The application round for the Fall 2011 Glimpse Correspondents Program has officially opened.
It's a great opportunity for students, volunteers, teachers, and travelers planning on being abroad this year to get their stories and photography published at high-profile publications--and get paid for it.
The Glimpse Correspondents Program is powered by Matador, and supported in part by the National Geographic Society. Selected writers and photographers will get a $600 stipend and one onone editorial training and support in creating a portfolio of published work.
Anyone over 18 is eligible, and writers and photographers of all skill and experience levels are encouraged to apply. The criteria
for selecting Correspondents not only include candidates' talents in writing or photography, but also their vision for engaging
communities and finding unique stories while abroad, as well as their commitment to developing these stories into polished
long-form narratives over the course of the program.
To learn more, visit the Correspondents Program page
.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Apply now for the Fall 2011 Glimpse Correspondents Program
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Some of New Zealand's Best Kept Secret Attractions
Mention New Zealand and people immediately think bungy jumping, wine drinking, hobbits, and amazing scenery.
But dig a little deeper, head off the beaten track, and you’ll discover much, much more – a secret New Zealand full of unique attractions and activities just waiting to be explored.
Here’s a sampling…
1. The Hokonui Moonshine Festival – New Zealand’s original boutique whisky festival, celebrating ‘Old Hokonui‘ whiskey, is held every February in the sleepy southern town of Gore . If you miss the festival, you can still discover the region’s colourful history at the Hokonui
Moonshine.
But it’s not all prohibition and illicit stills. Culture, too, can be found in Gore at the Eastern Southland Art Gallery which, by featuring a diverse collection of primarily New Zealand and Australian works, attracts thousands of art lovers from around New Zealand and the world.
2. Driving Creek Railway & Potteries – New Zealand may not have Paris but it does have it’s own ‘Eyefull’ Tower, located on the outskirts of Coromandel Town a few hours drive east of Auckland. You can only get to the tower by taking a ride on the country’s only narrow gauge mountain railway through Barry Brickell’s working pottery and wildlife sanctuary.
A rail enthusiast, Barry started building the narrow gauge rail tracks back in the 1970s as a way of transporting the clay and pine wood located high up the hill down to his pottery studio. These days, though, the train mainly transports tourists.
3. The Giant’s House - Hidden away in the small harbor town of Akaroa, just 85 kilometers outside Christchurch, the Giant’s House, with it’s innovative and extravagant horticultural displays and wacky mosaic sculptures, could easily be one of the most unusual B&B’s in the world.
The house wasn’t always like that. Built in the 1880’s for the local bank manager, this two storey French Style house had, for many years, a rather sedate existence. But then artist Josie Martin arrived on the scene and gave the house a rather extreme makeover, transforming it to reflect her imaginative and whimsical personality.
4. Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake & Iceberg - Very few glaciers around the world terminate into a lake. And even fewer are accessible to the average traveler. The Tasman Glacier, located within the Aoraki Mt Cook National Park just four hours from Christchurch, offers a chance to get up closer and personal with the glacier and it’s huge floating icebergs.
5. Stonehenge Aotearoa - You can find the world’s newest (opened in 2005) Stonehenge, a full-scale adaptation of the original Salisbury Plains Stonehenge, just an hour’s drive north of Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city. This New Zealand ‘Stonehenge’ incorporates Maori lore and marks the stars and constellations that Polynesian navigators followed on their voyages across the Pacific Ocean.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Inside National Geographic Headquarters...
Ever wondered what it was like inside the headquarters of National Geographic?
Thanks to Kim Mance from Galavanting TV you no longer have to wonder. She did a surprise inspection of the facility with National Geographic Traveler magazine's chief researcher, Marilyn Terrell.
Travel Writing Miscellanea...
Traveling to places that are in the midst of disaster, revolution, or war isn't something that I'd deliberately set out to do, but for some travelers, as this ABC report Roaming Revolution Chasers Redefine Adventure Travel clearly shows, it's the thing to do.
Meanwhile, Psychology Today asks 'Where is it safe to travel?'
Reviews of travel books...
Galavanting reviews National Geographic's 100 Countries, 5000 Ideas.
The New York Times reviews 'Under the Sun: The Letters of Bruce Chatwin'
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Idaho River Journeys' Writing and Photography Workshops...
Idaho River Journeys, who have been outfitting river trips in Idaho since 1978 are hosting two great writing and photography workshops this summer:
Middle Fork Writing Workshop: August 17-21
with Tim Cahill & Mike Shapiro
Tim Cahill, a founding editor of Outside magazine and author of several books about adventure travel, will be offering a writing workshop this August on Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Co-teaching with Cahill will be Michael Shapiro, a travel writer for National Geographic Traveler, the Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle.
Shapiro and Cahill have taught together for more than a decade, working with aspiring writers to develop stories ideas and hone the craft of evocatively telling tales. The on-river workshop will combine lessons from masters such as Edward Abbey and Bill Bryson with writing practice and story diagramming. August 17-21, $1,895 Adult
Main Salmon River Photography: July 30 - Aug 3
with Tysun McMullin
Tysun McMillan joins on the Main Salmon on July 30th for a 5-day photo clinic. Prior to devoting his carreer to photography, Tysun was a Hollywood televisioin editor and filmaker. In recent years he has produced two award winning movies about fly fishing in the southern Sierra. He is an entertaining, talented, and enthusiasic photographer who you will enjoy spending time with. The trip fare is $1,695.Sphere: Related Content
Monday, March 14, 2011
Air New Zealand's Royal London Giveaway...
Air New Zealand, my favorite airline for long distance travel, is holding the Royal Treatment Sweepstakes with the winner receiving...
Roundtrip economy airfare for two to London on Air New Zealand
Accommodations for five nights at the Westminster Bridge (see details below)
Admission to:
Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace (open 23rd July to 3rd October 2011)
The Tower of London
Kensington Palace
Hampton Court Palace
A hamper of food delivered to their hotel from Fortnum and Mason (the Queen's grocer!)
Afternoon tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace
The only thing they can't give you is an invitation to the Royal Wedding.
The sweepstakes runs from March 5 - 11 April 2011 and is open to residents of the United States.
Enter at http://airnzspecials.com/RoyalLondon/index.html
TEDxPhnomPenh: World Nomad's Chris Noble 'From Little Things, Big Things Grow'
In this interesting TED talk, Chris Noble, General Manager for WorldNomads.com, a leading global travel insurance company, talks about the creation of The Footprints Network, an alliance of e-commerce businesses working with global NGOs and grassroots organizations to fund community poverty-alleviation projects around the world.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Nomadic Matt's Travel Site is hiring travel writers...
NomadicMatt.com is looking to expand and is hiring writers.
There three new columnists positions open... Couple’s Travel – Traveling with your partner is a lot different than traveling alone. You have another person’s needs to think about. I’m looking for someone to write about the ups, downs, and ways to make traveling as a couple work.
Boomer Travel – My experience is different than someone whose 50+ and traveling. I’m looking for a boomer who travels the world and can write about their experience.
Solo Female Travel – I already have a writer I am more than happy with but I want to expand writing about this topic more and would love a 30+ year old solo female traveler to write about life on the road.
Requirements: I’m looking for writers that have been traveling for awhile, have a website, and an existing social media presence (size doesn’t matter). Moreover, I’m looking for people who travel independently, on a budget, and long term. You will get paid for your work!
The site is also looking for locals to help upgrade Travel Guides to the following placesCanada (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal)
England
Ireland
Portugal
Mexico
Guatemala
El Salvador
Honduras
Argentina
Brazil
Colombia
Peru
Switzerland
Japan
Any Caribbean Island
For more information, go to NomadicMatt.com
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday Photo: Mount Cook, New Zealand
Just one of the spectacular views when on the road in New Zealand.
(part of the Photo Friday Network)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Launch Party for the TBEX Los Angeles Chapter...
Travel bloggers in Los Angeles or those heading to Los Angeles later this month can attend the TBEX LA Chapter Launch Party at the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel just before the LA Times Travel and Adventure Show.
The event is hosted by co-chairs, JohnnyJet and Jen Miner of the Vacation Gals.
This event is open to all travel bloggers, writers and travel industry folks. More info and updates from the co-chairs
and other fun stuff can be found on the TBEX LA Chapter Tumblr.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Calling all travel bloggers to join Blog4NZ
Christchurch, New Zealand's third largest city and my hometown may have been rocked by a massive earthquake that has caused major damage to the central city and outlying suburbs, but the rest of New Zealand remains in one piece and is still one of the most fun and beautiful places in the world to visit.
Hence Blog4NZ...a grassroots action created by NZ travel bloggers who want to get the word out that New Zealand is still one of the premiere travel destinations.
All travel bloggers, in fact all bloggers, are encouraged to participate no matter where you live and whether or not you have ever visited New Zealand.
According to the Blog4NZ press release, here's how it will work...
"March 21, 22, and 23 has been set aside by travel bloggers throughout the world as 72 hours of content generation about travelling to New Zealand. #Blog4NZ is the brain-child of New Zealand travel bloggers Jim McIntosh and John Reese. John himself living in Christchurch. “We want a total black-out of travel content across the world, we want Twitter dominated by Tweets about travelling to New Zealand, we hope that all travel bloggers rally behind this cause and publish as many articles as possible throughout this period about travelling to New Zealand” said event organiser Craig Martin of Indie Travel Media.
“New Zealand is one of the world’s greatest travel destinations and has been a great source for many travel bloggers and travel entrepreneurs. For many northern hemisphere countries it is the furthest most spot they can travel. It has been the place where so much innovation has come with regard to travel – the home of Bungy, the birth place of hop-on hop-off backpacker travel, NZ led the way in independent hostels throughout the eighties and nineties. It is also a country where tourism is the number one contributor to GDP, where the Minister of Tourism is the PM – that is how important tourism is. This is the travel community saying hey go to NZ – if there is one place that should be on your travel list this year it is NZ” said Dan Roberts of Travel Generation. “This is something that as the travel community we can do to support not only all the businesses in Christchurch but everyone in New Zealand.”
Over the next few days event organisers will be working with the whole New Zealand tourism industry to gather resources, images and content that travel bloggers from all over the world will be able to access to generate their stories during the 72 hours of blog4NZ. At the same time the call is going out to all travel bloggers, travel experts, photographers and social media users to show the power of the Internet to make a real long term difference to those travel businesses suffering in New Zealand not just now but over the next 12 months in New Zealand as a result of the earthquake."
For more information go to http://blog4nz.indietravelmedia.com/
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Quote of the Week...
"The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficient reason to remain ashore ... unlike the mediocre, intrepid spirits seek victory over those things that seem impossible ... it is with an iron will that they embark on the most daring of all endeavors ... to meet the shadowy future without fear and conquer the unknown."Sphere: Related Content
-Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese explorer 1480-1521)
Monday, March 07, 2011
Why Social Media is so important...to businesses and writers
This entertaining and fact filled slideshow provides the statistics that explain why being involved in so important to businesses and writers. These statistics also show why keeping up with social media is so damn tiring...
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Weekly Top 5 Blog Posts for Writers..
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Friday Photo: Venice Food Market
Whenever I arrive in a new city, one of the first things I do is find out where the food market is and when it is open.
It took me a little time to find this food market. Walking alongside the canals and over numerous bridges, taking many wrong turns, I finally got there. And as a reward, I spent the whole morning there, sampling the foods, taking in the atmosphere, and of course, going total snap happy with the camera.
(part of the Photo Friday Network)
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Travel Writing Miscellanea...
Traveling Savage blog has posted this interesting interview - A Model of Travel Writing: Lara Dunston Spills on GranTourismo.
JoAnna Haugen at Kalidescope Wandering asks looks at the Tech/Travel Relationship and asks 'How much technology do we REALLY need when we travel?'
USA Today Travel wonders 'Can destination apps take the place of guidebooks?'
Shannon Hurst Lane discusses How to Get Invited on Press Trips
An interesting post at Blogging Standards on Why the travel industry needs bloggers
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Become a Better Photographer in 31 Days...
Anyone serious about improving their photographic skills would be wise to sign up for Peter Carey's 31 Days to Better Photography which starts on 1 March.
Peter Carey, a prolific photographer and blogger over at The Carey Adventures has been teaching basic photography at local workshops in Seattle, has decided to share his knowledge online with daily posts about becoming a better photographer.
According to Peter, the...
"...series will be aimed at the beginner in the beginning, covering topics such as: The Exposure Triangle, How Your Camera Works, Aperture Mode, Shutter Mode, How To Hold A Camera, ISO, Photography Jargon, Picking A Lens, etc… As the weeks move along the subjects will become more specific such as; Shooting Sunsets/Sunrises, Waterfalls, The Moon, Flashes, Post Processing, Rock Climbing, Panning Blur, etc… All along I will be sprinkling in ‘How I Shot It’ posts where I will break down particular pictures into the composing, shooting and post processing involved to help you understand what’s going on in my head (it’s a non-stop party!) and how the image came to be."
Sounds like something worth spending time on.
Interested? Then head over to The Carey Adventures to subscribe.
Traveler's Tales have announces the 2011 Sola Awards Winners for Best Travel Writing...
Traveler's Tales have announced the 2011 Solas Awards winners:
Grand Prize for Best Travel Story of the Year
Gold ($1,000)
The Memory Bird by Carolyn Kraus
Silver ($750)
Masha by Marcia DeSanctis
Bronze ($500)
Beneath the Rim by Michael Shapiro
Travel writers also had the chance to enter and win in over 20 different travel writing categories. To find out who won what in which category, head over to the 2011 Solas Awards winners page.
