In spring 2021, Marriott Bonvoy wanted to inspire consumers to travel again. But it didn’t want them to travel the way they used to—it wanted them to travel more authentically, consciously, and regeneratively.

The Washington Post Creative Group delivered with “The Regeneration of Travel.” Our key insight: We’re not traveling the same way anymore. So the same travel stories—and narrow community of travel storytellers—won’t cut it.

The campaign launched with a nationwide search for travelers who would use The Post’s storytelling technology to take readers along on regenerative travel adventures that would change the traveler and destination for the better.

From hundreds of applicants, we selected three diverse storytellers. Charlotte Simpson, known as @travelingblackwidow, found inspiration off the beaten path in a charming Rust Belt city. Jaylyn Gough, an indigenous photographer, connected with her roots in Navajo Nation’s sacred lands. Jeff Jenkins, a plus-size adventurer known as @chubbydiaries, helped restore Florida’s coral reefs. Their stories came to life in vibrant interactive articles enhanced with audio, photography, and video and were amplified with the first-ever branded @washingtonpost TikToks.

In the second year of the campaign, Marriott Bonvoy and The Washington Post Creative Group explored regenerative travel from an accessibility lens with three new storytellers. Alysse Dalessandro, a queer femme fashionista known as @readytostare, found community in a small-town LGBTQ+ oasis and shared her adventure in a customizable article with advanced accessibility features. Cole Sydnor and Charisma Jamison, an interabled couple known as @coleandcharisma, explored Charisma’s Gullah Geechee heritage on South Carolina’s St. Helena Island in a stunning documentary short and multimedia article. Branded TikToks shared swipe-sized snippets of both stories across @washingtonpost and talents’ individual accounts.