Street Journeys for Households readers…
What a yr!
I write to you simply after 8 p.m. the week earlier than Christmas. Like many others throughout this time, I’m racing to tie up any lingering unfastened ends to make sure my freedom as soon as the brand new vacation week rolls round. The passage of time feels extra relentless as I become older, and it’s arduous to imagine 2025 is coming to an in depth.
With January proper across the nook, I’m simply shy of my one-year anniversary as the positioning supervisor and first editor at Street Journeys for Households.
I got here on board in February of this yr, with restricted expertise in journey media however years of tenure as a replica and content material editor in different niches. Don’t misunderstand — I like seeing new sights, nurturing my interior adventurer every time potential in my day by day life.
As a born-and-raised Coloradan, my mother and father instilled a way of exploration in me at a younger age (nevertheless it wasn’t till my mid-20s that I actually tapped into this innate curiosity to traverse the world round me). Arguably essentially the most distinguished trek of my grownup life was my transfer from Denver to Los Angeles in 2020. After taking the plunge, I discovered myself navigating the thrilling, unfamiliar, and uncanny nature of the pandemic-infused Metropolis of Angels in solitude because it progressively got here again to life.
Nonetheless, I’ll admit that I’m not a seasoned traveler. Greater than something, I perceive the ability of storytelling and the way relaying our experiences can encourage others in surprising methods. Each matter our contributors pitched this yr went by means of me first. Since February, each story we’ve revealed right here acquired an intensive evaluation by yours actually first.
Diving into the distinctive accounts, holidays, and highway journeys our contributors crafted for this platform has solely affirmed my very own need to traverse extra of our world. I’m optimistic that almost all of our readers would say the identical.
New Editor, New Strategy
At Street Journeys for Households, we reside as much as the identify. We’ve all the time maintained a deal with journey and highway journey tales appropriate for all ages.
However journey is an immense, wide-reaching matter. As I discovered my footing, I made a acutely aware effort to cowl much more floor whereas holding our family-centered method shut. Past highway journeys, you’ll discover a hefty sampling of travel-related tales recounting highway journeys and rather more. If it’s an attention-grabbing and family-friendly journey expertise, we’re .
Our contributors do stellar work, relaying useful sources, ideas, and recommendation as they recount their particular person experiences. Since I don’t journey a lot myself, I’ve embraced my journalism background to develop our website’s storytelling scope.
We now have a variety of options on the positioning, with in-depth interviews highlighting standout topics throughout the journey realm. From podcast hosts to authors and inspiring advocates pushing for higher journey entry, that is simply the tip of the iceberg. Witnessing the speedy evolution of this house in at the moment’s trendy world, we’ve additionally revealed extra journey information and insights on rising traits to maintain readers within the know.
There’s nonetheless a lot to discover, and we’re solely getting began.
The Journey Forward in 2026
Together with sustaining this yr’s expanded angle on family-friendly journey, we’re cooking up much more for 2026.
Picture by Ole Kloth on Unsplash
An LGBTQ+ Household Focus
There isn’t a one method to outline “household.” Our website displays many iterations, with tales centering childless {couples}, multi-generational households, single mother and father, chosen household — the record goes on. Regardless of our website’s many representations of “household” in at the moment’s world, there’s all the time extra to discover.
In 2026, Street Journeys for Households will introduce a brand new class centering the experiences of LGBTQ+ households; highlighting the problems lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender vacationers face at the moment; and uplifting these journey points of interest catered to the group and their households. We’re already engaged on some tales to kick off this new class, so keep looking out!
Like all of our different articles, we’ll share LGBTQ+ household journey information, business profiles, and welcome any firsthand tales from queer and trans writers. In case you’re concerned about sharing your expertise as an LGBTQ+ traveler, have views to share from travels with LGBTQ+ relations, or know of points of interest and excursions catered to the group and their households, we wish to hear from you!
Attain out with LGBTQ+ journey pitches or tricks to [email protected].
Welcoming Again Editor and Contributor Vanessa Salvia
One other massive replace: On the finish of October, I realized that Street Journeys for Households would welcome again long-time editor and present website proprietor Vanessa Salvia!
Vanessa and I’ve labored collectively as media collaborators for greater than three years now. With out her, I wouldn’t be at my desk penning this letter. Vanessa has her personal storied historical past with journey, embracing her love of exploration along with her two youngsters and her husband, Don, and his two youngsters.
As I got here on board in February, Vanessa stepped away as a result of she’d taken a place in a newsroom that didn’t permit freelance work on different tasks. She’s since left the newsroom, so she will be able to proceed managing this website alongside her different journalism and meals methods work. Whereas I’m immensely pleased with the expansion I fostered for the positioning as the only editor, I couldn’t be extra thrilled to have Vanessa by my facet as we traverse the subsequent chapter at Street Journeys for Households.
Together with her years of media and journalism expertise, Vanessa is a useful asset to our crew. I do know her experience will solely proceed pushing this platform ahead.
Street Journeys for Households: The Writers Who Make it Potential
Picture by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
After I joined the crew, Street Journeys for Households had a really small group of normal contributors. Most of those unbelievable writers are nonetheless with us. I’ve additionally had the pleasure to work with a variety of new contributors all year long. Every particular person brings their very own distinct perspective to the desk, overlaying a big selection of various areas and journey subjects.
Right this moment, our contributor crew has grown to greater than 20 recurring writers. I’m past pleased with the work they’ve put on this yr, and I can’t wait to see what they convey to the desk in 2026!
A honest thanks to our contributors who wrote for Street Journeys for Households in 2025:
Ariel Frager
Andrea McHugh
Bethany Kandel
Chelsey Stone
Cheryl Rodewig
Don Haugen
Jen McGuire
Jody Ellis
Judy Colbert
Kate Loweth
Kinsey Gidick
Laurie Wilson
Megan duBois
Michele Sponagle
Mira Temkin
Rebecca Meyers
Rebecca Stanisic
Sarah Gilliland
Sheeka Sanahori
Stacy Brooks
Taryn Shorr-McKee
Tracy Beard
Terri Colby
Vanessa Caceres
And one other fast shoutout to the visitor writers who shared their tales this yr:
Nicole McCray
Toby Patrick
Muhammad Nasir
Nadav Levy
Jeremy Greenburg
When you’ve got a narrative with pictures you’d wish to host on our website as a visitor writer, ship pitches to [email protected].
Goodbye 2025, Hey 2026!
Picture by Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash
A part of fostering a platform like Street Journeys for Households is being adaptable. Numerous instances this yr, I embraced new methods that I hadn’t thought-about till they offered themselves. I anticipate 2026 will observe an analogous trajectory, with our crew leaning into thrilling new paths as we uncover them.
It goes with out saying, however we wouldn’t have Street Journeys for Households with out our viewers. Our particular person readers, website classes, and views jumped greater than 50% from 2024 to 2025. Our crew is all the time trying to enhance, however this tells me we’re doing one thing proper! From one-time readers to common guests diving into each story, we couldn’t be extra grateful. Thanks to your continued help.
Whether or not you’re staying put, hitting the highway, or hovering by means of the sky within the coming days, the crew at Street Journeys for Households needs everybody a restful and glad vacation season!
Till subsequent yr,
Keegan Williams
Editor and Website Supervisor
Street Journeys for Households
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You’ll find them at keeganmwilliams.com or on Instagram @promwitch.
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