Travel, at its essence, is about experiencing the Other — land, people, culture, worldview. Successful travel writing depicts these things authentically, neither adding nor subtracting from what is true about them. Too often, writers contrive conclusions or make up emotions they think they should be having in another culture rather than speaking from the heart. Good travel writing also sidles up to the reader, metaphorically whispering in her ear those secret spots that make the location — and them — come alive.
“Off-Season puts Ireland on a different footing,” The Boston Globe, Dec. 10, 2010 – A February trip to the Emerald Isle afforded me the opportunity to write about the merits of traveling in Ireland when it’s not so, well, emerald: fewer crowds, no waits at attractions and restaurants, and reservation-free B&B-hopping, to name just a few.
“Irishmen lecture Americans on pub etiquette,” Matador Travel (Nights), May 14, 2010 – While in Ireland, we obviously went to pubs — a lot of them. Along the way, we picked up on a number of social queues that Americans might not know about traveling abroad. But I didn’t want readers to take my word for it, so I got the skinny from Irish brothers, one of which owns the popular Kennedys Pub near Trinity College in Dublin. This was a fun piece to both write and read.
“Green Guide to Boston,” Matador Notebook, Feb. 14, 2008 – I know a bit about my home city, and I know how to enjoy it in a sustainable, conscious way. This guide doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it does convey some helpful tips to non-Bostonians coming to the area who also take the green thing seriously.
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