Chapter 4
The lost-and-found story
Posted: May 3, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: budget travel, budgettravel.com, Kaeli Conforti, lost and found, southwest airlines, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 4 encourages the aspiring traveling journalist to explore her hometown through a professional journalistic scope. The text gives examples of various angles for the journalist to pursue. Kaeli Conforti for BudgetTravel.com follows a unique perspective, finding a hidden story covering the lost and found in his local airport. Judging by the vast amounts of expensive and inexpensive items found on planes there could be many stories to pursue. For example, the reuniting of a new bride and her only camera taken on a honeymoon trip, or a child and his favorite Disney memory.Take a look here.
Find the controversy in travel
Posted: May 3, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: bbc.co.uk, Hal Amen, matador network, matadornetwork.com, regan morris, Should parents drug babies on long flights?, travel journalism, travel writing, world's first airline to charge passengers by weight Leave a comment »Chapter 4 urges the travel journalist to cover the misery of air travel. The text offers advice in searching for these stories. Regan Morris of bbc.co.uk provides an example of on such story in her coverage of a controversial topic: Should parents drug babies on long flights? Take a look here. Another fitting example of the misery of air travel is a piece by matador network’s Hal Amen commenting on the first airline to charge passengers by weight… Their personal body weight that is… Have a look here.
Discovering your personal Rome
Posted: May 3, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: budget travel, budgettravel editors, budgettravel.com, insider secrets of rome, pope, Rome, travel advice, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »The new Pope naturally brings with him an upsurge of new and returning tourists to Rome and the Vatican City. New tourists look for any excuse and a perfect time to travel to Rome while returning tourists are thankful for a reason to return to the city. Accompanying the tourists are travel journalists eager to report on the new excitement of the city. Isn’t this the same already heavily touristy Rome boasting millions of tourists annually?
However, as expected of the travel journalist, BudgetTravel.com’s editors collaborated to create a sure way guide to experience Rome without the long lines, expensive meals, and as the editors put it “crowds, crowds, crowds”. In other words the editors put their market in its true context. They have followed an approach to show how Rome is still truly unique. Take a look here.
Surely other guides will pop up…
The South’s great features
Posted: May 3, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: Graham Averill, Graham Averill Southern Living, micro travel notes, micro-blogging, microblogging, Southern Living, southernliving.com, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 4 encourages the travel journalist to not only put their market in context but to really highlight the unique features of their hometown. Have a look at how Graham Averill uses short tidbits/factoids about 7 very unique locations in the South. Averill has put together a great read to get possible road trip ideas. The article adds a creative option/advice to explore locations such as: horse back, tram tour, or guided lantern tours. Graham Averill also includes his own subjective humor on why an individual would enjoy each one of these wonders. This is one way to attract tourists to your location using minimal text. This method forces Averill to use only the most important information to deliver a specific message. With micro-blogging catching steam, more articles like this will become more and more prevalent.
A travel story, or four, about a knife
Posted: May 3, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: Andrew Welsh, Andrew Welsh matador network, Japanese culture, matador network, matadornetwork.com, traditional Sashimi knife, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 4 gives the travel journalist tips and cautions drawn from many sources, which should help him cover travel and tourism in his market. A major tip the text encourages is for the travel journalist to “travel for one story; come back with four.” Take for example Matador Network’s Andrew Welsh’s story about his one-of-a-kind, “good enough for you” Sashimi knife. Welsh’s trip to Japan on the outset was focused on taking cooking lessons to become a Japanese cuisine chef.
After becoming accustomed to the customs of the Japanese culture, Welsh developed ambitions to acquire a traditional Sashimi knife from a legendary swordsmith. This experience of acquiring the knife adds another dimension or rather adds another story to his experience. Andrew Welsh does an excellent job of painting the scenery and mood for his audience balancing history of the legendary swordsmith with the eerie feeling of the antique shop.
This article provides a prime example…
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,…
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.
Essential skill: frugality
Posted: January 22, 2013 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: frugal, frugal traveler, new york times, new york times travel, seth kugal, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel skills, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 4 aids the travel journalist by outlining tips, tools, and cautions which should help journalists cover stories at a home market or on the road. Likewise, Seth Kugel of the New York Times Travel section updates travel tips for the new year. Kugel devotes the entire article to helping travelers master the technique of traveling frugally which can lead to more experiences which in turn contributes to the travel writers end goal.
Kugel encourages the aspiring traveler to adjust their mental budget. Instead of thinking about staying home for another average weekend one should be
subtracting what you save by not being home. Surely you would have gone out for dinner and a movie one night, at least, so knock off $100. Add in gas, groceries, electricity, etc., and you’ve got at least another $50.
Kugel also warns that…
