Skoob’s Blog About Travel is written by Carol and Jeff Carpenter, a couple of empty nesters who traveled before the kids, with the kids, and now after the kids. We especially love the little-known facts and the lesser-known places, which we seem to find everywhere we go.

These “hidden gems” are the inspiration behind most of our blog posts. Each week we write about a Weekly Gem that has been added to our personal map. Sometimes we explain exactly what this gem is all about. Other times it’s more of a tangent, but always inspired by the hidden gem.

Our posts are accurate, but not like reading an encyclopedia. We try to make a connection between reader and gem, perhaps triggering a smile, a smirk, or a misty eye. Our goal is to inspire our readers to go see the gem themselves, and look for others on their way.

To get a flavor for our Weekly Gems style and content, click any image on this page to go to the associated blog post. Our There's No Place Like page is also a great starting place, with posts categorized so you can follow your interests.

Readers and followers of Skoob’s Blog and our social media posts are diverse in age and gender, ranging from college and gap year individuals right on through retirees. The slight majority are in their 40’s through 60’s, so we are seen by a lot of traveling families with older kids, by empty nesters, and retirees with the time and inclination to investigate. A large majority of our audience resides in the U.S.

What do our readers have in common? More than a demographic label, it seems that are a curious group.  They enjoy history, culture, and art, but also getting into the story behind the story, and the little-known facts. When they travel, they’re likely to visit historic sites, take walking tours, and visit out-of-the-way locations, as opposed to lounging by the pool or sunning themselves on the beach (well, maybe a little time on the beach wouldn't hurt!).

Our audience is loyal. We have grown slowly, gathering people who are truly interested in our posts, and who come back week after week to see what’s new.

Our ideal relationship is for a tourism office (city, region, or country) to host our visit, and we would write about that visit on our blog and our post on social media. Although we have focused on Weekly Gems, and would use that to the benefit of our partners, we certainly aren’t limited to that type of content.

Here, then, for your consideration.

We would visit your location, and make a point to include in our itinerary several places that would inspire great "Weekly Gems." Let's say, for a round number, eleven of those sites. We would also make a point to visit many places that would be considered attractions, including several well-known places, as well as several that are off the beaten path.

We will then write posts of two types. 

First, we will write a couple or three general posts about the location, describing several things to do, places to see, a compilation of public art, and thereby providing something of a trip summary and suggestions for prospective visitors. By breaking this down into two or three sub-topics, we could have more than one post spread out over a few weeks or months, while also appealing to more diverse audiences (e.g. public art vs. history vs. culinary).

Second, we would write and publish Weekly Gem posts, intermittently over a year or two, to continue reminding our readers about the fantastic details that make people say, ‘Wow, I want to go there!’.

Our approach then would not be 'one and done,' but rather a continuous sprinkling of enjoyable posts, written in a style that is less about listing facts and more about making connections. Our readers will get a positive vibe about your locations, and that will be reinforced many times, over time.  And since our audience is naturally curious and enjoys traveling, some of them are likely to pack up and go.

If that sounds like the type of partnership that would be of interest to you, please contact us.

Happy Trails!