Why a Moon Newsletter in Travel, Steph?

In a previous life, I taught astronomy and physical sciences to students in California, Colorado, and Uganda. I’ve always been a bit of an astronomy fan. I love looking up at the stars and as a result, I try to get people to look up more often and enjoy the wonders above. When I created my newsletter I wanted a fun and unique name.

In the end, I married two of my hobbies and came up with the Moon Newsletter! It’s delivered to your inbox every full moon. Filled with smashing ideas to grow your travel business and a dash of astronomy facts, it’s hard to resist. If you want our articles fresh off the press, make sure to like us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Photo of students in Uganda looking up into the night sky
Teaching students in Uganda astronomy.

Finding the Key to Motivate

When I started the site, I found issuing a newsletter on a regular, scheduled basis was a complete disaster for me! The calendar pop-ups would appear and I ran in the opposite direction. After months of neglecting my email marketing – a very effective marketing technique – I knew something needed to be done to kick me into gear!

I decided to align my newsletter with the full moon every month. The spice of life to owning your own business is you can make it uniquely yours! I love finding creative ways to tie together my hobbies and interests. After some brainstorming, I ended up with The Moon Newsletter. In the astronomy world, a Moon Newsletter doesn’t stick out… but it certainly does in the travel industry! Publishing my newsletter every full moon does two things for me:

  1. Best Reminders Ever – I can easily remember when it’s due. Last night, I’m out walking and instead of a horrible calendar pop-up telling me I have a newsletter due to go out, I have a beautiful nearly full moon gently glowing and reminding me I need to get a newsletter ready to go.
  2. Teachable Moment – I like email newsletters but they can be daunting. I found I was always dreading putting it together. By allowing myself to put in a bit of astronomy, it makes things fun for me and gives me the opportunity to share another passion of mine beyond travel.

When Can You Expect the Moon Newsletters?

Steph in front of Space Shuttle Discovery
Steph at a NASA Tweetup & Space Shuttle Discovery

The moon completes a cycle every 29.5 days. This means you’ll be getting a newsletter from me about once a month when the moon is at its brightest.

Fun Word: A full lunar cycle is called a lunation. So, uh, if we want to get all geeky, you’ll be getting a newsletter once every lunation. 😉

The goal. If one night (or day) you’re out walking, look up at the sky and think “Oh goodie, Steph’s newsletter will be coming out soon. It’s almost a full moon!”, I’ll have accomplished the goal of writing a relevant newsletter you look forward to and helping others enjoy the beauty of the skies!

So when in doubt, look to the sky for when you can expect our next full moon newsletter. If you’re stuck in a perpetually cloudy place, here’s a NASA calendar of the moon phases.


Moon Phases 101

As an added resource, below I’ve added a little cheat sheet to help you brush up on the phases of the moon.

Enjoy! And, before I sign off, make sure you’ve signed up for our e-newsletter to help you start and grow your travel agency! Not only is it the only Moon Newsletter in the industry, it’s a newsletter that has value for everyone – from the newest of agents to the most experienced.

Different phases of the moon