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The people in Haiti still need our help, and PayPal has provided a good way to give. Unlike some credit card companies, PayPal covers the processing costs – 100% of your donation goes to the nonprofit of your choice. Here’s a link for using PayPal to donate to the Red Cross, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Save the Children, World Vision, or other relief funds.

The Voluntary Traveler “is a travel anthology penned by writers from all over the world. Focused on inspiring volunteer vacations and/or encouraging adventure-minded people to see volunteer work as a part of ones longer journey, the book will also include a volunteer guide section, listing charities needing volunteer assistance, plus organizations that coordinate service orientated travel.”

What a great idea! Join their Facebook page, buy the book, tell your friends.

I have a huge amount of admiration for Lee Foster’s travel writing and photography, technological savvy, and “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” philosophy. Like the rest of us, Lee has been affected by the downturn in publishing. But he did something about it: he turned one of his books, San Francisco Photography Guide, into an iPhone application and released it in the Apple iTunes App Store (it costs just $1.99). It “assists users to create, collect, and enjoy their own postcard perfect photos and memories of San Francisco. Lee presents his top 100 views of The City, from vistas to iconic details, and shows the user how to duplicate them. The app has Lee’s comments on how to make the photo and why the view is significant, even if you only want to enjoy the view and not photograph it. Interactive maps show what photos/views can be savored in a given neighborhood.”

Good news ahead for the US-based tourism industry, from the Office of Travel & Tourism Industries (OTTI): “The U.S. Department of Commerce projects international travel to the United States to regain its footing by 2010 following its first forecasted year of decline (2009) since 2003. Reflective of the current global economic environment, international travel is forecasted to decline by 8 percent in 2009. A 3 percent rebound is projected for the United States by the end of 2010, followed by 5 percent annual increases through 2013.

I’m getting ready to take a trip, and pulled out some notes about what first aid items to bring along. I am not a  doctor (nor do I play one on TV), but here’s a basic list complied by one. Of course your own list will depend on where you’ll be, and what your individual needs are. Be sure to check with your health care provider (you could use the notes below as a discussion guide).

• Antibiotic to use for treatment for travelers’ diarrhea (item number 1 on the list for a good reason?).

Has anyone tried a product like this? I’ve seen UV disinfectors for $95, and for $19.95 (wonder what the difference is…?), and they seem like a useful item to travel with these days. According to the instructions, they use “the same technology hospitals use to sanitize,” killing 99% of germs [mold and] and bacteria with ultraviolet light—no chemicals. The UV sanitizer pictured at left runs on batteries and is about 20″ long.

February 11, 2010 12:00 am	to	February 12, 2010 12:00 am
March 9, 2010 12:00 am	to	March 10, 2010 12:00 am
March 17, 2010 12:00 am	to	March 18, 2010 12:00 am

Have you heard about Camille Cusumano’s travel writing workshops in Buenos Aires?

“If you can write, there’s a reader waiting to read what you have to say. Why not start publishing your prose? The time has never been more auspicious—and I’ll tell you why. If you are coming to Buenos Aires for your first time, be prepared to find inspiration daily in this lively Latin city and its culture, full of surprises.

“If you’ve already been here, you know there is so much to write home about. In these two-day workshops we’ll work on one-two-three simple goals:

I’ve traveled—and written—twice with Denise Altobello, and was delighted to learn that she will be a teaching a travel writing seminar for middle-schoolers next summer. If you know any 7th, 8th, or 9th graders who might be interested, please pass this information along; I ‘m sure it will be an excellent workshop! Knowing Denise, it will also be a big bunch o’ fun—wish I could go, too.

December 16, 2009

12:00 am

Good news! Smithsonian magazine has extended the deadline for their photo contest to Wednesday December 16, 2009 at 2pm Eastern Time.  Contestants may enter photographs in five categories — The Natural World, Americana, Altered Images, Travel and People — that represent subjects of special interest to the magazine.

February 6, 2010
10:00 am	to	4:00 pm

“Do you love to travel? Keep a travel journal? Why not take the next step and turn your daily scribbles into salable articles? You can do this by learning two things: 1) how to improve your storytelling abilities, and 2) how to market your work. “I’ll lead you through the steps of writing a travel story and then targeting and querying your markets [short story anthologies, newspapers, magazines and ezines],” says instructor Lisa Alpine.

From Colin Salisbury, Founder and President  of the Global Volunteer Network:

In recognition of the thousands of volunteers around the world who have given their love, energy, and time through helping communities in need I would like to give you a copy of GVN’s brand new book – Ripples of Difference!

Ripples of Difference is a collection of unique and powerful stories written by volunteers whose lives have been significantly affected through their experience of volunteering abroad. From refugee camps in Africa to orphanages in Asia, read about how volunteers are touching the lives of others and making a difference — a ripple of difference.

The Peoples of the World Foundation’s 2010 Indigenous Peoples calendar is available as a free download.

You need nerves of steel just to watch this video of asphalt skiing in Switzerland.

Erin Van Rheenen is on the road in Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica, researching the third edition of her guidebook, Living Abroad in Costa Rica, and (surprise!) is blogging about her trip.

Highlights include:

• The naive paintings of Nicaragua’s Solentiname Islands (they’re gorgeous).
• A gay Cafe in the Nicaraguan jungle (with the only espresso machine in town).
• Elbow-deep in you-know-what at Rancho Margot, an organic farm on Lake Arenal (discover one surprising benefit of an organic diet)

Smithsonian Journeys announces new Studies Abroad programs in China, Italy, or Spain, which “offer high school students the opportunity to do more than just travel abroad. Students will immerse themselves in another culture and experience the day-to-day life of their host country. They will study the language, explore the history, and visit top sites in each country while creating new friendships along the way. Imagine spending three weeks living as a local in Beijing, Florence, or Avila.”

A testament to the power of YouTube:

“A musician named Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines. United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor guitar ($3500) during a flight. Dave spent over 9 months trying to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his custom Taylor guitar. During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for YouTube exposing their lack of cooperation. The manager responded, “Good luck with that one, pal.”

Love writing? You’ll love the Sin and Syntax website, on which author Connie Hale offers writing exercises (she’s teaching at Harvard) and discusses grammatical and stylistic issues such as Barack Obama’s use of pronouns (politically correct but grammatically reprehensible), her own pet punctuation peeves, and the secrets for writing sinfully succulent prose.

Hale is the author of Sin & Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose. She also wrote Wired Style (the manual for Wired magazine) for which she was dubbed “Marion the Librarian on a Harley, or E. B. White on acid.” Her articles have been published in many newspapers, and in magazines including The Atlantic Monthly, National Geographic Adventure, Smithsonian, Health, and Honolulu.

November 29, 2009 12:00 am

to

December 4, 2009 12:00 am

I’m posting this information about an upcoming memoir workshop because Connie Hale (herself an exceptional writer and instructor) recommends instructor Katy Butler. In fact, when Connie was running Harvard’s Nieman Narrative Conference she brought Katy in (twice) to teach.

Here’s the scoop:

What: “Straw into Gold: the Alchemy of Memoir” 5 day writing workshop.
Who: Leader Katy Butler is a former finalist, National Magazine Award, and
a current contributor to the New York Times magazine, MORE, & elsewhere.
When: Nov. 29 through Dec. 4.
Where: Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California.
How: Sign up at Esalen.org or 831 667-3000.
More info from Katy Butler at 415 789 8366.

Do you have a story you are longing to tell? This is your chance to take a great leap forward with the help of a writer whose memoirs and literary nonfiction have appeared in the New Yorker, Vogue, the New York Times, Salon and elsewhere.

Twelve tween and teen writers spent a week in New Orleans last summer, touring, eating, enjoying music, and participating in a writing and photography workshop. The resulting book (!) is now available on Amazon.

“The stories and photos that comprise New Orleans: A T(w)een Travelogue offer a rare look at the Crescent City through the savvy words and sassy eyes of 12 young women ranging in age from 11 to 14. Follow them through the narrow streets of the French Quarter as they spend eight days among tarot card readers, restaurant chefs, Mardi Gras floatmakers, street performers and vampire guides. The girls’ strong and varied voices celebrate New Orleans as a destination for t(w)eens, teens, and families of all ages. So, curl up with these stories and a steaming cup of café au lait. Before you know it, you’ll be making reservations for the entire family.”

Here’s a link to Examiner.com author Erin Van Rheenen’s article (follow the link for the entire article, posted October 27) with a tip on how to get paid to blog:

“AOL Travel is hiring Travel Bloggers in around 25 different cities and areas, including Las Vegas, New York, Rome, Amsterdam, and San Francisco. You need to live in the destination you’ll be writing about, have writing experience and insider knowledge of your beat, and be able to churn out a few posts a day (150 – 300 words each). Pay starts at $15/post.”

Erin Van Rheenen shares info on how to get free e-books for your Kindle on her blog, Living Abroad in Costa Rica. File conversion takes a few steps, but it looks do-able. Erin also writes, “Even as I take advantage of these free digital books, I know that Google’s drive to get all the world’s books online is problematic for authors and publishers. For more about the class action lawsuit against Google books, go to the Practical Nomad, then scroll down to ‘Articles by Edward Hasbrouck on other topics’” to read a ddownloadable PDF.

Thanks to April Orcutt for sending along the link to this probably-too-true-to-be-funny essay from the New Yorker’s Shouts & Murmurs

Subject: Our Marketing Plan

by Ellis Weiner

November 24, 2009

6:00 pm

Lee Foster will appear at Book Passage’s San Francisco store in the Ferry Building on Tuesday, November 24 at 6 p.m.  Lee will talk about his new book, The Photographer’s Guide to San Francisco: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How To Take Them. I’ve seen the book (it’s beautiful), and I’ve watched Lee take travel photos; you’ll learn a lot from him.

From Doug McConnell at OpenRoadTV:

Greetings everybody,

I’m happy to report that our new Public Television series is having a terrific first season. It began airing on KQED and KTEH in the Bay Area this April. Our principal time slot is Monday evening at 7:30. Our ratings have been excellent so far. As our presenting station within American Public Television, KQED has done a wonderful job leading our effort to distribute OpenRoad nationally. We are already being broadcast in about two-thirds of the nation and almost all of the top 25 markets and continuing to gain ground, and we’re receiving mostly excellent time slots from coast-to-coast. 

December 21, 2009

12:00 am

Littleton, CO, November 9, 2009 – Write your way around Tokyo, all-expenses paid, and get published to boot. The travel writing scholarship 2010 from WorldNomads.com offers chance to explore and cover Tokyo for Rough Guides.

WorldNomads.com in conjunction with Rough Guides, Intrepid Travel and Hotels.com announces a contest for aspiring travel writers ages 18 and up. Candidates can be students, emerging and non-professional writers and lovers of travel looking for a career change. The prize is the chance to travel for a week, all-expenses paid, to Tokyo and learn tricks of the trade from Rough Guides travel writer, Simon Richmond.

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• Upcoming Events

  • February 11, 2010:
    • Travel Writing 101 Workshops, Buenos Aires (12:00 am)
  • March 9, 2010:
    • Travel Writing 101 Workshops, Buenos Aires (12:00 am)
  • March 17, 2010:
    • Travel Writing 101 Workshops, Buenos Aires (12:00 am)
  • June 13, 2010:
    • Writing Class in Abruzzo, Italy (12:00 am)