Welcome to The Wishbone Way!

This is a weekly travel newsletter about the people, places, and choices that shape how and why we travel. Each week, I’ll be crafting stories and collaborating with like-minded travelers who share in two fundamental beliefs:

ㅅ Purpose-driven storytelling has never been more important

ㅅ Travel can and should be a force for good.

This newsletter is dedicated to fostering a community of like-minded travelers who want more than cookie-cutter “10 Best Lists” and AI-generated guides. It’s a space for real stories shaped by real people. Locals, chefs, tour guides, tastemakers, and the folks who actually make the places we visit worth going to.

About Me 👋

By way of introduction, my name is Michelle Gross, and I’ve pretty much spent my entire life traveling. Twelve years ago, after working for a local newspaper as a general assignment reporter on Martha’s Vineyard, I started writing and producing stories and destination guides for Travel+Leisure magazine in New York. After a couple of years, I struck out on my own and have been working as a full-time freelance travel writer ever since.

It was my fork-in-the-road moment, and I haven’t looked back. 人

Over the past decade, I’ve continued to write for pretty much every major travel publication. From reporting on a little-known Swedish trend called Lagom for Vogue and ‘Med-cations’ being the ultimate 2025 wellness trend for New York Post to The Women Saving Japan’s Vanishing Cuisine for BBC Travel, and a wonderful Greenlandic tradition called kaffemik for Food & Wine, my stories and experiences truly run the gamut.

What You Can Expect

I’ll be sending out a weekly newsletter every Tuesday, along with occasional dispatches from the road. If you’d like to read them, please mark this email as primary and save it to your address book to stay in the know.

Here’s what you can expect to find in your inbox every week:

✈️ Anything but basic destination deep dives into cities, cultures, and communities around the world.

🔓 Interviews with insiders and locals who know the back doors, hidden corners, and best tables in town.

✅ Honest recommendations— Absolutely no AI-generated lists or BS travel hacks. If I recommend a place, a product, a tour, or a person, it’s because I can personally vouch for it and have experienced it firsthand.

✨ Stories that bring you closer to people and places — Not just where to go (and when), but how you can make a positive impact when you visit.

🤝 A community of like-minded travelers, explorers, and anyone craving a sense of connection in an increasingly disconnected world.

ㅅ If you ever want to exchange travel tips, ask a question, or share a story, you can always reply directly in the comments, or send me an email @ Michelle | The Wishbone Way — I read everything!

Thanks for being here. I can’t wait to explore the world with you in the year ahead.

Warmly,

Michelle

Editor, The Wishbone Way

Your companion for purpose-driven travel stories from around the world