Meet Travel Writer and Editor, Nikki Vargas
Travel's always defined her career...
You may not believe it if I tell you, but many times in my career, I’ve asked another travel writer or journalist how they realized this career path and they’ve told me ‘they fell into it’ while writing about another genre.
When I asked Nikki Vargas, travel writer, editor, and founding editor of Unearth Women; however, her tale reminded me of my own.
I met Nikki at a press event a number of years back–surprised our paths hadn’t crossed earlier. Up until 2018, Nikki was working as a travel editor in NYC and we were attending many of the same media exposes, dinners, even trips of similar sorts–it wasn’t until she ventured on her own that we met and I was amazed and intrigued by the community she’d built in seemingly such a short time.
To rewind a little, Nikki told me she’d had a passion for writing from a young age–so when she was in college she pursued journalism. It wasn’t until she graduated and spent time traveling in Europe that she unknowingly planted the seeds for her writing career.
“I started a blog to recount my European adventures and keep family back home posted on my trip, which became my first foray into the act of travel writing. Once I moved to New York, I found myself naturally gravitating towards travel books, travel articles, and travel blogs. I hoped to one day become a travel writer or editor, and so I brushed the dust off my old European blog and turned it into a place where I could write about travel. Eventually, that passion project blossomed into press trips, tourism board partnerships, and an on-staff editorial job at a travel publication. The rest, as they say, is history.”
I’m excited to share more of Nikki’s story with you in this newsletter, as she recounts getting laid off, founding Unearth Women and most recently writing her first book, Wanderess, which comes out next week!
Was there a destination or trip in your early career that validated you were on the right path?
My first international trip as an adult was to the country I was born: Colombia. This was the first time I had taken a trip without my parents and the first time I had paid for a trip on my own dime. Colombia was an important trip because it not only connected me to my homeland, but it also showed me that I could afford to pursue this passion even on an entry-level salary in New York City. This was a revolutionary idea because travel had always seemed a luxury to me that I hoped to one day afford when I was my parents' age. My Colombia trip showed me I could prioritize travel, leverage travel hacks to afford trips, and use my meager salary as a means to pursue travel writing in my spare time.
You founded Unearth Women as a travel publication quite literally unearthing women’s stories in the industry. When did the concept of Unearth Women first come about? And how did you turn this idea into a reality?
In 2018, I was laid off—alongside half of the editors in my office—from my first job as a travel editor. I was devastated, to say the least, because I had spent the better half of my twenties trying to break into travel writing. Defeated and downtrodden, I found myself unemployed and unsure of which way to take my career. One wine-fueled night, I began to think about how I would spend this time. If I could do anything with my spare time, what would it be? And the answer was to launch a magazine.
I'm an old soul and despite our digital-driven world, I still love the feeling of books, a physical magazine, and listening to vinyls. I wanted to create a magazine that combined my love of travel with my desire to tell more compelling stories about incredible women around the globe. Sure, starting a magazine may not be the most economically sound idea but I truly believed that there was a space for Unearth Women in the market.
Unearth Women became a reality shortly after. There were *a lot* of steps and lessons that went into building Unearth Women, and even more mistakes and successes that are scattered on the road to making my idea a reality. But for the sake of keeping this answer short, I'll say this: the first thing I did was to find a team of women who believed in my idea. Recognizing my strengths and weaknesses and choosing to surround myself with smart and savvy women, was the best thing I did to get Unearth Women off the ground.
Are there any upcoming stories or interviews you’re particularly excited about for Unearth Women this year?
On February 1st, 2022 Unearth Women is releasing its first book! Wanderess is going to be published by Penguin Random House and Clarkson Potter, and serve as an inspiring and exhaustive guide for travelers who identify as women. I couldn't be more excited to see this book in stores in less than a week!
What about personally–are there any projects you’re currently working on or trips that you’re excited to plan for 2022?
Once I wrapped up writing Wanderess, I managed to get myself a literary agent at Paradigm Talent Agency. Last year, I spent the better half of 2021 fine tuning a proposal for a second, more personal book. While Wanderess is more of a travel resource, I hope for my second book to be more of a memoir that focuses on the many ways travel has defined my life. I'm hoping that this year I'll be announcing a second book deal.
What attracts you to travel to a destination?
My boyfriend and I are huge animal lovers and always make it a point to volunteer at shelters or visit ethical animal sanctuaries when we travel. We've volunteered with dogs in Mexico and Belize, visited an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, an orangutan research center in Borneo, and a cat sanctuary in Rome. In fact, our dog Chico was adopted while we were traveling in Belize. When I'm considering a next trip, a lot of times I'm looking for destinations where I know we can connect with animals in a meaningful and ethical way.
Not to take us back there– but as travel is a key component of both our lives, I’m curious–what did you miss most about travel during the 2020 lockdown? And how do you think this translates to what travel is able to offer each and everyone of us?
I missed the act of exploring a new place, but what I quickly learned is that exploration is not limited to international destinations. Whether it was exploring the flavors of a country through a new recipe or exploring a small town in upstate New York on a weekend getaway...
I feel that the concept of travel became more accessible and attainable during lockdown as it challenged all of us to redefine exploration in new ways.
What are some of your go-to cafes, boutiques, restaurants in your home city? In other words, where can we find you when you're not traveling?
I live in Astoria, which is a lovely and diverse neighborhood in Queens. Because I work remotely, many of my go-to spots are in Astoria, near my apartment...
Astoria Bookshop is a lovely woman-owned store I like to frequent.
Astoria Coffee is a bright and sunny coffee house serving great brews, as is Madame Sous Sous , which sources its baked goods from Balthazar in Manhattan.
For a happy hour treat, I love Bar Dalia , which is a lovely art-deco inspired bar serving fantastic cocktails and tapas.
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Xo,
J