Travel The World In Luxury, For Free, And Get Paid For It? Works For Me!
THE SUNDAY AGE
Saturday October 7, 1995
David McGoniga: Freelance writer and photographer.
Except for five years at Choice in the 80s, David McGonigal has been writing travel full time since 1976 when began a four year motorcycle trip around the world for Revs Motorcycle News.
Time travelling each year?
About five months, mainly in four to 10 day stretches.
Among the 15 trips I've done recently are some of the most exciting ever. All (except interviewing the Dalai Lama in India) are regular commercial tours. They include flying a MiG-21 jet fighter in Slovakia, diving with whale sharks in WA, a month in Antarctica's Ross Sea, diving in Micronesia, heli-skiing in NZ, a trip down the Mississippi, the game parks of South Africa and Swaziland, and walking the Milford Track. I've just returned from a month on an icebreaker across the top of Siberia, observing polar bears and walruses.
Favourite places?
All the above plus Bhutan in the Himalayas, western Canada in summer, New York on a good day. Bhutan and Antarctica left me barely able to cope with the mundanity of everyday life; the MiG flight was the most exhilarating 26 minutes of my life.
Least favourite?
I find most of southern China drab, dull and unmannered. It's not the role of travel writers to dismiss whole cultures but I didn't enjoy my time in Iran either and I found Phuket pretty tacky.
The highs and lows of the job.
Superficially, the best part of being a travel writer is the travel, the worst is the writing. Long term, the satisfaction of an article that captures the mood of a trip often equals the joy of travel. I'm fortunate to have the instant gratification of seeing my photographs as soon as I return the article may not appear for months. The twin horrors of the travel writer are hotel inspections and dining alone.
Where do you go for holidays?
I'd define a holiday as a trip when I wasn't lugging a camera bag. I haven't had that experience for years except when I'm at home.
Any golden rules?
Relax and appreciate the experience. Even on a busy business trip, the crowds in a transit lounge or a customs queue provide a better show than anything you'd find on TV if you were home.
Gary Walsh: Freelance writer.
Favorite places.
Paris, because it's the most beautiful place in the world, and France generally, for its qualities of culture, beauty, cuisine & wine. Africa for its variety the archaeological treasures of Egypt to the wildlife & scenery of Zimbabwe and Botswana;, Venice, simply a dream.
Least favorite places.
Pakistan. I was there at the height of Islamisation. The atmosphere was oppressive and full of menace and my passport, money and papers were stolen.
the best and worst aspects of your job?
Flying long distances and being away from family and friends is the worst.
The best aspect is, well, travel. Seeing new places, new people is infinitely fascinating.
Where do you go for holidays when you're paying your own way?
To Europe if we're well-funded, to the South Pacific or domestically if we're not.
`Golden rules' you travel by?
Prepare well. Read as much as possible before you leave and try to have a feel for the local culture.
Susan Kurosawa: Travel Editor of The Australian.
The doyen of Australian travel writers, Susan Kurosawa has been writing travel since 1979.
How much of each year do you spend travelling?
About 50 per cent. I also travel on behalf of Austcare as an ambassador for its refugee and women's literacy programs.
Where have you been during the last 12 months?
Britain (3 times), Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, South Australia, Queensland, Regional NSW, France, Africa, India, Singapore, USA (Hawaii).
What are your favorite places, and why?
India love its mystique and spiritual aura. Adventures always befall me there - makes great copy.
Africa especially Botswana, the Dark continent; best safari destination.
What are your least favorite places, and why?
China can't seem to connect with the place. People unfriendly, tour guides too programmed.
(Myanmar) Burma until the military regime improves its human rights record, I refuse to support its tourism industry.
Chain-gang labour is being used to prepare the country for its 1996 visit Myanmar year.
The best and worst aspects of your job?
Best: I love travelling, observing and writing so my job combines all three.
Worst: Constantly interrupted family and social life.
Where do you go for holidays when you're paying your own way?
India for a sabbatical each year. Central coast of NSW for sanity breaks. Or... stay at home!
Golden rules you travel by?
Always be open minded. Try to shed preconceived ideas about any destination. Don't take unnecessary risks. Never drink the tap water anywhere but home...
Glenn A. Baker: Freelance writer.
Best known for his rock and roll writing, but he has also been writing travel for ten years.
How much of each year do you spend travelling?
Varies, but I usually undertake about five overseas trips each year of 1-3 weeks duration.
Where have you been during the last 12 months?
South Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, USA, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina and various Caribbean countries.
Your favorite places, and why?
I prefer countries of great diversity and texture, so I am fond of Argentina, Indonesia, Turkey and Russia. I'm also fascinated by people and their history so I am also fond of Vietnam, Egypt, Japan and India.
If you love travelling then there is a part of every country that renders it, if only momentarily, your favourite.
Your least favorite places, and why?
Places that are too much like my own society, because I might as well have stayed at home. Impersonal cities, crowded resorts, trendy getaways.
the best and worst of the job?
The best aspects concern confronting the unexpected, broadening personal horizons, stimulating the senses.
The worst aspects concern being away from my family, wasting precious time in travelling and transit situations, having to appear interested during guided tours of shoe factories, and trying to schedule trips.
Where do you go for holidays when you're paying your own way?
Nearby Pacific Islands.
Do you have any `golden rules' you travel by?
Never impose your values, or the values of your society, upon the societies you visit.
Never pre-judge a destination or believe negative media dismissals (some of my greatest experiences have been in countries where, according to conventional wisdom, I shouldn't have been).
Always go with the flow, wherever it takes you. Talk to people, everywhere.
John Borthwick: Freelance writer & photographer.
A full-time travel writer for five years, John Borthwick was previously an academic. He spends about three months of each year travelling.
Where have you been during the last 12 months?
India France Korea New Zealand (China) & Hong Kong, Tasmania, Port Macquarie, Italy Papua New Guinea, Melbourne, NSW South Coast.
Coming up... Norfolk Isl., Germany (Eastern), Finland, Philippines.
Favorite places.
Kakadu for nature; Siena for architecture; Korea for industriousness and autumn beauty; Goa for colonial decripitude & nostalgia; Papua New Guinea for adventure and people.
Least favorite places.
Kuta Beach the hustlers. Traffic jams in Cairo, Bombay, Bangkok and Seoul.
the best and worst of your job?
Best you can travel to most of the places you've dreamed about.
Worst: When you get there you have to do everything at double time and never have the chance to "go back next day".
Where do you go for holidays when you're paying your own way?
What's a holiday?
Do you have any `golden rules' you travel by?
I pack well, keep separate photocopies of my passport & credit card details. And when I'm back home, but still awake at 5am with long-haul jet-lag, I try to remember the Arab proverb: "The soul travels at the speed of a camel walking".
Your name and title/position.
Hilary Doling: Travel Editor,of the Sydney `Sun-Herald.
How much of each year do you spend travelling?
6 weeks I'm desk bound a lot nobody believes me but it's true.
Where have you been during the last 12 months?
PNG, Morocco, Qld, England, SA, Vic, USA, Japan.
Favorite places.
New Orleans for its passionate beat. Florence for its wedding cake churches. England for its country villages, Peru for its high Andes, PNG for its native culture...the list goes on... I like a lot of places.
least favorite places, Anywhere with a purpose built highrise hotel and no sign of the local culture.
The best and worst of the job?
Best aspects: getting on a plane.
Worst aspects: getting on a plane.
Where do you go for holidays when you're paying your own way?
Anywhere I haven't already been. I love new places.
Several large, trashy novels.
Do you have any `golden rules' you travel by?
`Take a deep breath before you scream'. It holds good in any number of frustrating situations from attempting to buy a train ticket in India to dealing with delayed flights.
What the experts always pack.
Gary Walsh.
Earplugs, eyeshades, travel clock. I attempt to take a sense of humor & patience, but I find I often leave them behind or misplace them along the way.
David McGonigal.
An iron. I feel at a disadvantage if I'm rumpled when meeting perfectly groomed hotel managers and tourist office representatives.
Glenn A Baker.
My sense of humour, my expectation of the extraordinary, my curiosity, Alka Seltzer, Lomotil, a discman with mini-speakers, enough books for the longest flight or layover, small denomination U.S greenbacks.
John Borthwick.
Tons of film and a good notebook.
Susan Kurosawa.
Plenty of good reading material, a torch, arometherapy oils for instant pick-me-ups, de-jetlag baths, First aid kit, photocopies of passport, ticket, relevant documents for trip (in separate bag to the originals!) Rob Woodburn.
A Swiss army knife (with cork screw), a good novel to read, address book for sending fun postcards to friends "bet you wish you were here, etc" Jack Butters, freelance.
Credit cards, more travellers cheques than I will use, book or two per week away, world band SW radio, extensive basic health/medicine kit, old jeans, camera, snorkel & mask (where appropriate), spare reading glasses, travel insurance form/policy, business cards.
© 1995 THE SUNDAY AGE
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