I quit my job to write you this letter

An announcement about the future of Window Seat

I think I’ve arrived at the biggest V1 moment of my life.

If you’re new here, “V1 moment” is a term I coined in my essay, Committing to Takeoff. Its origin is in aviation: V1 is the speed at which a pilot must commit to takeoff. Forward motion, no matter what happens next.

But V1 moments happen in life, too. They’re critical decision points when you have to choose courage over comfort and trust over certainty. Forward motion, no matter what happens next.

Today is one of those moments. It’s my last day at the job I spent the past decade working toward. I’m walking away from the big title, the $200K+ salary, the team I got to mentor, and the ladder I thought I’d climb forever—all because Window Seat has shown me there’s another path. One that calls to me more than any other ever has.

I’m walking away from the corporate world, and I’m placing a big bet on myself.

As I step fully into this next chapter, I’m opening the door not just to more travel stories, but to more ways of working together. Whether it’s through a paid subscription or a creative collaboration, your support helps me to keep building something intentional.

And while Window Seat is the soul of what I’m building, I’ve always had a hand in helping others build, too. For the past decade, often in the margins of my corporate career, I’ve been shaping brands, designing pitch-winning presentations, and helping creatives bring clarity to their ideas. Now, all of that work lives under V1 Projects Inc., my creative consultancy helping brands & creators define their voice, elevate their visuals, and tell better stories.

If you’ve ever connected with the way I think, write, or design, now’s your chance to bring that into your own work. I’ll be offering brand design, creative strategy, newsletter support, and more—you can explore my services here or email me directly.

This community has given me so much encouragement and momentum. This is how I can give that value back: by helping brands and creatives build things that are sharp, meaningful, and deeply aligned with who they are.

So this is the new path. A path not built on prestige or power, but instead on passion and purpose. It’s because of you that I even realized it was possible, and I won’t ever be able to find the words to properly express how grateful I am for that.

It’s funny that sometimes it takes getting everything you thought you wanted to realize what it is you actually need.

Here’s to forward motion—no matter what happens next.

—Tori

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If you’ve ever enjoyed an edition of Window Seat—whether it was a Seatmates interview, my favorite travel essentials, or strategies for managing flight anxiety—now is the best time to become a paid subscriber.

• Right now, the price is $5/month or $40/year. Starting Monday, the price will increase slightly to $7/month or $60/year.

• Subscribers get all my most premium content: curated city guides, explainers on maximizing points, the ins-and-outs of flying business class, and more—plus, the knowledge that you’re helping independent work like this take flight.

If a paid subscription isn’t possible right now, there are still so many ways to support, and every one of them matters. Liking or commenting on an issue helps it reach more readers. Forwarding it to a friend might bring in a new subscriber. Even opening the email or clicking a link boosts my metrics in ways that really count. No gesture is too small, and I’m grateful for all of them.

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Tori Simokov is a Travel Writer and Graphic Designer/Strategist based in New York. To get in touch, email tori@v1projects.com. Want more? Check out Instagram, TikTok, or shop her curated favorites.