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Kathleen Rellihan

@k_rellihan

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"Survival is insufficient"
Senior Travel & Culture Editor @outsidemagazine | Words: Afar, National Geographic, BBC, Outside, Time, T+L

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Excited to finally share this labor of love. TEN whole pages of art in the wild—my first print feature for Outside and my longest print feature yet!

Our new fall issue of Outside is our first Style and Design issue and it’s all about the intersection of creativity and the
outdoors. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more perfect story for me to write: “The New Wild West of Art.”

It’s all of my favorite things in one—hiking and biking (and skiing!) through wide-open spaces, and feeling awestruck in the presence of big mountains, and even bigger art.

“Land art is having a moment again—especially in the American West, where the terrain still inspires the big, the wild, and the weird.

The new era of outdoor art isn’t just for those who seek transcendence in stillness; it’s for people who want to hike past it, bike through it, or ski to it. You might find a massive steel paper airplane planted in the dust like a crash-landed idea. Or a James Turrell piece streaming color next to a ski slope.”

From Montana’s sprawling sculpture park @tippet.rise to Utah’s skiable museum @powdermountain, land art is booming again in the West. It’s more accessible, more kinetic, and just as cosmic.

Thanks so much to Outside’s print maestro Kevin @sintumuang for the great edits and assignment, and thanks to @dwags76 for making it look so cool.

Our cover star @alexipappas embodies the creative life and living boldly in every move she makes. Check out her conversation with @richroll and Christine Yu (@cyu888). So much inspiring stuff in this issue; pick it up on newsstands now.

And h / t to @gldncrl for telling me about Tippet Rise!

LINK TO ONLINE STORY IN BIO, but it's so much better to read in print, really :)

#landart #tippetrise #powdermountain #jamesturrell #outdoorart by @k_rellihan

Real BIG fish. This is no optical illusion. Here I am swimming in @tropicalnorthqueensland next to Wally, the famous friendly Maori Wrasse fish which can grow up to 6 feet long. Just one of the moments in the last few weeks where I was softly screaming in awe into my snorkel or regulator.

I’m back three decades after my first visit to the Great Barrier Reef. Sometimes when you return to a place as an adult it looks smaller or pales in comparison to your memories — but not this time. Everything is larger than life here.

I’m covering the new Guardian of the Reef initiative which blends reef-responsible tourism, conservation efforts and Indigenous wisdom.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth, roughly the same size as Japan and Italy. Tourism activities take place on just seven per cent of the Great Barrier Reef. And while headlines focus on the doom and gloom of coral bleaching (as it dramatically increases with climate change), you don’t hear as much about how resilient the reef can be and all the ground-breaking conservation work happening here, from Coral IVF to coral farming robots. Tourism boats and Traditional owners are being trained in these coral reef restoration efforts to scale them too.

The day I swam with Wally, I joined marine biologists @reefmagiccairns for a hands-on reef restoration where Traditional Owners were being trained to deploy Reef Stars that regenerate degraded coral reef sites. So much to share —stay tuned.

P.S. offset my carbon emissions with @reforestyourfootprint
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#greatbarrierreef #maoriwrasse #guardianofthereef #coralrestoration #reefmagiccairns #reefmagic #humpheadwrasse #tropicalnorthqueensland #regenerativetravel #PADI by @k_rellihan

So proud to have contributed to @afarmedia’s Where to Go issue again. I covered Benin Republic, the tiny West African nation with a big history and even bigger ambitions for being a cultural powerhouse on the continent.

!! And in exciting news — the President of Benin mentioned my Afar piece in his televised address to congress last month. (See previous post) !!

My trip to Benin with @wadembatravel, a pioneering local travel company focused on cultural tours of Benin, reminded me how important travel can be—especially when a place needs or wants tourism.

In Benin, I was told by the local people I met how tourism is helping to keep their traditions alive and feed so many. When some places around the world are saying “Travelers go home” there are so many other places in the world like Benin saying, “Welcome, please let us show you our home.”

On my Wademba trip, we spent a few days with a Vodun scholar and saw the most spectacular Vodun performance of Zangbeto, the guardians of the night (think neighborhood watch, but supernatural). These brightly colored, seemingly animated haystacks whirled to the beat of drums and chased after onlookers, with no human beings visible under the costumes. The effect was mesmerizing, magical really—much like Benin itself.

Keep in mind: The spelling Vodun (or Vodoun) distinguishes the West African religion from Haitian Vodou. It’s considered derogatory to spell it the Western way, Voodoo, outside of Louisiana.

I was reminded of Haiti often in Benin because it’s the birthplace of Vodun, one of the world’s most misunderstood religions. And because I met the co-founder of Wademba on my first trip to Haiti back in 2013 with @eimhaiti.

So great to travel again with another friend who I met on that first of many Haiti trips @tdogjackson; and the awesome photographer @jasminshahphoto (her beautiful photographs are in the Afar piece.)

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#beninrepublic #vodoun #vodun #benin #afarmag #wheretogoin2025 #zangbeto #traveldeeper #sustainabletravel #regenerativetravel #wadembatravel by @k_rellihan

Happy World Manta Day! Deep in North America’s largest fully protected marine reserve, 250 miles from the tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, giant oceanic mantas do not just swim past divers—they actively seek them out. Along the volcanic Revillagigedo archipelago, 20-foot manta rays are famous for their curiosity and seeking out human interaction. Research suggests mantas are some of the most intelligent fish on our planet. They have massive brains, can recognize themselves in mirrors, and can recognize us, too, it seems.

Our senior travel editor traveled to these uninhabited islands on a liveaboard boat to experience the connection firsthand.

Click the link in our bio to read more

#WorldMantaDay

✍️ Kathleen Rellihan
📸 Jay Clue by @k_rellihan

Land art is having a moment again—especially in the American West, where the terrain still inspires the big, the wild, and the weird. The new era of outdoor art isn’t just for those who seek transcendence in stillness; it’s for people who want to hike past it, bike through it, or ski to it. From Montana’s sprawling sculpture park Tippet Rise to Utah’s skiable museum on Powder Mountain, land art is more accessible and adventurous than ever.

Ready to see how the new Wild West of art is changing the way we experience nature? Read the full story at the link in our bio.

✍️ : @k_rellihan
📷 : @kinzley_photography, jamesfloriophotography, @griffinloop, @iwanbaan, @powdermountain, @powderartfoundation, @tippet.rise

#getoutside #outsidemagazine by @k_rellihan

Some GOOD news! Happy to share I started this week as the Travel & Culture Senior Editor at Outside. Seeing the beauty of this world has changed my life again and again. I’ve spent my many years in travel media advocating for the power of awe and adventure, and taking care of this beautiful world of ours. More than ever, we need to reconnect with nature and find inspiration and hope by stepping outside. I can’t wait to dive in!

(This is me running up that crazy hill called media/journalism, but I’m so glad I’m still doing the thing I’ve been working on since I was 17!) by @k_rellihan

Finland just got named the happiest country in the world for the 8th year in a row, and one of their secrets? Jumping into freezing water. ❄️

Writer @k_rellihan took the plunge in Helsinki, where locals swear by ice swimming—even when the water is just 1°C (33°F)! The shock? Intense. But the rush of endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin afterward? Pure happiness.

Think you could handle the cold? Head to the link in bio to find out more.

✍️ @k_rellihan
🎥 @k_rellihan, @elinamae, @katjapantzar by @k_rellihan

Celebrating Trosten 🎉 On the list from TIME - «The World’s Greatest Places of 2025» 🎉
Trosten is Oslo’s and the World’s first floating sauna with universal accessibility and aluminium cladding 🔥 Open every day, all year round. By @estudioherreros and @oslobadstuforening

Photos: Einar Aslaksen, Becky Zeller, Maren Marline Lahn, Åshild Skadberg

@time @sparebankstiftelsendnb @eckbos_legat @osloprosjektbygg @shapesbyhydro @norskhydroasa @visitoslo @visitnorway @k_rellihan @einaraslaksen @zellerbecky by @k_rellihan

Awe is an act of resistance.* To experience something greater than us, in the midst of dark days to not give into despair at the state of the world – even for a fleeting moment— is resistance.

I was so fortunate to witness this dazzling display of northern lights on @klattermusen.experiences inaugural trip in Norway in January. We had just returned from ski touring, and ran outside when we heard the northern lights were popping out. It was only 4:45 pm; the sun had set at 1:45 pm. As we stood together in the below-freezing temps, the dancing green sky moved some of us to tears (🙋🏻‍♀️).

I wrote a story for Nat Geo last year about how awe has the power to change how we view the world. To witness the total solar eclipse in totality last year, I traveled in an overnight cargo ship across the Sea of Cortez, from La Paz to Mazatlan, Mexico. I interviewed eclipse chasers, as well as scientists who study the powerful effects of awe.

Beyond the mental health benefits, Dacher Keltner and Maria Monroy’s research found that experiencing awe can lead to significant prosocial effects, such as increased generosity and altruism. Awe gets us out of our own head, as we feel smaller in comparison to the vastness around us. When we lose the focus on ourselves, we prioritize the needs of the collective over our own personal concerns.

There are infinite ways to find awe beyond celestial phenomena. It can be found in everyday small wonders like catching sunlight filtering through the trees or what Keltner calls “moral beauty” a sense of appreciation for others acting altruistically. Keltner and his team found moral beauty is the most common source of awe.

So here’s to finding moral beauty and pops of light in these dark days.

And thank you to all the wonderful people on this trip who I got to revel in the darkness and awe with.

*Needless to say, this is a small act of resistance while we are boycotting and fighting fascism. To not lose our spirit.

[thanks to @outdoorsydiva for snapping the photos of me…and @marije.elgersma for the last group shot]
***
#norway #aurora #northernlights #awe #resistance by @k_rellihan

Traveling and books are a few of my favorite things, and they both have inspired the other for most of my life.

For National Geographic, I covered my favorite (recently published) travel-inspiring books.

Richard Power’s “Playground” was the most extraordinary book I read in 2024 (I read it while scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef where I finally saw my first massive manta ray like the one on the cover). The New Tourist by Paige McClanahan should be required reading for anyone who considers themselves a “traveler.” All these books will reawaken your sense of wonder to find awe around the world—or at home—where we need it most these days.

Here are the travel-inspiring books I feature in my @natgeo article (link in bio):

📕 “Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging” by @tararoberts_explorer (The first Black female National Geographic Explorer to grace the cover of the magazine.)

📕”Playground” by Richard Powers

📕”The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel” by @paigemcclanahan

📕 “The Quickening: Antarctica, Motherhood, and Cultivating Hope in a Warming World” by Elizabeth Rush

📕 “Mars on Earth: Wanderings in the World’s Driest Desert” by @markonthemap

📕 “Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive” by @eliot.stein

📕 “50 True Tales from Our Great National Parks” by @stephanieapearson

📕 “100 Nights of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Adventures After Dark” by @bystephanievermillion

📕”Finding Your Feet: The How-To Guide to Hiking and Adventuring” by @rhianesworld

📕”Here Not There: 100 Unexpected Travel Destinations” by @andrewtyrrellnelson

📕 “Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World” by Craig Foster (@myoctopusteacher filmmaker)

📕 “Atlas Obscura: Wild Life: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Living Wonders” by Joshua Foer and Cara Giaimo @atlasobscura

📕 “Taiwan Travelogue” by Yang Shuang-zi

What books (travel-inspiring or otherwise) are you all reading right now?

*Support small businesses by buying books from Amazon alternatives such as Bookshop.org and independent bookstores.
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#books #travelbooks #whatimreading by @k_rellihan

Travel as a political act.* For BBC’s Where to Go in 2025 list, I cover why it’s more important than ever to see Panama through the eyes of its people.

As Panama is celebrating its 25th anniversary of the Panama Canal handover, Trump calls for taking it back (Panama says think again). The Museo del Canal @museodelcanal is also celebrating its 27th anniversary with two new permanent exhibits for context to the country’s path to sovereignty.

In 2024 I attended the @tourismcares Meaningful Travel summit in Panama which focused on how local communities are preserving their beautiful traditions and biodiversity — and telling their own stories. The new Meaningful Travel Map to Panama makes it easier for travelers to find experiences across the county that generate a positive impact in their communities.

The map pointed us to a “Two Faces of Panama” @localinpty walking tour through Panama City’s Casco Antiguo and El Chorrillo neighborhoods, and to La Pintada región where many residents make the real Panama hat—the UNESCO-protected traditional sombrero pintao.

In El Valle de Anton (named one of the best community tourism villages by UN Tourism in 2024) we hiked on a new trail through a lush cloud forest where you can see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea on a clear day from the summit.

This new path is part of Panama’s ongoing 1,000 km of Trails project which seeks to boost sustainable tourism in rural communities while bringing hikers face to face with Panama’s staggering biodiversity. Locals guided me kayaking through mangroves and scuba diving around a former-prison island now turned conservation success story. And I met with a network of local female leaders known as “Las Aventureras,” who empower their communities along the Gulf of Montijo.

*”Travel as a Political Act” is a book written by rickstevesguide and first published in 2009. He needs a 2025 update.

Link in bio to BBC’s Where to go in 2025 feature. I also covered Uzbekistan.
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#panama #panamacanal #travelasapoliticalact #meaningultravel #regenerativetravel #tourismcares #coibanationalpark by @k_rellihan

Everyone in Benin—even President Patrice Talon himself—is waiting to welcome you to Benin in 2025! ⁣
🇧🇯⁣
With pride and gratitude, President Talon mentioned Benin’s inclusion in @afarmedia’s list of 25 places to visit in 2025 (article by @k_rellihan) during his December State of the Nation address. ⁣
🇧🇯⁣
With destinations like Barcelona saying no to more travelers and overtourism, Benin is working hard to increase their tourism in 2025 with numerous infrastructure development projects in the works and already completed.⁣
🇧🇯⁣
So what are you waiting for? Book your trip to Benin today!⁣
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#afarmag #wheretogo #2025travel #blacktravelfeed #goexplore #travelfriends #squadgoals #instatravel #visitbenin #travelafrica #traveldeeper #responsibletravel #reels #holidayvibes #vacationmode #wonderfulplaces #traveltheworld by @k_rellihan