Exactly a year ago, I was about to present myself to the world as the new Publisher and Managing Editor of RealFoodTraveler.com. Deciding to purchase the site and all of the planning for how to take the culinary travel e-zine to new heights consumed my time and thoughts. I was simultaneously excited and terrified. The scales tipped more toward one side than another depending on the day. But overall, I knew I was about to do something bigger and better than I ever had. Here’s the year in review for RealFoodTraveler.com (RFT):

The writers
I was fortunate to “inherit” a wonderful group of writers and editors who had been turning in fabulous articles, many of which won them and RealFoodTraveler.com awards. Understandably loyal to Bobbie Hasselbring, the original owner and founder of RFT, I wondered if they’d want to stay with little old me. They did! And I brought a few writers along with me whose writing impressed me. Then, over the course of the year, as RFT’s reputation grew, writers I hadn’t known of before reached out. And now, at the end of this first year under my helm, I’m proud to say I have a fantastic corps of talented writers, editors and photographers who, along with me, are traveling the world, reporting back.

The readers
Well, we’d be nothing without you so THANK YOU for existing. You read RealFoodTraveler.com articles in record numbers, more than 1.2 million of you came to this online magazine in 2018 for information and inspiration for where in the world to go. Your desire to enjoy authentic cuisines from every destination is what has shaped us into a unique kind of travel outlet. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our weekly enewsletter. Not only does it have great information delivered to your inbox every Sunday but you get first crack (and double entries) in our giveaways! And, we won’t share your name or email with anyone, ever, ever, ever.

Hi, it’s me, Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher and Managing Editor at RealFoodTraveler.com 

The site
We’re on the verge of a complete redesign of RealFoodTraveler.com which, we feel will be more reflective of the food and travel experiences we’re sharing from all over the world. That big change is the frosting on the cake of all of the other changes we made this year like expanded editorial coverage to give you a more complete picture of what it’s going to be like to visit a certain destination; more authentic recipes that are quintessential to a region; a YouTube channel; more opportunities for advertisers to introduce themselves to you; and our podcast. I have to say, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my first foray into podcasts. I believe everyone has a story and I have loved getting to know some very interesting people this year. I look forward to meeting more people and introducing them to you through our casual conversations. You can get our podcasts here by clicking on the Podcast tab but you can also subscribe on iTunes, Spotify and your other favorite podcast streaming services.

The world
Although RealFoodTraveler.com is a magazine (an online one), we don’t operate quite like a typical periodical. The main difference is that I, as the Managing Editor, don’t have content pre-planned for what I want to publish every month, with themes. It’s more free-form than that. Writers contact me with articles they’d like to write. And I write about the travels I go on, myself. So on any given day, I may have articles about must-see places, iconic recipes, helpful travel gear, tips for making the most of a destination, restaurants you just have to try, and more. I’m as delighted and excited to see where we’ll go and what we’ll learn as you are! Travel is such a wonderful thing – it simultaneously shows us how big the earth is and how small it is. We learn how different we all are, yet how similar, too. Focusing on food and travel continues to be so interesting to me and I’m excited every day to walk into my office or hit the road for travels.

Embracing RealFoodTraveler.com into my professional and personal life has been the best move I’ve ever made. Challenging, to be sure, but also THE MOST FUN! Thank you to everyone who has played a part, from my team in the background (advertisers, designers, tech, accounting, etc.), to the writers, readers, and my family. The best is yet to be so let’s go!