The Write Way to Travel

Issue#55
Edited by Lori Appling in Las Vegas, NV.
February 11, 2005

Today:

• More By-lines ... More Vacations ... More Money
• A Traveler's Tip for Packing Light
• Can You Write a Simple Letter?
• Perks and VIP Access: How One Student Traveled Like a Celebrity in Venezuela
• WANTED: Stories about Selling Your Snap Shots
• This Week's Featured Travel Publication: Announcing AirTran Airways' New In-flight Magazine
• More Opportunities and Resources for Writers

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More By-lines ... More Vacations ... More Money

I haven't paid for a hotel room in FL for more than 10 years. I've sold 600 articles, 13 guidebooks, and 3,000 photographs. But it took me years to build my career.

You, on the other hand, don't have to wait. I'd like to show you, personally, exactly what I do... I'll call you, review your articles, and let you in on the secrets I use to land the best assignments and the most rewarding travel deals:

http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/coaching

Dear Reader,

I've been in 5 cities in the last 7 days -- which is not altogether unusual for me. But what was unusual is how strikingly miserable my luggage made me on this trip.  

You know those bags you see advertised on TV that compress your clothes when you squeeze all the air out (bags like this: www.spacebag.com )?   Well, those things are great for cramming two weeks' worth of clothes into a small carry-on suitcase. And they're also good for keeping your work clothes fairly wrinkle-free.  

What they're not good for is reminding you to pack light. Two weeks' worth of clothes and toiletries in one small carry-on bag makes for one very heavy carry-on.   (Picture me as I heave my suitcase up over my head to get it into the overhead and nearly knock out the elderly woman in front of me.   I also managed to get the zipper caught on the bin lid, which left me stuck with this super-heavy bag above my head, unable to move it in or out. Sometimes I wonder if they should ever let me out of my cage.)

Oh, and let's not forget that most European hotels don't have elevators -- including the one where I stayed in Dublin. I had to lug that sucker up to the third European floor (that's the fourth floor in the States). And then, two days, later, I checked myself into a Bed & Breakfast in Baltimore, which also lacks an elevator.

I merely tell you this so on your next trip you don't make the same mistake I did -- especially if you're joining us in Argentina at the end of March (though our hotel there does, in fact, have an elevator). But if you, like me, are staying a few extra days to explore Buenos Aires and to venture out into the countryside or into Brazil or Chile -- I assure you: you won't want to lug anything too heavy.  

Take extra care when you're packing. I know I will. I'll check the weather ( www.weather.com ) and then check-out the website www.onebag.com for better ideas on packing light.

If you haven't signed up yet for that workshop, by the way, then you'd better get on it. It's filling up even faster than usual -- probably because Agora Travel is running a wine tour immediately following the workshop, and a lot of participants are choosing to attend both programs.

Like I said before, there will never be a more affordable time to travel in Argentina.   You'll find more details here, including the deadline for the Early Bird discount:   http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/argentina

In the meantime, Travel Writer student Martin Fumarola just returned from a trip to Venezuela where he used his travel-writing skills to research several article ideas (and land some free stuff to boot). Below you'll find his tips for luring perks his way.

Don't forget to keep me up-to-speed on your travel-writing success.   If you have a story to share, send me a quick note at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.

Have a good weekend!

-- Lori

Lori Appling

Director, AWAI's Travel Writer Program

P.S. Know a friend or two who'd enjoy the freedom and independence of a writer's life? They, too, can sign up to receive this free e-letter weekly at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/eletter

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PERKS AND VIP ACCESS: HOW ONE STUDENT TRAVELS LIKE A CELEBRITY ON A BACKPACKER'S BUDGET
By Travel Writing Student, Martin Fumarola

I just returned from Venezuela where I enjoyed the VARIG VIP Lounge in the Sao Paulo International Airport at no charge, landed a complimentary stay in a 3-star hotel in Caracas, and got a free pass to the "Telesferico," the longest cable car service in the world.  

Here's how I did it, and how you, too, can arrange similar perks:

Tip #1: PLAN AHEAD AND AVOID PEAK TRAVEL SEASONS.

For me, arranging for free perks was more difficult in December because that's our peak travel season and hotels and airlines are working at full capacity. Next time, I'll plan ahead and be sure to send my requests at least one month in advance.

Tip #2: USE YOUR CREDENTIALS TO IDENTIFY YOURSELF AS A "JOURNALIST" RATHER THAN AS A "WRITER."

In Brazil -- and elsewhere, too, I imagine -- it is very prestigious to be a "journalist." (A word, I should note, understood in many languages.) The VARIG VIP Lounge in Guarulhos Airport quickly offered me complimentary entrance when I showed my press pass to the personnel at the desk. (If you don't have such a pass, you could try showing your business card if you're identified on it as a "Travel Journalist," though I do think the actual "credentials" carry a bit more clout.)

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The easiest and fastest way to get writer credentials if you don't already have them is to join a professional organization of writers and journalists. See www.itwpa.com for more details.]

Tip #3: CONTACT MORE THAN ONE ESTABLISHMENT WHEN TROLLING FOR A "PRESS RATE" OR COMPLIMENTARY STAY SOMEWHERE.  

Submit requests for a complimentary room to several hotels in the same city, offering them promotion in exchange for your stay (now I have the excuse to write an article for a local newspaper and will, of course, mention the hotel that put me up).

Before departing, I discovered an excellent online directory of hotels in Caracas (compiled by the National Tourist Board), which lists many 3-star and almost all the 4-star, 5-start, and luxury hotels: http://www.inatur.gov.ve/hotel_dtto_capital.html

Around 50% of the hotels I contacted responded to me -- several with offers of complimentary rooms. Unfortunately, given the peak season there, very few had rooms vacant when I needed them. A couple did, however, and offered me immediate availability for a free, 5-night stay. (I wrote all my requests in Spanish, but several of the hotels could clearly have processed my request in English without any trouble.)

The Gran Melia Caracas hotel offered me a 50% discount on published fares, however, I finally opted for a 3-star hotel near downtown, which offered me a completely free stay.

Tip #4: DON'T BE SHY ABOUT ASKING FOR FREE ADMISSION.

In many places, it's simply "company policy" to offer travel writers free admission. You have to ask, though. You can't be shy about it.

On this Brazil trip, I flashed my writer credentials at the ticket counter for the "Telesferico" in Caracas ( http://www.jahnweb.com/ajj/telesg.html ). (It's a cable car service that takes visitors directly to the Monte Avila hill, said to be the largest cable car run in the world.) The clerk handed me a free pass, and I saved nearly U$20.

On a trip to Mexico City in January 2003, I had a similar experience when I got the U$35 fee waived for my visit to the Teotihuacan Pyramids on the outskirts of the city ( http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/ ). Again, it was just a matter of asking.

[Martin Fumarola is a freelance travel writer based in Argentina. He gets his credentials from the International Travel Writers & Publishers Alliance: www.itwpa.com ]

ATTENTION Novice and Pro Photographers!

Has a magazine or newspaper ever published your photographs? Did they accompany a travel article you'd written or did you submit them alone? Were you paid for your snapshots? Who published them?

Can you tell... we're dying to know! Send a (short) email with your story to lori@thetravelwriterslife.com. If we publish your story in The Write Way to Travel, we'll send you a sneak preview of our upcoming course on photography... fre.e

Deadline for submissions is February 18, 2005 so don't delay. Email us TODAY!

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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED TRAVEL PUBLICATION

AirTran Airways has launched new in-flight magazine, called Go. This bimonthly magazine will include regular features on unique travel destinations. You can view the current issue at www.airtranmagazine.com . Articles should be informative, fast-paced, and engaging. Send queries or requests for complete guidelines to 208 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022.

OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:

• How to REALLY Accelerate Your Travel Writer Success:
  I haven't paid for a hotel room in FL for more than 10 years. I've sold 600 articles, 13 guidebooks, and 3,000 photographs. But it took me years to build my career. You, on the other hand, don't have to wait. I'd like to show you, personally, exactly what I do... I'll call you, review your articles, and let you in on the secrets I use to land the best assignments and the most rewarding travel deals: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/coaching
• TAX SAVINGS EVERY FREELANCER SHOULD TAKE
  Find out where you can save... what the IRS really needs to know... how to make the most of those deductions for travel, meals, entertainment, home office, and more including practical worksheets you can use to make sure you're paying as little as possible to Uncle Sam.   You'll find The Writer's Tax Guide: A Money-Saving Manual for Travel Writers and Other Freelancers here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/tax/tw4
• MAKE MONEY AND SAVE THE WORLD
  What if something you wrote could... Help 3 million people in 29 countries get access to clean drinking water... Provide safe, secure housing for 5,400 families in the U.S. ... Protect 160,000 acres of timberland in Tennessee and Oregon... Put 23 new computers in the elementary school down the street...   http://www.thewriterslife.com/fundraising/tw89/
• CAN YOU WRITE A SIMPLE LETTER?
  If yes, you could be in big demand, earning big money, writing just a few hours a day from anywhere in the world you choose to be.   Here's how you can learn the secrets of this little-known, lucrative business: http://www.thewriterslife.com/ph/tw89
• 25% OFF WRITER'S MARKET
  AWAI students and ITWPA members receive a 25% discount to the Writer's Market web site at www.WritersMarket.com . When signing up, just use the coupon code WM04G1 to receive $7.50 off the annual $29.99 subscription rate.    The 2004 Writer's Market Book can be purchased for $29.99 at: http://www.writersdigest.com/store/booksdisplay.asp?id=10851
• WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?
  The difference between great success and mediocrity is so often a matter of the small things... just a little extra here... a little more there. If you're falling short of achieving your most important personal goals, get more details about the Early to Rise Goal Setting Check-up Program at: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/700SDDGC/W700E132/
• RETIRE…AND GET PAID TO TRAVEL
  Get the Details and Your Free report at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/tw4
• EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF WRITING
  Learn how to find the best story ideas and places to publish them…how and when to follow up with an editor…what you need to know about buying rights, contracts, and agreements…how to use syndication to increase your exposure and boost your earnings…and more.   You'll find The Business of Writing Guide: A Practical Guide for Travel Writers (and Other Freelancers) Ready to Turn Words into Profits here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/biz/tw4

The Write Way to Travel is a FREE weekly newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Institute, available to AWAI students and friends.

© 2005 American Writers & Artists Institute

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