Dear Reader,

Imagine a summer of travel... free. All you have to do in exchange is take good notes about what you did and where you went and then recommend -- or discourage -- others from following in your footsteps. What's more, you'll earn a few hundred... maybe even a few thousand... dollars for your trouble.

Sound too good to be true? Well, that's exactly how retired television executive Duane Harm and his wife Harlene spent the summer of 2002 -- traveling across the western U.S.

All told, they visited 23 different dude ranches in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana over a three-month period, staying for free an average of three days at each ranch. The total value of their summer stays? About $55,000... and they didn't pay anything. Not one cent.

What's more, they wrote an article for Steamboat Magazine, a high-end coffee-table publication based in Steamboat Springs, CO that comes out twice a year. And they were paid for their work.

Duane and Harlene aren't trained journalists. In fact, before the Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop they attended in Paris, they were just ordinary retirees -- bored with golf and looking for a sideline to keep them busy. Neither one had ever penned an article. But now they are working travel writers... and not the only ones who turned this conference in Paris into a new career.

When Tim O'Rielly came to Paris, he'd never written an article in his life. But as a freelance photographer he has occasion to travel, and he was looking for a way to get more mileage (and more money) out of his journeys.

Already he has. As soon as he got home to California, he put the lessons he learned to the test and sat down to write. Two months later, his first full-length feature article about travels in the Mayan World appeared in Vision Magazine. Since then, he's written two more cover stories for that publication. He told me, "Your course really spurred me to take action and risk hearing a 'no' or a 'yes' from an editor."

Our Graduates Boast Extraordinary Successes

Barbara Bode took our Paris program, too, and she sold two pieces she wrote during it to In Touch, an upscale membership magazine for a women's networking organization called Women of Washington/Los Angeles/Pasadena… now she writes a regular column for that publication. A recent transplant from Washington to Malta, Barbara sold a story about her new home to Transitions Abroad. Then, in the market for a refresher course -- and some fun -- Barbara joined our Travel Writer cruise down Mexico's Pacific coast. While on board, she wrote a piece about swimming with dolphins and has since sold it to another women's publication.

Recently, I received a note from Laura Gagnon in New York. A bass player in a band by trade, she travels the world on tour and was looking for a way to spend her daytime, off-the-stage hours more productively, so she came to Paris for a crash course in travel writing.

In her e-mail she says, "I have two restaurant/lounge reviews published on www.sheckys.com, which is an online guide to nightlife in New York and LA. They were works-for-hire, so writers aren't credited for each review. But there is a print edition of the guide coming out this fall, and in that I'll be listed as a contributor. The editor was great to work with, and they even paid promptly. Once again, the Paris writing course was fantastic. If you ever do a 'Part 2' let me know!"

The Best "Job" in the World

The list of success stories goes on and on. But my point, really, is this: You don't need a degree in journalism or a mastery of the English language to become a travel writer. You don't need a fancy laptop or lots of money. What you do need is an interest in seeing new places and meeting new people.

And that's partly why we've decided to host our next Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop in San Diego. During the days you’ll be learning the ins and outs of travel writing. In the evenings, you'll be out exploring, gathering material for articles. What better way to get started writing about travel than to take a trip?

Travel writing has got to be the best "job" in the world. It offers you the freedom to travel... to live wherever you like... to work the hours you prefer...

My friends, in fact, question whether it's a job at all or just an excuse for me to get out of town. I can't blame them. As a travel writer, not only can you see the world, all expenses paid, but you can be paid to write about your experiences... if you know the secrets behind how this business works, that is.

Learn the Secrets from
Successful, Working Professionals

And that is exactly what you'll find out at our June 2004 San Diego program. It's for people who want to become successful, published travel writers. The good news is that you'll --

• Learn under the guidance of real-life, working travel writers and editors who will teach you the most important things you need to know to become a published travel writer yourself...

• Make the critical industry contacts you need and learn exactly how, step-by-step, you turn an idea into a publishable piece... and then how you actually get what you've written into the pages of a magazine, newspaper, newsletter, or website...

• Learn where to find the publications that make the most sense for your story, what to put in your letter to the editor, when to send your article... plus we'll give you the insider's list of what NOT to do (you'd be surprised at how many writers have no idea what makes editors crazy...)

• Find out six foolproof secrets to writing a saleable article every time... how to choose the right words... how to write powerful sentences... what to put first, and how to draw your piece to a close...

• Come away with winning templates for travel articles (these will cut your writing time nearly in half... and boost your chances of success many times over)...

• Learn how to avoid the three biggest mistakes new writers make when they write travel articles from their own point of view.

• Discover the secret to becoming an informed and critical reader. Perhaps it's surprising, but once you read travel articles better, you'll write them better, too.

• Learn the ins and outs of interviewing and researching... how (and when) to approach a contact... one Wall Street Journal writer's handy formula for asking just the right questions every time... five top-notch sources for background material and reliable statistics...

• Discover how to take one research trip and come home with three articles... which means three times the income...

• Find out the one big secret you never learned writing “What I did last summer” essays in school. This critical idea separates adequate writers from exceptional ones, and travel editors can tell immediately if you’re in-the-know.

• Learn how to take advantage of the “perks” that go with this work, such as complimentary vacations or meals at the world’s best restaurants, access to behind-the-scenes locations you’ve probably never seen… and so much more...

Explore Sunny San Diego

San Diego might well boast America's best climate -- and that's part of the reason we've chosen it as our destination for this fall's Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop. You see, when you travel, there's one way you're sure to get a feel for a place, and that's to put on a pair of comfortable shoes and head out to explore on foot. In few other cities is such a stroll so pleasant.

Pink and purple bougainvillea drape from rooftops and fences… jasmine blossoms adorn storefronts and homes. In the historic districts, renovated Victorian homes, shops, and restaurants painted rainbow hues make for picture-perfect views no matter where you look.

With 70 miles of coastline and hundreds of acres of parks, San Diego beckons the outdoors-minded. Come in a day early or stay a day after the program to play a round of golf, take a sail, go whale watching, or head out deep sea fishing.

Part of your coursework will include an assignment out-and-about in town -- so you'll have an opportunity to explore on your own as you research your article.

Fifteen of San Diego's 53 museums are located in Balboa Park, just eight miles from the Hilton San Diego Resort where we'll be based. The famed San Diego Zoo lies within the park's boundaries, as do eight specialty gardens and a beautifully restored wooden roller coaster -- ideal for a whirlwind -- and nostalgic -- ride.

Sea World, home to the famed killer whale, Shamu, sits just next to our hotel. And an easy six-mile cab ride will take you to the city's historic Gaslamp Quarter -- perfect for a night out at a jazz club or lunch at a sidewalk café.

Write a Short Article... and We'll Work With You to Get It into
"Publishable" Shape Before the Workshop Ends

We've structured this course so that you'll come away with at least one "publishable" piece in hand. The idea is that you'll immediately apply what you've been learning each day. You see, in my view (and maybe this is because I spent years in the classroom as a teacher) it's not really useful to just sit back and scribble notes on a pad of paper. That's what you typically do in seminars.

What is useful, on the other hand, is to roll up your sleeves, lean forward, and really put what you're learning to practice. And that's what you'll do in The Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop. But don't worry, we won't leave you hunched over, staring at a blank piece of paper and struggling with what to say and how to say it.

We'll walk you, step-by-step, through exactly what you need to do to put your article together, answering your questions and helping you along the way. In fact, you'll learn proven templates for travel articles. Follow these formulas, and you'll always know what to put first and what to write next. They'll cut hours off your writing time.

What's more, when you have your finished piece ready to go, we'll hand you the names and contact information for a handful of editors in the market for articles from freelancers, all willing to work with first-time writers.

Under my careful guidance and that of two of my most successful colleagues -- Steenie Harvey, International Living's roving editor in Europe and a long-time freelance writer, and John Forde, one of Agora Publishing's most accomplished writers -- you'll learn more useful, practical material over the course of this program than you'd ever learn in any run-of-the-mill college course.

The information you'll gain at this workshop could, quite literally, change your life -- it has already for so many of our alumni who, today, are working travel writers. You might reasonably expect it to cost thousands of dollars. After all, you're getting extraordinary access to industry experts and one-on-one help from professional writers who will share with you the insights and secrets they've learned on-the-job. But it won't cost anywhere near that. I'll give you the numbers in a minute, but first let me tell you a little more about the program.

You're Guaranteed a Lovely Waterfront
Location and a Discounted Room Rate

As I mentioned, we've chosen as our home base for this workshop one of San Diego's nicest hotels. The Hilton San Diego Resort sits on Mission Bay, a fabulous, central location that means you're within easy reach of San Diego's best offerings.

The hotel itself is lovely. Lavish landscaping puts red, pink, and yellow blossoms in view wherever you look. Situated on an aquatic preserve, its underwater attractions are as compelling as those above ground -- it's well worth a snorkeling or dive excursion.

Plus there's a full-service spa on the property, tennis courts, an expansive pool, a private beach, a putting green, a jogging track, and more.

No Experience Necessary... But Do Bring Along a Curiosity About the World and an Eagerness to Start Something New in Your Life

I want to say, again, that you don't need experience to become a travel writer. The many folks who have participated in our Paris, Mexico, Las Vegas, and Chicago programs in the past have gone on sponsored trips and published articles... not one of them called himself a travel writer before the workshop. (And, as International Living's publisher, Kathleen Peddicord, reminded me recently, some of the very best writers she's ever worked with at IL worked previously in professions totally unrelated... carpenters, teachers, attorneys, even bartenders.)

To participate this November, however, you should bring along a curiosity about the world... an eagerness to explore places you've never seen... and a strong desire to start something new in your life.

We'll give you the rest of the tools you need -- all the how-to information about what to say to an editor (and how to say it)... insider's tricks to landing plum assignments... how to find the best publications for your articles... and more. So you won't just come away from this week with the writing skills you need... you'll also know exactly how to take an article from the "idea" stage all the way through to the pages of a publication... and get paid, too.

The only thing I ask is that once you've learned the secrets of free travel... and when you get paid assignments to exotic destinations all over the globe... that you complete the work that goes along with it. It may be the best job in the world... but you do have to actually write something.

You Also Gain Access to Resources
You Can Use Long After the Workshop Is Over

We'll make that part even easier, though. When you join me and my colleagues in San Diego, we'll give you not only a thick binder of course materials you can refer to again and again, but access to a special resource we put together especially for travel writers.

We call it the Travel Writer's Little Black Book, and in it you'll find more than 100 of the most valuable contacts, services, and resources you'll need as a travel writer, including the seven top sources for free press trips and media kits... 21 publications for new writers to break into... our top nine picks for the best places to do research on-line... 15 hot "writing" resources... 46 ways to make mobile, global work easy and efficient... and much more...

Plus, participants gain special access to our members-only On-Line Forum for Travel Writers. It’s a place where you can post questions and get answers... have fellow writers read and review your work... exchange success stories and ideas for new places to publish. It's a way to keep in touch with the folks you meet in San Diego and hear from the people who graduated before you. As a networking tool, you won’t find a better one.

Don't Delay in Reserving Your Place…
These Workshops Always Sell Out Fast

If you like the idea of getting paid to travel to exotic locations around the globe, and if you want to begin a sideline or a full-time career as a travel writer, join me and my colleagues November 11-14, 2004 in San Diego.

The registration fee for the workshop, which covers admission to four days of intensive class sessions geared to produce a publishable article... one-on-one work with the faculty... a course binder you'll take home that contains more than 200 pages of helpful notes, exercises, sample articles, and more... the Travel Writer's Little Black Book with over 100 useful resources for new travel writers... and access to our members-only On-Line Forum for Travel Writers… is just $1,397 per person. If you sign on before October 31, 2004, you save $100, which means you pay just $1,297.

Space is limited, so I encourage you to sign on early. This workshop has sold out each and every time we've offered it. We rarely offer this program stateside -- and so we expect this event to fill up quickly as well.

In years past in Paris, we've been able to add second and third sessions of the program to accommodate everyone who is interested in participating. But due to the faculty's schedules, that won't be possible this time. So once the seats are full… that's it. I'd hate for you to miss out.

To reserve your place, click "Register Me Now" below or call my colleagues at Agora Travel today at (800) 926-6575 or (561) 243-6276.

I look forward to meeting you in San Diego… and helping you learn how you can enjoy the freedom and independence of a writer's life!

P.S. Our travel writing workshops generate such keen interest among travel enthusiasts and people looking for the freedom and flexibility of a writer's life, that they fill up quickly. To avoid any chance you'll be disappointed, please reserve your spot today.

These workshops demand from our faculty and staff the highest level of effort and enthusiasm. They are special events we look forward to and plan for all year. And with each subsequent workshop, we make improvements and revisions to the program. This November, you can expect an intense, fast-paced event packed full of insider's secrets.

Though designed to provide the exact same content our workshops in France and Mexico do (and a bit more, really), we created this stateside program to entail fewer days away and less travel expense for you. We promise a productive, pleasurable, and above all, life-changing experience. I look forward to seeing you there! To sign on, simply click "Register Me Now" below, pick up the phone and call (800) 926-6575.