One way—and perhaps the most objective—to determine the most popular travel magazine is by looking at circulation data. According to the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) and Burrelles, the top 12 includes Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, two National Geographic publications, and three AAA (Via, Living, and Going Places) magazines.
Travel Magazines with the Highest Circulation in the United States
1. National Geographic (4,493,024)
2. Via (2,740,435)
3. Living (2,469,830)
4. Going Places (2,404,121)
5. Sunset (1,259,750)
6. Where Magazine (1,191,152)
7. Travel + Leisure (996,217)
8. Midwest Living (989,424)
9. Condé Nast Traveler (810,713)
10. National Geographic Traveler (742,575)
11. Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel (680,097)
12. Coastal Living (671,023)
It’s surprising to see so many AAA publications on the list, but keep in mind that these often come with a membership to the American Automobile Association, based on the region. It’s also interesting that more than half of the included titles focus on a specific area of the country rather than being national or international—Coastal Living and Midwest Living are two examples.
(Circulation data from 2009)
Significant updates and edits were made from the original article.
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Gennaro Salamone is the founder and editor of Enduring Wanderlust. Please contact him with questions regarding article or photo submissions.