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A local friend in your pocket
Posted: October 20, 2012 Contents: Resources | Tags: field trip, local, travel guide, travel journalism, travel research, travel technology, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »As a travel writer, conducting research on a destination while traveling is a sure way
to miss out on some great opportunities. Inevitably, however, without a local connection the travel writer will come to a point when she wants to explore more than she has researched.
Field Trip, a GoogleApp, might just be the traveler’s solution to this dilemma. As Google describes it,
“Field Trip is like having a local friend with you as you make your way through the city.”
Here’s a bit offered by Field Trip:
“Field Trip is your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you. Field Trip runs in the background on your phone. When you get close to something interesting, it pops up a card with details about the location. No click is required. If you have a headset or bluetooth connected, it can even read the info…
Add Google+Local to arsenal of travel apps and gadgets
Posted: October 3, 2012 Contents: Resources | Tags: dennis schaal, travel apps, travel gadgets, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel technology, travel writing, usa today, usa today travel Leave a comment »Resources mentions four Gadgets and Apps Every Travel Journalist Should Carry. Tack on Google+ Local. Travel.usatoday.com’s Dennis Schaal offers this description:
“If you’re traveling and looking for a restaurant, hotel or attraction, then Google has revamped its local-business search results through the prism of restaurant-review specialist Zagat and Google+, its own social network and answer to Facebook.”
Get out there and make friends
Posted: October 3, 2012 Contents: Resources | Tags: aaron mashburn, frommers, frommers.com, locals, madeline reddington, Making friends model, travel advice, travel journalism, travel writing, traveling abroad Leave a comment »Building on Aaron Marshburn’s “Making Friends Model,” in Resources, Madeline Reddington in frommers.com, offers five ways to connect to locals while traveling. Reddington explains,
Most travelers realize in short order that our experiences abroad — and in other unfamiliar territories — are greatly enhanced by spending time with those who know it best, the locals. Whether you stay at their home, spend a weekend with them, or even chat over a beer, you’ll be opening yourself to a more intimate and genuine experience of your destination.
Reddington also recommends Triptrotting.com where travelers can connect with like-minded locals for offline meet ups.
The advice builds on the idea: Who knows the destination better than local residents?
Avoid jetlag and changing clothes
Posted: October 3, 2012 Contents: Chapter 4, Resources | Tags: avoid common mistakes when traveling, avoid jet lag, budget travel, budgettravel.com, mistakes when traveling, save space when travling, terry ward, travel journalism, travel writing 1 Comment »Budgettravel.com’s Terry Ward offers advice on how to avoid the most common mistakes when traveling, especially when planning a quick getaway. For example, Mistake # 6 – travelers often forget to prepare for a new time zone. Ward suggests:
If it’s already nighttime in your destination when you step on the plane, pass on the in-flight meal and movie and pop in the earplugs for a snooze instead—that way you’ll be waking up with the locals, instead of feeling like it’s time to sleep when you touch down. Plan lots of outdoor activities for your first day in a different time zone, too—the sunlight and fresh air will keep you energized. If there’s no avoiding a snooze, try to limit yourself to a 20-minute power nap.
Ward also lists suggestions like dressing for more than one part of the day as a way to save time and space when traveling….
Ask and you shall receive — travel savings
Posted: September 26, 2012 Contents: Resources | Tags: budget travel, budgettravel.com, deanna cioppa, frugal, frugal traveler, travel experts, travel journalism, travel savings, travel writing Leave a comment »One way to save money? Talking. BudgetTravel.com’s Deanna Cioppa advises that simple human to human interactions can lead to discounts on airfare, lodging and cruises.
The author asked several travel experts for simple questions travelers should be asking to save money. Some of the questions include:
- Is there an upgrade available?
- Are you running any local deals?
- Is there a tourism card available?
Some of these questions seem like no brainers but often times travelers forget, are too intimidated, or think its useless to ask them. According to experts, start asking these questions to ensure a more complete, inexpensive trip. Besides, it won’t hurt to ask.
Getting it wrong on jet lag
Posted: August 27, 2012 Contents: Resources | Tags: jet lag, new york times, stephanie rosenbloom, travel journalism, travel writing 1 Comment »A New York Times travel advice column got it wrong on one aspect of jet lag.
Stephanie Rosenbloom, the Getaway columnist, advised that when flying east…
you must expose yourself to light early, advancing your body clock so that it will be in sync with the new time zone.
That’s the opposite of what experts advise, as the example she cited points out. When flying east, you should delay exposing yourself to light so as to retard your body clock’s syncing with the new time zone.
This isn’t new advice: I remember reading 15 years ago about air travelers from the U.S. arriving in London wearing welder’s goggles until noon or thereafter. Dark sunglassses are just as effective — and more fashionable.
New edition of best “how-to” text published
Posted: August 25, 2012 Contents: Resources | Tags: jacqueline harmon butler, louis purwin zobel, the travel writers handbook, travel journalism, travel writing Leave a comment »I advised in Resources that travel journalists with time to read just one of the “how-to” texts should order The Travel Writer’s Handbook: How to Write — and Sell — Your Own Travel Experiences. That was the 6th edition, published in 2007, in which Louise Purwin Zobel and Jacqueline Harmon Butler provided comprehensive, coherent, accessible advice.
A 7th edition was published in April 2012, and is stronger in several ways. Most importantly, this edition recognizes that opportunities to publish in print are in decline, and most new opportunities are to be found online.
Butler handled the new edition on her own. Zobel died in June 2008.
