Thanks for checking into my new home. So glad you found me!

Many of you know me from my work at USA TODAY. I spent most of the last dozen years covering the travel industry for both the newspaper and the website through the lens of an experienced business reporter.

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Those were some very tough times on the travel beat (Sept. 11 terror attacks, airline bankruptcies, SARS, Boston Marathon Bombing, etc.). But I also witnessed the resilience of an industry that services a vital global business infrastructure as well a growing leisure market.

By creating a virtual community for USA TODAY from the ground up between 2009 and 2013, I was able to talk directly with you every single day about your concerns, questions, observations and travel pet peeves. I always asked the tough questions of hotel CEOs and other travel professionals on your behalf as the industry expanded and adapted to changes that none of us could expect 12 years ago.

None of that will change in this venue.

I will still break news, discover new hotels, chat about traveler pet peeves, identify interesting hotel trends (favorable to the consumer or not), explore new restaurant concepts and introduce you to compelling travel industry friends with Q&As and – when I see fit – occasional profiles. I’m also asking a few friends to write for me about some of our favorite topics.

After 25 years as a journalist, running my own blog is a new business model for me. The only message I am obligated to deliver is my own regardless of sponsorships or advertisements.

However, I am not going to hide the fact that I will be discovering how to do this as this as we get to know each other and – fortunately, for me – resume long-term relationships.

To that end, I hope to hear from you. Please comment on the blog posts that strike a chord for you, and share them as you see fit. Also, continue to send me tips, observations and questions that you’d like to know more about so I can get to work!

As usual, I’ll always be just an email, Tweet or Facebook comment away.

Thanks so much for accompanying me on this new journey.

– Barb