About International Traveller

International Traveller

International Traveller (internationaltraveller.com) is Australia's biggest-selling outbound travel magazine — a quarterly magazine and website for Australians travelling the world, launched in 2012 by Australian Traveller Media as the offshore sibling of Australian Traveller. Built on the same formula of excellent travel writing and photography and fierce dedication to independent advice, it quickly became the market leader for outbound travel, and celebrated its 50th edition in 2024.

Overview

International Traveller is a quarterly magazine (Muck Rack) published from Suite 101, 15 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010 — the Sydney home of Australian Traveller Media. Its goal, in the company's words: "to be the most authoritative, accessible, informative and entertaining source for any international traveller." The brand's vision — "a world where every journey is a great one" — and mission — "to connect people to their incredible experiences" — are shared with its domestic sibling.

History

In 2012, following the success of Australian Traveller (launched 2005, best-selling travel magazine in the country within 12 months), Australian Traveller Media launched International Traveller magazine and website for the outbound Australian traveller. The brand delivered the same excellence in travel writing and photography and the same fierce dedication to sound, independent advice — and quickly became the market leader for outbound travel.

The magazine codified its values in its very first edition as the International Traveller manifesto — "this is your magazine": the reader is the most important person in the enterprise and at the centre of every decision; trust must be earned, and the magazine will "never, ever — and I mean never, ever — let another party, usually dangling some money, dictate what we write or how we write it," preferring not to publish at all than to run "advertising dressed up as shabby editorial"; every corner of the globe is worth exploring, so every issue touches every continent; time is precious, so the magazine takes the dud hits and helps readers make better travel decisions; and a zero-to-six-star rating philosophy covering all kinds of journeys, since love of travel is not confined to one style.

The Readers' Choice franchise has been a signature: the 2018 special edition drew more than 3,000 readers voting their favourite holiday spots, airlines and more — Emirates snatching best airline from Qantas for the first time, Singapore Changi holding favourite airport against Heathrow, Hong Kong and Dubai, Fiji winning best beach escape over Bali, Hawaii and the Maldives, Italy voted the country readers couldn't get enough of, and New York the best city in the world. The magazine's battlefield-travel coverage — Ypres, Passchendaele, Fromelles, Gallipoli, Long Tan — shows its range beyond leisure into historically resonant travel.

In December 2022 the print and digital editorial teams of both titles were combined into a single content team led by Katie Carlin as head of content, with Imogen Eveson promoted to print editor; longtime editorial director Leigh Ann Pow departed. The 50th edition was celebrated in 2024, with industry and staff gathering for the milestone.

The manifesto, in full

The International Traveller manifesto \u2014 written down in the very first edition and adhered to ever since \u2014 is worth quoting at length because it is the magazine's constitution. "This is your magazine": the reader is the most important person in the whole enterprise, at the centre of every decision, and encouraged to make feelings known, good and bad. "It's all about trust": trust must be earned, because "far too much travel writing would be more at home in a marketing brochure" \u2014 so the magazine will never let money dictate what it writes or how it writes it, and would rather not publish at all than run advertising dressed up as shabby editorial. "The world is your oyster": every corner of the globe is worth exploring, so every issue touches every continent in some way. "Time is precious": with each issue the objective is to help readers make better travel decisions, never wasting their time on a shoddy holiday \u2014 "we will take the dud hits for you." "Zero to six stars": a love of travel is a virtue not confined to one style, so every issue covers all kinds of journeys. It is a reader's bill of rights disguised as a mission statement, and it explains the brand's authority: the independence is the product.

Readers' Choice and the big votes

The annual Readers' Choice edition turns the audience into the editorial board. The 2018 vote \u2014 more than 3,000 readers \u2014 reads as a snapshot of Australian outbound taste at the decade's end: Emirates dethroning Qantas as best airline for the first time; Singapore Changi holding favourite airport against London Heathrow, Hong Kong and Dubai; Fiji beating Bali, Hawaii and the Maldives for best beach escape on family-friendly resorts and honeymoon hotspots; Italy the country readers couldn't get enough of (ahead of the USA, Japan, France and New Zealand); New York the best city in the world (ahead of Paris, London, Rome and Tokyo). The franchise gives the magazine what travel publishing most needs: the audience's own verdict, quantified.

Fifty editions

The 50th edition, celebrated in 2024 with industry and staff, marked twelve years of the outbound title \u2014 from 2012 launch to market leadership, through the pandemic that grounded its readers and the 2022 restructure that merged its editorial team with its sibling's. The milestone photo \u2014 industry and past and present staff together \u2014 mirrors the 100th-edition celebration of Australian Traveller the year before: two magazines, one independent company, still publishing.

Content and positioning

The manifesto's promises define the product: reader-first, quality journalism, no-nonsense advice, every continent in every issue, and honest zero-to-six-star judgments across all travel styles. The magazine covers the full gamut of world travel experiences — cities, beaches, cruises, battlefields, food, culture — "ensuring every journey you take is a great one."

Coverage and audience

International Traveller serves outbound Australian travellers — the Australians going abroad — through the quarterly magazine and website. Its scope is international and consumer; its audience is the Australian international traveller planning and dreaming.

Ownership

International Traveller is published by Australian Traveller Media (co-founders Quentin Long and Nigel Herbert). Advertising: Senior Account Manager & Team Leader Tim Partridge, 02 9698 7072. Further ownership and financial details are not publicly confirmed.

Beyond leisure: the battlefield traveller

The magazine's range extends past beaches and cities into historically resonant travel. Its battlefield guides \u2014 the Western Front towns of Ypres, Passchendaele, Fromelles, Bullecourt and the Somme villages of Pozi\u00e8res, Hamel and Villers-Bretonneux; Gallipoli, "Australia's most famous battlefield," where a day or two on the ridges explains why the 1915 campaign was doomed; Long Tan in Vietnam, where the Australian memorial is one of only two foreign war memorials in the country \u2014 serve the Anzac pilgrimage audience with practical itineraries (three days for the Western Front, two for Gallipoli, best months March to October). It is travel writing as remembrance, and it shows the title's editorial breadth.

Digital presence

The brand maintains internationaltraveller.com with destination features, the manifesto, battlefield guides and travel inspiration, extending the quarterly print magazine online. The site carries the photography and long-form sensibility of the print edition into continuous publishing \u2014 the outbound counterpart to australiantraveller.com's domestic #1, together covering the Australian traveller's whole world.

Sources and further reading

• International Traveller, "About Us" and "Advertise" — history, address, mission.
• International Traveller, "Manifesto" — the founding editorial promises.
• Mediaweek, "Readers' Choice" (2018) — the awards franchise.
• Mediaweek, "Australian Traveller & International Traveller to join editorial teams" (2022).