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Putting The Internet
To Work For You
18 Must
Have Links Every Travel Writer Should Know About
By Karen Pevenstein
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| Pre- and
post-trip research doesn't have to be (and shouldn't be) painful. The trick
is knowing where to look. The internet makes this a piece of cake. I used
many of these links in preparing for my trip to Yorktown, VA, and suggest
you do the same before your next trip.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Karen took a short
day-trip to Yorktown a few weeks back and wrote us about her experience.
To find out how she researched her trip and how you can do the same, see
issue #35 in our e-letter archives at www.thetravelwriterslife.com ]
Here are eighteen websites every
travel writer should have at his fingertips:
Useful Sites for Research
http://www.towd.com
A great place to start your research
is your destination's tourism office. This site will link you to national
and international offices where you can find media kits, photos, and other
valuable help and information. I was able to access contact names for the
Yorktown tourism office, which then led me to access free media passes.
http://www.google.com
Google is the largest search engine
out there. Whether you're researching destinations, hotels, restaurants,
or past articles, "googling" will put you in touch with a wealth of useful
websites. I found several great links to B & B's, historical sites,
and articles by googling "Yorktown."
http://www.xe.com/ucc
A great place to double check prices
on returning from your trip. For example, you dine at a great brasserie
in Paris, and the bill comes to fifty Euros. Log on here to quickly find
your country's monetary equivalent to share with your readers.
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook
At The Ultimate Travel Writer's
Workshop I attended in Paris Jennifer Stevens said, "statistics may not
grab the reader right off the bat...but they sure can help prove a point."
Since your article cannot be built on opinion alone, use this site to find
quick facts like population statistics or historical profiles to beef up
the credibility factor. |
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http://www.newspaperlinks.com
The best way to find out what else
has been written about your destination is to browse local newspapers.
This site links you to the large publications (New York Times, Washington
Post) and to the smaller ones in your area. Read past articles to get a
feel for what they're looking for. Plus you can search most of their archives
for free.
Find Press Releases and Press
Trips
http://www.gotravelnews.com
http://www.travelwriters.com
http://www.mediakitty.com
http://www.marketwire.com
http://www.prmedia.com
Where to go to Sell Your Article
If you're an Ultimate Travel Writer
Course Graduate you have an "in" with these publications:
http://www.internationalliving.com
http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/79/Making_Money.html
http://www.touristtravel.com
Written course graduates can find
their writer's guidelines and instructions for submitting their articles
under the AWAI umbrella in your course book or live workshop course book.
You can also check out Writer's
Digest or Writer's Market where you'll find a complete listing of thousands
of writer's guidelines.
Writing Tips
http://www.writersdigest.com
Another good place to get plugged
into the industry. Here you'll find writer's guidelines, tools, resources,
writing contests, plus more tips on getting published.
http://www.dictionary.com
Not just a dictionary or thesaurus.
Here you'll find grammar tips and even be able to double check the spelling
of that foreign reference you want to throw in your article. |
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Travel Tips
http://www.tripadvisor.com
Includes reviews from fellow travelers.
Hear what everyone else is saying about the place before you go. I found
it insightful to read through readers' stories about lodging and dining
in Yorktown.
http://www.escapeartist.com/Travel_Magazine
EscapeArtist new Travel Magazine
launched April 2006 - whether you're 23 years old and into river rafting
in Papua New Guinea, or 65 and into kayaking a Pacific Atoll; the word
is personal exploration and stretching the limits - - stretching the limits
of what is possible in travel & lifestyle, and exploration of your
own capacities and interaction with the world on your own terms.
You want to live your life to the fullest and to do that you have to escape
from the ordinary, along with the meaningless constraints created by ordinary
people.
http://www.fodors.com
The most comprehensive resource
for all your travel needs. From lodging to dining to great travel bargains,
check out Fodors before you hit the road for your assignment.
http://www.onebag.com
A travel writer can never be weighed
down with heavy luggage. Visit this site to find out how to travel anywhere
in the world with a single carry-on sized bag.
A word of caution: These sites are
great for getting ideas and story leads, but always double check what you
read against a credible source. You don't want to confuse someone's opinion
with fact.
[Karen Pevenstein attended our Ultimate
Travel Writers Workshop one May a couple of years ago in Paris. Graduates
from our live travel writing workshops boast more success and see more
bylines than most, which is why these events always sell out. To boost
your own chances of success many times over, join us at an upcoming event.
To find out more, visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/escape]
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