Brinley Hineman
When I attended journalism school, I knew that reporting was the right path for me, but I was unsure where it would lead. So far, it's taken me from breaking news in Tennessee to community reporting in New York to a job that will take me around the globe, covering tours and river cruising for Travel Weekly.
While writing about the travel industry is a new beat and industry for me, the skills are largely the same in this new role: careful consideration, intentional source building and a quick response time to the news of the day. For me, connection is the key that unlocks my best storytelling and how I've created award-winning work covering topics like women's health, education and crime.
Still, I'm in for a lot of firsts this year.
My passport is pretty empty, save a handful of stamps. Growing up, my family prioritized travel in the U.S. over traveling abroad, which was significantly easier to plan than international travel from West Virginia, where I was raised. I've traveled to most national parks in the continental U.S. on family road trips out west, experiences I credit for sparking my curiosity about the world. (My favorite park is Glacier.)
As a bookworm, I plan to read a book based in each country I travel to -- fiction and non-fiction alike, I don't discriminate -- and would welcome your favorite reads. It was the power of reading that first transformed my world as a child, and now it is the power of writing that will expand my world as an adult.
Just as I have in my other roles, I like to dig in quickly. Some of my favorite stories so far at Travel Weekly have been on the demand for travel to Italy during Jubilee, how travel advisors and operators use TikTok as a powerful marketing tool, and the sky-high interest in astrotourism.
I'm excited to dig deeper into trends driving the travel industry right now. For river cruising, I'm particularly interested in how companies are marketing themselves to a younger crowd and how their excursions appeal to Millennial and Gen Z travelers.
And I'm interested in women-only tours and alcohol-free travel, and to tap into how brands are setting themselves apart with the itineraries they curate and the destinations they highlight.
Speaking of river cruises, I'll be at the ASTA River Cruise Expo, which I expect to be an invaluable crash course into all things river and provide me with an important perspective on the industry. Come say hi if you're there.