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Bay Area cuisine and travel writer Gayle Keck is interviewed on Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding. How did she get started? Biggest challenges? Advice? Gayle also writes at Been There, Ate That.

From the occasional editor of Travel Writers News, me, Laurie McAndish King:

This photo I took of a frog in Mendocino is a finalist in Smithsonian magazine’s 7th annual photo contest. Who’d have guessed? I’m so excited! There were 60,000 contest entries from all around the world, and mine is one of the top 10 finalists in the “Natural World” category.

It’s doing pretty darned well in the People’s Choice competition, too (it’s in the top 5 out of 50). You could do me a big favor by voting for it here. It’s photo #17, and you can vote once a day through the end of March.

From Stephanie Elizondo Griest:

First, I recently started a little blogito called Around the Blog — aroundthebloc.wordpress.com — about traveling, writing, books, and combos thereof. Please take a look!

I’ve also just released my first anthology, Best Women’s Travel Writing 2010, which features essays by 27 far-flung correspondents. It should be landing on bookshelves near you this month, and you can meet the contributors either on my blog or at one of our upcoming events.

Kelly Hayes-Raitt explains below why she enters writing competitions. Wow; I can’t wait to read her book:

In my preparation for a search for an agent, I started sending out chapters of my nearly complete book to various contests.  My book (tentatively titled Keeping the Faith:  An American Woman’s Listening Tour Among the World’s Forgotten) is about my work with Iraqi and Palestinian refugees — a series of stories that put a human face on US foreign policies — and about my healing from a mid-life loss.  I call it a political Eat, Pray, Love.

Check out Jungle Pants, the beautiful new website just launched by Bay Area adventurer and travel writer Anne Sigmon.

March 15, 2010

BootsnAll is looking for for travel writers. Apply by March 15:

We’re excited to launch the BootsnAll Travel Writer platform — a partnership with passionate travel writers to create expert-driven content on your favorite destinations and topics.

BootsnAll Travel Writer Current Opportunities:

* Destinations: Amsterdam, Australia, France, Hawaii, Indonesia, Ireland, Las Vegas, London, Mexico, South Africa, or you tell us!
* Themes: Adventure Travel, Business Travel, Round the World Travel, TEFL, Travel Gear or you tell us!

How It Works:

From TravelersTales.com

Winners of the Fourth Annual Solas Awards for Best Travel Story of the Year were announced March 1, 2010 on BestTravelWriting.com by the editors of Travelers’ Tales. Grand Prize winner Tawni Vee Waters collected $1,000 for “The Ashes of San Miguel,” her haunting story about death and its effect on cultures and people. Kevin McCaughey won the silver award and $750 for “We Wait for Spring, Moldova and Me,” his quirky tale of life as a teacher in the post-Soviet state. Regina Briefs-Elgin took the bronze and $500 for “The Train at Night,” her poetic, charming, and sometimes chilling account of a cross-country journey on Amtrak. Read these stories on the Great Stories page.

From our friends on California’s central coast:

Central Coast, CA: Travelers hungry for the greatest diversity of experiences now have an appetizing resource to feast upon with the new 2010 edition of the California Central Coast Visitors Guide.  Available online at www.CentralCoast-Tourism.com or free hard copy requests may be made via email to info@centralcoast-tourism.com. Please include your name and full mailing address.

In the March issue of Popular Photography magazine, the editor’s note, by Miriam Leuchter, is called “What Is a Photograph?”

You’d think that, after 73 years, a magazine called Popular Photography would have figured that out. (Ba-da-bump!)

Actually, though, the editorial is about the magazine’s annual Reader’s Photos Contest. This year, in two of the categories, the winners were what the magazine calls composites, and what I call Photoshop jobs.

Here’s a list of international holidays, searchable by date, country, religion, and more. The listing doesn’t skimp: for the US, it shows 15 holidays in January, including National Pharmacists’ Day and Elvis’s birthday.

If you need to write using UK spellings, here’s a good resource.

I recently enjoyed spending some time in Costa Rica (and Jim is ready to move there). Thanks to our friend Laurie McManus for sending along this link to an ex-pat’s blog: “She’s a clever, funny writer and shares a lot of random info on what it’s like to be an American ex-pat. Why she would include a photo of herself in a bra, looking like she just rolled out of bed is beyond me…”

I especially like the Feb 7, 2010 post about election day in Costa Rica.

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.

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.

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.”

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  • April 1, 2010:
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