What is Istoria?
I should probably begin by introducing myself. I’m Sophie, a part Greek Cypriot from the UK who is embarking on a (slightly crazy) cycling trip to Japan. Luckily, my partner Luke was keen to join me on this mad adventure.
I’d been pondering the name for this Substack for a while, but I always came back to Istoria. It means ‘story’ in Greek. Throughout history, stories have connected people across space and time. They help us understand others and are essential to preserving heritage, from one generation to the next. Stories resonate with us on an emotional level too, providing us with comfort and escapism; sparking joy, fear or nostalgia. Ultimately, they hold immense power. They have the ability to bring people together or break them apart.
During our journey across the remotest parts of the Eurasian continent I will be capturing stories of the lands and lives of the people we meet, the things we learn, and the challenges we face — I expect there will be plenty of the latter!
I would love to build a community of like-minded folk here, too. So please ask questions and tell me what you want to hear about. And if you think you’ll enjoy reading about our travels, please support this Substack by subscribing.
Let me explain how it works…
FREE SUBSCRIBERS
Every month I’ll send one of my newsletters or voice notes to your inbox. This will be an in-depth read so I hope you will find it entertaining and worthwhile. Alongside this, I’ll send previews of other newsletters which will appear every two weeks, but you’ll need to become a paid subscriber to read those.
PAID SUBSCRIBERS
In between travelling and ad-hoc freelance work, I write for Substack in my downtime. Having financial support from you means I can continue to do this.
So, what’s in it for you? You’ll receive a newsletter or voice notes every two weeks and access to the Istoria community. This means you’ll be able to comment and begin conversations with other like-minded members. You will also be able to read the entire archive.
Subscribe for £10 a month or £70 a year.
FOUNDING SUBSCRIBERS
The generosity of founding members are the backbone of my Substack, they’re the ones who truly make all the difference and motivate me to continue building this community and for that I am incredibly grateful. As a founding member you will be able to send direct emails to me asking anything you like, whether it’s questions about starting your own Substack, cycling tips or travel recommendations, just drop me a line. I will organise real-life and virtual events so we can all get to know one another; numbers will be limited, so you’ll have the opportunity to sign up for these events before any of the free or paid members. And finally, you are the members who will steer this Substack. If you want to hear more about a certain topic, then let me know and I’ll write about it.
Subscribe for £150 a year.
And if you have friends or family who you know would enjoy this Substack, then please do spread the word and share far and wide using the button below.
