iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Seeking sources: have you visited a US national park this year? I'd love to chat for a story about what travelers can expect (in the context of surging visitation and policy changes).

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I once went on a long distance hike with an Italian and a bunch of Egyptians - eating shared meals with fingers. One person's cold, unsurprisingly, spread to all of us. The Italian: it's because of sleeping with our necks exposed to the air!

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Oh my goodness this is true and never occurred to me

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

As a person who just rewatched "it's a wonderful life" I'm sorry to report he nailed the voice

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Question for the style guide nerds: why have so many English-language outlets stuck with "Turkey" years after the country's UN-official 2023 change to "Türkiye?"

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Reposted by Jen Rose Smith

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 16/12/2025

Jane Austen used 'however' at the beginning of a sentence, and so can you.

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

I don't quite see it that way - regional consideration doesn't necessarily mean stars, and my gripe is with their overly idiosyncratic system. But I do think the financial incentive to add new regions extends them far beyond their cultural competency, which aggravates the problem

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

It's fine to write your own dining guide but their tweezer-weilding reign as the international shorthand for fine dining must end

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Recommended: "worth a stop if there's a drive thru I guess" Bib gourmand: "worth a stop if you're poor maybe"

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Like, what does that mean for the "recommended" category? Worth a stop if someone else is buying?

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

I'm not trying to become a professional Michelin crank but the fact that one star officially means "worth a stop if you're in the area" is so out of line with reality

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

There are only two cultures: - Cold will heal you (fresh air, cracked windows, cold plunges, etc) - Cold will be the death of you (drafts, exposed neck, iced drinks, temperature contrasts, wet hair, etc)

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Who among us shall cast the first stone re: passing out in the bathroom of a Virginia liquor store??

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

The fact that I fully agree with both sides of this meltdown makes me feel uncomfortably Vermonty

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Love a sharp elbowed little kicker

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

1. first draft 2. what have I done draft 3. burn down my house for the insurance money and join the circus draft

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Airbnb users - have you had hosts request money for damages? I'm hoping to talk with people who have paid (or avoided) these charges for a story. DM or email me at jenniferrosesmith @ gmail

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Chasing bunnies out of the garden to conclude my Peter Rabbit to Farmer McGregor character arc

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

For a story: have you used AI models (like Chat GPT) to settle or adjudicate a dispute with your partner or in another relationship? If so, I'd love to talk.

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

Trying to share Apple TV logins and getting hit with this 😭

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Vermont Alberta 🤝 "plz adopt me"

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

American friends - are you reconsidering visits to Canada this summer given political tensions? Approaching things differently in any way? If so, I'd love to chat for a story.

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

My love language, îles flottantes

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

The world demands UNESCO intangible heritage status for Québécois swearing

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Essential listening for any travel media & industry folks who have read credulous coverage of NEOM with a little "hmmmmmmmmm" open.spotify.com/episode/1q9G...

open.spotify.com

Neom, Pt 2: The Emperor’s New Clothes

The Journal. · Episode

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Making friends in Zanzibar: "Where are you from?" "Vermont, in the east." "Like where Tupac was from? "He was west." "Oh, okay. Biggie?" "Pretty much, yeah"

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Getting competing PR emails for "trending caviar bumps" and "how to do a no-buy year" is a little too on the nose if you ask me

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Researching and writing the Virtuoso impact list left me energized and hopeful about travel's potential for good — there's brilliant work happening from Mongolia to Italy and Canada, spanning cultural heritage, local economies, and environmental conservation 💚 www.virtuoso.com/travel/artic...

virtuoso.com

The Impact List: Top Luxury Travel Companies for Sustainable Tourism | Virtuoso

Cruise with Hurtigruten, safari with andBeyond in Maasai Mara National Reserve, walk the Gudao ancient hiking trails with WildChina, and more green travel opportunities.

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

"just circling back about your cancellation policy ..."

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Texted the @newyorker.com Phish longread to a Vermont friend who immediately texted back "will read later I'm at a Phish show right now"

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Come for "abuts," stay for the stroke-inducing use of "despite" and "affect"

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

I recently came across this gem of a blurb from said travel publisher, which gave me a solid five minutes of "is it AI or did they just fire too many editors?" and it turns out there is no earthly way to tell the difference

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Oh, I love it -- particularly the way some speakers have of sliding into that first vowel like they're drifting a corner

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Helping my husband get our two bikes onto a direct Marrakech-Montreal flight this morning & I heard a frustrated fellow passenger let loose a "câlisse!" and was like "yep this is the place"

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Our reps in DC are already speaking out about the illegal detention of Vermonter Mohsen Mahdawi. I just wrote to Phil Scott -- here's the link to email him. governor.vermont.gov/contact

governor.vermont.gov

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Do you keep a journal when traveling? I'm looking for a source for a story (hoping to find a civilian, ie, not a travel writer)

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Reposted by Jen Rose Smith

Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 14/04/2025

Mohsen Mahdawi of White River Junction, Vermont was illegally detained by ICE during what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process. Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the US, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Only very mild first-person rock throwing encounters here in Morocco, but I've been reading accounts by the (many) cyclists who have fled Ethiopia after being stoned and attacked by huge crowds. This is, to say the least, not the kind of story one pitches to travel media🏝️🍹

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

It's bewildering that some of the world's most hospitable countries (Morocco, Jordan, others) are also places where children regularly throw rocks at/threaten cyclists, I would truly love to understand this

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

I always say "I love winter!" and it's true, but only because I'm gone every year by some point in March. It really helps.

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Time to order seeds for my Trump tariff garden 🌱

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Ancient walking trails are being rediscovered and reimagined in places as disparate as Yunnanese mountains, Jordanian deserts, and far-flung Bhutanese highlands -- in my latest for Nat Geo, what that means and how to walk them. www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/artic...

nationalgeographic.com

Ancient walking trails are back—and you can hike them

From prehistoric paths dating back to the Neolithic period to walking routes used by Buddhist monks and tea merchants, these trails offer much more than a scenic walk in nature.

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Jen Rose Smith @jenrosesmith.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Fascinating to hear — even as Musk says Western civ must be saved from its own empathy — to hear lefty-coded self-help and therapy types argue that we should stop feeling obliged to be compassionate. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/m...

nytimes.com

‘The Interview’: Dr. Lindsay Gibson on ‘Emotionally Immature' Parents

The clinical psychologist explains the demands of “emotionally immature” parents, the impact it has on their children and the freedom of saying “no.”

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