This Week in the World: Week 1

Happy New Year! I’m just now catching my breath following the chaos of the last couple of months. Ever since Thanksgiving, it seemed to be one high stress moment after another. I had a COVID scare after being exposed just a week before my Atlas Adventures London crew arrived (thankfully, I dodged it and we had an amazing trip!) I also had to renew my UK visa (which thankfully, was approved without issue). And to top it all off, the surge of Omicron has meant last minute changes and cancellations for my clients who planned to travel over the festive season. I felt like I was limping to the finish line by the time Christmas rolled around, but I managed to make it back to the states healthy and safely, and I’ve thoroughly been enjoying a very restful couple of weeks soaking up time with family. I took a few weeks off social media, have been reading a lot (I read 2 books in 2 days last week!), made my 2022 vision board, and am so thankful for this time to rest and recharge before another year ahead. I’ll be stateside for another 10 days (nice long trip!) so probably won’t be sharing much until I’m back in London. Nevertheless, I wanted to kick off the new year with one of my favorite weekly traditions: “This Week in the World.”

If you’re new here, ‘This Week in the World’ is a weekly recap of content ranging from around the globe. My hope is that each week, 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. Let’s dive into the content I sourced for the first week of 2022!

TRAVEL NEWS + UPDATES

• I enjoyed reading this list of The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2022 according to Travel and Leisure.
  

• I’m really bummed that Thailand's quarantine-free travel pass has been suspended due to Omicron concerns. My boyfriend and I were planning to go in March but we’ll probably hold off on planning for now until things improve.

• One reason I’m staying in the states a bit longer? Air travel is a mess right now. Today alone, 2,100 flights have been cancelled (between Omicron cases surging and winter weather). Keep an eye on this if you’re traveling soon.

AROUND THE WORLD

• I am SO excited that Big Ben is finally back! He chimed for the first time in years this NYE and the scaffolding is finally coming down after over 4 years of construction.

• I think everyone was sad to hear about Betty White’s passing. This article has some great animal organizations to support in her honor.

• I’m adding these 9 books to my reading list for 2022- they’re the most eagerly anticipated of the year and all written by female authors.

• The recent fires in Boulder were absolutely devastating.

• Speaking of devastation from natural disasters, my friend Brenna shared this incredible story of a friend of hers who lost everything in the Mayfield, KY tornadoes. They are raising money to help him (please read - it’s so inspiring!) You can learn more here.

WEEKLY FAVORITES

• My boyfriend got me these sustainable hiking boots for one of my Christmas gifts (and they’re currently on sale). We are planning to do a trek in Switzerland this summer so after attempting many hikes in my running shoes, I’m really excited to break these in!

• I know Christmas has already passed, but I was on a social media break when I first read this article and didn’t get a chance to share. “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of my favorite Christmas movies and I absolutely loved this piece on why Mary Bailey is the real hero of the film.

• I took a bath last night and found this “Relax in the Bath” playlist that was idyllic.

• I treated myself to the New York Times cooking subscription this year and am already loving it! I have this recipe for Tofu and Bok Choy with Ginger-Tahini Sauce bookmarked to make this week.

• I finally splurged on a much needed new carry on suitcase. I’ve had my eye on this one for years and finally pulled the trigger (although I got silver instead of black). So far I’m loving it, but will report back after it gets more use!

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That’s all for today. Happy reading and hope to see you back again next week!

xx

Whitney

This Week in the World: Week 46

Hello from Devon! I’ve been enjoying a weekend away in the countryside (fall foliage in England is stunning at the minute!) My boyfriend and I spent a cozy night at Babington House on Thursday, then continued down to Devon for the weekend to spend some time with his parents. They usually split their time between the UK and New Zealand, but because of COVID they haven’t able to get back here for quite some time, so it’s been really lovely having them close again!

If you’re new here, ‘This Week in the World’ is a weekly recap of content ranging from around the globe. My hope is that each week, 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. Let’s dive into the content I sourced for week 46…starting with an exciting announcement about the next Atlas Adventures trip!

TRAVEL NEWS + UPDATES

• Big updates happing on my site this week! Tomorrow I’ll be announcing the first Atlas Adventures trip of 2022 (tickets will go on sale on November 22nd so keep an eye out!

• Secondly, I’m offering a flash sale for my online courses this week only! Now until Friday, November 19th, all courses will be 50% off (only $12.50 per class!)

• 5 Ways to Be a More Conscientious Traveler During Climate Change

• The French health pass keeps changing; here are the latest details on how to use it.

• The world’s 25 best cities of 2022 have been announced (and my home sweet home was voted number 1— yay, London!)

• Want to know the best time to book a cheap flight? Read this.

AROUND THE WORLD

• As COP 26 comes to an end, what progress has actually been made?

• I saw the Van Gogh immersive exhibit last week and it was really fascinating (and it’s showing at over 40 cities worldwide!) Check to see if it’s coming near you.

• 21 of the worlds coolest hotel bars (I love a good hotel bar so much!)

• A grave humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia.

WEEKLY FAVORITES

• As I start thinking ahead to New Year’s resolutions, I really loved THIS PODCAST EPISODE on “How to wake up early, even if you’re not a morning person.” It’s always so hard in the moment but I always feel so good later in the day when I’ve accomplished so much!

• I’ve been reading a lot more lately (which I’ve loved!) and have finished some really great books I’d recommend if you haven’t already read them:

  • American Dirt (FWIW, read some commentary about this as well).

  • The Guest List

  • Malibu Rising

  • The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo

• Some Sézane releases I have in my cart:

  • This gorgeous floral jumper

  • I’m not usually a big animal print person but I’m into this!

  • This coat is so cozy- I want to snuggle up in it immediately!

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That’s all for today. Happy reading and hope to see you back again next week!

xx

Whitney

This Week in the World: Week 43

Hello again! I’ve been away the last few weeks: first hosting the Atlas Adventures Paris trip and then relaxing + visiting friends for a few days in Spain (all while catching up on work emails!) I’m finally getting my head above water and able to start writing about this latest group trip. It was absolutely incredible to finally bring this trip to life (after 2 years of planning + rescheduling). All 20 of the women who registered (and my 3 team mates) couldn’t have been more wonderful. I’m still buzzing from the week and feeling so grateful for all of it. But more about that in a minute…

If you’re new here, ‘This Week in the World’ is a weekly recap of content ranging from around the globe. My hope is that each week, 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. Let’s dive into the content I sourced for week 43…starting with a recap of this trip to Paris!

PARIS RECAP

We had a full week of fun activities planned over the course of our trip! While some of these activities you’ll have to come on a trip yourself to experience, there are a few stand-out experiences we did that you can add to your next Paris itinerary!

• Fat Tire Bike Tour of Versailles: We had such a fun day exploring Versailles by bike! Not only did we get to see the palace and gardens, but we also got to explore the town. We stopped at a local market to buy food and had our own picnic for lunch. We also learned a lot about the history of Versailles from our guide along the way. The cherry on top was the absolutely perfect weather that we had… it couldn’t have been better!

• Sézane Shopping Experience: This Parisian-based brand makes some of my favorite clothes in the world (sustainable + beautiful in style). While you can always buy their clothes online HERE it’s so much fun seeing pieces in person in a store. We were so fortunate to have the store to ourselves for an after hours shopping experience (no one left empty handed!)

• La Cuisine Macaron Class: Rebecca is a long-time friend of Jane at La Cuisine… which is a darling cooking school in the heart of Paris. We had such a fun afternoon learning to make macarons with their team (which was much harder than you might think!) Whether you want to have a go at making them yourself, or try cooking another quintessential French dish, be sure to check out La Cuisine.

• Eiffel Tower Picnic with My Parisian Life + Jouis Jadot: You can’t visit Paris without having an Eiffel Tower picnic… and we had an absolutely gorgeous one thanks to Yanique at My Parisian Life! She puts together absolutely stunning picnic-scapes for weddings and other special events. It was easily the most beautiful picnic I’ve ever been a part of! While she provided cheese, baguettes, fruit, nuts, meat + more for us to nibble on, we also had wine to pair thanks to the famous French producer Louis Jadot. They have a wide range of lovely wines that put the cherry on top of this magical night!

• We also were so excited to gift these customizable necklaces by ABLE to all the girls on the trip. We put the phrase “Joie de vivre” on them, which means “the joy of life” in French. After the last couple of years, we felt that celebrating and remembering the joy of life felt more relevant than ever. You can put whatever phrase you’d like on the necklaces, and you can get 20% off using code “Whitney20” at checkout!

My goal with Atlas Adventures is to help facilitate meaningful travel while connecting with like-minded people… but to also be mindful about leaving a positive impact in the destinations that we visit. I’ve started selecting a local charity that our group can give back to during our stay. This time, we were able to donate over $2,000 to The BAAM, which is a team of legal experts, teachers, students, social workers, artists, journalists, unemployed people, french or foreigners. Their goal is to welcome, with dignity, all migrant people : asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented immigrants or workers in Paris. You can learn more about this organization and donate HERE.

This certainly won’t be the last Atlas Adventures trip to Paris, so be sure you’re receiving emails from me to be the first to know about the next trip!

TRAVEL NEWS + UPDATES

• London’s first Centurion lounge is now open at Heathrow! I am so excited for this because it’s in Terminal 3 (so if you fly Delta/Virgin going to/from the US… you’ll be conveniently located to this new lounge!)

• Singapore and Thailand Are Opening to U.S. Travelers—What to Know About Southeast Asia Travel (I’m currently eyeing flights to Bangkok for Q1 next year!)

• My friend and teammate Rebecca wrote this very comprehensive post on “What it’s like traveling to Paris right now.”
  

• The best places to see fall foliage this year.

AROUND THE WORLD

• This article about how chemical companies avoid paying for pollution made my blood boil.

• The 10 Happiest Countries in the World

• There is one last week left in October, and I have my eye on this list of 85 rather wonderful things to do in London in October.

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That’s all for today. Happy reading and hope to see you back again next week!

xx

Whitney