Over the past fifteen years, I’ve lived in China, Rwanda, and Sweden, traveling to more than 90 countries, though I don’t keep a firm count and only mention it here because someone told me I should.

My work is rooted in curiosity about where we go, and how we connect when we get there.

I hold two Solas Awards from Travelers’ Tales, a credit in Bradt Guides travel anthology, and bylines in the Toronto Star, Fodor’s Travel, Panorama, Points in Case, and others. I am a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association.

I focus on places often overlooked or misunderstood, telling stories that blend cultural insight, visual atmosphere, and a little dry humor. I believe good travel content isn’t about putting yourself at the center of the story but rather about noticing more, getting a little lost, and making room for surprise.

I’ve just finished a memoir about five years living in Shanghai.

The Platform

Everything above is where this started. Scott Monaco is now also an editorial platform — publishing work from a growing network of contributors in the destinations the platform covers, planning trips for travelers heading to those places, and working with tourism boards and operators who want to reach travelers searching beyond the mainstream circuit.

The editorial home is at Stories. New stories are published weekly and emailed to subscribers. The full archive is open to browse. You can explore eight Ways to Travel or Plan Your Trip across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and beyond.

If you are a tourism board, operator, or destination looking to work together, visit the Partner page.

A small number of readers directly underwrite the trips and editorial work behind this platform — funding travel to specific destinations so the resulting stories and photography can remain free and editorially independent. If that interests you, please get in touch.

Reach me at scott [at] scottmonaco [dot] travel.

Guest Contributors

Scott Monaco publishes work from writers and photographers with firsthand experience in the destinations the platform covers.

Mandy Sham is a journalist and photographer whose work has appeared in Suitcase, GQ, National Geographic, and Travel + Leisure.
Sí, Con Todo | Website: mandy-sham.com | Instagram: @peach.punk

Manson Yim is a Hong Kong-based photographer whose work captures the city’s street life, architecture, and urban atmosphere.
Photograph Your Way Through Hong Kong | Instagram: @mansonyms

Julia Hammond is a UK-based travel writer and copywriter whose work has appeared in The iPaper, the New Zealand Herald, Wanderlust, and Daily Passport.
Flying to Kaieteur Falls | Website: juliahammond.co.uk | X: @juliamhammond

Interested in contributing?

All contributors are paid.

Scott Monaco is built on writers and photographers who know the places they cover. Our contributor network is a roster of creators we draw from when commissioned opportunities arise, whether it be through destination partnerships, themed editorial projects, and assignments we can’t always advertise publicly. All contributors

We also hold open submission calls for completed stories throughout the year during fixed submission windows. Paid newsletter subscribers can submit finished work for consideration at any time. If you have a story ready to go, start below with our guidelines.