It sounds like a dream job: getting paid to explore the world as a travel writer. For many, this job remains a far-fetched dream. However, for those willing to dream big even during these recessional times, travel writing can be a profession rather than a pipe dream.
Count on Matador, the world’s largest independent travel publication, to turn dreams into reality. The travel network has developed its first educational component, MatadorU, which is aimed at revolutionizing the way travel writers of all levels launch and accelerate their careers.
Matador and its fleet of independent travel writers know how to thrive. In less then 3 years, Matador has grown from a small community of passionate travelers, to a massively popular network of niche travel blogs, reaching over 800,000 unique visitors a month. With its growing popularity, it is turning to its travel writing school, MatadorU, to make the travel writing profession a realistic aspiration.
MatadorU‘s first course is a 12-week curriculum aimed at travel writers of all levels. I was able to browse the course materials myself, and I have to say that the course is rich and informative, and in many ways itliterally gives away the blueprint used to navigate the continuously evolving world of travel publishing. Each week, students receive online chapters and assignments, with lessons ranging from: ways to improve your storytelling, learning how to organize submissions for publication, to mastering social media, monetization blogs, and negotiating ad contracts.
In addition to the course materials, MatadorU students also gain access to travel writing market leads as well as an exclusive online forum. To promote its new school, Matador is offering this free download, which provides helpful insider information on how much travel magazines pay — a great resource for travel writers looking for more exposure and some $$$ too.
If you’ve been putting off the purchase of tickets to the EU recently, now is your time to strike. Airline search engine Vayama.com is offering $30 off any flight between the two continents today, softening the blow of the season’s expensive fares.
Checking a sample itinerary between Kayak and Vayama from Detroit to Stockholm, the Gadling Labs are pulling up fares of $690 and $713 respectively. Subtract $30 from Vayama’s fare, and we’ve got $683. Seven dollars saved. But hey, that $7 will buy you three espressos when you stagger off of the plane after a 8 hour redeye from JFK.
Why the fare discrepancy? Kayak pulls fares straight from the airline websites and a few other “no-fee” sites such as Orbitz and Cheaptickets (yes, we know they’re the same thing). On the other hand, Vayama is acting more like a travel agent, pulling in fares, tacking on a fee and returning results to the casual internet browser. While this gives them the flexibilty to put together complex itineraries and potentially put forth a good price, for direct itineraries like this it’s not as useful. Oh, and their site is prettier too.
Regardless, do your homework before you pull the trigger on an itinerary from Vayama. If tickets are cheaper, which they should be, book your flights before midnight tonight when the sale expires.
With Michigan’s economic news sounding about as grim as economic news can sound, Sarah Aldrich has written an ode to seven of Michigan’s small towns. Her recent post at Intelligent Travel captures the essence of each of the towns she adores. Reading Adrich’s missive reminded me of various friends of mine who have vacationed on Michigan’s shores. Everyone of them came back with stories about a wonderful time.
Although Aldrich was “reluctant to share” details about each of the towns she loves for fear that they might become overrun if they became too popular, she decided that Michigan might need a morale boost more than her need to keep these destinations just as they are. Tourist dollars talk. In a way, going to Michigan is do good travel. Your presence at an attraction, an eatery or a hotel puts dollars where they’re needed.
I’ve spent a few tourist dollars in Michigan myself. I’d recommend Greenfield Village and the adjacent Henry Ford Museum to anyone. Both are top notch attractions and well worth whatever money you have to spend. Staying in a hotel in Dearfield easily fits into a budget vacation.
If small towns aren’t appealing, another friend of mine just returned from Detroit and was pleasantly surprised by his experience and what the city had to offer. Even if you are only in Detroit for a few hours on a layover, consider taking a foray outside the airport to take in a smidgen of Michigan’s offerings. Grant has suggestions for what you might do and how to do it..
The message is: “Go to Michigan. The state needs you.” Aldrich would be ever so pleased if you did.
It’s been a few years since I’ve had a nice long layover in downtown Chicago, so I’d forgotten what a truly wonderful city it is. You see, whenever I’m visiting the Windy City my crew and I usually get stuck at an airport hotel, if we even leave the airport at all. So when I got an invitation to speak at the travel blog exchange conference, I decided to make it a long weekend. I also decided to bring my mother along.
Our flight from New York departed to Chicago on Friday. Saturday we spent the entire day wandering around and exploring the city. More about that later. Because on Sunday, I, yours truly, actually sat on a panel with some of the most powerful travel bloggers around. In fact, I took a seat right between Sean Keener (co-founder of Bootsnall) and Nomadic Matt. And on the other side of Matt sat Michael Yessis (co-founder and co-editor of WorldHum). Honestly, I’m not even sure what I was doing there, but I was very excited about it and I do hope someone photographed it. Because we were there to discuss how to keep a blog lively, I won’t bore you with the details of “lively” blogging, but I will share a few of the questions and answers I think you might find interesting.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE STORY ON YOUR BLOG AND WHY: I couldn’t narrow it down to just one post, so I shared my three favorite posts…
THAT DAY – 9/11: This is the most serious post I’ve written to date. The best part was AOL featured it on 9/11 last year and it inspired millions of people to share their own stories of that tragic day, a day that not only took so many lives, but also completely changed the way we travel today. Some stories were so emotional they made me cry. Powerful stuff.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT PET PEEVE #1: ANSWER PLEASE – This is my very first Gadling post. Over 700 people responded and the majority of those comments were not nice…not at all! In fact, it felt like 700 drive by shootings. I learned very quickly I needed a tough skin in order to write about what I do for a living, and to shake things off, and not take the comments personally. That was a huge lesson. I now work hard to show that flight attendants are nice, good people, who are also smart and interesting. Because we are!
THE HOTTEST TREND ON THE AIRPLANE SINCE THE MILE HIGH CLUB: The laviator post is one of my favorites not just because it was featured on MSNBC and National Geographic, but because so many people responded and joined in the fun. I never expected that! I love including my readers, whether it be by having contests, sharing letters, stories, photographs, whatever, so if you’ve got something to share, let me know!
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR READERS: An escape from day to day life. At least that’s what I hope to provide for readers who are unable to travel as often as they’d like. For those who do travel regularly, a chance to see what’s going on behind the galley curtain. Because aviation enthusiasts really are curious. I also enjoy educating my readers by allowing them to “see” what it’s really like to be a flight attendant and letting them know why we do the things they do, because honestly, we really aren’t on a power trip, we’re just enforcing FAA rules, rules that are really quite simple.
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR BLOG ALIVE WHEN YOU’RE NOT TRAVELING: Thank goodness for readers who inspire posts with their comments and questions.
And now for my quick trip report….
WHERE DID I STAY? Hotel Burnham. We got quite a deal on Hotels.com. For just $129 / night we had an amazing view on the 15th floor in the refurbished, 105 year-old, Reliance Building . Located in the theater district, the pet-friendly, boutique hotel is a short walk from Millennium Park. In the lobby they offer a complimentary wine reception from 5-6 pm. The rooms are plush and tastefully decorated, the beds are comfortable and set against a bay window overlooking the city, and a zebra print bath robe awaits you in the closet. What more could you ask for? A Nordstrom Rack, you say? Right next door.
MY FAVORITE MEAL? Fish and chips at The Gage. They weren’t too crispy or even greasy. They were, however, perfectly flakey. Not only is the food amazing, but the portions are huge. The atmosphere is a mix of cool and contemporary, and while the prices are a tad bit high, it’s totally worth it. Especially if Oliver is your server.
MY FAVORITE THING TO DO? Walk around Millennium Park. I don’t know what I loved more, the Opera singers practicing at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in the middle of the afternoon, the gorgeous gardens at every turn, the kids splashing around in Crown Fountain, or the family fun festival we were lucky enough to run into, all while just wandering around.
Friends of mine recently returned from a trip to Arizona with news of a hands-down favorite day that pleased the whole family. Slide Rock State Park near Sedona made the parents, a 16-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl happy at exactly the same time. Amazing. For anyone who has traveled with an age range of children of both sexes, an activity that fits everyone’s desires and then matches their expectations at the same time is golden.
Jaunted’s review of Slide Rock mirrors what my friends said made this day a crowd pleaser. Slide Rock is a chance to interact with nature in a way that’s much cheaper than a water park and more environmentally friendly. A slick creek bed and rushing water reflects a simpler childhood where fun costs $2 a person. (A carload is $10)
Along with being some of the most gorgeous scenery imaginable, Sedona is an easy pairing with a trip to the Grand Canyon which is something I did. The drive through Oak Creek Canyon is spectacular.
One time to head here might be September 19-20 for the Apple Festival, a time of celebrating the area’s agricultural history. The state park used to be an apple farm.