Last Thursday I showed you the fitness magazines that I subscribe to, so today, as promised, I'll tell you about the lifestyle/travel magazines that I read. This category is an amalgam of genres -- I think I've taken a little bit of a liberty with the term "lifestyle" -- but I think for the most part the tag fits.
First up, Real Simple. I think my subscription to this magazine started while I was in grad school during the early 2000s. Aside from a brief hiatus a few years ago, I'm back to receiving it every month, courtesy of a gift from my mom (thanks, Mom!). The magazine is a bit more expensive than other magazines I subscribe to ($24/year as opposed to $10-$12/year for most of my other subscriptions), but I think the content is worth the money. At its heart, the magazine is about organization and making life easier, but without sacrificing quality or style. Apparently, the magazine is geared toward a reader like me -- 60% of their readers are in the 18-49 age category, the majority of their readers are college-educated (88%), married (68%), and work full-time (57%). The articles tend to be about home organization, timeless style, and easy meal ideas. Though some of the articles are definitely geared to those with children (though only 41% of readers report having kids), I've found the majority of the content to be useful, and I've definitely cut out a number of recipes from the magazine's pages and added them to my binder.
I can thank my Mom for my subscription to Sunset magazine as well. I love, love, love this magazine. In part, I think it's a bit of nostalgia for my childhood, as even though I grew up as a landlocked Midwesterner, this magazine arrived in our mailbox every month. I think what intrigued me most about this magazine as a kid were all the ads in the back of the book for schools and camps for "troubled children." Apparently time spent in the woods in nowheresville Idaho is all that's needed to cure your child of their teenage resentment and angst!
Sunset publishes five region-specific editions, including versions for the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Northern California, and Southern California regions. While living in Wyoming, I received the Rocky Mountain edition, which provides specific information (such as monthly growing conditions and local weekend getaway ideas) for Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The magazine also features content on outdoor living spaces, seasonal eating and recipes, and travel. I really wish there was an East Coast version of this magazine! But I think a lot about what I love about this magazine has to do with its "Living in the West" identify and ethos. I would love to write for this magazine someday.
Finally, because I don't really have anywhere else to categorize this last magazine, I've decided to tack it on to the lifestyle category. Because really, choosing to make travel a priority is really a lifestyle decision when you really think about it -- should I buy this pair of shoes or go out to eat at that restaurant, or should I save the money and add it to our travel account? I love to travel -- but let's face it, our income doesn't really afford us the luxury of jetting off to this or that destination on a whim. Hence a subscription to Budget Travel, which offers money-saving ideas on where to go, where to stay and eat, and what to do while there, all without going into debt. This is definitely another magazine I'd love to write for some day. Hmm -- which reminds me, I really need to write an account of our trip to Nepal last December!
So, that's it for the lifestyle/travel magazines to which I subscribe. Later this week, I'll do a round-up of the special interest magazines that I read.
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