Since it seems like I tend to write my magazine in related pairs, I thought a review of the sister publication of my last review would be appropriate. Travel America is a magazine with a focus on all the great places to visit right here the good ol’ U.S. of A. It has many things in common with its companion Cruise Travel, as you would expect from magazines from the same publisher. For review, I have in hand two recent issues – June 2002, and the upcoming August 2002 (working for the printer has its perks….)

Travel America is published bi-monthly (that means six times a year). It is a slender book, generally falling in the neighborhood of 60 pages. Surprisingly, there is not that much advertising contained in these pages at all. This is a huge plus. I would have expected tons of ads from travel agents, resorts, and everyone else in the business, but that is not the case. The advertising that it does have is placed in such ways as to not distract from the book’s content in the slightest bit. Many advertisers have nothing to do with the travel industry. There are ads for jewelers, bed manufacturers, and electronic equipment right in with all the travel industry advertisers.

The rest of the layout and design is very efficient. This magazine has many interesting photos along to complement the editorial content, which was one feature I found a tad bit lacking in Cruise Travel. They are not full-page or two-page spreads, but rather smaller inset photos. The photo spreads really do a marvelous job of presenting the reader with a visual sense of “being” there.

The editorial content is the real value of Travel America. The articles are very detailed and thorough; yet short enough to take in when you might have a spare 5 or 10 minutes. Like its sister publication, the magazine regularly centerpieces a State of the Month, a City of the Month, a Tour of the Month, and a Resort of the Month. In the issues in front of me, the state of Pennsylvania gets the treatment, detailing much of its historical and cultural attractions. North Carolina is the other selected honoree, and we see much coverage of that state’s geographical beauty. The companion articles read like a longer version of some of the Epinions I’ve come across.

The selected cities I get to read about are Denver, Colorado, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Milwaukee article discusses a little about the city’s history, in addition to giving a few tips about finding some lesser-known attractions the city has to offer. Other tidbits are offered, such as the fact that Milwaukee ranks as the No.1 city for charitable donations raised per capita. Both articles cover many of the cultural offerings, like sporting events, music and the arts, and other amusements.

Other features will pick a geographical region or other theme, and cover some of the pertinent information. Regular columns offered in each magazine include Only A Day In…, which gives a description of the “must see” features if your time in a certain locale is severely limited. Another interesting column is A Short Drive From…, which gives some nice information about places that fall outside of the city limits. Retirement Focus is a column for seniors who may be looking for a place to vacation.

Overall, Travel America is a great magazine I would recommend to anyone, avid vacationers and non-travelers alike. Even if you don’t go many places, this magazine is still a good buy because just reading it is like a vacation in itself. I like this magazine a little better than Cruise Travel mainly because it seems a bit more diversified in its content. The only drawback, is that it is a very expensive magazine for its size at about $5.99 per issue. An annual subscription runs about $23 so there is some savings to be gotten there. I think this magazine could improve by either lowering its newsstand price, or expanding its content and coverage.

The Website is: www.travelamerica.com



Recommended: Yes