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Travel Writer
Click below to listen to 10 minute interview.
Interview Recap
Tom Brosnahan, founder and owner of Travel Info Exchange, Inc., knows travel information: how to research, compose, and sequence it to guide travelers and help them to find their way.
He started as a travel guidebook writer in 1968. Since then his travel guidebooks have sold nearly four million copies worldwide in more than ten languages, and his articles and photographs appear regularly in top travel periodicals in North America and Europe. He counts among his consultancy clients a number of major corporations, publishers, foundations and government entities. He has also appeared on major television and radio programs.
1. As a travel writer, what exactly do you do?
Answer: As a travel writer, I travel to many places that people want to visit. While traveling, I look for interesting things to see and do, gather information on places to stay and eat, how to get around, local customs, and I also gather information on things to watch out for (dangers, if there are any). On my trips, I take thousands of photographs. Then I come home and write about it all, working to make it comprehensible to my readers. I’m really teaching people how to visit a location and get the most out of it.
2. What do you enjoy most about your job?
Answer: Travel! I've always wanted to travel, and I was lucky to find a kind of work where I could travel a lot. I also enjoy photography, and that is very important now in travel writing. Whether you work for magazines, guidebooks, newspapers or websites, everyone wants lots of photos.
3. What do you dislike about your job?
Answer: It's hard work and there’s a lot of information to collect. When I'm traveling, I work 10 to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. A lot of it is enjoyable, but the days can be tiring. It's important to work hard every day, because every day I'm on the road I'm paying for expenses. If I want to earn money from my work, I must keep expenses as low as is reasonable.
4. What steps do teens need to take to become a travel writer?
Answer: Write! Write a journal, write a blog, write for local newsletters or newspapers, write, write, write! It's difficult at first—my first book manuscript went through seven drafts—but now I write once, then correct, and it's done. Train yourself always to think of your readers. You're not writing for yourself, you're writing for your readers.
5. What could teens do—Right Now—to follow their dream of becoming a travel writer?
Answer: Write a description of a trip you have taken. It doesn't have to be a long-distance trip, or even a multi-day trip. It can be just a one-day trip. Write it not to describe what you've done so much as to show your readers, through your words, what it would be like for them if they made a similar trip. If you take photographs, figure out what sort of photographs would best illustrate your writing.
Next, compare what you've written to other travel writing from newspapers, magazines, guidebooks, or on the internet. Then rewrite your description to make it better. You can also show it to a friend, ask them to read it and comment. Ask them to read it as though they are going there. Are there things missing? Too much writing on any topic?
It’s important to practice and polish your writing if you want others to buy it. You should also think it through. Don’t just start writing. Think about how you can write for the reader to make it interesting for them.
6. Where can teens go to find more information about you and becoming a travel writer?
Answer: I have a website, www.writerswebsiteplanner.com, that has information about getting started in travel writing, especially guidebook authorship.
The most important travel writers' organization in North America is the Society of American Travel Writers (www.satw.org). They sponsor an annual Institute for Travel Writing and Photography every January in Orlando, Florida. It's the most cost-effective, one-weekend crash course in professional travel writing available.
Lots of other websites have information on travel writing for articles, guidebooks, travelogues, radio and TV scripts, podcasts and blogs.
Resources
1. Writers Website Planner: www.writerswebsiteplanner.com for information about getting started in travel writing, especially guidebook authorship.
2. Society of American Travel Writers: www.satw.org for classes at their annual Institute for Travel Writing and Photography.
3. Transitions Abroad: www.transitionsabroad.com has a Travel Writing Portal on their website.
About Tom Brosnahan
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Tom joined the US Peace Corps after graduating from Tufts University in 1967, and went to Turkey to teach English. During his Peace Corps service he learned to speak Turkish fluently, and spent his weekends and vacations traveling throughout the country. He discovered a beautiful, fascinating land which was virtually unknown in the United States. Tom wrote his first guidebook, Turkey on $5 a Day, as a Peace Corps project. The book was accepted for publication by Arthur Frommer in 1970, and went through seven editions, its final one being Turkey '92-'93 on $40 a Day.
Tom returned home from Peace Corps service in 1970 and entered the Tufts University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences on a US Title V Fellowship, anticipating a doctoral degree and a college teaching career in history. After passing his doctoral exams, Tom was granted a Fulbright-Hays Dissertation Fellowship, and went to Istanbul for 15 months' research in the Ottoman archives reading medieval Turkish legal documents.
Upon his return to the United States from the Fulbright in 1976, he gradually discovered that a career in travel was more promising and appealing than one in academia, so he left the university to devote himself to writing, photography and consulting full-time. His 30 guidebooks for Insight, Berlitz, Frommer's and Lonely Planet cover Belize, Canada, Egypt, England, France, Guatemala, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, New England, Tunisia and Turkey. Some of these guides have been translated into more than ten languages.
Tom Brosnahan has served as a Contributing Editor to Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine, and has had many articles and photographs published in leading magazines and newspapers such as ASTA Travel News, BBC World, Chicago Tribune, Daily Telegraph (London), Diversion, New York Daily News, New York Times, Odyssey, Travel & Leisure, Travel Life and TWA Ambassador. He has also served as the North American representative and commissioning editor for TravelIntelligence.com based in London, UK.
He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including ABC's Good Morning America, NPR's Talk of the Nation, the Travel Channel and PRI's The Connection. He has given lectures at the American Turkish Council's annual conference, the Smithsonian Institution, the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design, and other organizations.
He has been a consultant on tourism, public relations and online publication to Arriva World Tours, AT&T, Burson-Marsteller, Discovery Communications, Hill & Knowlton, Nabila Tours & Cruises (a division of Naggar Travel Group), Orion-Tour, Pacha Tours, the Quincentennial Foundation of Istanbul, Strategic Interactive Group, the Turkish Embassy, the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, Tursem Tours International, Travel in Style, Inc., and other organizations.
In February 1994, Tom founded the Travel Info Exchange™, an online travel information service with special conferences for travel authors. The Travel Info Exchange was the recipient of the gold medal in the Electronic Media category of the Society of American Travel Writers' 1994 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. In 2004 his TurkeyTravelPlanner.com website received Honorable Mention in the same competition. His travel websites now receive nearly four million visits annually, according to Google Analytics.
He is the author of Turkey: Bright Sun, Strong Tea, a humorous travel memoir.
Tom is a co-founder of the Society of American Travel Writers' Institute for Travel Writing and Photography. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Society of American Travel Writers, and a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Authors Guild, and the National Writers Union.
National Geographic Underwater Photographer
Click below to listen to 10 minute interview.
Interview Recap
David Doubliet’s underwater imagery is considered to be among the best by editors, peers and colleagues across the globe. He has photographed over 70 stories for the National Geographic Magazine, where he is currently a contributing photographer in residence. In addition to National Geographic, David’s work continues to appear in countless publications worldwide, and he is a contributing editor and feature columnists for the Behind the Shot in Sport Diver Magazine (US). He has also authored twelve books on the sea.
1. As an underwater photographer and photographer for National Geographic, what exactly do you do?
Answer: As an underwater photographer, my partner, Jennifer Hayes, and I travel across the world to take pictures underwater, talk about the ocean and talk about the creatures that live in the ocean. Occasionally we’ll do stories about history and about historical events that took place in the sea. National Geographic Magazine is the primary magazine I work for and have worked with for nearly 35 years. Our passion is the ocean. Jennifer is the marine biologist and I am the photographer. We are also both writers.
2. What do you enjoy most about your job?
Answer: Exploring the sea. Beneath the water’s surface lies a world that is not only fascinating, but incredibly beautiful.
3. What do you dislike about your job?
Answer: The most difficult part is getting to the locations. This includes packing, transportation, loading and unloading equipment, setting up the cameras and getting into the water. But once we’re in the water and shooting, everything becomes worthwhile.
4. What steps do teens need to take to become an underwater photographer and photographer for National Geographic?
Answer: To become an underwater photographer, you first have to enjoy being underwater. It requires long hours of diving. You also need a passion. Photography is not just about taking pictures. It’s about following your interests and your passions, whether it’s underwater, taking pictures of horses, fashion or friends. It’s all about following your heart visually and photographically.
5. What could teens do—Right Now—to follow their dream of becoming an underwater photographer and photographer for National Geographic?
Answer: If you’re interested in the ocean, the first step is to become a diver or snorkeler, and to look around under water. You can also begin with a simple camera and then graduate into a camera with a wide angle lens. Then begin to look at how light works in the sea, and learn about the biology and history of the sea.
6. Where can teens go to find more information about you and becoming an underwater photographer and photographer for National Geographic?
Answer: You can visit our website, www.DavidDoubilet.com. You can also go to the National Geographic website www.nationalgeographic.com, where they will lead you down many photographic paths, including one to the sea.
There are many universities and courses you could take in photography. The Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara is one of the best photography schools in the country. The University of Miami has wonderful journalism courses along with marine biology courses. The University of Missouri at Columbia is one of the prime journalist schools in the country. Rochester Institute of Technology is a wonderful place to go as well.
The Maine Photographic Workshop in Rockport, Maine and the Santa Fe Workshops will teach you basic photography and advanced photography.
Photography is mostly dreaming and seeing. It is a wonderful way to earn a living, though it’s very competitive. The only way you can beat the other photographer is to dream a different dream and to think about a different direction. It helps to look at as much art as possible, so spend time in museums. Look at the way people look at light and capture light, either on canvas or on film.
When you pick up a camera, don’t pick it up and say I’ll just fool around with this. Even if you’re a teenager, be serious. This is a world that’s open to everyone—even teenagers.
Resources
1. David Doubilet’s website: www.DavidDoubilet.com
2. National Geographic: www.NationalGeographic.com (They also have photo camps for youth.)
3. Brooks Institute of Photography: www.Brooks.edu
4. University of Miami: www.Miami.edu
5. University of Missouri at Columbia: www.Missouri.edu
6. Rochester Institute of Technology: www.Rit.edu
7. Maine Photographic Workshop: www.theworkshops.com (They also have workshops for youth.)
8. Santa Fe Photographic Workshops: www.SantaFeWorkshops.com
About David Doubilet
David Doubilet is honored to have his underwater imagery considered to be among the best by editors, peers and colleagues the world over. He has photographed over 70 stories for the National Geographic Magazine where he is currently a Contributing Photographer-in-Residence. David has documented our changing underwater world since his first assignment with the Geographic in 1971. In addition to the Geographic, David’s work continues to appear in countless publications worldwide and he is a contributing editor and feature columnists for the Behind the Shot in Sport Diver Magazine (US).
Born in New York City in 1946, David began shooting underwater at the age of 12 using a Brownie Hawkeye camera in an improvised housing - a rubber anesthesiologist’s bag from his father’s hospital. His teen years found him submerged off the New Jersey coast and in the Caribbean waters surrounding tiny Small Hope Bay, Bahamas. He built a passion for the sea and everything in it. David graduated from Boston University in 1970.
David’s challenge to himself is to redefine photographic boundaries each time he enters the water. His passion is the undersea majesty of light and how to capture it. Completely at home on a coral reef, a World War II wreck, a deep dark fjord or among the great giants in our sea, David has relentlessly pursued the many hidden layers of coral reefs around the globe. His cold water work has immersed him in the rich waters of New Zealand, Tasmania, Scotland, Japan, the Northwest Atlantic and Northeast Pacific. Recent photographic journeys have taken him into some of the largest freshwater systems on our planet such as the great Okavango Delta system in Botswana and the St. Lawrence River.
David has authored twelve books on the sea. The most recent are: Fish Face by Phaidon Publishers (2003), The Kingdom of Coral: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef by National Geographic Books (2002) and Water Light and Time by Phaidon Publishers (1999). He is the recipient of the many prestigious awards, including: The Sara Prize, The Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award and the Lennart Nilsson Award in Photography. David is a member of both the Royal Photographic Society and International Diving Hall of fame.
David enjoys life in Clayton, New York, a small river town in the Thousands Islands region of the St. Lawrence River where life is about old wooden boats, an emerald freshwater studio and ships from around the world passing his window. His second home is the small coastal town of DeKelders, South Africa. David has a beautiful, exuberant daughter, Emily Dara Doubilet studying at Oberlin College.