Wonderstruck
A NEWSLETTER FROM THE TEAM AT WONDER YEAR
Volume 13 • June 2024
Wonder Year News
Happy one year anniversary to the Wonderstruck newsletter! We hope you’ve been enjoying this offering. If you’re new here, you can read back issues on our website.
The big news for June is our ebook sale! This month the Wonder Year ebook will be on sale for $2.99 on all outlets. To sweeten the deal, if you leave an Amazon or Goodreads review this month, you can enter our giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card using this link. Reviews are so important for indie authors, so thank you!
In May, Angela spoke at TravelCon in Portland, OR. She really enjoyed the event and people gathered there. Another highlight was Julie’s appearance on Colorado Matters on Colorado Public Radio with host and producer Chandra Thomas Whitfield. We expect the piece to air in early June, so watch for links on our social.
Blog Roundup for May
We posted two blogs this month. The first is an overview of Angela’s current adventure. She and her husband, Mark, are in the midst of a Wonder Year 2.0, the empty nester edition. In this blog, she shares resources and tales of their lifestyle. It’s been many years since they did a similar shift with their kids in tow; some things have stayed the same and others have changed.
The other May offering is a Fernweh Family post featuring the Tokarsky family. This family of four favors boondocking and overlanding, another unique angle to round out the diversity of long-term family travelers. From the blog: “We first met up with Misti Tokarsky at the Overland Expo in Loveland, Colorado, last summer. She was leading a session on worldschooling, and we got to talking and sharing experiences. We appeared on her podcast with Arla Cress, Lady Overlander Radio, and had a wonderful conversation about the challenges and joys of long-term family travels. Misti and her family have multiple media outlets including her podcast and their YouTube channel, The Day We Make.”
As always, drop us a line to let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover.
June Happenings Around the Globe
- The Inti Raymi Festival, or Festival of the Sun, originated as the most important holiday of the Inca Empire. Today it remains one of the most important events in Peru and is held annually on June 24 as an ancestral celebration of the Sun God. The timing of the festival is the southern hemisphere’s winter solstice. Locals and visitors from around the world come to the historical center of Cusco to honor the Inca legacy through theatrical performance, mysticism, dance, song, and other cultural activities.
- June is LGBTQ Pride Month and is celebrated worldwide with parades, marches, demonstrations, and other colorful actions. Pride Month started in June 1969 after a police raid on a gay club in Greenwich Village in New York City sparked a series of protests. These events came to be known as the Stonewall Riots or Stonewall Uprising and are seen as the catalyst for the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement. Check the International LGBTQ Travel Association (IGLTA) website to learn how you can celebrate, support, and be part of the movement to ensure legal protections for LBGTQ+ communities around the world.
- The Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival in Vancouver, BC, Canada is on June 22-23. Billed as the intersection of sport and culture, it is North America’s largest dragon boat race. The festival is packed with cultural events and has Indigenous, Chinatown, and Pride Pavilions as well as a lineup of local music, art, and food. Insider tip: Take public transportation if you plan to go, as the crowds can be a little much.
- This June 6th marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. Hope is at the center of commemorative events and festivities, and tributes will be paid to the fallen soldiers of Britain, Canada, America, Belgium, France, Denmark, Holland, Poland, Norway, and Australia. Historians note that the D-Day landings 80 years ago ultimately led to the liberation of Europe from Nazi control. For more information and to learn about D-Day Anniversary events in France, please check out the website from Normandy Tourism.
- Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is happening from June 13-16 on the 700-acre Bonnaroo Farm located in Manchester, Tennessee. Known for fun, friendship, and immersive musical experiences, headliners this year include Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Jon Batiste. Definitely on the bucket list for many folks, maybe this is your lucky year! Learn “How to Roo” and get your tickets here. According to the official festival site, most of Bonnaroo is not designed for kids, however, there is a designated family camping section and you can find family and kid-friendly activities at the Planet Roo area.
Nature’s Offerings
- World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5. It’s a time to connect as part of the global family to protect and restore Planet Earth. The UN Environment Program has led the event since it was first launched in 1973. This year, Saudi Arabia is hosting with a theme of land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience. Check out this map to find activities and actions taken near you. #GenerationRestoration
- Cool clouds in June! In northern latitudes, June is the time to observe noctilucent clouds, those ethereal, deep blue clouds that are visible even after the sun has set. Because these electric-blue clouds are up so high in the mesosphere (50 miles above the earth’s surface), the rays of the sun can still reach them. Meteorologists think noctilucent clouds are made of ice crystals that form on tiny dust particles from meteors, volcanoes, or other sources. Like the aurora, the closer you are to the poles, the more likely you are to see these stunning noctilucent clouds.
- World Oceans Day is another opportunity to learn more, get motivated, and take action to protect our oceans. The entire campaign is led by a global network of youth leaders in collaboration with 2000+ organizations in 150+ countries. Here’s a page with resources for children of all ages. If your kids are interested in signing up for the Rising Blue Network Newsletter, they can register here. Desmond Tutu is honored on the World Oceans Day website with this beautiful quote: “Embracing positive news isn’t just a luxury; it’s a conscious investment in our well-being. Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. In a world filled with challenges, it’s essential to read uplifting stories that reshape our mindset and empower us to build a brighter future.”
- Summer Solstice is the time of year when we experience the longest day (and the shortest night). In the northern hemisphere this happens on June 20 or 21, and in the southern hemisphere it occurs between December 20-22. The solstice is when the Earth’s tilt toward the sun is at the greatest angle. The position of the sun in the sky has always been intriguing and communities around the world have diverse cultural traditions around the solstice. Some people build bonfires, dunk in natural bodies of water, walk barefoot, or go to music festivals. In Fairbanks, Alaska, folks can watch a baseball game under the midnight sun. Wherever you are and however you celebrate, we wish you lots of wonder, light, and new beginnings!
- June is a time to pay attention to pollination, or the movement of pollen from the anther (male part of flowering plant) to the stigma (female part of flowering plant). Without pollination, there would be no seeds, and without seeds, there would be no food. Did you know that honey bees are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat? According to the US Forest Service, of the 1400 food crops that are grown around the world, almost 80% of them require pollination. June is a perfect time to plant gardens with lots of native flowers, trees, and plants that produce nectar.
Links We’re Loving…
- Macs Explore – Christina McEvoy is the powerhouse behind Macs Explore, a social media platform featuring her family’s adventurous travels and thoughtful brand partnerships. As her influence has grown, Christina has expanded her offerings to include a podcast, digital courses, and group trips. We’re sure you’ll appreciate Christina’s expertise and stunning travel images, too.
- Get the Kids Outside – This site is dedicated to helping you get your kids out the door and into nature. It features seasonal and current events, ideas, tips, checklists, gift ideas, and other products that promote outdoor learning and family health and wellness.
- Chubby Diaries – A former choir teacher, Jeff Jenkins is a travel expert and digital creator, speaker, and podcaster based out of Austin, TX. His accounts are “born from Jeff’s own experiences as a plus-sized traveler and help pave the way for a more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable world.” We especially love his TV series, “Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins,” available on Hulu and Disney+.
- WonderBingTravel – We met Beth Binger at TravelCon 2024 and bonded over travel book authorship. Her new book, There’s Wonder Around the Bend, is a blend of inspirational stories from her solo road trip and self-help ideas for readers at the crossroads of midlife. If you’re looking for freedom and self-discovery on the road, check out Beth’s book on Amazon.
- Alastair Humphreys – Alastair Humphreys is a lifelong adventurer and inspiration to many. Though he has accomplished incredible feats like cycling around the world and rowing across the Atlantic, today his attention has turned to “microadventures,” those that are “close to home, cheap, simple, and yet very effective.” We love his focus on expanding access to adventurous living.
