The Material Review

Issue 148: The Travel Edition

Dec 17, 2025

Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.

The Search for Shokunin 職人

“Traveling opens our eyes to new ways of life. It fuels creativity and can shape perspectives — even on things we know intimately, like golf. This fall we traveled to Japan with a mission to simply understand a golf destination better. What we uncovered was so much deeper.” [The Old Ghosts]

The Airplane ‘Barf Bag’ Is A Genius Invention Most People Never Think About, And Using One Blew My Mind

[The Autopian]

The Travel Writer’s Dilemma: Share, or Gatekeep?

“In today’s overtouristed world, should a professional traveler broadcast his discoveries or hide them away?” [NYT]

Where Do We Put All Our (Literal) Baggage?

“As the luxury luggage industry booms, designers are trying to tackle an enduring, infuriating problem: storage for storage.” [Dwell]

‘A Moment of Pleasant Indecision’

“A new exhibition focuses on the labor behind the lobsters, caviar, and martinis that helped define early-twentieth-century travel.” [The New York Review]

The rough magic of Porto

“The Portuguese town has a frank and easy charm. Who better to tell its story than its locals?” [FT]

Trekking Across Switzerland, Guided by Locals’ Hand-Drawn Maps

“Nostalgic for a time before ubiquitous connectivity, a writer ditched his phone and relied instead on serendipity — and maps made by people he met along the way.” [NYT]