IcelandAir Wants To Pay You $50k for Your Bad Photos

I'm writing to you from Turkestan, an ancient Silk Road city in the south of Kazakhstan.

I'm jet-lagged and running on little sleep, and I spent much of today in a 12-century mausoleum, where I just had one of those brilliant moments.

What I'm talking about is that rush of excitement that enters your body when you encounter something special. A twist in the story. A little-known fact that changes everything. A discovery that makes you marvel at the wonder of our world.

If you love creating and telling stories, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Freelance careers are not easy these days (were they ever?), but on a day like this, I know exactly why I do what I do.

The story I found in Turkestan (which will hopefully soon be published in a major magazine) will upend our understanding of Central Asia and shed light on how one of its key figures has changed the world forever. (I am being vague on purpose here.)

That, to me, is worth all the sacrifices and stresses of this work.

xx Yulia

🏠 Inside Going Places

Europe's hidden Muslim history

Last week, our show's guest was Tharik Hussain, a UK-based author and journalist. We covered his latest book, Muslim Europe, and stories that uncover 1,400 years of the continent's Islamic legacy.

Take a listen here.

Searching for 1,400 Years of Europe’s Muslim History

Tharik Hussain’s new book reveals the forgotten stories of the continent’s Islamic legacy.

Going PlacesYulia Denisyuk

Coming up this week

➡️ This Wednesday, you'll hear Part 2 of our conversation with Tharik Hussain, in which we'll talk about the Muslim – and Jewish – Golden Age in Europe and how the myth of Arabs and Jews fighting each other from the dawn of history still harms today.

Don't have our podcast on your feed? Add it easily here.

Easily listen to Going Places in your podcast app of choice

Quickly and easily listen and subscribe to Going Places for free in your podcast app of choice.

🚀 Paid Members Corner

This week's creator opportunities

🚀 Get $100,000 to fund your big idea – apply by Thu, Apr 30

🚀 Win $20,000 to fund your next nomad trip – apply by Thu, Apr 30

🚀 Condé Nast Traveler is hiring two social roles – no deadline

🚀 Eastside is seeking Reels-style video pitches – no deadline

🚀 Flashpack is hiring a marketing lead – no deadline

🚀 Business Insider is seeking family travel pitches – no deadline

🚀 Matador Network is seeking travel pitches – no deadline

🚀🔓BONUS: IcelandAir wants to pay you $50,000 for your bad photos – apply by Thu, Apr 30

🚀🔓BONUS: Film with nonnas in Italy – no deadline

Find all the latest opportunities here.

🔓 Bonus opportunities are unlocked for our free subscribers.

🌍 In The World

A pitching workshop

Andy Denhart is an award-winning TV critic, writer, and creator-journalist who runs reality blurred, a platform covering all things reality TV.

Andy is also a friend of Going Places, and I met him through Project C, a community supporting creator-journalists that we're both in.

Tonight, Andy is running a pitching workshop where he'll share his best tips from a long career pitching and placing at NPR, The Washington Post, Vulture, Playboy, The Daily Beast, and other publications.

If you're pitching articles – or books – and want to become better at it, don't miss this workshop: register here.

<< Become a member to support our independent journalism >>