Ten years ago today, May 4th, we launched OutThere to the world. We had no idea back then just how big an adventure we were embarking on. We just had a dream to create a luxury magazine and lifestyle brand that talked to us in a way which we weren’t seeing in the media; one that is rooted firmly in diversity, discovery and discernment.
A decade later, OutThere has become the world’s leading luxury and experiential travel journal for ‘men of distinction’ and a multiple-award-winning magazine. We boast an incredible following of fellow ‘Experientialists’ who inspire us as much as we do them. Plus we’re thrilled to count thousands of allies among our readers, those who love our unique brand of storytelling and enjoy seeing the world through our lens.
A lot happens in a decade. Most notably, we experienced a powerful and significant change in the way our community is viewed by the wider world: the support for equal marriage in the UK, USA, Australia and Taiwan, among others are fine examples! Many countries also took major steps to make their communities more inclusive, Botswana and Ecuador being the most recent. And many visionary people in many places continue to fight to make their destinations more attractive and open for OutThere travellers. Plus there has been so much positive change on the whole, as we became so increasingly connected to each other … more understanding and empathy, more collectivism, more love and hope. We must give credit to ourselves and celebrate how far we have come as a human race.
There were also some things that were just simply out of our control – from unpronounceable Icelandic volcanoes to environmental breaking points, to terrorism, to natural disasters and disappearing planes. There has also been a growing tide of uber right-wing politics and nationalism that puts our open borders at risk. And now, there’s the dreaded Coronavirus, which has had a devastating effect on the way we go about what we do.
Like many businesses – not just in the travel industry – we are uncertain of what the future holds, in a time where the world has temporarily stopped travelling. But this doesn’t stop us from being immensely proud of what OutThere has become and what we have achieved.
We vow to fight on for as long as we can, to ensure that the last ten years of hard work was not in vain. We promise to continue storytelling with our uplifting and feel-good perspective on travel that is inherent in our name; and to bring you much inspiration from this magical world of ours.
So while we had plans to celebrate in style this year, instead we do it with a rather simple THANK YOU – for joining us and being part of the journey. We really couldn’t have done it without your love and support.
Many of you have so kindly asked how you can help. And for that, we are truly grateful. To start, you can visit us here online as regularly as you can, where you will find all our regular coverage and news, plus much more by way of the #Experientialist, our response to the challenges faced at this moment in time.
You can also buy a printed copy of the latest issue for your coffee table, or better still, subscribe (if you haven’t so yet) to #KeepYourMindTravelling. We’ll ensure it’ll get delivered to your door as quickly as possible. Perhaps you have a friend that you want to send a subscription to – it’ll make the perfect gift to feed their wanderlusts. We’ll be happy to include a personal note.
You can also tell your friends, followers and fans all about us by joining us on all our social media platforms below. That will keep you abreast of all our news and views. In terms of print, we are hoping to launch our comeback issue in September.
But at the very least, please keep us in your thoughts. Hopefully, we’ll be able to cheers ten more years together on our 20th birthday.
We’re OutThere. Thank you for being OutThere too!
Martin & Uwern xo
Founders, OutThere
