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Posted: February 26, 2013 Contents: Chapter 3 | Tags: King Richard III, king richard skeleton, London, Matt Bolton, new york times, new york times travel, Paul Theroux, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel writer, travel writing, university of leicester Leave a comment »Chapter 3 of the text discusses “Destination” as a major story type to reach the audience for travel journalism. The chapter includes a quote from Paul Theroux which states,
Today, the destination story means looking for places that have changed, or places to visit in a new way.
Following that notion, Matt Bolton, of NewYorkTimes.com, writes an article for the New York Times online travel section about the recent discovery of King Richard III’s skeleton under a local English parking lot. Here’s a tidbit from Bolton’s article:
Since Feb. 4, when researchers from the University of Leicester announced that a skeleton found during an archaeological dig at the parking lot in September 2012 was indeed that of Richard III, a monarch immortalized by Shakespeare, Mr. Jones [security] has been fending off…
Prepared for a rush
Posted: February 16, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4, Resources | Tags: Clay shivers, Making friends model, travel journalism, travel writing 2 Comments »In the Resource section of the text college student Aaron Mashburn offers his “Making Friends Model.” Clay Shivers of Worldhum.com narrates his travel to Bangalore and his own execution of the “Making Friends Model.” Shivers explains through out his piece that for twenty years he has fantasized over a poster of a packed train ride through India. From the poster Shivers longed to reach that magical place, that place directly in the middle of local Indian culture.
Finally upon reaching Bangalore he gets his opportunity to be apart of the crowded train. As anticipation builds, the train takes off and literally is moving so slow that locals are able to out walk the train. This is what’s great about this piece. Because of this situation, a disappointing slow train ride, Shivers meets a friend, Rahim who had previously studied abroad in Pennsylvania. Figuring he has…
Love your city?
Posted: February 16, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: Heart your city, love you city, travel journalism, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 4 of the text encourages the travel writer to place his market in context as well as find hidden “secret” attraction that nobody knows. National Geographic has recently released a “I Heart My City” survey that asks questions that when answered can be a guide to any traveler to your hometown. Sofia von Parot of National Geographic has recently released her version of the self made guide. Here’s a bit,
When someone comes to visit me, the first place I take them is Haga, a quaint old neighborhood with many cozy cafes.
Gothenburg’s quaint Haga district.
Summer is the best time to visit my city because the rain and snow have disappeared,…
Expert advice, what not to do
Posted: February 16, 2013 Contents: Chapter 1, Resources | Tags: chapter 4, travel journalism, travel writing, what not to do Leave a comment »The Resources section of the text offers the travel writer advice from 100 freelance journalists. Carlo Alcos offers some good advice for the travel journalist in the article What Not to Do. Here’s one of his pieces of advice,
DO listen to yourself and be authentic to what your gut tells you.
Society these days is “noisy.” We’re being bombarded with information through news, websites, advertisements, social media; pulled and yanked in this direction and that direction. It’s enough to give you whiplash. It can be extremely hard to shut out the static and turn inward, into yourself to listen to what it is that you actually want. Go for a run; meditate; do some yoga; take a walk in the forest. Ask yourself questions and sense how your body reacts — your physiological responses like increased heart rate, a “funny feeling in your stomach”,…
Lowering language barrier
Posted: February 16, 2013 Contents: Resources | Tags: travel journalism, travel language, travel technology, travel writing Leave a comment »The Resources lists gadgets and apps every travel journalist should carry. David Miller of the Matador Network recently wrote about revolutionary technology for the travel journalist. Technology that will completely lower the language barrier between strangers from different cultures. Here’s a bit from Miller’s article,
This technology is still in its nascent form, but as more languages are added and the technology is refined, everyone from business travelers to anthropologists will be able to interact with locals in ways that were previously inaccessible or which necessitated having a 3rd person there.
Green Book
Posted: February 16, 2013 Contents: Chapter 2, Resources | Tags: black history, Deborah Bhattacharyya, Green book, negro-motorist green book, road trip, travel journalism, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 2 discusses guidebooks as a major part of the tourist process. As the text states guidebooks mediate the relationship between tourist and destination, as well as the relationship between the guest and host.
In the early stages of the 20th century blacks weren’t privy to such information much less experiences. A major fear and risk for African Americans was safety.
As a result a postal worker Victor Green put together a guidebook that showed blacks safe places to visit while traveling throughout the country: “The Negro-Motorist Green Book.” Nsenga Burton of the Roots.com explains to readers the books function and historical relevance. Here’s a tidbit from her article:
Like users of today’s popular recommendation sites such as TripAdvisor, travelers collected information during their journeys, which they shared…
Handy travel safety tips
Posted: February 5, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: lonely planet, lonelyplanet.com, safety while abroad, tom hall, travel advice, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel safety, travel tips, travel writer, travel writing, what not to do 1 Comment »Chapter 4 briefly discusses the importance of being safe as you travel. Tom Hall of LonelyPlanet.com has compiled a list of warnings that travel journalists and travelers in general should heed. Among some of Hall’s warnings are watch out for fake police and police officers seeking bribes. Travel journalists should be able to count on local authority for not only safety but free reliable information as well.
Reverse outline
Posted: February 5, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: aaron hamburger, likewise, new york times, new york times travel, reverse outlining, travel advice, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel tips, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 4 gives advice to the travel journalists in regards to drafting and revising works. Likewise, Aaron Hamburgur of the NewYorkTimes.com offers his advice to writers specifically in the form of reverse outlining. Here is a tidbit from Hamburgers article,
I’ve come to prefer a more organic approach to creation, first laying out my raw material on the page, then searching for possible patterns that might emerge. But now,after I’ve completed a first draft, I compose an outline. I’ve found that this is the surest way to make sense of the work.
Volunteering properly
Posted: February 5, 2013 Contents: Chapter 3 | Tags: jade keller, matador network, matadornetwork.com, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel volunteer, travel writer, travel writing, volunteer, volunteer traveling Leave a comment »In Chapter 3 volunteering is listed as one of the twelve important niche’ topics. Assuming volunteer writers, well volunteer — Jade Keller of the Matador Network advices the aspiring volunteer on how to be a helper any NGO wants. First, Keller breaks a few assumptions. Take a look at an excerpt of her article,
I’ll start by dispelling the myth that nonprofits should bend over backwards in gratitude for your offered time. Most people, for valid reasons like they need money to eat, cannot afford to donate much of their time. So they can only put in a few hours a month, or, if they want to work in developing regions like South East Asia, Africa, or Latin America, they will come out for a few weeks or a few months, ready to go pedal to the metal…and then leave.
There are some organizations that have short-term volunteering programs, but they are…
Price for safety? Common sense
Posted: February 5, 2013 Contents: Resources | Tags: freelance journalists, lonely planet, lonelyplanet.com, mark broadhead, travel advice, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »The Resources section of the text offers advice from 100 freelance journalists. Mark Broadhead of LonelyPlanet.com offers his advice on safety while traveling. According to Broadhead,
Scan your travel documents and email them to yourself. It was traditional to photocopy your passport and visas, travel insurance etc, and keep them in a separate part of your luggage. But that’s old school. These days, digital is best – that way your documents won’t go missing even if your bags do.
It may seem like a breeze, but be advised that teaching yourself to ride a motorbike or jet ski in a foreign country is probably unwise. In Thailand, for instance, 38 people a day die in scooter accidents. Nb some travel insurance policies won’t cover scooter-related injuries.
