Owner: The Female Traveller URL:http://thefemaletraveller.com/blog/ Join Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 16:33:11 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Tales of a female traveller. Site statistics:Click here
Travel writing courses 2007-04-27 22:28:46 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 Travel
lerstales.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
PARIS 2007-04-24 11:04:04
The taxi-driver’s scruffy and unshaven appearance belied his jovial nature. His clothes were infused with the smell of smoke and clung to his pot-belly. He drove a beaten up old Renault which hurtled us through the streets of Paris at breakneck speed; our driver was seemingly not the only one who had a blatant disregard for the traffic light system. He did not speak English and our attempt at “pigeon French” was unheard. The driver was too intent on listening to the sports commentary on the local radio, which caused him to nod and shake his head as if in an imaginary conversation.
The taxi whizzed past large department stores, grand renaissance buildings and old town houses, each building illuminated by the dewy haze of the street lamps. The wide boulevards were interspersed with miniature trees that emphasised the grandness of the old buildings. Eventually, with a disregard for the law of gravity, we swung off the wide approach to the Arc de Trimphe and down an incredibl
Bath - “A City for Pleasures” 2007-04-23 22:01:36 Bath has been described as a “city for pleasures” and as you pull into its quaint Georgian station, it’s easy to see why. Looking across at the rolling green hills the light reflects on the golden rows of buildings as if the gods have shone a torch on this world heritage city. Nestled in a valley this chocolate box city is a delight to see. Situated along the river Avon in a natural amphitheatre of steep hills and built of local limestone Bath’s elegance and architectural individuality cannot be missed.
Bath is made up of crescents, squares, circuses and steep Georgian streets. Top of the list to visit are the Royal Crescent and the Circus which are excellent displays of John Wood’s architecture. Built in a Palladian style and forming the shape of a key (a circle joined to the Crescent by Brock street) these gleaming honey coloured works of art are a must see. Besides the major sites of historical interest such as the Roman Baths, Jane Austen Centre and numerous Read more:ldquo
, rdquo
Bristol – Old and New – Ashley Canavan explores the city of Bristol, both old and new, and poses the question of where to begin. 2007-04-23 22:00:55 Bristol
is a city a contrasts. It skillfully blends the old with the new, modern 21st century complexes such as the Quayside development sit side by side with historical buildings. Historic ships can be found next to industrial cranes and newly developed waterfront apartments with balconies, overlooking the water. A day trip to the city poses
the problem of where to start - with the old or with the new?
Old Bristol
When considering Bristol’s history you cannot fail to mention Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous engineer to whom Bristol owes much of its heritage. Arriving into Temple Meads train station you are already witnessing one of Brunel’s great works, for Brunel designed and built the railway line that connects Bristol to London.
“The British Empire & Commonwealth Museum” in Temple Meads was once the original location of the station. Any visitor to Bristol must first stop off at the Museum which tells the story of the British Empire from 1497 t Read more:Ashley
, begin
Trip of your tongue 1999-11-30 01:00:00 There is a new trend – and it’s catching on fast.
An increasing number of people want more from their holidays. Sand sun and sea may still be on the agenda, but there is another “s” on peoples’ minds, and it stands for ‘school’.
There are a host of learning holidays available to the seasonal traveller, ranging from pottery in Portugal to sewing in Shanghai, but perhaps one of the most obvious classes to take is right on the tip of your tongue
; After all, the best place to learn a language is arguably in a country where that language is spoken, and what better way to soak up the syllabus than to quench your thirst for knowledge, direct from the source?
Below is a round-up of …..
1. Apple Languages:
Companies like Apple have a vast selection of language courses to choose from. From the most popular language courses of French and Spanish to the more unique such as Arabic, Portuguese or Russian.
Ruth Webster of Apple Languages says they “[We] sent approximately 4200 s
Getting started in travel writing - Rolf Potts 2007-05-31 11:26:37 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
A typical British Holiday 2007-06-19 07:45:06 I spent last weekend camping in Exmoor. You may laugh as it was the wettest and coldest bank holiday on record but I can honestly say I had a great time. There is something innately satisfying about sleeping in the outdoors.
The campsite in the middle of Exmoor is hidden down narrow windy roads. The entrance into the farm is like a helter skelter ride on a single dirt track where you pray there is no-one coming in the other direction. From my window I can see a patchwork of landscapes, rolling green hills, sheer cliff faces looking across the Bristol channel and field upon field or mauve brown shrubs. Occasionally my view is shrouded by lines of trees either side of the road that seem to loom into the sky as if wrapping a protective blanket around the car.
The campsite has 3 modest sized fields which fit approximately 12 or so tents with cars and caravans. We pull into our chosen spot by a babbling brook and set up tent. We consider whether the best view from our tent would be t Read more:British
, Holiday
Bank Holiday Campers 2007-08-16 09:22:25 I spent last weekend camping in Exmoor. You may laugh as it was the wettest and coldest bank holiday on record, but I can honestly say I had a great time. There is something innately satisfying about sleeping outdoors.
Our campsite, located in the middle of Exmoor National Park, is hidden down a tangle of narrow windy roads. The car was laden with blow-up beds, duvets, pillows, sleeping bags, pots and pans, and everything bar the kitchen sink. With three grown ladies in the car, heads pressed against the glass, we had to pray there was no-one coming in the other direction.
From my window I could see a patchwork of landscapes, rolling green hills, the sheer cliff-tops facing the Bristol Channel and field upon field of mauve brown scrubland. Occasionally my view was shrouded by trees looming up from the side of the road and enveloping the car in a blanket of darkness.
We arrived at nightfall, after a very bumpy ride, which meant we had to make do with a glimmer of moonlight and a coup Read more:Holiday
5 Useful Resources for Writing Travel Articles 2008-01-18 15:36:04 BravenewTravel
ler.com is an excellent on-line travel magazine with lots of really interesting advice on travel writing. I have picked out my 5 most useful articles from the site:
1) How To Develop Convincing Dialogue In Your Travel Writing
2) 50+ Travel Magazines That Want To Publish Your Writing
3) [...] Read more:Articles
, Resources
, Useful
My top 10 Travel Writing Tips 2008-01-14 15:09:10 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 [...] Read more:Travel
, Travel Writing
Plans for this blog 2008-01-09 15:16:21 Each week I plan to include blog posts on the following topics:
Interviews with travel writers:
5 Useful resources for travel writers
Book reviews
Quote of the week
Cool travel gadgets
Conferences and courses for 2008
Market [...]
Useful bookmarking website for travel writers 2008-01-08 15:40:18 I found Travelbookmarking.com to be a really useful website
for storing all my travel related web searches. It allows you to view other people’s bookmarks and share yours. It doesn’t really differ that much from other bookmarking websites but it is a good way of keeping all travel related sites together.
Check it [...] Read more:Useful
2008 Travel Writing Goals 2008-01-07 14:58:55 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 [...] Read more:Goals
, Travel
, Travel Writing
Gaziantep - a new destination in Turkey 2008-06-02 08:05:58 I here you ask where? Gaziantep is a province in south-central Turkey
. According to ehotelier.com the province “has significant tourist potential due to its historic and natural beauties.” Hoteliers appear to be taking notice with 11 new hotels currently under construction in the city centre.
EHotelier reports that “the construction of four five-star hotels, two four-star ho
Interview with Arthur Frommer 2008-06-02 07:49:40 Read Rolf Potts interview with Aruthur Fromer in which he answers the ever-popular questions of how he became a travel writer and offers advice of aspiring writers.
-06/arthur-frommer-at-rolfpottscom.html
Read more:Arthur
The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E Bowman 2008-06-01 16:42:35 Bill Bryson provides the introduction to this unusual book. He describes it as “one of the funniest books you will ever read.” I was sceptical at first as I had never heard of the author but I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree.
The book was first published in 1956 and was mainly [...] Read more:Ascent
, Doodle
Submission guidelines 2008-06-01 14:53:47 Before submitting ideas to editors for travel publications one of the first things you must do is read the writer’s guidelines. To save you from trawling the net I have provided links to some top publications submission guidelines. I have selected a mixture of online and print media so as not to [...] Read more:Submission
5 Useful Resources for Writing Travel Articles 2008-01-18 15:36:04 BravenewTravel
ler.com is an excellent on-line travel magazine with lots of really interesting advice on travel writing. I have picked out my 5 most useful articles from the site:
1) How To Develop Convincing Dialogue In Your Travel Writing
2) 50+ Travel Magazines That Want To Publish Your Writing
3) The [...] Read more:Articles
, Resources
, Useful
My top 10 Travel Writing Tips 2008-01-14 15:09:10 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 [...] Read more:Travel
, Travel Writing
Plans for this blog 2008-01-09 15:16:21 Each week I plan to include blog posts on the following topics:
Interviews with travel writers:
5 Useful resources for travel writers
Book reviews
Quote of the week
Cool travel gadgets
Conferences and courses for 2008
Market [...]
Useful bookmarking website for travel writers 2008-01-08 15:40:18 I found Travelbookmarking.com to be a really useful website
for storing all my travel related web searches. It allows you to view other people’s bookmarks and share yours. It doesn’t really differ that much from other bookmarking websites but it is a good way of keeping all travel related sites together.
Check it [...] Read more:Useful
2008 Travel Writing Goals 2008-01-07 14:58:55 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 [...] Read more:Goals
, Travel
, Travel Writing
Ko Naka Yai 2008-09-24 13:57:07 The longtail boat chugged and spluttered its way along the Andaman coast under a pitch black sky peppered with shining stars. We bounced upon moon-lit waves towards our destination, savouring the sickly sweet smell of diesel that had accompanied us throughout the journey.
As we came within range of the pier, Chai, our skipper, [...]
How to research a magazine? 2008-09-24 08:26:21 One of the first things an editor will tell you, when advising on how to pitch your ideas, is that you need to know your target audience. This means researching the publication in detail.
The type of questions to ask yourself when researching a magazine include:-
What type of articles does it feature?
How has the feature [...]
How Twitter can help you come up with ideas 2008-09-22 14:06:24 Check out Written Road Tim Shilser’s post on how twitter can help you get more assignments. As Tim points out twitter provides “another way travel writers can stay ahead of the curve and use social media to snag stories, formulate ideas
and create relationships.”
For other ways of formulating story ideas see my earlier post Read more:Twitter
Independent Travel Writing competition 2008-09-22 13:45:42 The Independent newspaper is looking for an aspiring travel writer to write a blog based on six-week exploration of European heritage.
To enter you are only required to write 200 words explaining which European city you would most like to visit and why. Check out the link here.
The closing date for the competition
is 17th [...] Read more:Travel
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