Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura is an American-based online magazine and travel company. It was founded in 2009 by author Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker/author Dylan Thuras. It catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations via user-generated content. The articles on the website cover several topics, including history, science, food, and obscure places.
History
Thuras and Foer met in 2007, and soon discussed ideas for a different kind of atlas featuring places not commonly found in guidebooks. They hired a web designer in 2008 and launched Atlas Obscura in 2009.
Sommer Mathis (formerly of The Atlantic's CityLab) was the site's Editor in Chief from 2017 to 2020. She was succeeded by Samir Patel, formerly of Archaeology magazine, who became the site's Editorial Director in 2020 and Editor in Chief in 2021.
David Plotz remained as the site's CEO for five years (October 2014 — November 2019). Warren Webster, former president and CEO of digital publisher Coveteur, and co-founder of the website Patch, assumed the position in March 2020.
Obscura Day
In 2010, the site organized the first international event, Obscura Day. Thuras has stated that one of the site's main goals is "Creating a real-world community who are engaging with us, each other, and these places and getting away from their computers actually to see them." As of 2021, Atlas Obscura has originated Atlas Obscura Societies organizing local experiences in nine cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
In October 2014, Atlas Obscura hired journalist David Plotz as its CEO. In 2015, Atlas Obscura raised its first round of major funding, securing $2M from various investors and angels, including The New York Times. In September 2016, the company published its first book, Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders, written by Foer, Thuras, and Ella Morton under Workman Publishing Company.
Guided travel
In 2016, the company expanded into travel, offering two guided trips. Since 2019, Atlas Obscura has been leading unusual trips to places like Mexico to witness the Monarch butterfly migration[14] or Lisbon to learn how to make "pasteis de nata"[Note 1].
Atlas Obscura's General Manager of Trips, Mike Parker, received praise for his division's vocal reassurance of travelers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Parker explained to customers via email/blog:
- "When you join one of our trips, we want you to have peace of mind. We want you to know that, if circumstances change, we’ve got your back. If you join a 2020 departure and ultimately decide that it’s not the right time or place to travel, we’ll help you update your plans by transferring your reservation to a future date, or to another trip, without cancellation penalties. In the unlikely event we need to cancel a departure, we’ll refund everything you’ve paid us for it.”
Gastro Obscura
Following a second fundraising effort that netted $7.5M, in late 2017 the site launched Gastro Obscura, a food section covering "the distinctive food locations of the world."
Notes
- ↑ Pastel de nata is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Atlas_Obscura ]
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