SmarterTravel Named Best Online Travel Magazine

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

See recent posts by Carl Unger

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Please allow me to take a moment to pat my co-workers on the back. The North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) picked SmarterTravel as the Best Online Travel Magazine, and gave individual awards to three of our writers. NATJA, which describes itself as “the premier professional association of writers, photographers, editors, and tourism professionals,” hands out awards every year.

The individual awards came in the Tips and Advice for Consumers category, with Molly Feltner and Jessica Labrencis taking first place and Sarah Pascarella earning a merit award. (It’s worth noting that this was not an online-only category.) Molly and Jessica won for their collaborative effort on the two-part Airline Fees Survival Guide (Jessica wrote Part One and Molly wrote Part Two), while Sarah was recognized for her photo feature, Avoid Fees & Hassles with a Well-Packed Bag.

Obviously we’re happy for the individual writers, and proud of the overall award. We’ve worked hard to create a useful, consumer-friendly publication for travelers, so it’s nice to have our efforts rewarded in this way.

OK, my moment of self-congratulatory blathering is over. Back to work!

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