I am the son of the founding editor and publisher of Transitions Abroad magazine, Dr. Clay Hubbs, who died March of last year while performing copy editing until the very end. In 2003, when he decided to retire (and months before he came down with a nasty cancer called multiple myeloma) he licensed the magazine to Sherry
Schwarz.

Unfortunately, these days it is almost impossible to make profitable small and independent niche magazines without “angel investors.” Sherry did a great job but was working against enormous odds.

At the same time, my father had always wished that all the work he had done over 26 years could be collected

and searched in one place. Therefore, I promised to him that I would work on such a project and as he became sick and we saw him deteriorate, my determination to keep his work alive only strengthened.

Here is the last editorial posted by Sherry Schwarz (which I will soon put online, as I have been very busy with a web redesign):

“The End of a Journey

The past year was marked by many changes at Transitions Abroad. As you know, Transitions Abroad founder Dr.

Clay Hubbs passed away on March 29, 2007. Clay bravely and resolutely set out in 1977 to pioneer “a new kind of travel magazine” dedicated to all who travel to learn. He introduced educational and responsible travel into Transitions Abroad long before these concepts were fashionable.

But Clay was never concerned with fashion; rather, he prided himself on not publishing a glossy magazine and, instead, one that cut to the heart of the matter.

Thanks to you—Transitions Abroad’s staff, contributing editors and columnists, writers, readers, and advertisers—Clay’s magazine thrived for more than 30 years, even without flashy graphics. Your international experiences, knowledge, and advice helped establish Transitions Abroad as a trusted source for independent-minded travelers to plan mind-enriching, purposeful travel year after year. Rick Steves recently called Transitions Abroad “the tough little hero of travel publishing…the Nation magazine of travel.”

Like all great journeys, though, Transitions Abroad’s is coming to an end. This January/February 2008 issue is our final magazine.

It has been a pleasure and privilege to work with a community—or, a “tribe,” as Rob Sangster says in his article on—of passionate travelers who not only care about exploring new places and meeting diverse people but who also care about their wellbeing. We are grateful you selected our magazine as the place to share your stories and learn from others in our tribe.

While I am sad to be the last editor and publisher of one of the oldest and most respected special-interest travel magazines out there, I also look forward to Transitions Abroad’s flourishing future online.

TransitionsAbroad.com is an outstanding resource that has been called “a golden needle in the [Internet] haystack.” Clay wrote, in 2002, “Thanks to the superhuman efforts of my son Gregory [the website] was reorganized and rebuilt from the ground up.” It now has the majority of information compiled from the past ten years of its 30-year existence.

Greg and Clay’s wife, Dr. Joanna Hubbs, will continue offering a wealth of travel editorial, commentary, and resources online. The Hubbs are excited about expanding TransitionsAbroad.com and upholding the same editorial integrity that the magazine has maintained. They will be taking TransitionsAbroad.com to a new level by offering a greater breadth of content than ever before. The goal is to encourage and inspire new audiences, as

well as to remain a tried and true resource for Transitions Abroad’s loyal readers. The coming expansion of the website on March 1st will offer ever greater flexibility for featuring the voices of Transitions Abroad’s columnists and contributing editors.

As I move on to continue my work as director of The Abroad View Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes global education and cross-cultural understanding, I join the community of travelers who will always
stand with the ideals upon which Transitions Abroad was founded.

I wish you all many more transformative international experiences, which I hope to read about on TransitionsAbroad.com. Most of all, thank you again for making Transitions Abroad magazine possible and for being part of its journey.

—Sherry Schwarz”

I hope this helps clarify your understanding, and I hope you will respect what we will continue to try to accomplish with your help and that of others. Would that we had an “angel investor” behind — though that usually comes with an agenda…

Please let me know what you would like to see online if you have a chance.

–Gregory Hubbs