You're receiving this newsletter because you signed up for it on my website. I email on the second Tuesday of every month to share my musings on the travel industry as well as fun travel-related books, articles and other resources. These are all genuine recommendations; I never use ads or affiliate links. Thanks so much for joining me here.

Hello, friend,

If you ever decide to join the 20,000 or so people who take a crack at the summit of Mont Blanc every year, there's a very good chance that you'll pass through territory managed by the man pictured above: Jean Marc Peillex, the mayor of the French town of Saint Gervais.

Peillex spends a lot of time thinking about the conditions under which people should (and shouldn't) access the high mountains. And he has some strong opinions, many of which aren't shared by his counterpart in Chamonix, just next door. 

Peillex believes that nature should remain (mostly) natural, and that it's wrong to build gift shops and four-star hotels and "selfie spots" in the middle of the fragile alpine landscape. He also thinks it's dangerous to allow inexperienced tourists to head out on their own into the wilds of the high Alps: He told me that more than 100 people die on Mont Blanc every year.

I heard a lot from Peillex during the half a day I spent in the mountains with him last week. (All of this is research for the book.) Next, I'm heading to Chamonix to interview the mayor there, Eric Fournier, who is generally much more in favor of making the high mountains accessible to all. There aren't any easy answers here; I find it fascinating.

I love news stories that put the focus on how residents and local leaders are thinking about tourism in their communities, and we're getting more of these pieces now than we ever did before Covid. Two recent ones caught my attention: one in the NYT (Kyoto Wants You Back, But it Has Some Polite Suggestions by Ben Dooley and Hisako Ueno, unlocked link) and the other in Outside (Key West Doesn’t Want Your Big Cruise Ships by Ryan Krogh). Both are worth a read. 

And from a traveler's point of view, Rebecca Jennings writing for Vox reports that Positano, "the Instagram capital of the world," is a terrible place to be. But I wonder how different the experience would have been, say, 20 years ago, in the pre-Instagram era. 

I'm currently enjoying Gloria Steinem's 2015 memoir, My Life on the Road, an account of her travels and activism that spans more than six decades. She traveled around India solo in the 1950s; was there for Martin Luther King's "I have a dream speech" in 1963; co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1971; and was arrested in South Africa in 1984 for protesting apartheid. What a life. 

For the NYT, I got to speak to Dr. Tonya Matthews (pictured below), the head of a soon-to-open museum in Charleston that aims to tell the full story of the African American journey (unlocked link). Pretty sure my conversation with her is the only time I've ever been moved to tears while conducting an interview. She's an impressive woman.

I've been revisiting Anthony Bourdain recently and love the episode of "Parts Unknown" in which he visits Kenya with fellow TV host Kamau Bell. Bourdain's trip to Bhutan (when he explores the country with director Darren Aronofsky) is another fun little audio journey. 

If you're wondering how much to tip on your next trip to Paris, check out these insights from Paris-based journalist Lindsey Tramuta, whose New Paris Podcast is a wonderful resource for anyone looking to get past the clichés of this diverse and fascinating city. 

For The Better Travel Podcast, I got to speak to a tour guide and peace worker who is helping visitors get beyond "Jesus tours" when they visit Bethlehem and other parts of Palestine. Also: would you go on a walking tour of a city led by someone who has experienced homelessness? 

That's all from me. How are you doing? As always, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks so much for reading.

Take care,

Paige

P.S. I'm loving Amy Schumer as a travel influencer.

P.P.S. Nothing to do with travel, but the idea that we might actually be holograms both blows my mind and makes a lot of sense (NYT, unlocked).