In travel writing, I've often found that it's better to capture the soul a neighborhood of a city than try to describe an entire metropolis. A city, after all, is just a collection of neighborhoods, and the best ones are distinctive. An example: A few scenes of my novel-in-progress take place on Lisbon. Rather than...

When writing a novel involving places that actually exist, you need to get the details exactly right or the boat won’t float. And the details aren’t just in the names and locations. It’s the sensory data that pulls the reader in. I’m currently in the process of writing such a novel. The story takes the...

The thought of writing a book seems esoteric. Many people I’ve encountered tell me they’re going to write a book someday. (Which I think is a fabulous idea!) The actual process, however, is often unglamorous and tedious. Writing, editing, rewriting, and did I mention rewriting. But writing is only the first step. If you’re following...

Francis Tapon was born and raised in San Francisco, California and has traveled to over 75 countries. He co-founded a successful Silicon Valley company, and he has also worked at Hitachi Data Systems and Microsoft. He thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. In 2007, he became the first person to do a...

Let’s face it, finding time and discipline to write well on the road can be really, really tough. Traveling takes a lot of mental stamina. At the end of a long day, once you’ve found a dinner and settled into the hostel, the last thing you have the mental juice for is thoughtful writing about...

We can be fascinated by the evil and the scary. Certain countries just scream, "Danger!" which only makes us all the more interested in them. One such nation is North Korea. This article in The Guardian UK will go down as one of the most memorable articles I've ever read: How one man escaped from...

The essence of travel writing resides in the stories we live on the road: from the narratives of greats such as Chatwin, Theroux, Darlymple and others, to the tiny weblogs of your latest holidays, we are surrounded by more travel literature than what we can possibly consume. Some of it provides outstanding quality and catches...

More than likely you’ve heard of the legendary Moleskine notebooks that were revered by artists, writers and travelers alike. Originally they were covered in a woven cotton fabric which was sheared, making it soft on one side. Bruce Chatwin describes this ‘Paris’ notebook in The Song Lines , “The pages were squared and the end-papers...

Recent buzz around the web has suggested big changes in travel, but these trends are much more complicated than gradual increases in tourism as discussed last week by Chris and Marco . We know we can expect at least one billion tourists by 2012, but not everyone is joining the great migration. A controversial New...

Ever consider learning from the travel writing guru himself? Now's your chance! Here at vagablogging we all share a common appreciation for the inspiration Rolf penned into his first book . But have you gotten the chance to read his second? Bundled within the rich collection, Marco Polo Didn’t Go There , is something more....

Before you decide to get a tattoo from one of the many long haired, rasta-looking Thai men in the foreigner-inking business during a holiday in Thailand, think twice. There are enormous differences between the design you are going to get, and the rigid ink lines we can sometime spot etching a Thai person’s skin, spurting...

Without exception, every traveler I've met has been an avid reader. Makes sense, as a keener interest in information and stories complement a curiosity to see the world. The natural next step is to pick up our keyboards and write stories of our own, in travel blogs. The website Travelllll.com had a post titled, Good...

About 110 years ago an Englishman named Ewart Grogan made the journey across Africa from south to north. He was the first person to do so, and it took him two years. In Crossing the Heart of Africa: An Odyssey of Love and Adventure , author Julian Smith recounts some of Grogan’s story, following much...

Working as a writer abroad is like tackling two dreams at once: writing and travel. Tough to pull off, though especially if you want to earn a living. Graham Holliday, an experienced journalist, laid out his strategies for success in this Slideshare presentation: Frontline Club - solo foreign correspondent . My favorite advice was in...

When I’m choosing what book to take along on a trip, the destination always dictates what I’m inspired to read. The Moviegoer went with me on my first trip to New Orleans. Eduardo Galeano’s Memory of Fire trilogy has accompanied me throughout a handful of trips in Latin America. The Popul Vuh was in my...

If you like to travel and have your own blog, you may have entertained the idea of being a travel writer. Imagine getting paid to go and do the same fun stuff you're already doing, going all over the world. The reality can be quite different, however. Lonely Planet guidebook writer Leif Pettersen wrote this...

Travel and writing can both be lonely endeavors, with friends and family not understanding why some of us are obsessed with both. The best fix for the blues is to surround yourself with people who have the same dream, and even better, have achieved success. For anyone into travel writing, Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) is...

It's that time of year again when STA travel picks this summers World Traveler Interns and the two lucky candidates have been announced. The 2011 interns are Brigette Muller and Dutch Simpson. You can read more about who they are and what inspired them to apply for the position here , on the STA website....

I have to confess: I don’t recall the last time I read a fiction story. While there are fiction books that I’ve enjoyed over the years, I yearn for the true story of a person or place. Every once in a while, I get my hands on a non-fiction book with such strong characters that...

Do you remember the first trip you took on your own? Mine was to France. I lugged a huge wheeled suitcase, far more cumbersome than today’s streamlined wheelies. Every night before I fell asleep, I worried about the next day: whether I could speak French well enough, would miss my train, or knew how to...