If a picture is worth 1000 words, using multimedia in your travel writing speaks volumes. Thanks to numerous open source applications, travel writers can now quickly and easily include video, timelines, data visualizations, and other interactive media directly into their travel articles. The following lists five indispensable tools for travel writers looking to add content [...]
Are you using Facebook and Twitter to promote your self as a travel writer? Every so often I get an email from someone who asks me why I haven’t responded to their Facebook friend request, or why I haven’t followed them on Twitter…… …most of the time the reason is that they’ve — perhaps unknowingly [...]
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 [...]
S-E-O. Do those three little letters cause panic whenever you think about Search Engine Optimization? How does a non-techie travel blogger optimize a site without writing text that sounds artificial and spammy? What if SEO advice appeared conveniently in the WordPress dashboard? Travel bloggers, meet Scribe, the online SEO tool that helps optimize [...]
Welcome to another installment of Ask The Editor! This month our topic focuses on newsletters. Q. I know I should have a signup form for a newsletter, but I really don’t know where to begin. How do I start a newsletter? A. This can be intimidating for any blogger, but it’s very important to include [...]
Google offers a wide variety of free products, services, and tools. Some of these tools are designed to help websites become successful. I use Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools on a regular basis to gather the information I need to improve my blog. Yes, I look at how my numbers are doing – [...]
While we are all travel “writers”, you may also want to consider adding podcast interviews to your repertoire. Or even if you don’t want to use these recordings to publish on your site it is a great way to have a record of your conversation to listen to again as you write your article. There [...]
Imagine that you’re traveling in a foreign country. Like any smart traveler, you’ve stored your most important and valuable items, such as your passport, airline tickets, credit cards, and extra cash or travelers checks, in your hotel room safe. You arrive back at your room after a day of sight-seeing or lounging by the pool [...]
I’m assuming that a majority of travel writers are relying on their blogging platform and its built-in plugins to optimize articles for the best search engine results. The problem with this method is that you are relying on automated code to guess the best target market. For example, my article “5 Extreme Winter Sports That [...]
So you want to start your own audio podcast? Perhaps you always dreamed of having your own radio show. Or perhaps you just want to document your travels for your friends and family. You can create your own internet radio show by creating a podcast. A Plan The first thing that a podcaster needs [...]
Travel fiction can be a refreshing approach to writing about travel. There are many ‘non-fiction’ books on the market and a work of fiction could be a breath of fresh air that a Publisher is looking for. Many travel writers submit a guidebook or a ‘travel tips’ book. Set yourself apart and take a stab [...]
Many travel writers, both beginners and experienced, follow a familiar format. They travel (even if that is to some local destination because their travel niche is where they live), they take notes, they take some photos, they return home, and then they begin writing numerous travel articles and essays on their trip, and submit them [...]
Last week I happened to mention on Twitter that I was not thrilled with TweetDeck, as it was unstable and crashed regularly on my Mac, and that I was testing an alternative Twitter Client called Nambu. Nambu is a native Mac application, whereas TweetDeck runs on the Adobe AIR platform. I really love Nambu, but [...]
As I read some of my favorite Travel Blogs, one of the things I’ve noticed is that a lot of travel bloggers don’t realize that they can (and should) customize their default “404″ page that comes with nearly every WordPress Theme. Worse though, is that some bloggers don’t have a 404 Page at all, either [...]
The Writer’s Software Companion is great for travel writers that would like to try their hand at fiction writing, and many do just that, either by taking their travel writing articles and turning them into a novel, or by using travel writing to “pay the bills” while they are writing their novel in their spare [...]
