We Believe Small Towns Are Destinations

Lately, I have been thinking about getting back to basics and what that means for My Town Travels, and a phrase we used to put on all our marketing materials came to mind:

“We Believe Small Towns Are Destinations.”

In 2018, when My Town Travels began, I had one goal: to shine a light on small-town travel. I didn’t want to use the super overused term “hidden gem,” and I wanted to truly be a benefit to the towns I visited, and then it hit me… Small Town Destinations. Sounds simple, right? Nope, not at all. Destination as a term means something when you hear it immediately: it’s a place you are going to, but it’s also a place you can stay. So right off the bat, I knew the term “hidden gem” might not fit the content I wanted to create. I knew the content I wanted to create needed a bigger message than a single item. It needed to be bigger than something labeled a hidden gem that would initially look cool on a social page and then eventually get scrolled past. This content would be associated with a bigger picture, something distinct: the destination itself. To do this at the level I wanted, I needed to create criteria. Criteria that would separate the destination I chose to talk about from other destinations and put it into the category of “Small-Town Travel.”

Why Am I Reflecting On All This Today? Well, For Two Reasons:

I want to get back to the heart of why Travel Small Towns was created in the first place.
To inform anyone who cares to learn, about what Small Town Travel is, and why it’s different than other types of travel.

To elaborate on item one, as a solo entrepreneur, you can sometimes get a little lost in the noise. You take on too many tasks that you “think” are important; you start to compete in areas that maybe don’t make sense, you’re getting buried in the amount of work you “think” you need to do, and eventually you start asking yourself why you are doing all these things that are making you crazy, stressed, and tired, and eventually you get to the question “How did I get here?”

Then you start to remember… The fun times, the excitement, the things you love, and the simplicity of sharing something you LOVE. Can it really be that simple? If you’re in the Blogging/UGC Industry, yes, yes, it can! In my case, that’s exactly what I did. Took time to remember why I started, why I loved it, what my dreams were, and what makes sense now. Where is the best place to pick up and begin again? In my case, the very beginning, where I laid out the idea of “We Believe Small Towns Are Destinations.” Why did I choose “We” instead of “I”? Because I have always had and will continue to have a team alongside me who share the same vision for Small Town Tourism. It’s also “We” to define the collective Small Town We. We introduce the small-town destinations we have and will represent in their best light and define what that means.

From That Idea Came Item Two:

What is Small Town Travel? Essentially, as currently defined by the standards I created from research, it’s this:

“The concept of small-town travel and tourism is defined by a town’s unique appeal to be a destination for a traveler/visitor by one or more of the following qualifiers:

-Quantitative data (population of destination)

-Qualitative characteristics of small towns (Main Street, Town Square, Boutique shops, etc.)

-The concept of slow travel and fewer destinations

-Role of Agritourism and Rural Tourism bringing more attractions to small-town destinations. (Wineries, Breweries/Distilleries/ Agricultural Attractions like Fall Pumpkin Farms and Apple Orchards)

-Definition of Small Towns in the U.S.

For more details on defining Small Town Travel, Click Here or Listen Here:

Getting Back To What Makes Me Happy

All of this has been burning in the back of my brain, and it’s made me realize it’s time to get back to work that makes me truly happy.

Promoting the fact that Small Towns Are Destinations and everything that goes along with that statement.

More Ways To Explore & Promote Small Towns

Travel Small Towns Directory: Travel Small Towns offers great opportunities to join as a Directory Member for less than $10 a month on TRAVELSMALLTOWNS.COM, and has options for Destination Marketing Organizations, Tourism Organizations & Small Town Businesses to join the Travel Small Towns Directory for FREE! JOIN NOW.

Posts, Articles & Podcasts: Want My Town Travels or our sister company, Travel to Small Towns, to Visit Your Town? Contact Us to see how we can promote your unique offerings on our Social Media, Newsletters, Podcasts, and Websites.

Community Group: Are you a Small Town Tourism Organization, Business, or Traveler? Head over to our Facebook page and ask to join our Private Group, Small Town Places to Visit. We are excited to launch this new page, where we connect Small Towns and Visitors.