Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations

A One-stop Shop for Travel Writers

A typical exchange between a published travel writer and one who wants to be:

Q: How do I become a travel writer?

A: Do you homework, learn the ropes, and write a lot.

Q: But where do I go to start learning?

A: Ummmm, there’s not really one place I can send you for that…

Let’s take care of that last bit and make this easy. With a little help from yours truly, the Mr. Productive webmaster at Transitions Abroad has set up this fantastic portal for travel writers. It is a wonder to behold, if I may say so myself, because it gathers the resources and bookmarks it normally takes years to collect and puts them in one place. Job sites for freelancers, interviews with great writers, great blogs on the subject, and more.

Much of it is made up of links to great spots around the web, but even the best info on the web can never stack up to a physical book you hold in your hands. So there are reviews of two good current books on travel writing, as well as interesting “top 10 travel books” entries from the likes of Rolf Potts, Jim Benning, Ron Mader, Michael Shapiro, and Ayun Halliday. More of those to come in the months ahead. (Heck, even if you haven’t the faintest desire to become a travel writer, this section alone will give you ideas to keep your nightstand occupied with great stuff for years.)

If you have a comment, suggestion, or gripe about it, click on the World’s Cheapest Destinations web site link at the right and contact me. I’ve turned off the comments on this blog because I just don’t have the time to erase all the spam links.

There’s also a travel writing forum which has just been opened up here. Drop by and ask away.