot I’ve wanted to share lately, so it felt like an appropriate time to aggregate some of the more time-sensitive pieces into a mini-issue of “This Week in the World.”
If you’re new here, ‘This Week in the World’ is a recap of content ranging from around the globe. Usually a weekly offering, this newsletter is currently sending seasonally (hopefully will return to weekly eventually!) My hope is that no matter where you are in the world, you’ll be able to feel more connected to it: through news, travel, food & wine… really, anything that appeals to the culturally curious. This week is a bit unconventional, but I hope you’ll read it nevertheless.
TRAVEL NEWS
We’ve had a few spots pop open on some of our Atlas Adventures trips:
*If you’d like to join us for any of the above, please email yasmine@blondeatlas.com to request to register!
Additionally, our first Atlas Adventures South Africa trip goes on sale this Wednesday & I couldn’t be more excited about this trip! I shared more on stories why this is a unique trip (and a more expensive one) but I’m happy to elaborate if anyone has questions. As always, subscribers will receive priority access so be sure you’re on our email list if you want to join us!
weekly favorites
Timeless classics I can wear forever are my preferred style. Lately I’ve added a few staples to my wardrobe to fill some gaps in preparation for fall. All are sustainable & from my long-time favorite brand!:
This turtleneck will be great on it’s own, or as a base layer as temperatures continue to drop into the winter.
This trench coat is reversible & both sides are beautiful!
These shoes caught my attention because they’ll be great to wear almost year-round, but also have a heel that’s thick and ideal for comfort. They come in many colors- I opted for the beige.
As I mentioned in my Instagram post, I had the privilege of visiting 3 wonderful art museums over the last couple weeks in Paris, Lucerne & London. If you’re an art or design enthusiast but not particularly fond of crowds, I highly recommend saving & prioritizing these on your next visit to each respective city:
a brief life update & more coming soon…
I often struggle to find the balance of using this space for both professional, as well as personal content. As I’ve shared before, I’ve become more selective over the years about what I choose to share online. My intention behind this isn’t to convey a perfectly curated life, but really just to draw some boundaries around my time and energy that work better for me. This means you mainly see the “shiny” parts of my life: including lots of travel. I hope it goes without saying that there is obviously more to life happening behind the social media facade— it just takes quite a bit of time to always caveat that (and when I’m running a business that’s focused on travel, travel takes priority in what I share here). With that said, one of my core values in life (but also a significant part of my business!) is connecting with people. While the majority of that happens offline for me, I always want to prioritize this in my life- even here when I’m able! So human to human, here is what my focus has been on this summer, and what I’m planning for on the horizon.
Health has been a recurring theme for me this summer. I’ve had a few lumps & bumps I went to the doctor for (reminder to get those checked!) Thankfully all are fine, but it’s always a bit concerning at first. Additionally, my parents had hips & shoulders replaced this year (which, again- scary at first!) Thankfully they’re recovering well, but it was difficult being an ocean away for those surgeries. It’s also made me want to get a head start in strengthening my body for longevity & mobility for years to come after hearing them share more about their experiences. Finally, I also went through the process of freezing my eggs back in June/July. I didn’t share that at the time because I wasn’t sure how I would feel & I wanted to give myself freedom to unplug/ take it easy without fielding questions. I’m not qualified to give advice, but I’m really pleased I did it in the end. It was such an empowering experience & I felt really supported by my partner/family/friends. It also felt really good to not drink (which I cut out for the egg freezing, but have continued to cut back in general ever since). I’ve long been guilty of sleeping too little or treating myself too frequently … and I’m recognizing the impact all of that can have over time. So as a result of all of the above, I’m making an effort to continue cutting back on drinking, as well as cleaning up my diet & strength training with a personal trainer.
In addition to lots of Atlas Adventures developments (more about that coming soon!) I’ve also been doing a lot of personal trip planning behind the scenes as I prepare for an exciting Q1 next year. Since Andrew and I will be in the states for Christmas to meet my new nephew, followed by 3 Atlas Adventures trips in New Zealand and South Africa in February & March, I’ve opted to take an “around the world” trip stretching out over the course of a few months. Since I’ve moved to London it’s been my intention to be more rooted and not take long trips like this anymore (I really do crave being home!) With that said, there was too much that made sense about this: everything from trying to reduce my carbon footprint by minimizing the amount of flights I take, to spending more time with family, to realizing the opportunity to see some places that have been on my list for a long time. I’m excited to lean into an amazing opportunity to simultaneously visit these new places, while also escaping the England winter (will be in the southern hemisphere now all of Jan-March, which is peak of summer there!)
As always, my goal is to use my travel experiences to (hopefully!) be a helpful resource: for my travel planning clients, my Atlas Adventures community & really, anyone reading this right now (I’m glad you’re here in any capacity!) A few things I’m already planning to share more on through this process includes:
Sharing new destinations (including 3 new countries & many new cities!)
Packing with a capsule wardrobe (since I’ll have one suitcase for 3 months!)
How to book an “around the world” plane ticket (this can be a HUGE money saver if your dates/destinations make sense!)
I’d love to know what else I can keep in mind as I prepare for the trip to better serve my fellow travelers. If you have questions or suggestions, I welcome them!
I can never say enough how thankful I am to have this community of kind, curious, open-minded people who are keen to learn more about the world and connect with the people in it. Thank you so much for being here, reading this, supporting in whatever capacity you do… I really do appreciate it more than you know. I’m glad you’re here and I hope to connect with you one way or another soon.
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xx
Whitney
