Why We Love This Game ⚽

Last weekend, I attended SRCCON in Minneapolis, a journalism conference for indie newsrooms and solo journalists.

I shared some of my impressions from this event with our paid members. This is another perk our paid community members get: insights and behind-the-scenes looks into the world of travel media.

Join us here to get access to member-only stories and help us make Going Places stronger than ever in Year 2!

xx Yulia

🏠 Inside Going Places

Coming up next week

➡️ 🇨🇱 Our Chile series starts next Wednesday, July 22nd!

Over the course of eight weeks, we'll share one short story in your inbox every Wednesday that will provide a bit of context and history of this fascinating place and introduce you to some of its most interesting people.

¡Ya po!

(One way to say 'let's go!' in Chile.)

A Going Places meet-up

Just a reminder that our first Going Places meet-up is happening in London soon.

📅 Meet me on Sunday, August 2nd, at 11:00 AM at Beanie Green - Little Venice, a coffee spot by the canal near Paddington.

We'll grab a coffee (or fish & chips) and get to know others in our community who are based in London – or happen to be passing by, just like me!

This is a free-to-attend event, but RSVP is required here, so I know how many people to expect.

🚀 Paid Members Corner

This week's creator opportunities

🚀 Looking for stories of women of color, culture, and becoming – apply by Saturday, Aug 1

🚀 A $10,000 grant for photographers – apply by Mon, Aug 17

🚀 Roe Magazine is seeking contributors – no deadline

🚀 A paid funder x creator fellowship – no stated deadline, but apply soon

🚀 Women's Health is seeking freelance pitches – no deadline

🚀 Spend four weeks in rural Spain this Fall – no deadline

🚀 Popular Mechanics is seeking aviation pitches – no deadline

🚀 A travel pub is hiring for two remote roles – no deadline

🚀🔓BONUS: Get $500 a week to write in the Swiss mountains – apply by Mon, Aug 31

🚀🔓BONUS: Host your own creator workshop – no deadline

Find all the latest opportunities here.

🔓 Bonus opportunities are unlocked for our free subscribers.

🌍 In The World

The beautiful game

At the start of this World Cup, I shared with you a secret: while I know little about UEFA, La Liga, or the English Premier League, I predictably become the globe's biggest fútbol fan every four years.

Perhaps like me, you've spent the last few weeks tracking team standings, skipping work to watch matches, and learning about such darlings as Erling Haaland or Yassine Bounou.

Perhaps like me, you've gotten mad at certain referees' calls, discussed FIFA's corruption with friends, and had a permanent tab open in your browser displaying 'world cup games today'.

Perhaps like me, you're a little sad right now that the spectacular show we've enjoyed in the last month is almost over.

With six days left until the finals, I started thinking about this phenomenon: why does the World Cup draw me and so many other 'occasional' fans in so deeply?

Sure, the game itself is beautiful, unpredictable, and full of drama (this one goal from Cabo Verde's Sidny Lopes Cabral was worth the entire tournament).

But there is something else at play.

For me, the fascination with the game comes down to two things.

First, the stories. There were so many in this World Cup:

From Cabo Verde's extraordinary first-time run into the knock-out stage and the dream come true for its star goalie, Vozinha, who became a pro player later in life, to a small Kansas town embracing Team Algeria, Iran's national team having to commute to the U.S. under already-insurmountable pressures, and Egypt's electric game against Argentina in the Round of 16 sparking controversy, there was no shortage of deeply human stories.

But stories alone are not enough: there are plenty of those in another global team sport like basketball, for example, and yet, I couldn't even tell you when or where its last competition was.

The second aspect of fútbol is its power beyond the pitch.

It is the same emotion that drives my travel journalism work.

Every four years, we get to witness a remarkable display of the world's humanity, its cultures, and its heart.

Rising above the politics, the racial slurs, and the marketing, we celebrate the athletes and the fans. We join a universe in which Norwegian Viking rows coexist with Japanese post-match cleanups and Mexican hospitality for the Iranian squad.

And maybe, just for a few fleeting summer weeks, we believe that the world has the capacity to come together after all.

To keep doing the work, we need that belief.

I'm planning a group trip to Jordan this Fall to help communities there rebound from a year spent without work.

Help me gauge the interest for this trip by taking a quick poll below.

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