It was New Year’s 2014 and time to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Thirty-plus years into a successful nursing career, I was ready for something different. Something fun for my retirement years. I discovered Great Escape Publishing and the rest is history. Over 320 published articles later, […]
Though I’ve never considered myself a professional photographer, I’ve always loved taking pictures. In fact, it was my love of travel writing that prompted me to improve my photography game. Here’s why… During the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in 2014, a professional photographer shared some valuable photo tips in his presentation Taking Photos Editors Will […]
One of my favorite movies is Field of Dreams. Kevin Costner plays an Iowa corn farmer who hears a voice telling him to build a baseball diamond in his fields. “If you build it, he will come” says the whispered message from somewhere beyond over and over again. Though his brother-in-law and neighbors think he’s […]
My first cover story. I’ll never forget that day! I placed the magazine on an end table and each time I walked past it, I couldn’t believe it was my article and photo on the cover. Was this really happening? Before I became a travel writer three and a half years ago, I’d never written […]
It was New Year’s 2014 and time to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Thirty-plus years into a successful nursing career, I was ready for something different. Something fun for my retirement years. A friend told me about the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop. I love to travel and […]
“Networking is about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities.”—Michele Jannae To me, networking is the most valuable tool we have as travel writers. Here’s why. Just recently, I received an email from an editor responding to my query for their publication. That was my 410th accepted article! In just four […]
An unknown author once said that “Winners are ordinary people with extraordinary determination.” Max Downham ran his first marathon at age 81. Sally Ride became the first American woman astronaut in space. At the age of 17, Malala Yousafzai was the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. What do these amazing individuals have in […]
Connecting with people at a destination and using their quotes or insider information is a powerful story-writing tool. Here are approaches I use to develop strong travel stories editors and readers will love. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunity When you visit a destination, don’t get boxed in to set-in-stone ideas concerning a […]
As a travel writer, I get to visit some dreamy destinations. Just in the past year, I’ve been to the Hawaiian Islands, the Caribbean, Mexico’s Riviera Maya, Italy, the Greek Islands, and Croatia. As much as I love traveling to these far-and-away places, I have to admit that writing about my hometown of San Diego […]
Press trips are the Holy Grail for travel writers. When I first started writing four years ago, I couldn’t wait to land those all-inclusive invitations my more experienced colleagues were raving about. It took me a while to figure out the system, but when I did, all those wondrous perks and awe-inspiring trips starting landing […]
