Literature review of travel journalism research

INTRO
The concept of travel writing has been around since man was able to record his journeys. As our ancestors ventured to faraway lands, it was only natural they record the details of their exotic expeditions. Even the writings of Daniel Defoe, "The Father of Journalism," were influenced by travel. But what exactly is travel journalism?
TRAVEL JOURNALISM DEFINED
Travel journalism is an extremely broad genre, and therefore many literary works may fall into this category. Travel journalism may serve to inform, educate, or entertain, and as more and more people are traveling, this profession is booming.
METHODS OF TRAVEL JOURNALISM
Although this profession is a difficult one to break into, it is possible to do so. Wendy Hoke has this advice for emerging travel writers: stay on top of trends; get your work published in smaller publications before you submit to larger magazines; remember that freelancing is a business and you do have deadlines; inquire about specific info from experts in the field; and establish strong relationships with editors.
ETHICS OF TRAVEL JOURNALISM
As with any type of journalism, the practice of travel writing has the potential to evoke many ethical questions and concerns. The North American Travel Journalist Association encourages the upholding of these six ethical standards: truth, honesty, fairness, accuracy, integrity, and professional conduct.
RISKS OF TRAVEL JOURNALISM
The profession of journalism is inherently risky in and of itself, and travel and adventure journalism pose even more risks. The News Security Group, which was set up in 2000, stresses that "safety is paramount, dangerous assignments are voluntary, and unwarranted risks in pursuit of a story is unacceptable.
CONCLUSION
Martin Hintz says, "Despite the bugs inherent in international travel writing, the rush, the adventure, and the thrill of chasing the story keep us all coming back. Sure, this line of work has its rewards. Making friends around the world is probably the most important, because the writer is out there interviewing really interesting people. In addition, travel writing is truly creatively multi-faceted, a genre that includes writing about the arts, business, environmental issues, and politics.

Full Moon Kirtan

One of the greatest things about being a travel writer is that sometimes you venture no farther than your front door to find a truly interesting story. Last night, this was the case for me as I attended a Full Moon Kirtan yoga session near my house.

For the past few months I have been practicing yoga at Southern Star Yoga, a studio only a couple minutes away from my Oxford home. Although I still consider myself a beginner, the classes I’ve taken so far have been extremely beneficial for my mind, soul, and body. Most of the classes offered at Southern Star fall under the category of Raja yoga, a form of yoga that uses meditation to bring the mind and emotions into balance.

Kirtan yoga, the yoga of love, is a bit different from Raja. It involves the chanting of Hindu Sanskrit to evoke emotion, joy, and insight into one’s spirituality. Every now and then, the yogis at Southern Star offer different classes, workshops, or special events, and I received an email earlier last week detailing this two-hour Full Moon Kirtan session. No experience necessary, the email read—all one needed to bring was an open heart and mind, and vegetarian dish to share for a potluck. This was right up my alley.

I walked into the studio yesterday evening a few minutes before 6 p.m., with my fresh veggie lasagna in tow, having no idea what to expect. I was one of the first to arrive. The room was dimly lit, and yoga blankets and mats were arranged in a semi-circle around Stevi Self, a co-owner of the studio, and a man clad in white linen seated behind a large Sitar, a Hindustani classical stringed instrument.

Participants continued to arrive, and soon the chanting began.

The first chant was “Ganesha Sharanam,” and we recited the line “Ganesha Sharanam Sharanam Ganesha” over and over in musical harmony. Our handout offered up info about each chant and explained that, “Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles and is invoked at the beginning of any endeavor. He also bestows wisdom and knowledge.” This chant came first so that any obstacles among the group could be removed to allow for a successful Kirtan session.

Chanting continued with “Om Namo Shivaya.” This chant was “Salutation to Shiva,” the destroyer of the Hindu Trinity. It was important in destroying each of our egos. Next came “Baba Hanuman,” a chant of devotion, followed by “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudeva,” “Babanam Kevalum,” and we commenced our chanting with the recitation of “Gayatri Mantra.”

When the musical celebration came to an end, I felt extremely light and happy. During every chant, I imagined different people or aspects of my life that applied to the meaning behind the chant. This helped in keeping my mind present during the session—which can prove quite challenging for me sometimes.

Our Kirtan session worked up quite the appetite among our group, so we promptly hit up the vegetarian buffet of quiche, tofu pasta, pimento cheese sandwiches, cookies, black bean hummus, lasagna, and much more. It was delicious. I walked out of the studio with a happy belly, happy heart, and a new and exciting experience under my belt.

For their next Kirtan session, Stevi hopes to marry the event with a Full Moon drum circle that is hosted every month by the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group in Oxford. I am very much looking forward to it!

Life on the Ocoee River

For the past two summers, I've had the privilege of working as a photographer for the Nantahala Outdoor Center on the Ocoee River. The NOC is a world-renown outfitter that specializes, among many other things, in whitewater rafting. Click here to view a slideshow of some of my rafting adventures!

Carl Hoffman feels lonely and isolated while traveling the most overcrowded conveyances known to man

In his 2010 novel The Lunatic Express, Carl Hoffman details his five-month journey traveling the world “via its most dangerous buses, boats, trains, and planes.” His desire to embark on such a risky expedition stemmed from the realization that most travel writing focuses on tourism and omits the largest sector of travel: travel as a necessity. Hoffman is an award-winning travel writer, as well as a husband and father. However, at the time of his departure, his home life has begun to unravel.

“For twenty years I had been a stable husband and father, and then I’d snapped. My life suddenly didn’t seem to fit anymore. I was middle-aged with a wife and three children whom I loved but hadn’t been living with for almost a year. A long journey seemed the best solution. The classic move was to leave the world for the exotic to be born anew.”

At first, it seems extremely selfish that Hoffman has decided to put his life on the line to take part in a seemingly careless journey because his life doesn’t seem to “fit” anymore. After all, when you are a father, shouldn’t your first priority be your children? Of course, it’s easy as an outsider to make these judgments. As his story continues, however, one begins to appreciate Hoffman, and maybe even feel emotionally connected to him.

As a travel writer, Hoffman does an extraordinary job of respecting the different cultures in which he is submerged, and in turn he is embraced time and time again by these foreign peoples. “And the more I shed my American reserves, phobias, disgusts, the more they embraced me. In the weeks ahead I would do whatever my fellow travelers and hosts did. If they drank the tap water of Mumbai and Kolkata and Bangladesh, so would I. If they bought tea from street-corner vendors, so would I. If they ate with their fingers, even if I was given utensils, I ate with my fingers.”

On the various overcrowded buses, ferries, trains, planes, etc. Hoffman is constantly shoulder-to-shoulder and hip-to-hip with other human beings. He quickly notices the deep connection that most of the people in other cultures have with one another, and this makes him feel more alone and isolated than ever before—especially from his family.

“He looked at me; people were always fascinated that I was traveling alone, without family; it was inconceivable to them. They lived with multiple generations, slept crowded into beds and on floors in tiny apartments or houses, and they would do so their entire lives…I envied that, even as it repelled me—the idea was a central conflict in my life. I had a family, after all, and five of us had lived in a one-bathroom, three-bedroom house—but somehow I’d ended up in my own little apartment. I’d always found crowds compelling, I always liked feeling part of something, so why was I always running?”

Pics from San Antonio

Art and music in the King William District on "First Friday"

















Riley and I in front of the Alamo

















Prickly Pear Margaritas at the top of the Tower of the Americas

















Boat tour on the famous Riverwalk






















Roller coaster at Six Flags

My Latest Read

The Lunatic Express--by, Carl Hoffman
Click here to purchase your own copy from Amazon.com

Richard Halliburton was sometimes dishonest to advance his travels. How far would you go to reach your ideal destination?

In his autobiography, The Royal Road to Romance, Richard Halliburton, a famous 20^th Century adventurer and travel writer, recounts the world travels in which he embarked upon after graduating from Princeton in 1921. This book is made up of a collection of mini-stories that Halliburton reveals to the reader in the order in which they happen. Through his writings, one truly gets a sense of Halliburton’s adventurous, romantic, and sometimes arrogant character. On his road to romance, Halliburton experiences several ethical conflicts, but brings many upon himself by lying to advance himself and his travels.

When the month of May rolled around, and his studies at Princeton were commencing, Halliburton was itching for adventure—a romantic adventure. He wrote, “I hungered for the romance of the sea, and foreign ports, and foreign smiles. I wanted to follow the prow of a ship, any ship, and sail away, perhaps to China, perhaps to Spain, perhaps to the South Sea Isles, there to do nothing all day but lie on a surf-swept beach and fling monkeys at the coconuts.” If it was romance Halliburton wanted, it was romance he would seek. After turning down a “luxe trip” around the world offered by their parents as a graduation gift, he and his former Princeton roommate, Irvine, opted instead for a more adventurous means of venturing abroad: they found work on a freighter and sailed out of New York, heading for Hamburg.

Halliburton’s first big adventure overseas consisted of climbing the Matterhorn, a 14,692-foot mountain located along the border of Italy and Switzerland. Having no prior mountaineering experience, or viable gear, this could have been an extremely dangerous feat, especially since climbing season was coming to a close. However, after blatantly lying about their extensive climbing background, Halliburton and Irvine convinced two guides to accompany them on their expedition. This was not Halliburton’s only brush with dishonesty during his travels. He went to pretty much any length to get what he wanted, or go where he wanted.

His dishonesty got him into some serious trouble while visiting Gibraltar. Of his beloved destination, Halliburton wrote, “Were this a guide-book, which it is not, or were it a travel book, which it is only incidentally, the author would state that any one traveling in Spain who did not visit Gibraltar would miss the last word in interesting places.” During his stay, Halliburton had a “sudden and intense desire” to summit the “majestic rock” that existed on Gibraltar and photograph the city from its vantage point. Halliburton snuck past two warning signs, a spiked fence, and a sentry box with a guard to reach the summit. Although photography on the rock was strictly forbidden, as Halliburton was made aware a number of times, he began furiously snapping pictures. He was caught in the middle of his illegal photography session and was consequently arrested and sentenced to a short stint in a Gibraltar jail. However, Halliburton still managed to leave the country with a roll of film, taken from the summit, which had not been confiscated.

Halliburton’s habit of dishonesty did not stop there. When funds were low he skipped out on a tea bill in Monte Carlo, snuck into the garden of the Taj Mahal after closing hours, shorted a hotel bill in Punjab, and jumped numerous trains. He also used his title as a journalist in an attempt to secure discounted prices for travel. When learning that a visit to Ladakh would cost him and a travel companion 75 dollars each, he said, “We are journalists and wish to take this trip in search of copy. Our accounts will be published in several newspapers so that we are in a position to advertise ‘Civil and Military Agency’ to a large number of readers in America—that is, if it were worth our while.”

All this is not to say that Halliburton was completely dishonest all of the time. He lied when he felt there was no other way to achieve his romantic adventure, although this sometimes meant disrespecting foreign cultures. When funds were available to him, he happily paid for meals and transportation. He even revisited restaurants and railways to pay back bills he had previously skipped out on.

Several of Halliburton’s writings were published in various newspapers and magazines, so he did not use his journalistic title in a blatantly deceitful manner. Halliburton was simply a youthful, adventurous, intelligent man who did whatever it took to keep himself on the winding, unpredictable, sometimes-dangerous-but-always-exciting road to romance.

Location-Based Social Media

Gowalla is a location-based social media outlet that lets you keep in touch with friends and family (through facebook and twitter) by sharing with people the places you visit. Check out the website here.

Gowalla also allows you to create "trips," and by doing so you can share your favorite "spots" in different cities. Trips can be based on art, historical spots, bars, restaurants, etc. Recently, I created two trips: one consisting of five of Oxford, Mississippi's (my current town) best restaurants, and one including several of the places I visited while in San Antonio.

Check out my trips, and Gowalla, here:

Oxford Eats
San Antonio First-Timer

my first time in San Antonio

This past weekend I flew out to San Antonio to visit my boyfriend, Riley. He recently took a job as a Graduate Assistant for UTSA's Outdoor Pursuits program. It was my first time in San Antonio, and luckily I had a personal tour-guide who put together an amazing weekend itinerary. Even though I was only there for four nights, I really feel as if I got a true feel of the city. If you ever decide to visit San Antonio, even for a couple of days, here are my suggestions for must-see downtown attractions:

1. The Alamo, of course. This historical sight is definitely a must-see. Don't forget to stick around for reenactments put on by local actors. Also, check out the historic Menger Hotel--located right across the street.
   
2. Blanco Cafe for breakfast. This Mexican cafe serves breakfast all day, and it is delicious. I recommend ordering the Chilaquiles with Beans & Papas. This dish is served with fried tortilla chips, eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers, potatoes, and topped with melted cheese.
3. "First Friday" in the King William District. If you happen to be in San Antonio during the first Friday of any month, head down to this artsy part of town to enjoy live music, local brews, and unique art exhibits. While I was in town, I enjoyed First Friday by noshing on bar food and sipping local brews at Blue Star Brewing Company, while listening to some great Reggae music by Carlton Pride & Zion.
4. Tower of the Americas. Take the elevator to the top of this 750-foot-tall tower and order a Prickly Pear Margarita at the Chart House Restaurant while enjoying breathtaking views of the entire city.
5. Happy Hour at Casa Rio. This Mexican restaurant, located on the famous Riverwalk, offers $2.50 margaritas during happy hour. Drinks are served with complimentary chips and salsa, of course.
6. Appetizers or dessert at the Iron Cactus. I recommend enjoying this riverside restaurant Al Fresco style. My top menu picks include the Lobster Tacos, Strawberry Margarita Tres Leche, and Mexican Chocolate Mousse.
7. Riverboat Tour along the Riverwalk. Don't miss out on this fun and informational tour of the famous Riverwalk. Riverboat guides will be sure to keep you entertained with their inside scoop, historical knowledge, and all-too-often bad jokes.