Where do travel writers go on holiday? 

Travel writing is often seen as a glamorous job with visions of writers travelling on first class quaffing bubbles and staying in uber luxurious hotels. But off duty where do travel writers go to enjoy their hard earned vacation? Do they travel in search of luxury or are they happy to slop it out. Dave Levart a US based travel writer who has been a travel writer for over 19 years updating his site Dave’s Travel Corner and Clelia Mattana of Keep Calm and Travel, who is a photographer and writer for four years define their dream holiday destinations and offer advice on selecting a great holiday destination. 

A secret favourite destination for Dave is the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Also north of Lake Tahoe in California - Plumas and Sierra Counties. These are great places to get away from it all adds Dave. For ocean lover Clelia, El Nido in Palawan in the Philippines is her favourite destination. “The underwater life is incredible and the beaches are spectacular which is perfect for snorkeling and diving. It is paradise on earth indeed” she says. 

Offering advice for those who are adventurous but don’t have bundles of cash, Dave says “ Get outdoors – go trekking or backpacking. Find activities that involve nature including visits to waterfalls, rivers, lakes, rock climbing etc. Or find a job in tourism that involves adventure – then you can be a part of it on a daily basis and meet other adventure enthusiasts,” Alternatively Clelia suggests “It all depends on what you are really into and how much time you have. Many people  are convinced that you need a lot of money to travel but it is not necessarily true if you carefully plan your destination and activities in advance. Choose a place that is cheap like Asia. Try to stay for as long as you can in one destination, or at least don’t travel too fast, as you can cut great deals with hotels, hostels and even renting an apartment if you are willing to stay for at least a couple of weeks, better one month. Be flexible! Having a fixed itinerary might be very reassuring (especially if you are travelling solo) but it prevents you to change your mind last minute, join other people to a different, maybe cheaper destination and most importantly…split the costs with your new travel friends. A win-win situation!" 

If money is not a problem when selecting a destination to holiday then Dave suggests Rwanda or Uganda to see the gorillas. “It is not cheap to get to either destination but from most places in the world and I’ve read that Kigali is one of the worlds most expensive places to live – and I assume visit. When posed with the same questions Clelia responds “Can I say the moon? I know it sounds crazy but that would be something I really would love to try! Aside from going to the moon, I think I would first go for a one year road trip across Australia and then fly to French Polynesia, and stay there for at least 1 or 2 months snorkelling and scuba diving in a remote island!" 

Being the seasoned travellers they are, do they travel light or do they pack everything including the kitchen sink. For Dave, hand luggage is de rigueur. “ Most of my trips I only pack hand luggage. Camera, laptop, basic computer and a small electrical adaptor that will work in nearly ever country by changing the configuration as needed, two shorts, two shirts, one lightweight pants and if a cold weather destination some long underwear and a very compressible down jacket. Also some antibiotics in case I get sick.” 

Filled with wanderlust and never staying in one place for long are habits of travel writers. So where next for dave? “After South East Asia where I am currently, I am heading to Antarctica on an Oceanwide Expedition cruise ship – with some mountaineering, kayaking, hiking and photography as part of the our activities” For Clelia a road trip to Iceland is on the cards. “I’m seriously considering settling down somewhere for a while. I’m deciding between Mexico, Europe or Asia. Let’s see, I don’t like to plan too much in advance as I believe that anything can happen, and that’s exactly why I love travelling so much! she adds. 

Glam or not travel writers get so much out of their job. With a suitcase at the ready they are always ready to take embark on an adventure, many of which some can only dream about! 

By Tina Edward Gunawardhana