As you might imagine, many of our stories are inspired by trips our staff members have taken across the state. In January 2024, Digital Product Manager Tyson Bird boarded Amtrak’s Texas Eagle train in Chicago after visiting family for the holidays. He found the journey back to Austin a relaxing and pleasant way to see the country—and popular, too, as the train was fully booked. His excursion sparked a discussion about all the ways to experience the state beyond the standard road trip.
Bird is normally busy behind his laptop handling all aspects of our website, including a 2024 redesign that was recognized in March by the Society of Publication Designers alongside national publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and National Geographic. But he climbed into the driver’s seat for this issue. For our cover story, he took on the formidable challenge of traveling to Big Bend National Park from Austin in a Kia Niro electric vehicle.
Planning is paramount for long-distance EV trips, he stresses. Using apps like PlugShare and A Better Routeplanner to ensure access to chargers, he kept a two-page list of stops and alternates handy as he traveled. Throughout the issue, you’ll find more ideas for traveling differently, including a biking adventure in the Panhandle, public charter flights for a luxurious way to fly between Dallas and Houston, and a picturesque motorcycle ride on Park Road 4 in Burnet County. Whether it’s a nostalgia-fueled trek through the Piney Woods on the Texas State Railroad or a trolley tour of Waco’s street art, there’s no shortage of unconventional ways to explore the state.
Emily Roberts Stone
Editor in Chief
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