What Happens When You Travel Australia in the Summer

First things first: summer in Australia is the direct opposite of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Yes, you heard right. In Australia, summer actually happens from December to February. Which means Aussies celebrate their Christmas at the height of summer. Which means they get to do more things they otherwise couldn't do if they were in the wintry, arctic regions on the Northern Hemisphere. Blessed be the Australian summer.

But watch out: the Australian summer can be very hot and unforgiving, but this is just fine as long as you keep a handy bottle of sunscreen with you and arm yourself with a good pair of UV-proof sunglasses. For Aussie families, summer generally is the time to hit the beach and frolic in the waters. Summer also marks the mid-year break for students; instead of springbreak, they enjoy summer holidays or Christmas holidays. And for backpackers who roam and travel Australia, the Aussie summer can be a liberating experience. Even businesspeople who like to keep busy with work even during the holidays prefer to leave their freezing homelands and travel Australia to seek its cosy warmth.

Before you get any misplaced ideas about Australia as being just pure hard summer, you have to realise that Australia is such a large country that each region experiences different weather patterns. Up north where the tropical rainforests reign, it's mainly high temperatures and high humidity and distinct wet and dry seasons. In the centre of the country, where the Outback sprawls, it's dry, desert regions with high daytime temperatures and occasional bursts of rain. In the south are the temperate regions with moderate rainfall and temperatures ranging from hot to cold.

To travel Australia in all its entirety is to witness nature's awesome and breathtaking display of colors, heat, frenzy, and vibrance. It's a land of extremes: one moment you could be enjoying a runny pistachio ice cream under the scorching sun, the next, you could be snuggling tight with a loved one under the velvety pouring rain. There's no perfect weather in which to travel Australia. After all wherever we go, we all bring along with us our pieces of sky and sun and climate.

Australian Wines 101: Travel Australia in Just One Sip

Okay, we admit, Australians are generally a beer-guzzling nation. Aussies like beer with everything—or as it is called there, piss. One almost automatically thinks the Auld Lang Syne is always sung while lifting a mug of piss.

But Aussies are also a wine-loving nation. In fact, when it comes to wine-making, Australia is the New World, with its undeniably gorgeous offering to world: the Shiraz wine. Named after that city in ancient Persia (now Iran), which 7,000 years ago transformed the local grape into a magnificent sparkling beverage, the Australian shiraz is a delicate, subtle, yet powerfully spicy experience swirling in a long-stemmed glass.

In Australia, Barossa Valley is where the most uninhibitedly full-bodied Shiraz wine comes from. From a mere five vine cuttings of the Shiraz brought to the country by James Busby in 1832, the Shiraz wine has indeed come a long way. A taste of the Shiraz wine is always an amazing plunge into something sophisticated and at the same time laced with the wilderness. Sophisticated wilderness. Which is perhaps why the world has come to equate the shiraz wine with all things Australian.

The shiraz wine is a carnival of notes, from the fruity to the spicy to the earthy. Every sip of this deep red wine tells a bold story, puts forward a complex but brilliant statement. If anything, the whole point of the Shiraz wine is a reminder not to deprive yourself of the best and most exquisite things life has to offer.

When you travel Australia then, don't just get enamored with beer. Sit down to a lovely goblet of bubbly shiraz, take a bottle or two with you back home for your relatives, and tell them about one of the wondrous wonders you've discovered about the Land Down Under.

It's about time you travel Australia and get drunk in its loveliness.

Travel Australia, and then Bargain Hunt at its Many Wondrous Markets

Chances are, when you're visiting Australia, Sydney's the first place you'll be landing at. After all, Sydney is the first port of call for ships and is home to the major airports in the world. Of course, you simply must tour the unmissable and spectacular Sydney Opera House, and the parks too, and the museums—with matching photos and footage caught on cam. But after that, what's next?

It's time to hit the markets, mate! Here's a rundown of some of the finest and most flocked markets in the city.

Bondi Market
Bondi is most famous for its luminous beach and amazing waves. But when you're not doing any surfing/sailing/swimming, you might want to consider the good 'ol Bondi Market to catch up on your shopping. Bondi Market has just about everything in one go. Bargains abound there, from knick-knacks to second-hand books, from kitchenware to carpentry tools. As the cliche goes, there's something for everyone. And there's also always a friend to meet and get to know, fellow shoppers and shop owners. Just be conscious of how you spend; you'll realise soon enough you want everything on site.

Balmain Markets
The Balmain Markets has that frenzied bazaar air, just like Bondi. Regularly held at the grounds of the local church, the Balmain Markets are an eclectic and dizzying collection of pre-owned goods. Figurines, boomerangs, pottery, hand-knitted merino wool, leather boots, books, booze, etc, etc. (Yes, there are booze too, of course. Although in Australia, beer is called piss.) So when you're done shopping, grab a hearty lunch at any of the cosy bars and pubs within the market, and be prepared for the Big Burp.

Paddy's Markets
This is Sydney's biggest market so far, although somewhat more mainstream than the Bondi and Balmain markets. More new items are sold here than the used ones, sometimes directly coming from the retailers themselves. But because there's no overhead costs of shop rent, they manage to keep their prices pocket-friendly. The Paddy's Markets is the bargain-hunter's mecca.

Sydney Fresh Markets
Of course, the best thing about being situated right next to the ocean is the fresh catch of fishes. And you can be sure all of Sydney's great restaurants and wondrous chefs know how to transform these wriggling, fresh-as-fresh-can-be seafood into a gastronomic carousel on your plate. How do you say sumptuous and mouth-watering, again? Or if you want, you can bring home a fresh catch yourself straight from the market and whip up a nice recipe no cookbook can ever reproduce.

The Most Happening Places You Shouldn't Miss When You Travel Australia

When you travel Australia, you aren't just a straw-hatted, sandal-footed tourist daintily stepping out of your comfort zone. Of course, you can be like that, but once in Australia, you'll realise soon enough that you want to be someone else braver.

To travel Australia is to be an explorer, brave, daring, uncompromising, and wide-eyed at every new thing that'll come your way. To travel Australia is to loosen your belt and jump into the unknown. Here's your itinerary mate!:

The 12 Apostles
One of Victoria's pride, the 12 Apostles are magnificent towers of limestone rocks jutting out of the ocean, formed over thousands of years ago by waves at their feet. They can be seen along Great Ocean Road, although currently, only eight of the original 12 Apostles remain.

The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the last frontiers on earth. Both mysterious and generous, it consists of more than 1,000 islands, from sandy cays to rainforest isles. The Great Barrier Reef is home to a diverse and kaleidoscopic marine life amidst a expanse of perfect and serene blue water that is worth plunging into any time. You haven't really snorkeled or scuba dived unless you've been in the Great Barrier Reef.

Kakadu National Park
East of Darwin, the Kakadu National Park is a throbbing, pulsating menagerie of wildlife set in a rich backdrop of waterfalls and sandstone cliffs. Herons, ospreys, jabirus and many other creatures greet you with their unabashed freedom. As well as snoring crocodiles and flighty Jacana birds flitting from one lusciously green lily pad to another. Be in your own National Geographic episode every time you travel Australia.

Uluru (Ayer's Rock)
Uluru is a behemoth stone mountain located in the centre of Australia, changing colors at different times of the day. Spanning 3.6 kilometres long, 2 kilometres wide, with a 9.4 kilometre circumference and made of arkosic sandstone, Ayer's Rock undoubtedly has a flair for color and exhibition. For one silent giant of a rock, that's quite a feat.

Bungle Bungles
Simply beholding the Bungle Bungle in Purnululu National Park is both stupefying and ticklish to the senses. The Bungle Bungle is an unabashed waltz of orange and black stripes of silica and algae, flanked by beehive-like mounds posing with their chins up. A crazy but wondrous trick of geography. Bungle Bungle breathes new meaning to the word “marvelous.“

Daintree Rainforest
One of the oldest rainforest in the planet, the Daintree Rainforest is home to an inexhaustible number of plants and wildlife; 65% of Australia's bat and butterfly population roam freely here. The Daintree Forest lies north of Cairn and spans some 1,200 square kilometres.

Tasmanian Wilderness
The Tasmanian Wilderness is as grand as its official name goes: Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Spanning 1.38 million hectares, it is one of the largest conservation reserves in Australia. Simultaneously, a true refuge, a playful temple, and solemn carnival of rare and endangered wildlife.

Fraser Island
When the camping bug strikes you, then head for Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world accessible by a ferry and a four-wheel drive. With its immaculately white pure silica beaches, incredibly pristine lakes, and stunning rainforests, Fraser Island is the perfect campsite. Don' t forget to ask the locals about the legend of the island according to the aborigines!

So there! Eight miraculous and breathtaking places to dive into when you travel Australia. Don't just get settled in Australia; go for the unsettling.

The Things You'd Be Celebrating When You Travel Australia

It's not a secret anymore that Australia is a hodgepodge of countries and culture. Blame it on the inviting and alluring appeal of the Land Down Under, or blame it even on the very democratic Australian visa system. Whatever it is, Australia enjoys a rich tapestry of culture and breathtaking kaleidoscope of people from all walks of life. Australia is indeed a sweet melting pot, and this is especially evident during festivals and holidays. In fact, even if you travel Australia entirely, you'd be surprised that a year isn't enough for you to participate in everything. In Australia, the whole year round is peppered with colorful festivals and frenzied celebrations that each country has brought along with them.

The Chinese New Year, for one, is a fiery explosion of bursting dragons and dancing fireworks, whereas Laotian Buddhists celebrate amidst a shower of flowers and restless gongs. Even the Greeks and the Brits have their own awesome festivals to share, and for that matter, every other nation that travel Australia and settle there makes Australia one bit more colorful than it already is with their smörgåsbord festivities.

Of course, Australia too has its own distinct gamut of festivals, from the artistic (like the Adelaide Festival of Arts or the Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures), to something as petty as brick-throwing contests, which just goes to show that Aussies are the most fun-loving, outdoorsy people there ever was. For the Australian flavor of the Mardi Gras, there's even Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras every February, flocked by tourist from all over the world.

Even when the calendar isn't busy and bustling with festivals and parties, you'll find out soon enough that to travel Australia is to lose track of time and to plunge into the world.

The Top Eight Must-Buys When You Travel Australia

When you travel Australia, you will definitely want to take a piece of it with you. Not just by way of photographs or video footage, but by buying some of the best souvenirs that will remind you of the Land Down Under back home. It's time we deviated though from the usual kangaroo-printed T-shirts, and bought something more rooted to the great Aussie spirit and culture.

Then you can say you didn't just travel Australia, but really embedded yourself in it.

Wines. Blame it on the great climate, the rich generous soil, the amazing grape varieties, and the discriminating and relentless expertise of Aussie winemakers. Indeed, Australia is now considered the New World in producing wines. Olive Grove Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir; the list goes on, each one of them exquisitely flavored for every unique situation. Australia may be largely a beer-drinking nation, but its wondrous wines are taking centerstage too.

Didgeridoos. The didgeridoo is a musical instrument of the Aboriginal peoples, consisting of a long hollow branch or stick that makes a deep drone when blown. The stick is made out of a log hollowed out by termites, cleaned, and then covered with beeswax or resin for the mouthpiece. The Aborigines used didgeridoos both for recreational and ceremonial purposes, often accompanied by a pair of clapsticks that establish a precise beat for the songs. The didgeridoo is indeed sound of the earth.

Moleskins. Your Outback safari apparel wouldn't be complete without a moleskin clothing. Moleskins are densely-woven 100% cotton cloth with a soft, velvety feel like that of a mole. Whereas before, moleskins were mostly worn by stockmen, shearers, and graziers, now suburban people have also embraced the warm cozy garments.

Merino wool. Australia's 101 million merino sheep yields the longest wool fibres in the world. The lusciousness of Merino wool is transformed into the most gorgeous of clothings including hand-knitted sweaters and jackets as well as beautiful soft blankets and bedding. When buying, always look for the Pure New Wool label to guarantee quality.

Akubra hats. When you're in sunnny Australia, it makes sense to arm yourself with sunscreen and one of these wide-brimmed rabbit fur felt hats called the Akubra. Akubra hats have been around since 1870's, and have become an inseparable apparel for the Outback. In fact, in Aussie culture, when you mean “hat”, it's almost always an akubra. Ask Indiana Jones.

Boomerangs. Another great legacy of the Aborigines dating some 10,000 years ago, the boomerang is a wooden implement used a weapon, for hunting, digging, music-making and ceremonial purposes. The most popular boomerang is the returning kind which if thrown properly, travels a curved path and returns to its point of origin. Great care is taken to select the branch or tree root to achieve the correct angle and grain for boomerangs. They are often finely engraved or painted with artwork.

RM Williams. When it comes to durability married with classic style, nothing beats RM Williams. Indeed, Reginald Murray Williams is the bush outfitter, with his premium range of leather boots and shoes, workclothes, moleskin clothing, belts, saddles, and many others. Every RM Williams product is invested with sense and strength, two essential virtues needed in the Outback, which inevitably have become fashionable among city-dwellers as well.

The Driza-Bone. Just like the Akubra hat, the Driza-Bone is inseparable in Australian history. The driza-bone is a raincoat made of waterproof oilskins, natural oil and cotton fibres that keeps its wearer “dry as a bone”. The Driza-Bone is usually knee or ankle length, and designed to keep a rider and saddle dry during long cattle musters in the bush. Driza-Bones are your best mates during the toughest of rainfalls in Australia.

Don't just travel Australia. Rather, explore, plunge, get involved. Then take its whole down-underness with you back home.

Travel Australia Now!

Now, more than ever, is the perfect time to travel Australia and plunge into the the loveliest melting pot of all. Australia is home to most vibrant cities in the world, promising equal opportunities to everyone.

The Former Continent of Prisoners now the Land of Dreams?

It is safe to assume that Australia is one of the most sought after countries to live in in the world today. For almost 40,000 years, people have been migrating to Australia in search of a better future, life and lifestyle with their own families. And as of today, Australia has never failed these immigrants yet, thus the end result is more and more people are getting interested in the Land Down Under and the promises it offer.

Australia is now prospering, thanks to its great natural wonders and the steps they do to conserve everything they have. Now people are not only thinking of Australia as a tourist destination but also the place where they'd want to have their children grow up and spend the rest of their retirement years on. However, it has never been like this, in fact Australia was not known to the Western world in the 17th Century, it did exist in late medieval European logic and mythology: a "Great Southern Land", or Terra Australis, was thought necessary to balance the weight of the northern landmasses of Europe and Asia. Terra Australis often appeared on early European maps as a large, globe-shaped mass in about its correct location, although no actual discoveries were recorded by Europeans until much later. Indeed, the European exploration of Australia took more than three centuries to complete; thus, what is often considered the oldest continent, geologically, was the last to be discovered and colonized by Europeans.

During those times, Australia have never been attractive for Europeans to settle in most probably due to its location on the south. However, Great Britain made a very fine use of the continent by pinpointing the strategic and socio-economic strengths that it represents. Control of the continent would provide a base for British naval and merchant power in the eastern seas, supporting Great Britain’s growing commercial interests in the Pacific and east Asia. It also offered a solution to the problem of overcrowded domestic prisons. Food shortages, a harsh penal code, and the social upheaval caused by rapid industrialization and urbanization had led to a sharp rise in crime and the prison population. Great Britain’s defeat in the American War of Independence meant that it could no longer relieve the pressure on prisons by shipping convicts to America.

In 1786 the British government announced its intention to establish a penal settlement at Botany Bay, on the south-east coast of New South Wales. Mindful of British economic interests and keen as always to save public expenditure, the government planned that Botany Bay would become a self-financing colony through the development of its economy by convict labour. Captain Arthur Phillip of the Royal Navy was made commander of the expedition. He was to take possession of the whole of Australia, including Tasmania and islands off the east coast, east of the 135th meridian, and given near absolute powers over the territory as governor.

One would agree if you say that Australia has been through the worst things that could ever happen to any country, but then again, look at where they are standing now, look at how proud they are with their heritage and where exactly they cam from. The pride in their heritage and the ways they do to preserve it is but one of the most charming traits that Australia have that makes them very viable for people with big hopes, dreams and aspirations for their future but would never want to leave their past way too behind them.

Australia: The Melting Pot to Dive Into

If there's one thing that CAN'T be said about living in Australia despite its being an island, (okay, a continent too)—it’s that no man is an island.

Pardon the political incorrectness for a moment. But this is really what's nice about Australia. Australia is probably one of the sweetest melting pots in the world, a point of convergence for cultures and peoples who wish to live harmoniously. Just go out on any busy market street or any of the teeming, warm beaches, and you'll see what we mean. People from all over the world being friends with everyone else, all differences banished. It's as if everyone just recently got washed ashore with a mission to spread goodwill. Australian immigration is plainly the loveliest there is. Aussies welcome their visitors as if they’ve been waiting for each other the whole time.

Australia is indeed a free country where everyone gets equal opportunity. Lebanese mingling with Brits, Chinese mingling with Italians, Aborigines hanging out with Germans, New Zealanders laugh with Filipinos: it’s a welcome clash of culture. Interestingly, Australia has one of the lowest population density of any country in the world. We’re talking 2 people per square kilometer here.

But so what? Petty statistics isn’t going to stop Aussies and immigrants alike from going over their fences just to holler “G’day, mate!” And oh yeah, have we mentioned Australia, with almost no murder rate, is one of the safest places in the world?

Australian Outback: The Last Frontier

The air is fierce and enjoyably biting, the dust is alive under the wheels of your 4WD, and the vista of beautiful, untamed nature shrieks on your face. Welcome to Australia's outback. Here, at the Back of Beyond. The limitless frontier. The other extreme of Australia, untouched by skycrapers and city lights. This is the amazing outback, where the sky is wild, the grasses breakdance in a fever, kangaroos hop in wild abandon, and the ground fizzles like a magic carpet.

Pardon the poetic license. But to explore the Australian outback is to involve yourself in poetry. And there is no other way to take it all in but with awe. It's a communion with nature, it's a plunge into freedom.

Pay homage to the Australian bustard, the emus, and camels, and other beasts in their own mecca. At sunset, watch mountain rocks glow like coal, and then smell the secrets of the eucalyptus trees. At nighttime, plop on the grass with your safari-mates, listen to the crackling of the campfire, and sleep under the ballad of the stars. Dust storms, desert winds, mudtraps, and all kinds of danger lurk, but they're all worth it. The Australian outback is vast but it is never lonely.

So what are you waiting for? We dare you to charge your way into the outback. Let the planet tell you its tale firsthand. And carve your own tracks in this unknown territory like a true, fearless aborigine.

Dreaming in Australia—the Living Legacy of the Aborigines

Simply humbling. There is no other way to put it.

Despite skyscrapers, theme parks, and other monuments of technological progress, Australia is still deeply rooted in its aboriginal culture and myths. In fact, Australia owes much of its charm and mystique to the daring aborigines who first settled in the land more than 40,000 years ago.

And thus Dreamtime began. As they explored the new land, the aborigines wove a set of beliefs about the origin of things around them. For them, humans, plants, animals, everything on earth is part of a complex network of relationship, all pointing to a bigger existence. We are all interconnected, and the littlest of our actions have an effect on everything. Sounds like heavy stuff, but it gets better.

An interesting aspect of Dreamtime is its “all-at-onceness”; to Dream is to simultaneously exist in the past, present, and future. Linear time disappears, and what replaces it is a freer version of existence. If all these talk starts to become baffling, try thinking of Dreamtime as a guideline for living that the aborigines follow to maintain the web of life.

What’s amazing about all these is that Dreamtime is still here, kept alive and ticking by the aboriginal citizens. It is one of the oldest continuous myth in our planet.

It’s time to think of Australia as something deeper than just plain beaches and surf.

The Exotic North of Australia

Australia’s Northern Territory is a land of swirling, near-phosphorescent, ochre dust, rocky mountain-high thunderclouds and sky-shattering storms - a region of pawpaw (papaya) and mango farms, pearl oyster meat from the pearling industry, farm-raised alligator and Thai spices. Indigenous people still dive for lily roots and burn the forests to trap game and make passage through the undergrowth possible. To journey through this land and taste it was one of the greatest privileges of my travel-writing life.

Equivalent in size to France, Italy and Spain combined, Australia's Outback Northern Territory is bordered by Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. A vibrant, developing economy, the Northern Territory has one-sixth of Australia’s land mass and just over one percent of the population, but with the youngest, wealthiest people in the nation. It has an environment that ebbs and flows with the seasons, of contrast and colour, where change is the only constant. Of awe inspiring iconic wonders - the World Heritage National Parks of Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta (Ayers Rock).

Darwin, the state’s capital, is so close to Asia that it’s much easier to head to Singapore than Sydney. Immigrants of every Asian culture have brought their foods and cooking traditions. At Darwin’s Hanuman, Thai Nonya cuisine meets Tandoor Indian: soak up the lemon grass and basil-flavoured sauce drenching the grilled rock oysters with warm naan bread. These are served in the trademark earthenware plates with little lids covering the oysters.

Australia’s Outback Northern Territory is renowned for its colourful characters. The type you’d meet at one of the legendary outback pubs, cattle stations or country towns. The gateway to Asia for the rest of Australia, or the window into the country for the rest of the world, the Northern Territory is a unique part of the most exciting continent on earth. It’s almost hard not to fall in love with its down to earth attitude.

Don’t miss this great once in a lifetime experience. National Visas can help you get a Visa for Australia.

Tripso Answers (mostly) Travel Problems

My Dad flew this Plane

My Dad (George Bigler Parkes) flew the plane above many times during his times in the United States Air Force, until the plane finally caught fire, all engines, and crashed into the Irish Sea in the mid-1950s. Everyone died except for my Dad and three other guys. He was deemed a survival expert and moved over to the USAF survival unit where he traveled and lectured for years about survival techniques from the Arctic to Panama.

In other news, always happy to recommend the sage advise coming from Tripso, where a small collection of travel writers and others in the industry continue to answer questions about the trials and tribulations of being a traveler. Not necessarily a travel writer, but it's close enough, and this site always rings true, plus there's an RSS feed for easy daily access.

Question: Recently, I booked airline tickets from Chicago to the Greek island of Crete online through Sam's Club. When I called to confirm my reservation, I was told that my flight had been canceled. A representative asked me to mail the old tickets back and we agreed to pick a new flight.

Although I was led to believe that we had made another reservation, something apparently went wrong with the transaction, and the booking didn't go through. I called Sam's later, when the tickets didn't arrive, and it turned out that my credit card number had been typed into the system incorrectly by one of its agents.

In the meantime, the price of the tickets had gone up $500 each. Sam's agreed to pay the difference and we settled on a new flight.

Problem solved? Not quite.

On my return flight on Aegean Airlines, I was told my tickets were "no good." If I wanted to catch a flight home, they said, I would have to stand in line and buy another ticket for about $300. The reason the tickets weren't valid? Sam's had printed the Aegean tickets on the wrong ticket stock, which made them unacceptable.

I'm trying to get my money back from Sam's for the extra ticket I had to buy, but so far, no luck. Can you help me?

Kathy Winters, Cottage Grove, Wis.

Answer: Wow, talk about the vacation from hell. It looks like almost everything related to your airline tickets went wrong: a cancellation, a booking that didn't go through and then a worthless ticket.

Although Sam's tried to make things right, it ultimately left you with a bill for $300. Then it stonewalled you when you asked for a refund.

Tripso Link

Times Links to Travel Sites

Canned Heat in SF

I don't know who collects or checks these links from the Sunday Times (London), but they really don't have a clue about decent and useful websites for the traveler. This is just another knock against having some junior, young, newly hired editor given the assignment to survey the travel world via blogs and websites, when it really takes a great deal of time to understand what is going on.

The 108 best travel websites
From bookings to blogs, Gareth Scurlock picks the essential sites

NOT SO LONG ago, finding what you wanted on the internet was hard, and buying online was beset with worries. Now search engines are better at finding the site that you need, and reliable, top-quality travel websites have emerged.

But the joy of the web is its sheer size and variety; there are hundreds of independent travel specialists offering something quirky, different and fascinating.

Our choice of the Top 100 Travel Websites has been based on quality of information, design, value for money and ease of use. In the freewheeling spirit of the internet, we have aimed to make our selection new and surprising, so we have excluded many bigger sites.

Instead, our list leans towards “indie” websites run by enthusiasts, bloggers telling of their adventures, round-ups of handy tips, and any free and useful service.

Times Online Link

Funny Stuff Mistakes from a PR Hack

Whine, Whine

I would assume that many of you travel writers know the missives of Durant, who actively participates in many of the travel writers forums on the web, and so he posts a short but very humorous missive from some PR person (unnamed) with all the guffs. Not really earth shaking news, but always fun, so thanks Durant.

Shit, I can't find it. Problems with Blogger. Perhaps later.

Found it!

AN APOLOGY FOR ERRONEOUS AD

To all our readers,

With all sense of responsibility, the staff, management and editors of
eTurboNews apologizes for the error in yesterday's Rail Europe ad featuring
France Wine Tour.

We are sorry that the subject for the eTurboNews Travel-Telegram broadcast
read "France Whine Tour" instead of "France Wine Tour"....

Here's his link to all things Europe:

Durant Link to Europe for Visitors

New York Times on Travel Guidebook Work

A Happy Travel Writer

That's Brad running through the water in some warm, sunny place. Since it seems that most readers of this blog can't be bothered to click the links, I'll go ahead and give you a heads up about the recent story in the New York Times about the "trials and tribulations of being a travel writer." See, it fits right into my theme.

It's summer now, and countless travelers are fumbling their way around the globe, heads buried in guides published by Let's Go, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Frommer's among others. Probably few stop to consider what goes into producing travel guides or even who wrote them. And as it turns out, many of the intrepid young writers scouring the planet doing research for next year's crop of guidebooks never stopped to consider what those jobs would entail, other than the romantic — and often overstated — prospect of being paid to travel.

While the phrase "travel writing" may invoke thoughts of steamer trunks, trains, Isak Dinesen and Graham Greene, or at the very least, well-financed junkets to spas in Rangoon for some glossy magazine or other, writing budget travel guides is most decidedly yeoman's work. Most who do it quickly learn the one hard and fast rule of the trade: travel-guide writing is no vacation.

"Many underestimate exactly how much work goes into making a guide book," said Jay Cooke, an editor for Lonely Planet. "Some potential authors think it would be fun to travel and get paid for it. But they're expected to write tens of thousands of words. It's a big, big job, and it goes far beyond journal keeping on a beach somewhere."

Indeed a day in the life of a guide writer can be wearying. Amelia Atlas, a recent Harvard graduate who is now in Berlin researching a guide to that city for Let's Go, said that last Wednesday she set out early to case a new neighborhood, Prenzlauer Berg, for her Berlin guide. She visited three hostels and three restaurants before collecting the shopping and eating options around a particular square. She visited a section of the Berlin Wall that still stands, made notes about the historical displays there, and set about walking the neighborhood block by block to see what she might find. After a quick dinner, Ms. Atlas went to her apartment to write about the day's findings. Then she planned to go out to sample the night life. "Manic is a good word," she said.

New York Times Link

Travel Happy on Travel Guidebook Work

Airline Seating Configuration

When it rains, it pours. After the post below by Erik at Gadling, Travel Happy from Southeast Asia follows up with some more discouraging advice for prospective travel guidebook writers, including a link to the recent controversial article published last Sunday in the New York Times.

Becoming a travel writer for one of the major guidebook companies like Lonely Planet or Let's Go is not the romantic idyll many imagine before they hit the road.

The New York Times has a pretty dispiriting piece on the state of the travel guidebook industry, where young, eager writers are paid a pittance to spend thousands of hours on the road collating info about hotels and restaurants for the next guidebook edition. Pay rates have spiralled downwards because there are so many people willing to take on the job and whose words can be hacked into readable prose by editors at the mothership office. It's essentially become a McJob, which one guidebook writer likens to "data entry". There's a lot of travelling in terms of logistics but precious little in terms of travel experience per se, and a huge amount of ongoing stress to submit all that information on time.

You'd have to be incredibly well organised and efficient to leave some time over for you to actually enjoy the places you're travelling and stay within your advance budget. I'm not saying it can't be done - but I am saying you should think, think and think again before getting involved with this sort of gig. Personally, I think saving up a few thousand dollars and then going travelling without any ties in South East Asia would be much more preferable, even if it doesn't have the kudos of being a guidebook writer - kudos which isn't much use because you can't tell anyone you work for one of the major guidebooks anyway for fear of favouritism.

It's definitely worth checking Josh Berman's advice on how to be a travel guidebook writer and Friskodude's TravelWriters blog - he's a veteran travel journalist who's resolutely unsentimental about travel writing for a living.

Travel Happy Link

Gadling on Travel Guidebook Work

Travel Truths?

Blogger seems to somewhat screwy this morning, so I'm not sure if these posts are going through. Readers sometimes ask me why I don't add more content to this blog, but do please remember that I have a theme here: the trials and tribulations of being a travel writer. It's always somewhat difficult to find new, appropriate content, but I do want to follow this theme. If you want to know where to give away your travel writing content for free, or next to nothing, you'll need to go elsewhere. And if you want to read fine travel literature, the usual suspects are listed over to the right.

In other news, Erik at Gadling has graciously put up a new post today about "the trails and tribulations of travel writing," so it fits right into the theme of this blog. Do check the link for some additional hot links. The link to the blog of Lief Pettersen is just outstanding......

For those who have ever entertained dreams of gallivanting off to exotic lands to pen travel guides, hold on just a moment. The travel-guide writing life ain't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, when you are a guidebook writer, you are more likely to find yourself checking under toilet seats or sniffing mattresses than hanging on the beach or sipping tropical drinks with the locals. The job is work, not vacation. There was an interesting article about this in a particular paper about which I cannot write. But as a secondary source, I point you to two places. Both of these sites actually do a fine job conveying what life as a travel writer is like. In this site by the travel writer Leif Pettersen, who happens to be in right now, we learn a lot about guide writing in Eastern Europe. Here in this post he coaches you along to help you nurture your skills of asking for free carp...um, I mean crap.

And then in one of my old stand-bys, I urge you to pay a visit to FriskoDude, aka Carl Parkes, who often ruminates on this very subject. And even if you can't find a post to your liking (unlikely), you can at least admire his wonderful sense of humor in the photos he posts.

Gadling Link

Leif Pettersen on Free Crap for Travel Writers

World Map

I wasn't going to post this link, but just let you folks follow the link provided by Gadling, but it's such a great piece of work that I just had to pass it along. In fact, do take the time to explore the entire blog of Leif Pettersen, who's an enormously talented travel writer with plenty of useful messages and advice for prospective travel guidebook writers. I don't necessarily agree with his opinions about accepting free crap while researching guidebooks, but it's still an hilarious piece of writing.

The delicate art of asking for free crap

You may be surprised to hear that travel writing has a seedy underside. Quite often, almost routinely in fact (when you’re not working for Lonely Planet), travel writers are given a free room, meal or service, with an accompanying wink, on the condition that they compose glowing praise for whatever the free thing was, no matter how much ass it sucked.

The nadir of this ritual is called a ‘press trip’. This is where some tourism bureau organizes an all-expenses paid trip for a pack of travel writers (with assignment letters in hand, obviously, we gotta keep out the riffraff), arranging for flights, hotel rooms, meals and tours, hands held for every waking second, and then the travel writer is sent home to write an article, or more preferably articles, about how great the destination was, even if it was Miami.

Mostly this is just underhanded advertising under the guise of what lay-people assume is an objective travel article. However, tourism bureaus aren’t completely to blame for the popularity of this tactic. In the defense of what may seem like greed on the part of the travel writers, the reality is that newspapers can’t find it in their hearts to pay more than $100-200 per article. So, if a professional travel writer were to pay their own way on a one week trip, even to some relatively cheap destination like Duluth, then came back and spent two days diligently writing the article for an average newspaper fee, the travel writer’s net earnings for that assignment (nine days of time, plus expenses) would be about -$500. Over the course of a calendar year, that travel writer would net between -$25,000 and -$50,000, depending on trips and expenses. The upshot is all these negative earnings would be tax free. In your face IRS!!!

Clearly, this isn’t a feasible arrangement. Tourism bureaus saw a slick, promotional opportunity that helped both them and the travel writers and press trips were born.

As if to cement their positions as blood-sucking wankers, now many newspapers won’t accept articles that were written on the strength of a press trip, meaning unless their field of hopeful travel writers is independently wealthy, none of them can afford to take a newspaper assignment that ranges further than local zoo. Since no one is beating down their doors to work for negative money, the newspapers usually end up printing some soulless shite they bought off a syndicate that was probably written by someone who themselves wrote the piece off a press trip, or worse, wrote the piece from Internet research and thinly veiled plagiarizing off other travel articles. While the newspapers fancy this approach as being honorable and legit, in actuality everyone loses, particularly the readers.

Leif Pettersen Killing Batteries Link

Travel Guidebook Agent Warnings

The Road to Mandalay by Carl Parkes

Kipling wrote that famous phrase about the Road to Mandalay (up the river from Rangoon) but did you know that Kipling never visited Mandalay? Reading this blog, you get all kinds of trivia that might come in useful in your next game of Trivial Pursuit.

In other news, it's bad enough that freelance travel writers must navigate around terrible contracts, but those suckers who actually resort to using the services of an "agent" must keep their radar on high alert.

Also, I've had a few questions about why I don't update this blog very often. The answer if simple. I'm trying to keep this blog focused on the Trials and Tribulations of being a Travel Writer. If you want leads to writing gigs for no money, you can check other blogs. If you want fine travel writing, see WorldHum. If you want to know the dirt on the real world of travel writing, see this blog. I don't get much information that fits in this blog, and rather than just fill blank space, I let this blog lay dormant until I find something relevant to the subject matter. Of course, if you find something of interest, do please send it along and I'll repost it here.

Victoria Strauss -- Top Ten Signs Your Agent is a Scammer

Because we can't be serious all the time.

10. Your offer of representation comes via form letter (somehow, you never do get his phone number).

9. Whoever typed his contract didn't use spel chek and can't rite real gud neither.

8. You first heard of him when [pick one: you found his ad in the back of Writer's Digest/you saw his ad on Google/he solicited you].

7. When you asked if he'd worked for another agency before establishing his own, he said yes--a real estate agency.

6. When you asked for a list of recent sales, he told you the information was confidential, because he didn't want you pestering his clients. And by the way, only a bad, ungrateful writer would ask that kind of question.

5. When you asked what publishers were looking at your manuscript, he told you the information was confidential, because he didn't want you pestering the editors. What is he, anyway, your secretary?

4. When you got his contract, you discovered you had to pay [pick one: $150/$250/$450/more] for [pick one: submission/administration/marketing/circulation/other].

3. He told you your ms. was great, but when you got your contract you discovered you had to [pick one: pay for a critique/pay for line editing/pay for a marketability assessment].

2. He got you an offer from a publisher--but you have to [pick one: pay for publication/pay for editing/pay for publicity/buy 1,000 copies of your book].

And the number one sign your agent is a scammer: You got an email from his assistant telling you he'd been killed in a car crash, but when you called to ask where to send the sympathy card, he answered the phone.

(And in case you're wondering, I didn't make that up.)

A. C. Crispin Blog Link

Another Warning Against Writing for Free

Japan MPC Five Cents 1960

Writing for free is the single most powerful element destroying all possibilities of survival as a freelance writer, as once again pointed out in the excellent weekly email newsletter. Writers Weekly. A guest columnist provides an introduction and then passes along a few email messages he recently received commenting on his previous column on the same subject. All writers were opposed to giving away their writing skills for free, aside from one surprising exception, Tim Leffel.

In my previous spew concerning sites that offer to place your blog entries in publications to give you more "exposure," I indicated that I was not comfortable with the concept of opportunists feeding off my carcass without benefit of compensation.

But, since this write-for-free debate is such a tired standby, I sighed and said maybe I was becoming the crab on the block. What do you think? I asked. My mailbox overflowed!

One writer, who is a top-rated contributor to one of the sites mentioned, commented: "Although it's very nice to have a star by my name and be recognized for my superior writing prowess (gag, she adds), the articles haven't done a thing for me professionally. The only thing writing for free has done for me is gain me a reputation as a generous spirit - or sucker - depending on your vantage point."

"This ties to my pet peeve, trawling craigslist.org for legitimate writing job links and instead, finding several advertisements looking for writers for 'no pay,' just 'Coverage, Resume building! Exposure!' ad nauseum," writes feng shui expert Katy Allgeyer (www.fengshuibyfishgirl.com). "I actually emailed Craig himself. Much to my surprise, Craig emailed me back 20 minutes later and said they are working on the problem. I suggested they come up with another heading for these types of jobs. 'slave labor' comes to mind."

Betsy Crowfoot, a journalist and screenwriter for 11 years, says this controversy is being fueled by the existence of two camps: Those who are full-time writers and want/need to make a living at this profession, and those who want to be writers, but are making their living in another profession and don't rely on writing gigs to feed their children. (I would add those with working spouses to that list.) "Unfortunately," she says, "this gives editors/businesses the idea they don't have to pay writers or pay them on time."

"I can't tell you the number of times I"ve had these robber barons try to blow smoke up my rump with their lines about how they have helped writers by ripping off their content," writes DeAnn Rossetti. "I just read an ad yesterday on Craigslist that said, 'Do it for the love of writing.' Ha!"

Continues Rossetti: "These same people pay for everything else on their site, the hosting service, the website layout, and I am sure they pay a doctor when he has taken care of them. I doubt they tell him that by taking care of their health concerns, he is getting good publicity!"

Writes Kevin Murphy, author of Degrees of Murder and other books, "The only 'freebies' I ever do are for no-budget community organizations of which I am a member - and I do very few of those."

Writers Weekly Link

Whispers and Warnings from Writers Weekly

Victim of Writer Scams

The always informative Writers Weekly often posts warnings relevant to all writers, whether your thing is fiction or travel, this weekly email site is well worth subscribing to. See the link below for hot links to each article. Thanks, Angela.

Whispers And Warnings For June 21st

EzineArticles.com - Charging $750 to get published?!?! HA HA HA!!!

Writopia Inc. / T-zero Xpandizine / The Writer's E-Zine / thewritersezine.com - Writer not paid until WritersWeekly intervenes

Freelance Work Exchange / freelanceworkexchange.com - Another Complaint.

publishforlesscompany.com - SPAMMER and this guy gives us the creeps!

Long Story Short / lsswritingschool.com - SPAMMERS

AllGoodArticles.com - SPAMMERS

The Village Magazine / Privilege Media Group International - And another complaint!

Writers Weekly Link

Passport News

My Expired Passport

Last month, I was invited on press trips from Tourism Malaysia and Tourism Authority of Thailand, and so checked my passport, which expired in April 2006. Yep, the long-time world traveler hadn't checked his passport in almost a decade, and it had gone out-of-date just before the 60th coronation of the Thai king and a trip to the northeastern section of peninsular Malaysia......so I was out of luck.

Tripso, the "last honest travel website" (I guess that eliminates this blog) has some reminders and tips about keeping your passport current for future travels.

It’s true: Some countries require that your U.S. passport be valid not only for the duration of your visit, but also for three to six months after your entry or return from their country. This means you have to check your passport expiration date carefully. For example, if your passport expires on March 1, 2007, and you want to travel this coming November, you may need to renew your passport before you go.

Here is a list of some countries that have special passport expiration rules.

Tripso Link

Packing Light

Travel Journalist on the Road

J. Flynn at the S.F. Chron Sunday travel section recently posted his travel tips about packing light here but I've got my own list culled after over 20 years of travel in Asia, and kept tucked away inside my passport for easy reference before each trip.

* office supplies: rubber bands, tape, stapler, scissors, white-out, only fine-point pens

* misc: swiss army knife (in all plastic version), can opener, superglue

* misc: small umbrella, alarm clock, sunglasses

* misc: zip-lock bags (six), notebooks, briefcase

* pants: 1 pair cotton, 1 pair nice slacks

* shorts: 2 pair (1 wild, 1 conservative)

* shirts: 2 pair wild short-sleeved shirts

* shirts: 2 polo shirts with pockets

* shirts: no long-sleeved shirts!

* socks: 6 dark only

* shoes: 1 pair light and comfortable; good sandals

* maybe: ground coffee beans and melita filters

The Decline of Photo Stock Agencies

World Map by Population

Think the decline and fall of the professional travel writing industry is a sad, sad thing? Then consider the crisis now facing professional photographers, who have been making a respectable living via photo stock agencies for many decades. Looks like the photo stock agency as business model is almost on it's last legs.

After several weeks of back-and-forth, Menashe emailed Harmel to say that, regretfully, the deal was off. “I discovered a stock photo site called iStockphoto,” she wrote, “which has images at very affordable prices.” That was an understatement. The same day, Menashe licensed 56 pictures through iStockphoto – for about $1 each.

iStockphoto, which grew out of a free image-sharing exchange used by a group of graphic designers, had undercut Harmel by more than 99 percent. How? By creating a marketplace for the work of amateur photographers – homemakers, students, engineers, dancers. There are now about 22,000 contributors to the site, which charges between $1 and $5 per basic image. (Very large, high-resolution pictures can cost up to $40.) Unlike professionals, iStockers don’t need to clear $130,000 a year from their photos just to break even; an extra $130 does just fine. “I negotiate my rate all the time,” Harmel says. “But how can I compete with a dollar?”

He can’t, of course. For Harmel, the harsh economics lesson was clear: The product Harmel offers is no longer scarce. Professional-grade cameras now cost less than $1,000. With a computer and a copy of Photoshop, even entry-level enthusiasts can create photographs rivaling those by professionals like Harmel. Add the Internet and powerful search technology, and sharing these images with the world becomes simple.

Wired Link

Writing Job Opportunities in the Bay Area

World Map to Explore

Several intriguing writing job opportunities has recently popped up on Craig's List for those of you living in the Bay Area, or willing to relocate.

********************************

Common Ground Editor (SOMA / south beach)

Reply to: jobs@cenlightenment.com
Date: 2006-05-24, 6:26PM PDT

Common Ground is looking for a new editor and writers for our revised publication. Common Ground has been covering the spiritual, political, environmental issues of the Bay Area for over 30 years. We are looking for writers/editors who want to make a difference.

Our ideal candidates are spiritual, not religious, love the environment and have an activist vibe, and knows San Francisco. If this is you or if you have articles that you think may be of interest to us please send them along.

************************************

Editor/Content Manager (potrero hill)

Reply to: employment@cca.edu
Date: 2006-05-24, 3:36PM PDT

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
EDITOR/CONTENT MANAGER
SAN FRANCISCO CAMPUS
FULL TIME (37.5 HOURS/WEEK), EXEMPT
May 2006
Job #1745

THE COLLEGE:
Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts is the largest regionally accredited, independent school of art and design in the western United States. Noted for the interdisciplinary nature and breadth of its programs, the college offers studies in eighteen majors in the areas of fine arts, architecture, design, and writing. The college confers the bachelor of architecture, bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, master of architecture, master of arts, and master of fine arts degrees. With campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, California College of the Arts currently enrolls fifteen hundred full-time students.

REPORTS TO: Director of Publications

DEPARTMENT: Communications

SUMMARY
Under the direction of the director of publications, the editor/content manager is responsible for managing copy for a variety of college publications.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
* Manage college copy across departments in order to promote a unified image/voice of the college; develop database of copy that can be drawn on for a variety of print and web publications
* Serve as editor of and write feature articles and news items for Glance, the biannual college magazine; work with in-house and freelance writers on other magazine articles
* Maintain CCA¡¦s house style guide
* Contract and supervise freelance writers and proofreaders
* Work with clients from various departments of the college to help them develop copy
* Manage new copy and updates for college listings in Peterson¡¦s and Princeton guides; also, coordinate copy for college listings in various online guides
* Manage copy for various print publication series, e.g. CCA Wattis Institute catalogs, Architecture Studio Series
* Compile collegewide calendar listings for use in web and print materials
* Work with news team and web manager to write news items and repurpose copy for college website
* Write articles, press releases, brochure copy, and other texts, as needed
* Proofread college publications, as needed
* Work on publications with in-house Sputnik design team, as well as freelance designers

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
* BA and three or more years editing and writing experience, preferably within an educational or cultural setting
* Excellent copyediting, proofreading, and writing skills
* Detail-oriented with a thorough knowledge of and experience using The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook
* Ability to work on deadline and manage a number of assignments at once
* Outstanding interpersonal skills; the ability to work well with faculty, staff, and students; and a proven record of working both independently and as part of a team.
* Flexibility and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, creative environment.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Applicants are invited to submit a letter of interest, resume and the names and telephone numbers of three professional references to:

California College of the Arts
Human Resources (Job #1745)
5212 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94618-1487
fax (510) 594-3681
employment@cca.edu

Application Deadline:
Screening begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

California College of the Arts is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes
applications from individuals who will contribute to its diversity.

Compensation: Starting salary $43,000 to $46,000, and includes a comprehensive benefits package.

This is at a non-profit organization.

Dead Magazine Reviews

One Magazine Dead

If you're thinking about sending off your latest travel missive to some suspect magazine, you might check the website below to see if the mag will still be in business in six months, and able to send you that hefty check for your writing skills.

Besides, any website that can quote obscure lyrics from Alice Cooper is completely all right with me. Did I tell you I was in Phoenix last week, and that Cooper has a restaurant/nightclub in that town? He, apparently, hangs out there on a regular basis, when he's not working on his nine-iron shot at the local links.

Bundle: RIP April 2005 - May 2006

Alice Cooper is one of the Grim Reaper's favorite bands from the 70's with their classic 1971album Killer, and the song "Dead Babies." Perhaps you remember the lyrics? Sing along with the Reaper if you know this one: "Dead babies can't take care of themselves/Dead babies can't take things off the shelf."

Well, here's one magazine that can no longer take care of itself. Harris Publishing shut down their baby shopping magazine Bundle today after five issues.

Even the Reaper has to admire this feat from the under-the-radar Harris -- not only did they fail in the much hyped "shopping" category, but the Reaper can't remember the last time a baby magazine went under.

Perhaps like men and Cargo, mommies just don't want baby shopping magazines when they already get inundated with real baby catalogs in the mail, gifts from friends, and oh yes, the other five zillion parenting magazines.

So we are taking this "Bundle" down the dark river, while the Reaper puts on his DiePod for some more Alice Cooper: "No more Mr. Nice Guy/No more Mr. Cle-e-e-ean!"

Magazine Death Pool

Outside Travel Issue

Mt. Abu India by Carl Parkes

I just got back from a two week press trip to Arizona organized by SATW, which featured several travel writers and editors pontificating on the perils of travel writing in the modern age. The travel editor and former freelance travel writer who now oversees Arizona Highways, and Larry at the Dallas Morning News both had the same message for travel writers: get "chunky" and learn to love bullets in 500 words or less. I just wanted to hang myself in the nearest bathroom after hearing the doom and gloom outlook from both of these respected travel editors.

In other news, Outside magazine has posted some travel tidbits in "chunky" version (I think that means "bullets" rather than long, involved discourse) that is worth a gander, but don't expect any critical or meaningful insight. But do expect some clever and quick writing.

You can click the link at the bottom of each page to go to the next travel matter.

With 78 percent of U.S. travelers now using the Internet to plan their trips, you might assume guidebooks are on the wane. You'd be wrong. Sixty-eight percent of American travelers still turn to guidebooks for travel advice. "You can read your guidebook in the bathroom or on a train or on a ferry on the Congo River," notes Simone Andrus, whose Seattle travel store Wide World Books & Maps has seen guidebook sales rise by 10 percent since 2004.

When shopping for a guide, check the copyright page (you want something that's been updated more recently than, say, the tax code) and find one that focuses as narrowly as possible on your destination. Look for a personality that matches yours—but let go of any decade-old stereotypes. Books from Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, and Moon are still designed for adventurous travelers but now cater to those who'd rather not rough it at bedtime or mealtime. And guides from Fodor's and Frommer's have hipped up to appeal to a younger crowd, with colorful maps and graphics, plus advice on a broader range of attractions, from classic to quirky. Most important, remember that every guidebook is just that—a guide. Use it for context, consult it for planning, and know when to put it away. The best discoveries are those you make on your own.

Required Reading

"I take Graham Greene's THE QUIET AMERICAN everywhere. Whether I'm in Yemen or Saigon or Havana, it's an almost infallible guide to the perils of foreign wisdom, the resilience of native cultures, and the way we fall in love with places precisely because we can't understand or even handle them."—Pico Iyer, Travel Writer

Moving Words // Where Guidebooks Are Going

With Internet competition hot on their heels, guidebook publishers are constantly tweaking format—and focus—to keep up with travelers' needs. Here are the trends to watch. Scratch a Niche: Look for guides that cover themes, not specific regions, including The Traveling Marathoner (Fodor's, $28), Hip Hotels Atlas (Thames & Hudson, $50), and the new Take a Hike series (Moon Outdoors, $17). Undersize It: Mini-guides are hot. Perfect for quick trips, they zoom in on a destination, with fewer pages and a smaller, more packable size.

We like Insight Pocket Guides ($13–$14), 96-page books covering key sights, with handy foldout maps. Get Wired: DK's new e>>guides ($15), covering cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and Barcelona, come with passwords for access to exclusive online information, including hotel and restaurant updates. Radio-Free Planet: To increase their online presence, travel publishers are venturing into Internet radio.

Check out the new podcasts—free travel-related reports narrated by expert globe-trotters—at www.roughguides.com, www.lonelyplanet.com, and www.ricksteves.com. Go Deep: With the basics readily available online, guidebooks are amping up their historical and cultural information. Fodor's Compass American Guides ($21–$22) specialize in putting travel in context, with detailed maps and color photos.

Best of All: Top-ten lists and "best of" roundups, intended as shortcuts to the ultimate travel experiences, are also big this year. See Lonely Planet's Bluelist ($20), a guide to the travel trends of 2006, with 40 best-of categories like "most remote" and "best train trips," and National Geographic's The 10 Best of Everything: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers ($20).

Outside Magazine Link

Laurie King Travel Writer Newsletter

India by Carl Parkes

Just back from a two week press trip to Arizona, and realized that I haven't done any new posting to this blog is quite some time, so will pass along a very informative website and subscriber blog from Laurie King, based here in the Bay Area. Although many of the postings on her blog are oriented toward those travel writers living in the Bay Area, there's enough general content to make this a useful website for anyone active in the travel writing arena. So bookmark her website and subscribe to her weekly notices and updates.

Nice work, Laurie. See you down at the Monticello!

Laurie King Website

What happen to Sipadan Island

It has been a few days since the incident. Someone with the genius mind park a very big boat full of constuction material onto Sipadan Island. What were they thinking to put such a load on the island. Furthermore federal government is currently trying to preserve the island. Its a treasure and shouldn't be destroyed this way.

How big do you think the barge is? I have few pictures and you will be surprised as I am when I 1st saw these pictures. Its huge they got a bulldozer on top of the barge. See for yourself.


The construction material they are carrying is believe for a construction of an office. For now there are no hard proof or evidence pointing this to anyone. Everybody is playing dumb in this. Soon the person who is incharge of Sipadan Island will be coming and all party will have to answer. Someone will have to pay for this.

The sad thing is most of the construction material is dump into the sea. They are believe to be carrying over 60 tan of metal and over half is in the sea. It will surely destroy the beautiful coral Sipadan Island is famous for. Some of the divers now have volunteer to clean the coral. Thank you for those people who care and someone have to pay for this damage.


Hopefully the construction material can be clean up before it caused further damage. I cannot wait to get on the island. It really made me sad looking at the damage they have done to the island.

The History of Travel Guidebooks

Tony and Maureen 1973

I don't quite understand the posting policy of Publisher's Weekly, but it seems that some of their articles are posted on their website, while large parts of their site are off limits, unless you a paid subscriber, and Publisher's Weekly ain't cheap.

And so I was pleasantly surprised to find this PW article today about the history of travel guidebook publishing, with mentions of Bill Dalton and his adventurous days selling his Indonesia Handbook at the freak festival. It's the same orange guide I used on my first trip to Bali in 1979, or perhaps the first formal guide rather than a collection of notes, typed, and stapled.

Travel has changed radically since the days of the Victorian Grand Tour, when the privileged classes would pack their steamer trunks for European journeys that could stretch into years while the common folk contented themselves with a trip to the shore or to a town with a springs. Travel in our time has become much more democratic, global and fast. Two decades ago, says travel writer Rick Steves, Eurailpasses were guarded as carefully as passports. "People would do 17 countries. Now, it's the south of France, or Portugal, or the heel of Italy. People are more focused."

And taking shorter trips, says Avalon Travel publisher Bill Newlin. "They are valuing time over money, looking for ways to make educated decisions. People want to find something new, have stories to tell, but what that means has changed." Newlin and Steves are just the latest in a long line of travel book folk who have tried to keep up with the changing whims of travelers. The much-cherished Baedeker guides of the late 19th and early 20th centuries are collectors' items today, valued for the excellence of the writing and the romance that still clings to a world of empires and hat boxes. But the books themselves are obsolete in a world of cell service and time-shares. "The unknown is harder to find today," says Newlin, "but the craving for adventure survives." As does the determination of travel book publishers to remain relevant.

Indeed, all the major travel lines today—Fodor's, Frommer's, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Moon, Insight, Rick Steves, Michelin—started in response to a perceived need in the marketplace. Even Karl Baedeker felt that there were no books available at the time that filled the traveler's need in the precise way he saw it. Not a single publisher watching over today's once eponymous (for the most part) imprints said that the spirit of the founder had changed, though the scope and breadth of the offerings are far different from what they used to be.

Let's Go has more than 50 titles covering six continents; Rough Guides takes in more than 200 destinations. Fodor's lines encompass more than 14 different series, and Frommer's titles number more than 330. Michelin now offers about 200 different guidebook titles, while Lonely Planet's number exceeds 600.

When Eugene Fodor brought out his first book, in 1936, Baedeker's (published in Germany), Murray's Hand-Books (London), Michelin Guides (France) and Hachette's Blue Guides (also France) were preeminent. Baedeker's had a venerable place in the annals of travel, but Fodor perceived new needs for the tourists of his era: he wanted them to have up-to-date, practical information and to understand what he called "the human side" of the places they visited. He researched his first book, 1936... On the Continent, while working for a steamship line and writing freelance travel articles.

In the introduction Fodor reminded his readers that the rewards of travel derive from the interactions with people in the visited locales. "We have proceeded on the assumption that your thirst for historical knowledge is nothing like so great as your thirst for the beer of Pilsen or the slivovitsa of Belgrade," he wrote. In 1950 Fodor took his guides to the David McKay Company and published books on France, Switzerland and Italy. His guide to Great Britain and Ireland, compiled in a single book, evoked loud protests from the Irish and were subsequently issued as two distinct titles.

In large measure attracted by the Fodor franchise, Random House bought David McKay in 1986 and undertook a major overhaul of the guides. Despite considerable diversification, the books haven't deviated from Fodor's vision, says Fodor's publisher Tim Jarrell. "The experience of travel has changed, but why people travel and the motivation is still the same."

Fodor's dominated the travel market for roughly a decade, until an ex-OSS employee named Temple Fielding entered the arena in 1948 with a hardcover guide to Europe. A bit more high-tone than Fodor's, Fielding's Travel Guide to Europe had become, by the time a profile of the author appeared in Time magazine in 1969, a 1,485-page, 909,000-word primer weighing just over two pounds. The company existed as recently as 1997—Robert Young Pelton, author of Fielding's The World's Most Dangerous Places, bought the company name from Morrow in 1993 and published traditional guides for a while—but Pelton's books are now published by HarperCollins and few Fielding guides are still in print.

In 1957, Arthur Frommer, a young lawyer in the U.S. Army, wrote a slim travel guide for American GIs in Europe, then produced a civilian version that caught the popular imagination of the era: Europe on $5 a Day. The book ranked sights in order of importance and included budget travel suggestions. "Arthur showed that everyone could travel and had the right to travel," says Michael Spring, the publisher of Frommer's Travel Guides, now published by Wiley. "We've gone from one book to over 320 books, but the vision hasn't changed."

Frommer's idea was that by traveling cheap you'd get inside the culture. "You'd stay at a B&B and talk to the owners at the breakfast table and meet the other guests," says Spring. By 2004 Frommer's signature guide to Europe was up to "starting" at $85 a day, while the 2006 Paris guide starts at $90.

Frommer continued to self-publish his guides while practicing law and in 1977 he sold the business to S&S. Through a series of subsequent sales the books ended up at Wiley. By the time Spring came in as publisher, in the early '90s, "the books were safe, geriatric, schoolmarmy, for a generation that hadn't traveled much," he says. "We started from scratch and wrote for the active, curious savvy traveler." Some of these travelers happened to be well-heeled. "It's our feeling that money shouldn't be held against you. The issue in traveling isn't how expensive, but how special," Spring says.

As travel became easier—planes faster, fares cheaper—students started thronging charter flights to get a taste of Europe during summer vacations. The guides on the market, which were aimed at a middle-class crowd, didn't address their needs. Over the next decade, several young entrepreneurs—hippie idealists—wrote guides for this young, curious (and underfinanced) group.

The first to appear was Let's Go Europe, in 1960. The original was a mimeographed pamphlet put together by students at Harvard Student Agencies and handed out gratis to those who booked charter flights to Europe. Two years later the guide had grown to 124 pages and carried a $1 price tag. "The budget advice available at the time was staid," says Tom Mercer, editorial and marketing manager for Let's Go at St. Martin's, which has published the series since 1982. "The authors of Let's Go were the audience themselves, young, adventurous Americans starting to sow their oats."

Publisher's Weekly Link

The Beatles

The Beatles Hard Day's Night 1964

I was a pretty young kid when I first heard the Beatles on the radio station in Omaha in 1964, but it still stands out. The radio DJ came on and said something "we've got a new rock group from England called the Beatles, and we're now going to play four tunes from them, and invite listerners to call and vote their favorites: "She Loves You," "I Wanna Hold your Hand," "Please Be True" and another.

Anyone remember?

This was the launch of the Beatles. I watched the Beatles the following two weeks on Sunday evenings Ed Sullivan show, and it's true. The Beatles changed everything.

The Future of Airline Travel

New Airline Strategy for Transporting Bodies

International Airlines have just come up with a new method to pack more bodies into their aluminum coffins: strap bodies into vertical body bags, or perhaps the human horizontal body hotels in Tokyo? I have another suggestion. Six passenger levels based on how much you can afford. Body bags (cheap) to full-beds (pretty penny). Why must the budget-minded suffer while the ultra-rich get unreacheable perks? Let's have some mid-choices.

Some airlines are already doing this, such as ANA, EVA, and a few others to Asia, that offer some great deals on mid-level travel with comfort at mid-level prices. That's the solution.

One Day, That Economy Ticket May Buy You a Place to Stand
Chris Elliott
April 25, 2006

The airlines have come up with a new answer to an old question: How many passengers can be squeezed into economy class?

Airbus has been quietly pitching the standing-room-only option to Asian carriers, though none have agreed to it yet. Passengers in the standing section would be propped against a padded backboard, held in place with a harness, according to experts who have seen a proposal.

But even short of that option, carriers have been slipping another row or two of seats into coach by exploiting stronger, lighter materials developed by seat manufacturers that allow for slimmer seatbacks. The thinner seats theoretically could be used to give passengers more legroom but, in practice, the airlines have been keeping the amount of space between rows the same, to accommodate additional rows.

The result is an additional 6 seats on a typical Boeing 737, for a total of 156, and as many as 12 new seats on a Boeing 757, for a total of 200.

That such things are even being considered is a result of several factors. High fuel costs, for example, are making it difficult for carriers to turn a profit. The new seat technology alone, when used to add more places for passengers, can add millions in additional annual revenue. The new designs also reduce a seat's weight by up to 15 pounds, helping to hold down fuel consumption. A typical seat in economy class now weighs 74 to 82 pounds.

"There is clearly pressure on carriers to make the total passenger count as efficient as possible," said Howard Guy, a director for Design Q, a seating design consultant in England. "After all, the fewer seats that are put on board, the more expensive the seat price becomes. It's basic math."

Even as the airlines are slimming the seatbacks in coach, they are installing seats as thick and heavy as ever in first and business class — and going to great lengths to promote them. That is because each passenger in such a seat can generate several times the revenue of a coach traveler.

At the front of the cabin, the emphasis is on comfort and amenities like sophisticated entertainment systems. Some of the new seats even feature in-seat electronic massagers. And, of course, the airlines have installed lie-flat seats for their premium passengers on international routes.

Seating specialists say that all the publicity airlines devote to their premium seats diverts attention from what is happening in the back of the plane. In the main cabin, they say, manufacturers are under intense pressure to create more efficient seats.

"We make the seats thinner," said Alexander Pozzi, the director for research and development at Weber Aircraft, a seat manufacturer in Gainesville, Tex. "The airlines keep pitching them closer and closer together. We just try to make them as comfortable as we can."

There is one bit of good news in the thinner seats for coach class: They offer slightly more room between the armrests because the electronics are being moved to the seatbacks.

One of the first to use the thinner seats in coach was American Airlines, which refitted its economy-class section seven years ago with an early version made by the German manufacturer Recaro.

"Those seats were indeed thinner than the ones they replaced, allowing more knee and legroom," Tim Smith, a spokesman for American, said. American actually removed two rows in coach, adding about two inches of legroom, when it installed the new seats. It promoted the change with a campaign called "More Room Throughout Coach."

But two years later, to cut costs, American slid the seats closer together and ended its "More Room" program without fanfare. When the changes were completed last year, American said its "density modification program" had added five more seats to the economy-class section of its MD-80 narrow-body aircraft and brought the total seat count to 120 in the back of the plane. A document on an internal American Airlines Web site, which was briefly accessible to the public last week, estimated that the program would generate an additional $60 million a year for its MD-80 fleet

New York Times

American Travelers Perception

American Travelers in Patpong

Once again, the old and tired cliche about American travelers abroad has been brought up with several articles in magazines and on the web. The familiar story is that Americans abroad are a boorish lot, given to bad fashion and yelling across the restaurant. Yeah, well, who cares?

I don't. Americans are a very, very friendly group of people who yell and scream at almost anything, and welcome anybody and everybody into their party. It's America, and it's a celebration of life. American tourists are well loved throughout the world, and rank among the favorite nations along with Australia, New Zealand, and some other places on the European continent. And most people around this planet can easily tell the difference between an American tourist and the present political policies of the American government. In other words, nobody blames me for the idiocy of George Bush or his personal vendetta against Iraq.

Erik Olsen at Gadling has more:

Lots of folks are atwitter over the release of the "World Citizens Guide" - which we posted about - that seeks to help reduce the amount of ugliness Americans export within themselves when they head abroad. Only you can know exactly what your "AUE" (American Ugliness Export) quotient is, but my guess, esp. if you like fast food and Hawaiian shirts, is that it's pretty high.

The guide was underwritten/assembled by the Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA), a non-profit group funded by big American companies, who are saying the anti-Americanism is bad for business. It features some 16 etiquette tips on how Americans can help the country by not fulfilling stereotypes of themselves as brash, loud, annoying, fat, stupid, bossy philistines. Ed Gomez over at SF Gate examines the subject and finds many of these stereotypes sadly accurate. While, over at the UK Telegraph, Philip Sherwell probably has the best take on the subject, as he makes the point that it's not really American tourists who are the problem, it's more often the perceptions of American policy...although loud fat Americans don't help themselves much either.

So let me put the question out there? Are we fat, loud, bossy, annoying, etc.? Or is it just that people like to pick on the big guy? Or more, are people in general becoming more like us? I mean, have you ever seen German travelers? Let's get the debate started.

Gadling Link

The Forgotten Book Advance

Alice Dines

Did your publisher somehow miss a scheduled advance payment on your latest book? It happens more often than you might imagine, thanks to poor bookkeeping or selected memory. Writers must keep track of their contracts and payment schedules, and remind their publishers of their obligations, as shown today by an insightful article by Angela Hoy.

Dear Angela:

I think you have a great service, and now, as a fellow writer, I am asking your help.

I have a book contract. However, while I received the first part of my advance, I did not receive the second half. Nevertheless, the book is already for sale. Now, I have another manuscript that I submitted to the publisher, and he said it was too long, but, that he liked the writing and the work, so he broke it up into two works. He has indicated the second will be coming out on his next list. I am gratified to have such a reception, but, the second work has no written contract, I have not been paid the second part of my advance on the first, and there has been no discussion about money on the second. I do not know what to do. I know I need an agent, but, I am in a bind. My work is already sold! However, I need money to live as well! I have no "new" work to present to an agent.

Sincerely, D.

You need to immediately remind the publisher that you're still waiting for the second half of your advance. But, check your contract first to ensure there's not some clause in there you're not aware of.

From your note, it appears you haven't bugged him about the second half yet. Don't be afraid to. He may be unaware it hasn't gone out or he may simply have forgotten.

The fact that he hasn't even given you a contract on the new book, however, is quite troubling. Even if you have a relationship with a publisher, you should never, ever work without a contract. This, coupled with the missing second half of your advance, could either spell ignorance or laziness on behalf of the publisher, or it could mean he's purposely trying to rip you off.

Writers Weekly Link

Stolen Books

Alice with Question

Something to contemplate. I've seen photocopies of my books on the sidewalks of Saigon and Bangkok, and while not a serious problem, book authors and other travel writers need to be aware of the problem of piracy and how to combat the challenge.

What Do You Do When Someone Steals Your Content

Having been the target of copyright thieves, and working with writers, authors, and photographers on copyright protection and laws for over 25 years, I thought I’d talk a little about what to do when someone steals your content.

First, you noticed that I didn’t say “if” someone steals your content. That was on purpose. With the glut of information on the Internet, it’s now a matter of “when” not “if”.

The first step in learning about what you can do when someone steals your content is to know that it will happen, so the more prepared and informed you are, the better your chances of prevention and having a plan in place when they steal.

As the number of websites and blogs grow, especially splogs, the demand for content puts more pressure on website administrators, who may resort to stealing content in order to fill space on their sites and attract traffic. Website hijacking, as such an example, is on the rise. This is the blatant use of part or all of your site’s content on another site without permission. This is also a copyright violation and needs to be dealt with accordingly.

Lorelle Link

Still the Freaky Goa

Puri Sunrise by Carl Parkes

It's been a helluva long time since I visited Goa, but I've been hearing depressing stories for many years, that Goa had gone upscale and was now populated with group tourists who all stayed in five-star hotels. Good news this week from the travel section of the New York Times, which claims that hippie culture is alive and well in the former Portuguese colony. But only the Times could write a three-page article about Goa and never mentioned weed or mushrooms.

There ain't nothing like this in the real world. Come to Goa. Change your mind. Change your way. It's hard to imagine a better jingle for this sandy strip of India's western coast, a venerable Catholic-Hindu enclave where American hippies came to turn on, tune in and drop out in the late 1960's, and where globe-trotting spiritual seekers, party kids, flag-wavers of the counterculture and refugees from the real world have fled ever since.

It's a place where the palm trees bear a strange fruit —fliers for crystal therapy, Ayurvedic healing and rave parties — and every road seems to lead to an organic restaurant or massage clinic. At the yoga centers, postures are manipulated by top Indian and international instructors. In clubs, where trance music is the favored genre, D.J.'s carrying myriad passports provide the mix. Bodies receive needle-inked adornments at skin-art parlors; minds seek enlightenment, or at least expansion, at many meditation clinics.

New York Times Link

Sihanoukville -- The Next Ko Phangan?

Angkor Beer

Can you believe the travel section of this week's New York Times? Two articles about Asia, when they typically only do about one article per month. This story provides a sharp contrast to another story they published a few months ago about Sihanoukville, where the author apparently spent his vacation at some five-star resort and perhaps took a quick drive around the district.

This week's story is almost the complete opposite, though a better comparison would have been Sihanoukville to Ko Phangan.

THE "largest and wildest" full-moon party, promised the yellow flier taped to a phone booth on Khaosan Road in Bangkok. Another installment of Thailand's girls-gone-wild bacchanal on the island of Ko Phangan? Or its bigger brother, Ko Samui? Or maybe it was the newcomer Ko Phi Phi, a remote island that is luring younger partygoers in the post-tsunami boom.

Not quite. This particular moonlight spectacle, in fact, wouldn't even be in Thailand, but across the border, in Cambodia's budding seaside town, Sihanoukville. It is "just nine-and-a-half hours from Bangkok," according to the flier, the work of Cambodian entrepreneurs hoping to turn Sihanoukville into the latest party hot spot.

Like bohemians colonizing a sketchy up-and-coming neighborhood, European and Australian backpackers have been blazing trails through Cambodia steadily since the mid-1990's. Although the last of the Khmer Rouge traded their machetes for plowshares only eight years ago, this nation of 13 million is fast becoming a companion destination to Thailand — that is, another seemingly safe haven of lush landscapes and warm embraces for Westerners.

Nowhere is this more apparent than on the low-key but alluring beaches of Sihanoukville, where development is being modeled after Thailand's resorts. Along the touristy strip of sand known as Serendipity, several restaurants brazenly advertise "happy" pizza and "happy" pancakes, seasoned with a certain illicit herb. Nearby, Victory Hill is trying to become Cambodia's version of Soi Cowboy, one of Bangkok's more garish red-light districts.

New York Times Link