June's Photo Challenge Theme: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Wherever you're headed this summer -- be it an exotic destination or someplace more tame -- be sure to pack your camera. Focus in on the way you travel to your destination and how you get around once you are there. The theme for June's Photo Challenge is: "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles." Of course, we [...]
Three Tricks for Breaking into Newspapers
Three Smart Ways to Sell Your Story to a Newspaper's Travel Editor Open any newspaper's travel section and you're bound to see articles picked up off a wire. They're easy to spot. Under the by-line they'll say something like "Los Angeles Times" (though you're reading the Denver Post). It's not that editors don't want other [...]
Travel Tip: What to Pack
I'm not sure this applies to every trip, but here's what I've got on my list for our upcoming honeymoon, which will take us around the globe...
Try the French Food Method...
Photography... The French Food Way Though our workshop in Paris has come to a close and I'm back home, I am still struck by the connection I noticed between the way the French slowly savor their meals (and come away truly satisfied) and the way -- when you take that same approach to photography -- [...]
Bonus Report: Real-World Secrets to Fund Your Travels (Part 2)
Editors -- always looking for ways to keep their readers engaged -- like to publish articles that are timely and "current." As a writer, one way to meet that need is to peg your stories to a trend. Jen Stevens spoke to this point here at our Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop in Paris and gave [...]
Bonus Report: Real-World Secrets to Fund Your Travels (Part 1)
If I can be a travel writer, anyone can..." said Steenie Harvey before revealing her story to us -- starting with how she dropped out of school at 15 to live "in a hippie dippy commune." From serving drinks in a strip club, to trying her brown thumb at organic gardening, to attempts at selling [...]
Should you Insure your Camera Equipment?
Should You Insure Your Camera Equipment? By Sue Wright in Paris, France "What sort of price tag do you put on your livelihood?" That's the question I usually ask readers that call me to register for one of AWAI's live workshops when they ask me whether or not they should ensure their camera equipment before [...]
Gold Marketing and First-class Seats
Guide on how to get a first class seat on most every flight you take and which includes seven strategies for upgrading to first class.
April Winners: Hospitality and Welcome
Choosing the winning photos for last month's theme, "Hospitality and Welcome," was difficult. In the end, after narrowing my favorites down to six, I had to choose based on the captions each photographer wrote under their pictures. Photo captions are important. Professional photographer Rich Wagner will tell you that the caption alone puts this picture [...]
3 Cool Camera Tricks You Can Try this Weekend...
Three Cool Camera Tricks You Can Try This Weekend By Cheryl Bigman in San Ramon, CA On the second night of the Charleston Photography Workshop, after the sunset shoot, professional photographer, Shelly Perry, and I decided to take a leisurely walk back to the hotel rather than take a cab. We wanted to see the [...]
My New Favorite Guidebook
Today: *** My New Favorite Guidebook (Just Released, 2007) *** Practical Writing Prompt of the Week: The Guidebook Approach to Travel Articles *** Reader Feedback: Two Travel Essays Accepted for Publication in the Spring 2007 *** More Opportunities and Resources for Writers Dear Reader, When I buy a guidebook, I usually look for the Frommer's [...]
May's Photo Challenge Theme: All Things Edible
Paris -- the site for our upcoming photography and travel writing workshops -- makes me think about decadent chocolates, unusual cheeses, croissants, wine, and wonderful street cafes serving rich coffee (my favorite). Since food is on my mind... I challenge you to turn your camera toward exactly that this month. And when I say food, [...]
