Comments

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  Kat Morgenstern December 12, 2009 at 11:58pm

  I think it would be good to differentiate a little bit. Travel writing for the armchair traveler who enjoys a good story is one thing, perhaps best delivered in a book format. When it comes to travel writing for magazines unfortunately editors often think about potential advertisers first, which means they are looking for 'drop your credit card here' stories rather than actual grits - the good, the bad and the ugly of travel that all real people who are out there exploring the world inevitably encounter. Paradise only exists in brochures, but it sells advertising space.
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  David G. Molyneaux December 12, 2009 at 7:38pm

  Mary Alice,
  I recommend travel writing to everyone. Of course what they really mean is how to I get published? And paid. Well, tell them to forget that. Instead, take advantage of what travel teaches us about our world and ourselves. And write it, in the spirit of those who traveled before us. You might start with Homer. Don't forget a few of my favorites, Steinbeck, Twain and Stevenson.
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  Edward Rivera December 11, 2009 at 10:43pm

  Its funny you should ask about recommending travel writing to our children. I don't have children, but what I do have is what you have—inquisitive strangers and friends who say, "I want your job." And I think, "No, you don't." I've seen too many writers on too many trips for the wrong reasons. Modestly, it takes a special personality to do this kind of job. And, since I'm also an editor, I'm surprised at the number of writers who are clueless when it comes to writing about travel.
  
  So I get on the plane, and the train, and I try to tell the story, usually to those who've never been. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but It beats a thousand occupations hands-down. Unless you're my child, in which case, "Get a real job."
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  Allan Lynch December 11, 2009 at 6:04pm

  Given how badly many US titles have done in the last couple of years, maybe it's time for editors to re-think their focus. Perhaps the readers are telling them this current style of travel writing isn't for them. People who buy magazines and newspapers are - surprise - READERS! So let's give them something to read.
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  Lana Bortolot December 11, 2009 at 4:55pm

  Mary Alice's post rings true. I was lucky to once have an editor who appreciated all that I had to know for my stories--i.e, not simply sending people to see a medieval portal so they can check it off their list, but telling them what it meant and providing some cultural context. Now editors want "drop your credit card here" kinds of stories--and it seems more about conspicuous consumption than authentic experiences. And that cheapens it for everyone. double sigh.
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  Mary Alice Kellogg December 11, 2009 at 6:38am

  My dahlinks:
  I had a conversation tonight at a party with fellow travel writers and editors, and an epiphany ensued. To wit:
  The label of "travel writer" has been cheapened over time -- and not by us. In truth, a real travel writer is a generalist, showcasing everything from culture, food, politics, geographical characteristics that both divide and unite us, and personal essays/observations.
  I submit that perhaps we are the last great generalist journalists left, who have the perspective of travel and experience to, responsibly and accurately, speak to readers what travel really is: Life as it is now lived.
  I think that sometimes we sell ourselves short. We are not "go here/pay that" elves. We have power and the trust of those who read us to be ourselves and, therefore, we should respect what we do more.
  After all, wasn't Charles Dickens a travel writer? Balzac? And other fiction and non-fiction greats: we illuminate the world we live in, whether we write about our home town or places most people will never visit in their lifetimes.
  Sigh. Discuss?
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  Susan Frost December 11, 2009 at 6:23am

  Well said, James. Just returned from an assignment in Maui. This is exactly what I'm in the process of doing--coming up with new ways and words to showcase Maui and encourage the Midwest and Southern traveler to venture to Hawaii.
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  James Martin December 10, 2009 at 10:37pm

  I'd tell inspiring travel writers (and my children if indeed I had children) that it's a great occupation--but these days it's not just about well-crafted prose and making a press trip look like a journey taken with good friends, it's about empowering people to look beyond the limitations in their own culture. It's about providing the tools that would give good people the courage to travel with ease and confidence. It's really about empowering them. Failing that, it's about showing armchair travelers the incredible variety of of ways people have of solving problems--or creating new ones.
  
  The new technology isn't about cheapening the story, it's about new ways of expanding, compacting, and remixing the narrative.
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  Ed Wetschler December 10, 2009 at 10:13pm

  Max, you really know how to ask the right questions. Let me add one addendum: Would you travel writers out there encourage your children to be travel writers?
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  James Martin December 10, 2009 at 10:13pm

  Lana--I'd head to Manduria if you have the time. Primitivo country. Don't know that it's a must see, but you might consider it if you have time.