It takes
chutzpah to start a travel magazine in a recession.
Afar is billed as a pub for "readers who are curious." I'm curious how it will survive, though its philosophy isn't
geared to the country-club crowd. Forget a focus on comfy travel and 600-thread-count sheets; the goal is
meaningful experiences. "We embrace what makes each culture distinct ... and discover
insights about others - and ourselves." I read this in the Founder's Note, set in print so tiny it had to be glimpsed through an electron microscope.
Although I'm uncomfortable with any hint of
kumbaya, it's a laudable aim. Afar embraces the gestalt of travel -- people, neighborhoods, cultural discoveries -- not just the next offbeat eatery which, by the time you find out about it,
is standing-room only and the food stinks. Departments -- such as "Resident," where a local shows off his neighborhood; "Spin the Globe," a dispatch from a random location; "Stay," accommodations that
promote the identity of a place; and "Sounds," music explored through a cultural lens -- target those who revel in the unexpected.
Still, Afar's timing can best be dubbed hopeful.
Luckily for founder Greg Sullivan, the company's CEO, he didn't have Joe Lieberman whining in the background. If FDR had to deal with Sad Sack during The New Deal, we'd have doubled the
breadlines. Instead, the magazine's founder has seized the moment, attempting, per "Wicked," to "defy gravity." That is, the perilous state of print.
Then again, Sullivan, a former corporate
securities attorney turned investment banker turned entrepreneur, has the cash. He parlayed a car retailing and finance company into a $750 million operation -- then sold his interest before the auto
industry drove off a cliff. Maybe he and co-founder Joe Diaz have the cojones to help sustain the travel category. Even if a trip to Berber territory in Morocco (the cover story) isn't on
your itinerary, it's eye-opening. According to the writer, the Berbers, ruled by an Arab minority, are under attack.
This serious, long-form piece is preceded by a first-person account of bog
snorkeling in Wales - talk about variety. Some people like swimming in muck, others swim with sharks, but can you get more down and dirty than Glenn Beck? Then again, if someone threw him in a bog,
MSNBC would be the first to cover it.
Afar seems to take an eclectic, ironic approach to travel -- nothing fazes its writers. One journeys to Caracas, Venezuela, which has the
highest homicide rate on Earth. After learning that factoid, would anyone keep it on the itinerary? Still, the magazine is chockfull of interesting information -- from which country consumes the most
chocolate (Ireland) to options for sleeping in a tree house. Forget Tarzan and Jane's décor, these eco-lodges are nifty -- and some, like the Ngong House in Nairobi, Kenya, are pricey, starting
at $800 per night. The bed in the Boat House "nestles in a canoe salvaged from the Indian Ocean ... Kenyan chefs serve private haute cuisine dinners." So Somerset Maugham! Glimpsing nature with the
aid of First World amenities.
In fact, Afar, which is beautifully art-directed, is an education. The premiere issue, which is available at Barnes & Nobles, Borders and U.S. airports,
traverses the globe. It sprinkles fun, quick hits of information, like Puno Week in Peru, which celebrates an Inca legend, with the "Time to Rise" feature, in which an amateur American baker
apprentices with a Paris boulanger to learn to make a stellar baguette. Martha Stewart would love it.
To augment the magazine's mission, it is launching a social media site in early 2010 to
connect readers; meantime, readers can check out its Facebook and Twitter addresses. The company has also created the Afar Foundation, which sponsors cultural education and immersion travel for
students who have the desire, but not the bank account.
Clearly, "curious" encompasses all ages and backgrounds. The mag celebrates that diversity -- for serious and armchair travelers
alike. Here's hoping Afar stays afloat.
MAG STATS
Published by: Afar Media
Frequency: Bimonthly
Web site:www.afar.com