Here’s a secret you should know about the iPhone 3G. If you are a travel writer with some international travel coming up, you can spare yourself some nasty surprises on your next AT&T bill by turning off your roaming and deactivating Fetch New Data. That’s the “no duh” part of the advice. What might come as a surprise to some iPhone 3G users (mostly the new ones) is that you can turn your iPhone into the equivalent of an iPod Touch by using Airplane Mode (where no signals are received or sent) AND turning on Wi-Fi.
Step One: Turn on Airplane Mode to render your iPhone incapable of transmission or reception.
Step Two: Once Airplane Mode is on, go into the menu and turn ON Wi-Fi mode. Now you can get signals via wi-fi hotspots AND block incoming calls. It’s not just handy for preventing you from accidentally roaming on the cellular network, it’s also great when you just want to hop on and check your e-mail and do a bit of surfing without being hassled every ten minutes by a ringing phone.
When you’re done with Wi-Fi mode, you can turn it off manually, but deselecting Airplane Mode turns off Wi-Fi automatically when using with this “hack”.
I spotted this great article on freelane writing on the road at FreelanceFolder. Glen Allsop’s great advice in 8 Tips for Success When Freelancing On The Road include organizing your income sources before you leave and making sure you have access to your passwords and login information online with a protected storage solution. What’s worse than not being able to remember your password for that obscure account you suddenly need? Scrambling for a last-second solution to replace that obscure account. Continue reading Travel Writing Advice from FreelanceFolder.com→
I like to provide links to resources that illuminate things about writing that I may not have had the time to delve into during one of my posts. Today I give you a terrific piece from travel writer Doug Lansky on the craft. Pay special attention to what he says about adjectives…very interesting indeed.
Enjoying the view from the balcony? I would be too right now, but I have a lot of work to do…
Getting ready to do some travel writing means concentrating on the task at hand, and before I get to relax and unwind, there are several things that I must do. Here are some of them:
Get an office area set up so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time finding things, arranging things and packing things when you get ready to go out. Make sure you have items such as a note pad to jot quick impressions or thoughts down, pen/pencil, your computer and all the goodies that go with it (cords, backup hard drive, etc.) and any literature you have been able to come up with on the area. I grabbed brochures from everywhere I went once I got to Florida–you never know what might be interesting.
Get the local area layout down. Find out where the things you may need are located. See if you can find a local library, post office and office supply store. If you need to mail something, make copies or get a new power cord, you will be all set instead of scrambling around. I call this insurance. If you don’t do it–you are sure to need it right away.
Unpack and organize. Get your clothes put away. Set up your toiletries. Get everything squared away instead of doing a little bit at a time. I’ve been here since Tuesday night and have spent the past days doing just that–and finishing up other work that I had on my plate. Now I’m ready to go.
Get ready to scout the area. Spend time going through a local map, websites and other paperwork on the area. Find out the hot spots and figure out which ones you want to write about or visit. It’s likely you won’t be able to do it all, so hone in on what you are drawn to. Leave out the spots that have been done to death and try for a fresh angle. If you get stuck, go out for lunch and talk to the locals for ideas.
Once you are settled in, you will be ready to get to the fun stuff and explore. Just remember that you are on the job. If you notice, the picture above was taken in the evening, after I got all my work done for the day. You can have a good time, but do your work first–otherwise its called a vacation.
The secret to adding travel writing to your already packed writing schedule is to work ahead. For example, I am doing these two blog posts before I even leave for my trip. I will either post them from the road before I fall into bed exhausted from the driving, or have Joe post them for me. : )
I have also spent the last three days working like crazy to get ahead on my deadlines so that I don’t have to write much while traveling for the two or three days it will take to get there. You see–I have done this before. There are real risks involved when you try to tie up deadlines on the road. The internet connection doesn’t work at your hotel. You can’t send e-mail from the local library in the town where you just stopped. Your battery dies…
Working ahead is your friend. While I don’t have everything finished up just yet, I will do as much as I can before putting my foot on the gas pedal and heading out on the highway. It’s just a smart move. So…now that my secret is out…I’ll check in from the condo I’ll be staying at once I have settled in! See you then…
If you are interested in being a travel writer, or simply want to expand into this type of market along with your other writing, I found a great resource here. Transitions Abroad has assembled a large amount of travel writing advice from various pros, allowing you to read up on what they say about this aspect of writing. You can glean some good advice from them. There is more to this type of writing than meets the eye…
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