Travel
Irene S. Levine, PhD, is an award-winning travel journalist, author, editor, and blogger/content creator who has written for many of the nation’s leading magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and websites.
After a distinguished career as a psychologist and senior policymaker at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and a decade of moonlighting as a freelance health writer, Irene transitioned into her “second act” as a full-time travel writer.
The backstory
When one of her health editors was appointed travel editor of a high-circulation daily, it opened new doors and opportunities for Irene. Travel journalism was a natural: It built upon her writing and research skills, enthusiasm, tenacity, and interest in people and places. The timing was fortuitous as well. As a new empty nester with a fully launched son (now a software engineer for a leading technology firm) and retired psychiatrist husband, she suddenly had more time and freedom to travel.
About More Time to Travel
Irene launched her online travel magazine More Time to Travel in 2015. The site aims to provide advice, information, and inspiration for travelers who have reached their midlife milestone birthday and probably have sighed and said, “I can’t believe how quickly time has passed.”
Its target audience is self-defined: At midlife and beyond, it’s common for careers, interests, friendships, and caregiving responsibilities (for children, grandchildren, and aging parents) to change in nature and intensity. Suddenly, there’s more time to travel, along with a new curiosity and wanderlust for exploring different places, savoring new tastes, and immersing oneself in other cultures.
While the site’s content leans heavily towards luxury experiences, boomers born of depression-era parents are always mindful of value. They try not to spend more than they have, or to spend more than they have to. The site makes a point of sharing how to have the best possible experiences without being wasteful.
The posts on More Time to Travel highlight desirable destinations; food, wine, and other culinary experiences; history and culture; cruising; virtual travel; and travel industry news and trends. All of the website content is curated, produced, and edited by Irene. She also is privileged to work closely with a handful of regular contributors who are seasoned travel experts.
The site reflects her own interests and experiences as a member of the “more time to travel” cohort. Typically, Irene’s husband is her favored travel companion; he’s also a top-rate photographer whose pictures make her words come alive.
More Time To Travel was named one of the best boomer travel blogs by FlipKey (a TripAdvisor-branded rental vacation site) as well as one of the best baby boomer travel blogs by Discover Corps, a grassroots travel company that organizes volunteer excursions.
A passion for travel and journalism
As a travel journalist, Irene’s travel-writing credentials span far beyond her decade-old More Time to Travel blog. She has been a regular contributor to Forbes.com (which ranks among the top 500 websites globally) since 2018, penning more than five travel stories a month for that online publication. She also has been a travel columnist for NBC Universal and a regular contributor to the travel section of the Chicago Tribune.
Her travel articles have also appeared in the Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and other major print and online publications, including CruiseCritic, MarketWatch, Flight Network, The Points Guy, and PBS Next Avenue.
Irene is an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the preeminent travel and tourism media association, and a member of the North American Travel Journalist Association (NATJA), International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, American Psychological Association, and Authors Guild.
Her travel articles and profiles have garnered a bevy of awards from professional travel writing associations, including an SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Award. Her work has been referenced in national and international publications as well as Wikipedia, and she has provided expert commentary for magazines, websites, and books.