"You would like to be a travel writer?"

You would like to become a travel writer. Why, Its sounds so easy and glamorous. Just write about a place, its people, landscape, weather, flora and fauna. You may even want to throw in something about history, politics, culture and folklore. However, before deciding to give up your day job, a good idea would be to read Washington Post journalist, L. Peat O'Neil's manual entitled Travel Writing.

As we are informed in the introduction, you first have to ask yourself are you a travel writer? Do you have the right attitude to accept rejections from editors? Are you passionate about traveling or you just tolerate all of the inconveniences that travel sometimes entails? As the author states, "if you don't have a yen to hit the high road and a knack for writing, planning to be a travel writer might not be right for you."

After we have assured ourselves that we definitely would like to "give it a shot," the next step is to learn the tools of the trade. O'Neill points the way in showing us how to become observant, where to meet people, and how to locate the heart of a place when visiting some locality. The author best sums this up when she asserts, "to really travel, you'll need purpose-interests that focus on your journeys."

The plan of the manual is divided into nine chapters dealing with such topics as getting started, travelling, the journal, structure, pace, style and tone of the article, research resources, travel photos, marketing, acting professionally. As you can see the author leaves very little to the imagination in paving the way to a firm grasp of the essential elements of successful travel writing.

Apart from analysing the different ingredients that comprise effective travel writing, the reader is also introduced to a variety of exercises that reinforces the various rules and principles of travel writing.

Anyone contemplating travel writing or even if you want to hone your skills in appreciating detail and discover unusual experiences while traveling, this book should prove to be indispensable. Added features of the book include an appendix listing books, periodicals, newsletters, organizations, prizes and awards, marketing directories, writing reference tools, and other resources. There is also a glossary of terms used throughout the book as well as a few examples of the author's articles.

Reviewed by Norman Goldman
Posted September 12, 2002