Melissa Barton, Writer

As it turns out, I should have read the editorial in the January/February issue of Transitions Abroad before wondering whether the print magazine is going out of print. Transitions Abroad holds a special place in my heart as my first sale in 2005, a short Participant Report about studying in Russia. It’s also been a source of valuable information for me as a traveler, so I am especially sad to see its last issue.

Gregory Hubbs, son of the founding editor and publisher Dr. Clay Hubbs (who passed away last year) wrote:

Unfortunately, these days it is almost impossible to make profitable small and independent niche magazines without “angel investors.”

I love print magazines, personally–I pick up free ones compulsively and subscribe to quite a few more. I enjoy the tactile experience of them, and unlike web publications, they’re convenient for the bus, the airplane, the doctor’s waiting room, or flipping through during lunch. But the web is fast and convenient for quickly looking up information (when I wanted to know something about a specific destination, I turned to TransitionsAbroad.com, not an index of the print magazine), and this does seem to be the way of the future.

The editor of the print magazine, Sherry Schwartz, describes the hopes for the future of TransitionsAbroad.com:

Greg and Clay’s wife, Dr. Joanna Hubbs, will continue offering a wealth of travel editorial, commentary, and resources online. The Hubbs are excited about expanding TransitionsAbroad.com and upholding the same editorial integrity that the magazine has maintained. They will be taking TransitionsAbroad.com to a new level by offering a greater breadth of content than ever before. The goal is to encourage and inspire new audiences, as well as to remain a tried and true resource for Transitions Abroad’s loyal readers. The coming expansion of the website on March 1st will offer ever greater flexibility for featuring the voices of Transitions Abroad’s columnists and contributing editors.

I think TransitionsAbroad.com is currently presenting a huge amount of great information in a somewhat overwhelming way, and I hope the new layout will be more approachable. When TransitionsAbroad.com began encouraging submissions for new sections like “Travel to Eat” last year, I thought that was a great direction to expand in, and I hope to see more in that direction.

I believe that Transitions Abroad filled an important niche of practical, down-to-earth travel information aimed at ordinary people with ordinary budgets, interested in seeing and doing things besides resorts and big organized tours. I wish the people at TransitionsAbroad.com the best of luck in continuing to fill that niche with the website. I’m excited to see what they do.