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My Travel Innovations

Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is My Travel Innovations?

My Travel Innovations is an independent field journal written and published from Boise, Idaho. It documents structured tests, called trials, of methods and tools for planning and running independent trips. Each trial starts with a written hypothesis, follows a fixed protocol, and closes with a plain spoken verdict. The work is organized into two sections, Workbench for methods refined at the desk and Waypoints for checks in real places. New entries arrive on a steady monthly rhythm rather than in unpredictable bursts, and each one carries its date. Nothing on the site is sponsored, and nothing on the site is offered for sale.

Who writes and edits the journal?

Evan Merrick, the founder of the company, writes every trial and edits every page himself. He has lived in Boise for more than ten years and runs the journal from a small office downtown. Keeping a single author means one consistent method, one consistent voice, and one person accountable for every mistake. Guest contributions are not accepted at this time, which keeps the testing standards uniform across the archive. When a page needs an update, Evan makes the change and notes it where the note matters. Questions about editorial decisions can go straight to the mailroom address listed in the footer.

Is this a travel agency or a booking service?

It is not, and that distinction shapes every page you will read here. My Travel Innovations is a publication that sells no tickets or tours, takes no payments, and holds no customer accounts. It has no affiliation with any airline, rail operator, or reservation platform, and it accepts no commissions from anyone. If a trial mentions a place or a route, that mention is an observation, never an offer. You remain responsible for your own plans, reservations, and decisions when you apply anything you read here. When you need booking help, a licensed agent or the operator itself is the right place to go.

Does the journal cover flights or specific airlines?

Air travel appears only as an environment in which certain methods get tested. A trial might look at connection timing, terminal wayfinding, or the quiet rhythm of a small regional airport in the morning. The journal never names carriers, never reviews cabin products, and never recommends particular routes or fares to anyone. It also never handles reservations of any kind, since it is a publication rather than a service. That indirect angle keeps the attention on repeatable technique instead of on any single company. It also keeps the writing useful for years, because techniques age far more slowly than schedules do.

How often is new work published?

The journal follows a monthly cadence, with roughly two trials appearing in a typical month. Twelve trials were logged between February and July of 2026, split evenly across the two sections. Each entry carries its publication date in the log, so you can see the rhythm at a glance. Field seasons in Idaho shift the mix a little, since some checks depend on specific weather windows. If a month runs light, the missing entry usually lands early in the month that follows it. The Release Notes email is the simplest way to hear when something new has been posted.

The trials

How does a trial work?

Every trial follows the same four-step structure, and that structure is the backbone of the whole journal. First, Evan writes a hypothesis, a single sentence stating what a method should accomplish and how success will be judged. Second, he drafts a protocol at the bench, fixing the steps, the materials, and the measures before anything is tested. Third, the method goes into the field for a set number of days, and the notebook records what actually happened. Fourth, the write-up closes with a verdict that states plainly what worked, what failed, and what remains uncertain. Setting the judging criteria in advance keeps the conclusion honest, even when the result turns out to be disappointing.

What does a verdict actually say?

A verdict is the short closing paragraph that answers the original hypothesis in plain language. It states whether the method did what it was supposed to do under the conditions actually tested. It also lists the caveats, because a method that works in Boise in April may behave differently somewhere else. Some verdicts are positive, some are negative, and many land in the middle with conditions attached. The journal treats a clear negative result as just as useful as a clean pass. No verdict is ever a promise that the same method will work for you in your circumstances.

Where do the trials take place?

Bench work happens at the office in downtown Boise, where protocols are drafted and gear is staged. Field checks run across Idaho and the neighboring high desert, on trails, in small towns, and around transit points. The Waypoints section names each field location so you can judge how well its conditions match your own. Locations are chosen for what they can teach, not for scenery or for novelty. Staying close to home keeps repeat visits practical, which matters when a trial needs a second attempt. Occasional trips farther out do happen, but only when a question cannot be answered nearby.

What happens when a method fails?

Failures are published with the same care as successes, and they are never quietly buried. The write-up explains where the method broke and whether the fault sat in the idea or in the execution. When the fault looks fixable, the trial returns to the bench for a revised protocol and a second field run. Repeat runs are labeled clearly, so you always know which version of a method you are reading. Some ideas are retired after a single failure, because not every fix deserves the field days it would cost. Reading the failed trials is honestly the fastest way to understand how this journal thinks.

Can readers suggest a trial?

Yes, and reader suggestions have already shaped part of the working schedule. The contact page has a form with a topic labeled "A suggestion for the bench" for exactly this purpose. Useful suggestions describe a repeatable problem, the conditions where it appears, and what a fix would need to accomplish. Broad requests, such as a wish for general advice about a region, are harder to turn into a testable protocol. Every suggestion gets read, though not every suggestion becomes a trial, since field days are limited. If your idea is chosen, the published write-up will not name you unless you ask for credit.

Using the site

How do I find a specific trial?

Each section keeps a complete log of its own trials in date order, with the newest at the top. Open the Workbench or Waypoints page and scan the date column, which uses a fixed monospaced style for quick reading. Every trial address begins with the word trial, followed by the topic, so links stay easy to recognize. The home page lists the six most recent entries across both sections if you only want the latest work. Each article also ends with three related links under the heading Next on the bench. There is no search box yet, because the log is still small enough to scan by eye.

Does the site use cookies or tracking?

The site stores a single small setting in your browser's local storage, and that is the whole list today. That setting only records the choice you make in the notice that appears on your first visit. No analytics run, no advertising code loads, and no third-party requests leave the page while you read. The Cookie Policy explains the setting in detail, including how to clear it from your browser at any time. If optional analytics or advertising storage is ever introduced, it would activate only after you give consent. Until then, reading this journal leaves no meaningful trace beyond the ordinary server records described in the policies.

What is Release Notes?

Release Notes is the journal's short email letter, named after the update logs that ship with careful software. Each issue lists the newest trials, a line or two of context, and any corrections made since the last note. It goes out around once a month, matching the publishing rhythm of the journal itself. Your address is used only for sending the letter and is never shared, sold, or added to other lists. You can stop the letter at any time using the instructions included in every issue. The signup block sits on the home page, and joining takes nothing more than an address.

Is the site built for assistive technology?

Yes, accessibility is treated as a design requirement rather than as an afterthought. Pages use a clear heading order, labeled form fields, keyboard-reachable controls, and text contrast tuned for long reading. Animations stay subtle, and the site honors the reduced-motion preference set in your operating system. Images carry written descriptions, and the layout holds together when you enlarge the text in your browser. The Accessibility statement documents the current state, the known gaps, and the plan for closing them. If something on the site blocks you, a note to the mailroom will move that fix up the list.