Welcome to The Missive
The Missive is a weekly, worldly dispatch of travel tales, reading recommendations, and curated cultural recommendations that bring the world to your inbox.
It’s written by me, Marko Ayling.
I’m a life-long traveler and the creator and host of Vagabrothers, one of the most trusted and popular travel shows on YouTube, with 1M+ subscribers worldwide.
But before YouTube, I was a vagabonding writer who shared his adventures through a humble newsletter for friends and family. My love for travel storytelling led me to start a blog, author a few guidebooks, and eventually co-found the YouTube channel that would make me known as a travel expert.
A decade of chasing success on social media left me exhausted by the endless battle for eyeballs, spread thin by the constant travel for new content, and frustrated by living at the whims of fickle algorithms that prevent creators from connecting directly with the audience they’ve spent years building online.
That’s why I started The Missive. To get back to my roots as a writer. To build a sustainable home for our community of global souls. And to invite you to be part of it.
What is The Missive?
The Missive is an exciting evolution of my past work on YouTube. It’s less listicles and more Marko.
It’s the same globally-inspired storytelling I brought to YouTube, but with a more personal and intimate touch - plus everything too nuanced to for social media.
I’ve always been a writer first and foremost, and The Missive helps me channel my passion for the written word into a sustainable platform supported directly by you.
“Missive” is an old word for a letter. I chose that name because I want each Missive to feel like a personal letter from a friend on the other side of the world.
The Missive retains my love for travel but creates more space for me to expand beyond that narrow niche to explore the full range of my intellectual interests.
Substack also empowers me to experiment as an artist. In addition to writing, I’ll be posting exclusive videos, hosting live discussions, recording my stories in audio format and sharing curated music playlists - all delivered directly to your inbox.
Why subscribe?
Each week, you’ll receive something special from me.
Sometimes it’s a never-before-released story from my decade of travels. Other weeks it’s an intimate insight from my journey of personal growth or some distilled wisdom on travel, global affairs, and how to explore our world more consciously.
I’ll also be sharing my favorite must-watch foreign films, stimulating new podcasts, and a monthly book club pick.
But ultimately, The Missive is a community. It’s a chance to share your stories, travel tips, and recommendations with thousands of other curious minds.
Drawing on nearly two decades of travel experience, The Missive is guaranteed to enrich your life, inspire your next adventure, and connect you with fellow travelers.
Why go paid?
While I will always give out my content for free, I am also offering additional benefits to paid subscribers.
Whether you chose a monthly or annual subscription, you will gain access to exclusive content, and members-only events, including:
Celestial Navigation, an audio series in which I read pages from two decades of my private journals and share intimate insights on my life.
Live book club discussions and author interviews (when possible).
Behind-the-scenes glimpses into my storytelling process to see how I craft my life stories from beginning to end.
Members-only videos responding directly to your questions.
Monthly travel-themed Ask-Me-Anything Q&A to help you make your own travel dreams a reality.
Financially supporting my evolution as an artist and being the first to get updates about my upcoming book and other projects.
Founding Members
Finally, for those of you who are feeling generous, I’m offering the chance to become a ‘founding member’ via a one-time donation.
In addition to all the benefits of a paid subscription, this entitles you to join me for street tacos here in Mexico City or a 30m 1:1 call to chat about whatever you want.
Join me.
Regardless of whether you chose to subscribe to the free or paid versions, I hope you will join me on this new journey into a deeper exploration of our world.
