A city guide in 48 hours
Posted: May 3, 2013 Contents: Chapter 2, Chapter 3 | Tags: Bill Addison, national geographic, national geographic traveler, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 2 makes a claim that guidebooks are essential to the tourism process. Taken a step further, Chapter 3 discusses the essential skills and knowledge for a travel journalist creating a travel guidebook such as: find the “hidden,” secret” attractions that “nobody knows.” Bill Addison a National Geographic traveler has offered his version of these valuable guides.
Here’s what’s good about Addison’s post: one, which is reflected within the title of the article, Addison tackles a city in 48 hours. He breaks down the article in sections depicting activities ranging from the historical MLK house, Oakland cemetery, & historic eateries to contemporary museums, hangouts and restaurants. Two: each day is broken down into morning, afternoon, and evening segments. Each segment is filled with activities that seem to ensure a complete Atlanta experience.
However, the traveler should use this guide much like other travel guides, as a suggestion to how to…
Digital divide
Posted: March 6, 2013 Contents: Chapter 6 | Tags: Corey Breier, digital divide, digital generation, matador network, matadornetwork.com, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel technology, travel writer, travel writing 1 Comment »This digital divide has less to do with socio-economic status and its relation to the inability of poor class people to access information electronically. Instead this division spreads older and younger generations apart in their views toward traveling, according to Corey Breier. Corey Breier an (young) author/contributor for the Matador Network identifies himself as a part of the “Digital Generation.” As a member of the digital generation Breier admits to spending months in front of a digital screen of some sort in contrast to an older generation who may have spent their time say, playing in the mud. This exposure to the digital world according to Breier has somewhat spoiled his traveling experience. Here’s an example of the author’s opinion:
To be fair, it does make life more interesting — I keep expecting cloned dinosaurs to pop out at me in the Hawaiian jungle, and graboids from Tremors to snatch me out of the sands of Anza-Borrego.
Yet…
Traveling and the global economy
Posted: March 6, 2013 Contents: Resources | Tags: bill poling, economics, global gdp, travel economics, travel experts, travel industry, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel weekly, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »Bill Poling of Travel Weekly reports stats on the travel industry’s effect on the global economy. All in all the report shows that the travel industry boosted the global economy and added trillions of dollars to the global GDP. Here’s a tidbit from Poling’s report:
In a report that again depicts the resilience of travel, the World Travel and Tourism Council estimated that the industry’s contribution to global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3% last year, the third consecutive year of growth.
The annual report, produced by Oxford Economics, said the direct contribution of travel and tourism in the global economy came to over $2 trillion, or 2.9% of global GDP. With indirect effects added, the total economic impact of travel and tourism rises to $6.6 trillion, or 9.3% of global GDP.
Premium parking
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…
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…
Step by step to bliss
Posted: November 19, 2012 Contents: Chapter 4 | Tags: andrea ross, conde nast travler, fixers, perrin's people, translator, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel language, travel research, travel specialist, travel writer, travel writing, wendy perrin Leave a comment »Chapter 4’s “Finding ‘Fixers’ for Translation, Logistics” introduced Andrea Ross, a travel specialist who’s arranged translators and guides for me across Southeast Asia. Ross is one of Wendy Perrin’s “Perrin’s People,” some 150 travel specialists Perrin regards as the best in the business. Perrin has been supplying this list to Conde Nast Traveler for the last 13 years. Ross returned this year as one of two travel specialists focused on Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Ross also is the subject of a step-by-step guide to using travel specialists written by Janet Nezhad Band. Though intended for travelers, the advice is relevant to travel journalists.
Federal policy and the traveler
Posted: November 19, 2012 Contents: Chapter 2 | Tags: adie tomer, brookings institution metropolitian policy program, federal regulations traveler, robert puentes, travel journalism, travel journalist, travel research, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 2 warns the travel journalist of the cost of traveling. In addition to price the travel journalist should be concerned with United States Federal policy. According to Adie Tomer and Robert Puentes from Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program,
federal regulations restrict competition and complicate travel in and out of the country. Even with major deregulation in 1978, the United States still prohibits international airlines from operating domestic routes. With domestic airlines consolidating routes and leaving many communities with fewer direct flights, does it make sense to restrict carrier options for these communities?
These are some of the major federal policies that affect travelers. Policies eventually trickle down and affect pricing. The frugal travel journalist should also beware of…
The road or roadless to adventure
Posted: November 5, 2012 Contents: Chapter 3 | Tags: adventure journalism, adventure writing, avery stonich, backcountry, outdoor industry association, road trip, roadless areas, travel adventure, travel journalism, travel research, travel writer, travel writing Leave a comment »Chapter 3 introduces adventure as an important niche topic for travel readers. Earlier this month, adventure travelers and consequently adventure writers received good news when the Supreme Court ignored a ruling that would allow individual states to downgrade protection on roadless(backcountry areas that have few roads or significant alterations other than trails) areas that may allow things like mining and deforestation in certain outdoor adventure areas. Avery Stonich of Outdoor Industry Association calls this effort or lack of a
major win, protecting these places for future generations.
Without these roadless areas there would be very little for the adventure audience to read about.
