“Welcome aboard the California Zephyr,” the conductor announced as he passed through the observation car. Chicago to San Francisco in a sleeper. The last leg of my coast-to-coast journey by train. I was headed home after a seven-day tour of Florida’s northeast coast. Networking had landed me a 100%-paid trip. Networking. It’s one of those […]
“There’s no way I can be a real travel writer,” I told myself. “I never go anywhere!” I wanted to be a travel writer, but how could I even begin? My travel budget was $0. I lacked the money to fly to Venice, explore the Balkans, or cruise to Cuba. And without any byline, press […]
My orange leather recliner; binge-watching old TV shows on Netflix; comfort food; a glass of wine; and boredom. Not long ago, these were my constant companions. I retired with plans to use my comfy nest egg for travel, and my Social Security for home-based living expenses. I had no thoughts of travel writing—just traveling. Then, […]
When I first announced, “I’m going to be a travel writer,” I never dreamed I’d need a cheat-sheet to keep up with my 4 Ps: Publishers, Pitches, Published, and Pay But as I had more and more articles accepted for publication, I knew I needed a system. So I decided to get organized. After some […]
Am I a real travel writer if I don’t travel anywhere? When I first started out, writing about home felt like a compromise – a concession made because I lacked the money to fly to Venice or cruise the fjords. With no bylines, I couldn’t seek out press trips, and my travel budget was $0. […]
