About

I'm Scott Monaco — an award-winning writer and photographer. I write and photograph travel from the position of the outsider. Arriving, staying, misreading things, and slowly understanding what’s actually going on.

This newsletter includes essays, photo stories, guides, and reading lists. The tone is observational and often humorous. My work grows out of years of living abroad, not quite belonging.

Start Here

Breakfast is Included — Observational humor

Across A Country on Foot — Destination reporting

The Abscess — Personal essay

Scott Monaco Guide: Rwanda — Practical travel guide

New work appears weekly, with shorter observations posted in Substack Notes.

Access and Support

Most of what I publish is free. The work is meant to circulate.

Some longer or more demanding pieces are occasionally paywalled. Paid subscriptions don’t buy exclusivity so much as they make the rest of the work possible by underwriting travel, time, and reporting.

Rather than pushing everything behind a paywall, this publication operates on a patronage model. Paid readers support the conditions that allow the majority of the work to remain open.

There are three ways to support the work:

Supporter
For regular readers who want to help sustain it.

Annual Supporter
The same, with a lower effective rate.

Founding Member
For readers who want to underwrite a specific trip.

Founding Membership is priced at a level that can realistically fund a trip and the time required to produce the work. The intention is that a small number of readers underwrite the costs so the resulting work can remain open to everyone else.

A destination or region may be proposed; if it’s feasible and aligned, I’ll go and return with a long-form essay or photo piece shaped by that place. Founding Members also receive a unique physical artifact from the trip (such as a signed print or object collected on the journey). The resulting work is published here and remains editorially independent. This is not sponsored travel or branded content.

Because logistics vary (insurance requirements, remoteness, access, or safety considerations), Founding Members coordinate details by email before subscribing at this level. Scope and pricing are confirmed in advance.

If there’s something you think I should write about or you want to work with me, please email me at scott [at] scottmonaco [dot] travel.