Victorian towns with a touch of the Old West swaggering out the saloon doors.
Stickball in a 19th century Native American village. Discovering over 500 varieties of soda. A wildlife refuge where Teddy Roosevelt once hunted with Comanche war chief Quanah Parker. Celebrating a centennial. Oil barons and their riches. Experiencing the sights and smells of [...]
If you’re already an established travel writer, you’ve heard it dozens of times.
“Oh what I would do to have your job!” Indeed, the life of a travel writer can be an enviable one, but at the same time, it’s not for everyone. Take a few minutes and answer the following 12 questions. Jot down [...]
Last year at about this time I wrote a blog post about…
…how I spend the last week of every year (as I have for many years) in quiet reflection on what I’ve accomplished during the year that’s just passed…
…did I meet all of my goals? Some of them? Am I happy with how [...]
You just noticed on Facebook that two colleagues are off to the Amalfi Coast on a press trip.
Your heart sinks. Why weren’t you invited?
Chances are you’re not on that invitation list for a reason. So what does one have to do to get on and stay on these lists?
Here are some dos and don’ts that apply [...]
For my site, FarewellTravels, we just posted a piece about 10 great winter retreats.
Putting it together got me thinking about the whole formula of using top ten lists in travel writing.
Why are they so popular among bloggers and site editors? Are they really a smart choice when preparing content?
I decided to weigh the [...]
With the rush to get scoops on stories or simply to just write and post a piece before one heads out to the gym in the morning…
…. we all know, editorial standards have taken a nose dive.
Some of this I can live with occasionally. The word “there” inadvertently spelled “their” for example. A [...]
Many of our readers are already familiar with TripBase’s 7 Links Project…
…And many have already participated.
For those of you who may not have heard of it, the idea is for nominated bloggers to offer their readers a roundup of links to previous posts, one in each of seven categories, as a way of introducing new [...]
About a year ago, I was on a press trip with three other journalists.
Our driver did a yeoman’s job of taking us places to get great stories and really amazing photographs.
He personally went out of his way many times for us, taking group pictures, working very long days, even lugging one writer’s camera [...]
Photography is the world as seen through the eyes of the photographer.
In the same way that two writers would tell two completely different accounts of the same moment, two photographers will likely photograph the exact same scene, the exact same moment in two completely different ways.
This similarity between writing and photography is [...]
Years ago, while driving around Norway, my colleague (also a journalist) suddenly announced quite smugly…
…“Well…I’ve come up with a title and a first sentence, so my story is done. Now I can relax and enjoy Scandinavia.”
At the time, I didn’t quite get what she meant, but over the years, I’ve come [...]
A few weeks ago, someone I was traveling with lost her luggage…
…well, briefly so.
We arrived at our baggage carousel at Heathrow, and within five minutes, two out of three of us had our bags.
We waited and watched the conveyor belt empty out and as it ground to a halt, it became very clear. [...]
Spam comes in many variations.
In fact that thoroughly researched email pitch you just sent to a blogger or journalist might just fall into that category.
According to CAN-SPAM Act, the following transactions are subject to the Spam Laws:
The CAN-SPAM “covers all commercial messages, which the law defines as “any electronic mail message the primary purpose of [...]
Rejection is a natural part of being a writer.
Even those writers and authors who have gone on to achieve international success were, at one point or another, rejected.
One of the differences between those who go on to be successful and those who don’t is the willingness to learn from the experience and try again.
It’s [...]
Interviewing another person is one of the important skills that any travel writer may wish to develop.
Interviewing anyone – whether a tour guide, a celebrity, hotelier or a fellow traveler – will give you new ideas to write about, and a fresh angle on what might have looked like a stale story line.
Quotes [...]
Today more than ever, there’s such an urgency to post stories.
No sooner do we have an idea, there’s pressure to get it written and get it out there.
So what’s up with that?
Fear. Fear that someone else is going to beat us. Fear that they’ll be perceived as the originator [...]
