Travel Writing

After a busy period of writing (and web designing as well for Terry), it's wonderful to see our work in print and online. Take a look at Terry's photography website and let us know what you think. As he's just finished freshening it up, his home page is blooming with spring flowers. You can almost smell them! I picked them in the fragrant garden at our friends' villa in Kas, Turkey, where we

I've recently been interviewed by a couple of bloggers about travel writing, how Terry and I got into it, what we do, why we like it, the joys, the challenges, etc. My first interview was with Liz at Write to Travel, a blog which looks at all aspects of the craft and profession of travel writing, along with the development of her own travel writing career. As I've mentioned before, Liz does an

Sumber: worldnomads. com/scholarships /post/15629. aspx Applications close: May 25, 2008 World Nomads will send one exceptional student to participate on an i-to-i volunteer... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Applications close: May 25, 2008 World Nomads will send one exceptional student to participate on an i-to-i volunteer project in the tsunami devastated region of Sri Lanka. Staying in the small coastal village of Kosgoda, 70kms south of Colombo, you will live amongst the local people, working on various neighbourhood projects to help rebuild their community. As part of this assignment, [...]

The sun is shining here today in Antalya, Turkey. The sky is cobalt-blue, there's a clarity to the light, a crispness in the air, and bird-song everywhere. It feels like Spring again! I've been so preoccupied with the Lonely Planet scandal, I've forgotten to share some things with you: our 'Dhows, Dolphins & Cigarette Smugglers' story on the magical Musandam Peninsula, Oman (pictured), a favorite

Travel by caravan, RV or kombi may be just as cool as camping if vehicle registrations and club member- ships are anything to go by, but to the travel media it’s cooler to write about camping – unless the caravan is expensive, luxuriously fitted out, comes with quirky extras or retro-cool packaging, or is simply not a caravan. For the travel media it’s more palatable for travellers to camp than

It’s hard not to love David Farley. He’s the poster-child of a Walking Party travel writer. He eloped to Italy with fellow travel writer Jessie Sholl. He watched a pig get slaughtered outside of Prague and used that for his contribution to Traveler’s Tales Prague (which he also co-edited with Sholl). More [...]

Having spent 2007 researching the travel writing market and reading up on the trade I have complied together what I consider to be the top 10 tips: 1. Practice writing - This seems to be the most widely agreed piece of advice on travel writing. It makes sense. The more you practice writing the better you [...]

Last year my new years’ resolutions were to practice travel writing, research the market and read as much travel writing as possible. My original plan was to spend 6 months of market research and then spend the rest of the year writing every day and practising the skill. The reality of what I actually achieved [...]

Travel writing gear for the road is a little different than what you work with at home. You don’t have all the luxuries of working from your home office, so you need to pack wisely. No point in carrying more travel writing gear than you need to. Here is a basic list of travel writing gear for the road. This travel writing gear should should be safe enough to carry just about anywhere. Moleskine Notebook – If you are going to keep a travel journal, why not use the most famous? Used by some of the greatest writers, artists, and travelers; Moleskines are as good as any. These journals come in a variety of sizes paper types. Pick up a larger one for writing in and a smaller one for taking notes. USB Key – USB keys are a great backup system for your travel writing and photos. I like to use a USB key in combination with an online storage account. That way should something happen to one or the other, I’ll be prepared. iTalk Recorder – This is a great piece of travel wr

Here are a few basic travel writing tips to help get you going. These travel writing tips are things you should practice and think about on a regular basis. If you work on the tips on this list regularly, you will be on your way to becoming a better travel writer. These travel writing tips are an easy way to help improve your travel writing and make you an all around better travel writter. Here they are, 5 Travel Writing Tips: 1. Read – One of my biggest travel writing tips is to always be reading something. By reading good travel writing you are bound to soak up some important skills or, if nothing else, get inspired to become a better travel writer. 2. Write – The only way you’ll get better at travel writing is if you do a lot of it. We all carry a journal or write a blog. So why not write in these as if we were writing or National Geographic? Write often and write to the best of your ability. 3. Keep Working – One of the most popular travel writing tips given by publi

Tim Leffel is the editor of PerceptiveTravel.com, an online, non-corporate magazine devoted to showcasing original and thought-provoking travel stories. Perceptive Travel is one of my favorite online media outlets, consistently serving up eclectic and engaging travel stories. You won’t find any fluff at Perceptive Travel, and Mr. Leffel aims to keep it that way. I caught up with Tim for an interview about travel writing on the web, the difference between major publications and niche websites, and why you may want to reconsider becoming a travel writer. BNT: Unlike most media outlets that publish travel stories, PerceptiveTravel.com is not a corporate undertaking. What do you see as the weakness of big, corporate media like Travel+Leisure and the New York Times travel section? Tim Leffel: They have to be, in the words of some departing ForbesTraveler.com writers, “page view whores.” In order to make their Web stories bring in the kind of eye-popping ad revenues their

With only 2 weeks left for the $125 Traveling Stories Magazine (TSM) Writing contest, I am thrilled to say that the TSM project is not only working, but is starting to really pick up momentum. It is always tenuous seeing whether what seems to be a great idea will actually find community support. Traveling Stories Magazine has now motivated over 30 travelers to write and share their tales from the road providing valuable reading and wisdom with fellow TSM readers. Personally I have been taken through learning to lie in India, soaring high in a hot air balloon in Africa, philosophical quandaries about rebels in Afghanistan, and face to face with grizzlies in Alaska. All this from the confines of my Veterinary School’s Library. The perfect prescription for the dreaming traveler! (more…) Share This Article

In August 2007, travel journalist Eva Holland attended the Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference in Corte Madera, CA. In this article, Eva shares practical tips dished out by the professional Book Passage faculty of travel writers and editors. Book Passage was a blast. After four full days of workshops and discussion panels, and four late nights of informal schmoozing, I came away with some great advice, some new friends, and a serious cumulative hangover. Here are 9 tips I picked up about writing and selling travel stories. 1. Is Your Destination Mature Or Immature? According to San Francisco Chronicle travel editor John Flinn, “mature” destinations – places that readers will already know a lot about, like Paris, or Cancun – require a narrower focus or a more unusual angle. “Immature” destinations, on the other hand – Papua New Guinea, say, or Nunavut – can be covered more broadly. Decide which category your destination falls into

In real life we simultaneously process dozens of thoughts, memories, ideas and emotions. The stories that seem real and alive are stories that contain multiple layers. The beginning writer, however, usually tends to focus on one thing at a time. Here are two techniques that will add depth and layering to your travel narrative. 1. Object Correlative One of the simplest but most powerful techniques to layer descriptions, narration, and characters’ emotions, is called the object correlative. The idea is that instead of simply stating how a character feels or thinks, the writer suggests it, using a correlation between an object and the way a character observes or acts upon it. Example 1 (Basic) “I felt lonely.” Example 2 (Object Correlative) “I’d go out to the harbor around dusk and look at the ships tied to their moorings.” The first example—“I felt lonely”—only works on one level, telling how the character feels. The second example—if pl

Just a quick note that Michael over at Traveling-Stories-Magazine.com sent me an e-mail to announce a $125 travel writing contest he’s hosting. What does it take to enter and win? Simply put, it takes a great, well written story. Some of your own promotion about your story always helps such as telling your friends, linking to your story from your site, submitting your story to social networking sites (facebook, digg, stumbledupon) and creating a general buzz about your submission. Sounds pretty straightforward, no? Check it out if you happen to have an old travel essay or anecdote you’d like to dust off and share with TSM’s readers.

Fall is here and TSM is winding up for another writing contest that will hopefully produce some great stories. We’ve raised the stakes and not only does the winner receive a featured link on... Visit TSM for full story--->

Two years ago I was stuck at a desk job with little responsibility and plenty of time to day-dream about the open road. When my boss wasn’t looking over my shoulder, I searched for travel stories online. I still remember the first time I found travel writer Rolf Pott’s website and weblog. It felt like the world was suddenly more open and accessible. Here was someone who wrote for me! Rolfpotts.com is a treasure trove of entertaining and perceptive travel stories. Rolf travels slowly around the world, jotting down notes, shifting context and writing about the exhilarating joy of new experience. Rolf hit the big-time in 2003 when his book Vagabonding was published by Random House. Vagabonding is a practical and inspirational guide to long-term travel that has spurred thousands of people to broaden their horizons, make room for travel in their lives, and set off to experience the world. Rolf frequently publishes feature articles in major print magazines like Outside a

A few months ago, in So You Want To Be A Travel Writer, I shared my experience taking a 1-day short course on travel writing through my county’s adult education program.  Afterwords, I was psyched to take our instructor up on some one-on-one tutoring at $25 an assignment. I knocked out the first assignment by the deadline, received my edits back, and went as far as touring the American Indian museum which was my second assignment.  Then I hit a brick wall in terms of motivation.  It was shot, like a gangster who crossed Tony Soprano.  I let my instructor know he shouldn’t hold his breath.  I felt quite guilty about it. I’ve taken a few tips away from the experience though, and am confident I can write as well as some of the authors whose articles have recently graced the front page of The Washington Post travel section (discussing such topics as CouchSurfing and ‘Round the World travel).  Alas, I currently dedicate much of my free time to writing for this

I found this article by Rolf Potts on how he got started in travel writing really interesting. Rolf talks about when he first began writing. This got me thinking about where my interest began. Rolf talks about his failures as well as his successes and gives the impression that a good way to start is to just keep trying and learn from your mistakes. I was interested to read the Rolf took a significant time of work and spent it travelling and teaching English. This seems to be something that a number of successful writers do. Living in another country and learning the culture must be particularly useful for a travel writer and provide a great deal of material. To read Rolf’s full article visit www.vagablogging.net/07-04/how-i-got-my-travelwriting-career-started.html Read the article that gave Rolf his first big break visit “Storming the beach”: www.salon.com/wlust/feature/1999/o2/cov_09feature.html

Last week I read a concise post from Brian Clark over at Copyblogger about the effectiveness of telling a story – no matter what medium you’re using to communicate. It could be a powerpoint presentation, testimonial, brochure, or in our case, a travel article. The part that caught my eye was at the end of his post, where he urges you to skip the beginning and leap right into the middle of your story: Pick things up with the action already in full swing, preferably at a dramatic or tantalizing moment, and let things unfold from there. When you open strong, people will generally read more supporting detail than otherwise, which allows you room to properly establish your point. This technique has been around for centuries. Don George in the Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing called it “in medias res” which is Latin for “into the middle of things.” Typically, the characters, setting, and conflict are introduced through a series of flashbacks or throug

The popularity and appeal of travel writing as career has resulted in an explosion of courses for those who wish to learn the trade. With so many courses on offer it is difficult to know which one to choose. How do you know whether they are any good and which ones you can trust? I have tried out a couple and here is my verdict. Compass points course from Travellerstales.org I attended this two day weekend course in travel writing held at the historic Old Ship Inn, London. The course took place on Saturday from 9.45-5.30. The Old Ship in provided a relaxing and inspirational backdrop with fresh sea air, squawking seagulls and open views of the River Thames. The session started with an introduction to travel writing exploring the different forms this genre of writing can take from books to articles or literature. It moved nicely onto discussing what makes good travel writing. This was done by means of critiquing works of famous travel writers from Bill Bryson to Paul Theroux. I particu

Travel writings related to essay, guidebook, travelogue or itinerary have overlapping boundaries, so are grouped together as travel literature. This article focuses on travel literature that is more of interest to a tourist.

Are you a writer and a traveler? Have you read Thomas Spurling’s post On Travel Writing? If not, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Read no further if you’d rather I not spoil the ending for you: Travel is nothing like writing. Anyone can write, and anyone can travel. These days you can fly to Ireland from Italy for twelve bucks fifty, and blog round the world for free. But travel writing will forever be the ‘middle-man’ of literature, for the best travelers rarely write, and the best writers rarely travel. But we both need the other to inform our own lives, to help us to stay or to go. From a writing perspective, I’m not even sure I know what a dangling participle is. From a travel perspective, I’m only globe trotting in my head. So where does that leave me? Dreaming and full of prose, I suppose.

  Last weekend I drove into Washington, DC after donating some stuff at the Salvation Army. I was excited to check out the Adventures in Travel Expo which was making it’s fourth and final stop. I got a great, free parking spot across the street from the convention center. I walked confidently to the front door, though noticing no banners announcing the event, or people around for that matter. Right before I reached the door, I remembered the flyer I received said March 3-4. I had gone on the wrong weekend! So on my 10-minute drive back to Arlington, I decided to snap some pics of the buildings and monuments I pass on a routine ride home. The point was to share how lucky I am to live outside the capital of the US, surrounded by monuments and buildings that tell the tale of our country’s history. Coming Soon: Travel Writing class - I’m attending a 6-hour travel writing class tomorrow, taught by a travel writer for the Washington Post, LA Times and Baltimore

PERU - THE TALE OF A SECRET VALLEY AND THE CREDIT CARD AT THE BOTTOM OF LAKE TITICACA by David Callinan If you care to slip into a wet suit and dive to the bottom of icy Lake Titicaca, somewhere between the island of Taquile and the Peruvian mainland, you may discover the highest navigable, or should that [...]

Some great questions coming in!The Squeaking Noodle will always try to answer your questions on writing and freelancing or find the information you need to help you on your way. Please jump in and add your comments to the following and thanks Kate for asking."Dear, dear Squeaking Noodle:Thank you ever so much for answering my question about telephone contacts with editors. Now I have two other questions I hope you'll address:What kind of rights do British newspapers demand from freelancers? I found one statement from The Independent, but haven't been able to locate information for any of the other national newspapers."It would take forever and a day to understand the intricacies of copyright, especially now that most papers and magazines publish their archives online. Where does that leave us? Exactly. Who knows? Sure we own the copyright, but how many of us really understand what happens to our work when it pops online.Here are two links that explain copyright better than I ever cou