I recently asked my friend and colleague, Ed Wetschler, if he was traveling much these days. It was a fair question for Ed, who is the Executive Editor of Tripatini and chair of the Northeast Chapter of SATW. But his answer baffled me. “No,” he said. “I’m not. I’ve taken some press trips, but I’m [...]
When I was at Conde Nast, my colleagues and I periodically talked about how powerful the words “Free” and “Sex” were. Those were the two words that sold the most magazines, the two most frequently used words on the covers. However, they were never used together (which, quite frankly, would have drawn even more readers). [...]
One of the biggest challenges I have as a writer these days is just staying on the beam. For example, just now, rather than write that first sentence and move on to the next, I Googled ‘staying on the beam.’ I wanted to check—was it being used in this context by all sorts of writers [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 to understand. [...]
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 [...]
Over the last several weeks, I received a couple of e-mails from writers who told me they were experts in various parts of the world. One fancied himself an Asia expert; another, an Israel expert. The first one really threw me, because I can’t even call myself an expert on the country I’ve spent my [...]
One of the first job responsibilities I had when I started out as an assistant travel editor at Condé Nast was to do photo research. This required physically going to various Ad and PR agencies in midtown Manhattan and examining sheet after sheet of slides with my loupe (which I never let out of my [...]
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 of the idea. [...]
Among us, right now, there could be a garage band as game-changing to the music world as the Beatles were. But chances are we’ll never hear a note they’ll play. Breaking out of the pack or being discovered in any creative arena today is as realistic as a blonde hair/blue eyed Minnesota girl showing up [...]
Since I started FarewellTravels.com just over a year ago, I’ve been approached by many writers who say they simply want to write for the site so they can stay in luxury hotels. This always stops me. I can’t help but wonder….did they get into the field so they could stay in luxury hotels? I have [...]
