We’ve all had a computer breakdown.
One day, it might simply not turn on. Or perhaps the cursor may suddenly become hyperactive and unpredictable, or the screen may flash every time you hit “enter.”
Everyone has some story. And presumably, everyone has someone they call at these frustrating moments.
Chances are the “someone” is somebody [...]
With the U.S. State Department issuing an alert on Sunday “urging Americans traveling to Europe to be vigilant about possible terrorist attacks,” I am wondering how many of the editors I know are canceling assignments, “holding stories” and in general, choosing NOT to write about Britain, France and Germany until this storm passes.
When is this [...]
Years ago, I was on a press trip in Africa.
As we were bumping along through the savannah, one of my fellow journalists was flipping through a stack of magazines he had brought along for what I guess he considered dull moments.
He could have been on a plane, he could have been in [...]
One of the very first things I had to accept about the kind of travel writing I do is that it’s a service.
While I was inspired by the likes of Lawrence Durrell, Paul Theroux and Jan Morris, I was writing for a Condé Nast magazine.
Articles had to be short and to the point, [...]
Years ago, I thought of writing a book called, “I left Paradise a Day Early” on the many hardships travel writers have to endure while on the road.
I “shelved” the idea back then because a colleague/friend said to me, “Susan, normal people won’t get this.”
Of course, how can staying in a pristine villa at [...]
A couple of years ago, I came across a treasure.
At least I think it was a treasure. Unfortunately, its real value I’ll never know.
What I found, while taking a break in my boat (I’m a sculler as well as a travel writer) was a bottle bobbing in the waves. I paddled over to [...]
Right now, I am on flight from Johannesburg to New York, some 38,000 feet in the air.
After a bit of dozing off and accepting that I just won’t get a full night’s sleep (we left Jo-burg at 10pm and are flying into daybreak), I’ve decided to seize my writing moment.
Writing first thing in the [...]
I’ve had enough people ask me about the name of this column, so I think it’s time to define “ambidextrous travel writer”.
Before I explain what an ambidextrous travel writer is, I do need to take you back to what a travel writer used to be.
When I first started as an assistant travel editor at The [...]
I’ve just come back from a trip to Botswana and Zambia, where I was on a safari.
One of the outings we took involved a boat trip through the waterways of the Okavango Delta which, in parts, are lined with thick stands of papyrus.
At one point, our guide buzzed up close to the weeds [...]
One of the most powerful moments of my professional life was when I was a guest writer visiting an elementary school.
I asked a class of 4th graders to describe the color of the Caribbean Sea.
After the “turquoise” word was shouted out by many, we brainstormed and came up with some better [...]
We have a real treat for you today, dear readers!
Yes, I snagged an interview with Susan Farewell (woot!)
For those of you newbie travel writers who may not be familiar with Susan, she’s an accomplished and oft-published travel writer and author, a former travel editor and staff writer at The Condé Nast Publications in New York [...]
