Welcome to Travel Montana Now! We are so glad you’re here and can’t wait to share the wonders of Montana with you.
At Travel Montana Now, you’ll get both the visitor and local perspective on all the sites and attractions in Montana. That’s because we’re a mom-and-daughter team of writers: Nancy (that’s the mom who is a local of Billings, MT) and Gina (the daughter who now lives in Seattle, but visits Montana all the time). One thing that’s the same? We both love Montana, travel, and outdoor adventures!
We are also the authors of 100 Things to Do in Billings Before You Die, a unique guidebook you can find at local businesses all around Southeast Montana or get from an online bookseller like Barnes and Noble. We also wrote The First-Timer’s Guide to Montana, an ebook you can get right here!
Here’s a little bit more info about us:
About Nancy Icopini
Nancy was born and raised in Montana. She left for Minnesota where she raised a family and had a career in education, including Outdoor Ed, before returning to her roots and moving back to Montana after retiring.
She lives in Billings, where she spends time golfing, hiking, being a devoted grandma, and spending time at her cabin in the Montana mountains.
Gina Tarnacki: Gina was born in Montana and spent summers there growing up. Gina now lives in Washington and visits Montana a couple times a year, where she feels like both a local and a tourist alike, giving her a unique perspective on the state.
Gina started her career in travel as the marketing director for an online travel agency before becoming a full-time travel writer, copywriter, and blogger. Her work has been published in Travel & Leisure, the Travel Channel App, Porthole Magazine, Viator, USA Today, 10 Best, TripSavvy, and many more publications both online and in print.
Gina and Nancy are also the co-authors of the book 100 Things to Do in Billings Before You Die. Check out this segment local Billings news station Q2 did about the book:
We have also been featured in:
Other Contributors for Travel Montana Now:
Jackie: Jackie is the younger sister/daughter of Gina/Nancy. She was born in Montana, grew up in Minnesota, and returned to Montana for college where she attended the University of Montana – Missoula. After graduating, Jackie spent the next decade moving around the world – from grad school on the east coast to living and working in various countries in South and Southeast Asia – before coming back to Montana and settling in Bozeman.
She provides lots of insight for Travel Montana Now about Bozeman, Big Sky, and recreational activities around Montana, and has contributed a few articles to the site. We’re hoping when she finally get that PhD of hers we can get her to contribute some more! 😉
Angela: Another sister, Angela, is busy working in PR and juggling her four kids, but she still loves to get out and explore and often serves as our “adventure consultant” for the articles we write about Montana.
One more thing about us…we have a BIG extended family, most of whom still live in Montana. We’ll be getting lots of local tips from them and will be doing on the ground research ourselves (wait…we’ve been doing that our whole lives!) to bring you the best content out there on Montana travel.
Because we love Montana so much, you’ll also find information about how to recreate responsibly while traveling around Montana. We provide tips to help visitors travel thoughtfully while respecting the local way of life, and helping to preserve the beautiful flora and faun that Montana is known for.
Thanks for reading and we hope you have some wonderful adventures in Montana!
Happy trails,
Gina and Nancy
