MEMBERS NEWS

ISSUED BY THE BRITISH GUILD OF TRAVEL WRITERS
Issue NO.37: September 2010

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

The Guild is in festive mode this year, celebrating our 50th birthday in grand style (while still working hard of course). We started in Tenerife with the AGM, continued with the Yearbook launch at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, and we moved downstream, courtesy of City Cruises, for our midsummer 50th birthday party at the Battery, generously hosted by City Airport and Visit London. We are now planning our grand finale – our annual awards dinner, sponsored by the Belgian Tourist Office – Brussels and Wallonia, back at the newly unveiled Savoy Hotel. It’s going to be utterly fabulous, so please join us. There are still one or two slots left for raffle and awards sponsorships.

We are also looking to the future. One of the things we have decided to do to wrap up the celebrations is to create a time capsule to be opened during the Guild’s centenary year! Samsonite, who are celebrating their centenary this year, are generously donating the ‘capsule’, which will be stored in the Guild archives. We are looking for small, durable objects that reflect the travel industry as a whole as it is in 2010 and would like to include messages from PRs and the trade as well as from the Guild. We will be sealing the capsule at the dinner. If anyone would like to contribute, please contact me within the next month; email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Of course, if anyone has huge faith in the longevity of their product and would like to leave a birthday present for the future such as travel tickets at 2010 prices to be used in 2060 – those would also be great!

Thank you all for supporting us, working with us and partying with us – long may the collaboration continue. See you at the dinner or WTM, if not before.

Melissa Shales
BGTW Chairman - September 2010

BGTW FESTIVAL OF TRAVEL WRITING

The Guild is delighted to announce that it is running its first ever public festival of travel writing, showcasing the talents of its travelogue writers, publishers and guidebook writers. For more detail and to book your place at this free series of talks, held at the fabulous Travel Bookshop in Notting Hill.

2010 GUILD AWARDS DINNER

With the promise of Belgian hospitality and in the newly refurbished stylish Savoy the 2010 BGTW Awards Dinner promises to be something extra special in this our 50th year.

Tickets are selling fast so be sure to secure yours early.

Buy whole tables, or tickets for individual places at the BGTW's annual Gala Awards, held this year on 7th November, the eve of World Travel Market at the newly reopened Savoy Hotel, sponsored by the Belgian Tourist Office – Brussels and Wallonia.

Tickets cost £160 plus VAT each. The price includes a Champagne reception and three course dinner with wine, coffee and petits fours, followed by the Guild's awards. The evening starts at 6pm and finishes at 11pm, after which there is a cash bar until 1am.

Please use our online booking form to secure your tickets.

2011 YEARBOOK

Unbelievably, thoughts are already turning towards the production of our 2011 Yearbook. This highly valued publication not only gives detailed biographies of all the Guild members, but listings of nearly 3000 industry contacts. In order for it to be useful, we need to ensure it remains up-to-date.

In the next couple of months, we will be sending out emails updates to everyone in the current book. Please look out for them, follow the link and update your own entry. If you do this, you can be sure the entry is accurate and save us a fortune in follow up time and energy.

If you have new clients to be added from scratch or need to delete old clients, or simply know of a company that isn’t listed that should be in there, please send the details to webmaster, Alastair McKenzie, on email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Anyone wishing to advertise in the Yearbook or on the website should contact Maggie McPhee, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , tel: 020-7586 2162, mobile: 07738-377 444.

For anyone who needs a Yearbook in the meantime, the 2010 edition is still on sale. The purchase price includes access to the website.

TRAVEL NEWS UPDATES FROM GUILD MEMBERS

MARITIME CANADA

Roly Smith is just back with a notebook full of stories after a three-week trip to Maritime Canada, taking in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He visited the beautiful Gros Morne National Park (“like Yosemite underwater”) and Viking sites in Newfoundland; Halifax and the Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia, and the Bay of Fundy and Acadian sites in New Brunswick; plus undertaking two whale-watching adventures. Back home, his World Heritage Sites of Britain book for the AA will be published in October, and he’s just been contracted to do a follow-up to his best-selling National Parks of Britain on Britain’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, provisionally entitled Heritage Britain.
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01629 812034.

CROATIA - IN DEPTH COVERAGE

Award-winning writer and photographer Rudolf Abraham will be back in Croatia for two months from late August, working on features for CNN Traveller and Hidden Europe, and editorial and photography for Time Out Visitors' Guide Croatia. This will include time in Zagreb, Istria, Slavonia, Split, Zadar, Vis, Rab, Gorski kotar and Velebit, among other places. He will also be in neighbouring Slovenia, updating a guidebook to Ljubljana for Thomas Cook, and making trips to Montenegro and Bosnia. Commissions welcome....
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; (+44) 07789 936507; www.rudolfabraham.co.uk; http://photography.rudolfabraham.co.uk

BACK FROM THE DEAD

Award-winning travel writer Alan Hart has spent five months ghost-writing the autobiography of Coronation Street star Bill Tarmey. "Jack Duckworth And Me" by Bill Tarmey with Alan Hart is being published by Simon and Schuster on October 14. Alan is now back in the saddle as a travel writer. His first trip will be to the Norfolk Broads in September.
Commissions and press trip invitations should be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01625-872746 or 07747-047063

ARIAS AL FRESCO

Mari Nicholson visited Tuscany, for the Puccini Opera Festival at Torre del Lago (near Lucca). A Night at the Opera had slight Marx Brothers overtones when it began to rain and the entire orchestra and conductor upped and left, leaving poor Butterfly in mid-aria, dagger poised at her breast but no music. Nevertheless, a great evening, and Lucca is one of Italy's lovliest cities. September off to Gothenburg.
Contact Mari for articles and photographs on Lucca, Puccinni Festival, or Gothenburg at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01983 402163

COFFEE AND COCONUTS

Visits to Vienna and Victoria in The Seychelles are planned by Geoff Moore. In both locations its the self catering option as that gets you closer to the local populations. Looking to visit at least four of the main islands over two weeks in the Seychelles hence the coconut or famous Coco de Mer (Double coconut looks like a woman's bits, I don't know of any other way of putting it!), which only grow on the island of Praslin and another nearby. Vienna it’s a week of coffee and vast history in Central European capital two quite different destinations.
Contact Geoff at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 07815 100648

FROM THE WEST COUNTRY TO WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Helen Ochyra, specialist in UK, US and Australian travel, has recently been to Bury St Edmunds, Winchester and the South Downs for the Guardian and is planning trips to her two former home counties, Wiltshire and Kent. She is also putting together her itinerary for Western Australia where she will be heading to update the Rough Guide this autumn, and is seeking commissions based on this trip.
Contact Helen at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.helenochyra.com

SOME LIKE IT HOT...

Carole French has spent the summer immersed in Cypriot culture for several publishing projects….despite the island sweltering in record-breaking temperatures! From her home in Paphos, Carole has been out and about and has lots of new material and photography for guides and features. She’s been continuing her travels around the Greek islands and Egypt and is now busy planning return visits to Morocco and Malta, along with an extended trip to Jordan and her much-loved Essex.
Contact Carole on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.carolefrench.com

ASIAN ADVENTURES: KOREA, KERALA AND THE PHILIPPINES

John Oates recently visited South Korea, where he explored a palace by moonlight and meditated in a Buddhist temple. He just got back from a week in the Indian state of Kerala, using homestays as a base for exploring spice and tea plantations, searching for tigers and relaxing on one of the state's famous houseboats. In October, John will be returning to the Philippines to update two chapters of the Rough Guide. Contact John at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

BIZARRE BEASTS

Mike Unwin’s new book 100 Bizarre Animals (Bradt), a colourful account of the planet's weirdest wildlife, was launched in August at the British Birdfair. Meanwhile his recent travels include Turkey and Sri Lanka – both spawning cover features for the Independent – plus the Western Isles and southern France. Africa has not been forgotten, with the recent publication of the first two editions of his new Travel Zambia emag, a major safari round-up for Wanderlust, and an imminent trip to Swaziland to research his forthcoming Bradt Travel Guide to Africa's quirkiest kingdom.
Contact Mike at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 07775 791556

WILDLIFE UPDATE AND CHAMPAGNE EN-ROUTE TO BURGUNDY

Peter Lynch has been busy working on an Italian edition for his travel guide to Wildlife and Conservation Volunteering (Bradt, 2009) and is beginning work on a new English language edition. He’s visited behind the scenes at the Chelsea Flower Show and explored small family Champagne houses in the Cote des Bar before cruising the Burgundy canal by luxury barge - following in the footsteps of Rick Stein but with a French chef instead of DIY.
Contact Peter at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 0118 9616402

THE PELOPONNESE; THE HEART OF A NEW GREECE.

Andrew Bostock’s Peloponnese guide was published by Bradt this spring. Despite financial crisis Greece remains a popular destination, with the Peloponnese leading the change from package holidays to independent travel, agritourism and boutique hotels. Andrew has also written pieces for Conde Nast Traveller and the Observer, amongst others. His other areas of interest include Southern Africa, camping, Suffolk (where he now lives) and family travel.
Contact Andrew at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 07961 061052; www.scepticaltraveller.blogspot.com

ZIPPING UP THE ZAMBEZI

Tricia Hayne will be heading upstream along the Zambezi in October, from Victoria Falls and the rapidly growing town of Livingstone towards the river's source in Zambia's far west. For a take on everything from smart riverside lodges to adrenalin-fuelled activities and some of Zambia’s most inaccessible national parks.
Contact Tricia at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01753 885603

INDIA REVEALED, ITALY NEXT

Valery Collins book - My India - will be published on August 31. In October she will be visiting India and it will be interesting to see the reaction to my honest narrative. The subject of my next book will be Italy and I am already busy researching different regions and looking for places and hotels to feature. Venice, Rome, Tuscany, Campagnia, Trentino, Ischia and, hopefully, Sicily all will be included in this travelog.
Contact Valery at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

CUMBRIA TO CROATIA

David Atkinson is kicking off autumn with a walking trip to Croatia for the Sunday Telegraph - other words and pics available late Sept. He's also exploring winter/spring ideas for Egypt, Estonia and Northern Ireland. PR angles? Hit me. His Footprint guide, Lake District with Kids, is out with spin-off stories in development. Details from www.atkinsondavid.co.uk; follow the blog, Hit the North, for comment on tourism around Northwest England and Wales: http://nowhitthenorth.wordpress.com. Follow me on Twitter: @atkinsondavid.
Contact David at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 07974 390436

NEW BLOG FOR CRUISE CRITIC

Sue Bryant is writing a daily blog for Cruise Critic, the most influential cruise site on the web, with more than 28 million monthly page views. The blog is aimed at the growing UK cruise market as well as an international audience and is situated at www.cruisecritic.co.uk/blog/, the UK-dedicated spinoff of the site, launched in 2008. The blog will complement the site's news, features and discussion forums and cruise-related news.
Contact Sue at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 020 8987 2750

INTO THE WOODS

Anna Maria Espsäter will spend 3-months of experimental living in the heart of a Swedish forest this autumn, tackling the annual elk hunt and other such ladylike pursuits. She has recently penned the new Berlitz Pocket Guide to Norway and is looking forward to a 6-week stint in Colombia from January, if she survives the elk hunt.
Contact Anna Maria at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

DIVING INTO PORTUGUESE CULTURE

Following a fact finding visit to Djerba in Tunisia, Stuart Forster has spent the summer in Portugal. He is currently based in Lisbon. Over the past months he has qualified as a scuba diver, travelled throughout the country and visited a number of culturally interesting destinations while learning Portuguese. Looking ahead, he will be in Munich for the opening weekend of the 2010 Oktoberfest. He is available for guidebook and feature commissions.
Contact Stuart at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; +44 7947 587136

A SLOW LOOK AT SUSSEX AND THE NEW SOUTH DOWNS NATIONAL PARK

Sussex-based travel writer Tim Locke is in the thick of writing the new Bradt Guide to Slow Sussex and the South Downs National Park, with a deadline for November 1 and publication May 2011. There's more about how this new approach to taking time to discover sense of place on his website at www.timlocke.co.uk/slowsussex.html. Local businesses - including accommodation providers - that fit the 'slow travel' tag will be included, and there's no charge for being in the guide.
Contact: Tim at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

SUPER SUB SEEKS SHIFTS & OUTLETS FOR PORTUGAL, CYPRUS & KID-FRIENDLY AIRPORTS

Having spent most of the summer writing and subbing for Travel Trade Gazette and updating the Michelin Green Guide to Portugal, Kathryn Liston is now available for commissions. Articles available on Village Tours Around Cyprus, Winter Sun Breaks (Tenerife, Malta, Cyprus, Madeira), Pre-flight Pampering at Airports, Kid-friendly UK Airports, Caribbean, Oporto, Boutique Quintas in Madeira, Club Med de Balaia in the Algarve and Quirky Cafes and Hotels Around the World.
Contact Kathryn at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01483 797722; 07958 518052

LAND OF MY FATHERS

Usually found wandering around France, Victoria Trott has been busy this summer writing about her home country. She updated Thomas Cook's Pocket Guide Cardiff and has just been commissioned by the same publisher to write a new guide to Swansea. Following a month-long visit to her Celtic cousins last September, her revision of AA Essential Brittany is due out next month. She welcomes feature or book commissions. Contact Victoria at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 07989 987867

THE AZORES

Judith Baker is travelling to The Azores islands this autumn to visit Europe's only tea plantation on Sao Miguel and Pico's 15th century lava vineyards.
Contact Judith at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

AFRICA’S HIDDEN GEM

Nick Haslam is just back from the two tiny islands São Tomé and Príncipe, taking pictures and writing features about this untouched gem of West Africa just off the coast of Gabon. Other recent destinations have been Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Menorca, and up coming trips are planned to the Belgian Ardennes, Samoa, and Japan. For further information, pictures and stories.
Contact Nick at www.nickhaslam.co.uk; phone +44 1752 845661

MAYANS, MISS MARPLE, MARRAKECH AND THE MED

Anthea Gerrie has returned, in rapid succession, to Marrakech, Mexico's Mayan Riviera, Sicily and the less-known Italian region of Basilicata. She also revisited Berlin to catch up on cutting-edge hotels and happenings, Cornwall and Devon's south coast and Agatha Christie Trail. She is now planning return visits to Israel's vineyards, the north-western and north-eastern corners of India and East Yorkshire.
Contact Anthea at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01580-200574; @aceglobetrotter on Twitter.

TRIESTE, LUCERNE, NEW YORK, BAVARIA

Jenny Woolf will be travelling to the destinations above between September – January, and can offer descriptive, amusing theme or destination pieces and snippets. Check the links www.jennywoolftravel.blogspot.com (top right) for examples of my work.
Contact Jenny at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

NICE, SCOTLAND, ARIZONA, PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY

Donna Dailey and Mike Gerrard are heading to Nice in September to update the AA's CityPack Nice guide and write articles on the French Riviera. They have written a new guide to Inverness for Thomas Cook and updated Donna's Driving Guide Scotland following recent travels there. From November they will spend several months in Arizona, writing about the Southwest USA region. In January they will travel up California's Pacific Coast Highway, expanding their website www.pacific-coast-highway-travel.com.
Contact Donna at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and Mike at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

LIVING, SHARING AND TRAVELLING THE WORLD

Sarah Lee embarks on an innovative project and new website this autumn. LiveShareTravel.com is an online magazine looking at all that’s good in shared ownership (timeshare and fractional), travel and lifestyle. It will see travel writers exploring the world and sharing their experiences in the online magazine. She is looking forward to teaming up with tourist boards, attractions and PR’s - particularly those with a focus on destinations.
Contact Sarah at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 0794 1022147

HORNY STAGS TO EXOTIC BIRDS

Wildlife and ecotourism specialist Ron Toft will be visiting northern France's stunning but little known privately owned gardens in mid-September, then heading north to the Scottish Highlands to get up close and personal with rutting red deer. Also in his diary is a general nature trip to Uganda in November and birdwatching treks in The Gambia and Senegal in December. Ron can provide complete packages of words and high resolution digital images.
Contact Ron at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

BOTTOM TO TOP

Janet Waltham’s travels from Greenland to Australia. En route (and starting from the bottom end!) taking in the middle bit of Australia (flying into Darwin and out of Cairns); Sri Lanka; the Philippines; Palau; Canada, to both Calgary and Ontario; and to Flam in Norway, the "Golden Circle" in Iceland, and Nuuk, Ilulissat and Qaqartok in Greenland. All magnificently photogenic, and all superbly illustrated.
Contact Janet at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 0115 981 3833

TO TORONTO AND BEYOND

Mary Novakovich will be in Toronto in September to write about its restaurant scene and all things foodie. She will also be in the "Cottage Country" of the Great Lakes, where vast numbers of Canadians go to on their holidays.
Contact Mary at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

ARMSTRONG GETS ACTIVE

Forget planes, trains and automobiles: French travel specialist Judy Armstrong is moving by boat, bike and horse. In the bag from summer: canoeing the Gorges du Tarn, herding horses through the Pyrenees and cycling the Alps. After the success of her recent Sea to Source cycle ride along the river Loire, she is preparing to ride the Dordogne, from the Atlantic to its birthplace in a volcanic plug in central France. Before that: exploring the Alps on ski touring equipment and snowshoes. For words and pictures.
Contact Judy at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01751 417371

EUROPE BY RAIL

Nicky Gardner always says that she much prefers the writing part of her job to the travel. And this summer has seen her chained to her desk as she does a thorough revamp of Thomas Cook’s Europe by Rail – a 700 page book covering Europe’s 50 best rail routes that can trace its pedigree right back to Mr Thomas Cook’s first book in 1873. Yes, she has travelled the routes too and now looks for rail related commissions.
Contact Nicky at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; +49 30 755 16128

FRANCE AND ATLANTIC CANADA

Gillian Thornton's French travels have recently taken her to Albi, France's newest UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Lot Valley; and the Luberon. She dabbled in the waters of the Auvergne; reviewed hotels in Pas de Calais; and, in September, heads for the wine regions of the Beaujolais and the Roannais, before exploring northern Brittany. October brings a self-drive tour of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island in Atlantic Canada. Need copy or pictures?
Contact Gillian at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01582 468771

EAST ANGLIA, RUSSIA AND GEORGIA

Laurence Mitchell’s latest book - Slow Norfolk and Suffolk - was published by Bradt/Alastair Sawday’s in May and he is currently working on a walking guide to the Suffolk coast for Cicerone Press. He will be in Russia this September visiting Moscow, Kazan and Yekaterinberg before railroading through Siberia. He then moves across the Caucasus to Georgia where is he will be updating the Bradt guide to that country. Enquiries/commissions welcome.
Contact Laurence at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01603 614619; www.laurencemitchell.com

SEEING THE END OF THE SUMMER AND LONGING FOR SUNNY FRANCE

It’s raining here in Wiltshire, but luckily Sasha Heseltine has had a fun summer of travelling. To the south of France, from Nimes and the Camargue to St-Tropez, staying in fab, little known places. Recent trips are to Dubai (up the Khalifa Tower), Costa del Sol looking at timeshares (more trips to come), and sailing in the BVIs. At home I run the our local community website at Melkshampeople.co.uk. Happy to write on any of the above!
Contact Sasha at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 0795 193 8895

TRAVELING ABOARD SUPERYACHTS IN THE LAP OF LUXURY

We call it work, but given that these beauties cost over £200,000 a week to charter, we have a hard time convincing others that being looked after by a crew of 12 is part of our essential research. Travelling aboard mighty mega yachts is what we do, what we write about and take photographs of. In coming months we are off to Antibes, Bermuda, Fort Lauderdale, Monaco and Antigua in the Caribbean. If great pictures and stories about how the rich and famous spend their leisure time are what you seek, then contact Frances and Michael Howorth the yacht experts.
Contact Michael or Frances at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; +44 (0) 1725 510347

TRAVEL WRITING COURSE IN SCOTLAND

Rosemary Bailey, author of three travel memoirs about the Pyrenees, Life in a Postcard, The Man who Married a Mountain and Love and War in the Pyrenees, will be teaching a travel writing course along with writer Jeremy Seal, for the Arvon Writers’ Foundation in Scotland from October 10th – 16th. The centre is at Moniack Mhor, a large comfortable farmhouse surrounded by fields and forest near Lochness and accessible from Inverness.
Contact Rosemary at www.rosemarybailey.com or www.arvonfoundation.org.

BEIRUT TO BOMBAY - OR MUMBAI?

It's been a busy few months, and there's more. Emma Levine travels to Beirut to write an online guide for Frommer's, and will be researching and photographing this fascinating city, inc cultural venues, hotels, restaurants, chic shopping, nightlife, and day trips including Baalbek. Commissions welcome! Later in the year she's returning to Bombay (ok Mumbai) to gather more material for her forthcoming photo exhibition in February 2011 (Nehru Centre, London) depicting Mumbai's street cricket in all its glory. She will be visiting Istanbul in October to update Istanbul Step By Step (Insight).
Contact Emma at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 020 7704 2120; 07939 533 359

OFFBEAT FRENCH RIVIERA AND FOODIE TUSCANY

Lisa Gerard-Sharp has stayed close to (her French) home this summer, researching off-the-beaten track Riviera and Provence, ranging from coastal trails to village festivals. Before that, Lisa found time to follow a Slow Food and spa trail in Tuscany and a cookery-and-culture course in Florence, as well as sampling alternative `body and soul’ breaks in Central Italy and the Canaries.
Contact Lisa at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

VIKING GRAFFITI, SINGAPORE SLINGS AND THE ODD PHANTOM OR TWO

Gilly Pickup has been discovering Viking graffiti in Orkney, 5 million year old pygmy horses in Germany and Roman baths in Bulgaria. Not that it’s been all blast from the past stuff. She has also been foraging for wild mushrooms in Perthshire, exploring Singapore’s Sentosa Island by segway and discovering the island-state’s funky shopping haunts. Speaking of haunts, she has also been ghost hunting in Frankenstein’s castle, For features/images:
Contact Gilly at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 07845 903932

VOYAGE TO THE WHITE SEA, SOLOVETSKY ISLANDS AND ARCHANGEL

Lynn Houghton is seeking further commissions (one already secured) for a fascinating Voyages to Discovery cruise to Norway, the Arctic Circle and then on to the White Sea, stopping at Murmansk, Solovetsky Islands and Archangel in Russia. We will experience the midnight sun as we round the North Cape. Focus will be WWII with lectures on board with an original enigma machine. Departs 15 June, 2011 from Harwich on the MS Discovery.
Contact Lynn on 07977 591 009; www.lynnstheone.com; Twitter:@lynnstheone

MALTA SPECIALIST

Juliet Rix has recently written the most comprehensive guidebook to Malta in English - Malta & Gozo (The Bradt Guide, published May 2010) - I have just taken on being the Simonseeks web Expert on Malta as well as doing articles for the nationals focussing on Malta's world class historic and prehistoric sites, wildlife and food as well as sun and sea. I have also recently written a short piece about joining an archaeological dig in Britain and am now returning to other destinations (UK and abroad) and topics.
Contact Juliet at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

INTREPID TRAVEL JOURNALIST SPECIALISING IN EASTERN EUROPE

What informs Marie Cleland's writing? A background in design and architecture magazines, a degree in Egyptology and a passion for the outdoors and exploring off the beaten track. Based in London, my focus is east to the less travelled parts of Europe. I have covered a range of destinations in informative, polished stories. Recent commissions took me to Slovenia, Romania and Kosovo, as well as Egypt. Upcoming trips include Amsterdam, Poland, Mexico, Belize and Cuba.
Contact Marie at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.mariecleland.co.uk; twitter: @nzTravelWriter

THE ROAD TO ZANZIBAR

Richard Williams spent most of February in Tanzania, visiting Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar. Played golf in Tenerife, northern France - and next month the north of Portugal. No longer a narrowboating virgin after a long weekend on the Grand Union canal. Slummed it in Sharm El Sheikh at the Royal Savoy and visited St Katherine’s Monastery. Took a Jeep to the French Ardennes and got lost in the forest. Soon to sail around Kefalonia.
Contact Richard at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 020 8669 7475

MOTORING THROUGH THE ROCKIES

Boise, Idaho, is home to the largest Basque community outside Spain. Roger St. Pierre attended the colourful Jaialdi Basque festival, held once every five years, then drove down through the stunning Rocky Mountains of Eastern Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado to Denver, 'The Mile High City'. Coming up: trips to South Africa, Serbia, France's beautiful Loir and Loire Valleys in France and Ontario.
Contact Roger at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01372 850 238

VIRGINIA BELLE COVERS THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

In anticipation of the media interest next year for the 150th anniversary of the 1861-1865 American Civil War, Virginia-born Mary Moore Mason has gone on a recce of key sites in her home state, where 65 per cent of the major battles took place, as well as in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. In recent months she has been researching features in Kansas, Oklahoma, New York City (particularly Brooklyn), California and Georgia and is soon headed for Massachusetts, South Carolina, New York and New Jersey.
Contact Mary at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 020 7243 6954

ONLINE DOUBLE – SOUTH AFRICA AND MILAN

Melissa Shales has signed two new longterm contracts. She is now the Contributing Travel Writer on South Africa for About.com, the giant US-based website run by the NY Times, producing 12 features on the country per month. She has also signed as the Milan Expert for UK-based travel website Simonseeks and is producing a detailed online guide to the city. Information and travel assistance for both gratefully received.
Contact Melissa at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 020-7723 9717

CRUISING TO 40 TRIPS IN 2010

Robin McKelvie is slated to hit the 40 trips barrier for 2010 with cruises in September in the Black Sea and around the Hebrides, walking in the Alentejo and culture in the Algarve in October, WTM, Cyprus and Patagonia in November and Slovenia in December. Guidebook updates on Croatia and Scotland have been accompanied by over 150 articles for 2010 to date. Robin is currently accepting press trip suggestions for 2011 as well as organising numerous independent trips.
Contact Robin at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; +44 (0)7950 705169; www.robinmckelvie.com; www.robintravelwriter.blogspot.com; Twitter: @robinmckelvie

LESS THAN 100 DAYS TO THE ASHES

From luxury bush camping at Bamurru Plains in the Northern Territory, to Melbourne’s best croque monsieur at 4 am, Sydney-based travel writer Claire Scobie has a host of Australian stories ready to go. Recent trips include a 4WD adventure through the Simpson Desert and Kangaroo Island’s hottest retreat. Coming up soon is surfing in Byron Bay, cooking up a feast at the Sydney Seafood School and where to drink alfresco in Brisbane.
Contact Claire at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.clairescobie.com

SEQUINS, SPAS AND A BICYCLE MADE FOR SEVEN

Jeannine Williamson has been sampling some new experiences ranging from tripping the light fantastic on a Warner Leisure Hotels’ Strictly Come Dancing Break, in the run-up to the new series starting this month, and discovering new things to do in the Estonian capital Tallinn, including sightseeing tours on an extraordinary bike made for seven and projects underway for the European Capital of Culture Year 2011, before some relaxation at a Palma spa hotel.
Contact Jeannine at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01323 641078

FROM THE MIDDLE EAST TO THE GALAPAGOS, WITH RUSSIA AND CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Sue Dobson’s fascination for the Middle East has taken her to Lebanon collecting material for features; to Egypt to update and revise an AA guidebook; and she’ll be in Syria in September, researching a new guidebook to Damascus. She spent three weeks in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, had the ideal weekend break in Lubeck, and will be heading for St Petersburg, Russia in October and Berlin and Leipzig for the Christmas markets in late November. Commissions for any of these destinations welcome. They’ll come with quality images, too.
Contact Sue at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 01832 280815

NEW MEMBERS

Andy Bostock
Andy has lived and worked in Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia and is the author of two guidebooks and numerous travel articles. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Karen Bowerman
Since 2003 Karen has worked regularly for BBC World TV's Fast Track travel show. This is a weekly half-hour programme broadcast internationally and she is involved in producing, scripting and filming destination pieces and travel-related news stories. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Marie Cleland
Marie holds dual UK and New Zealand citizenship but now based in London. She is a regular contributor and a sub-editor for Easyjet Traveller inflight magazine. She also writes for Ryanair magazine, B.There!, JetStar, CNN Traveller, Wizzit and Inspire magazine. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jan Fuscoe
Jan is a travel writer and editor of Naples 2008 and 2010 (Time Out), Fodor's London 2010 and 2011 and DK Eyewitness's Great Britain 2009. She is currently launching an Eco magazine. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lynn Houghton
Lynn holds dual British and America nationality and has a degree in Education and Communications. She is now London-based and from 2003-2008 she was the press officer for Thomson Holidays. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.lynnstheone.com

Kate Miller
Kate is a freelance writer and sub-editor with ten years' experience working for newspapers, magazines and guidebooks. Specialisations include horse riding and adventure travel. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Emma Thomson
Emma has worked for award-winning travel publisher Bradt Travel Guides for five years, editing and project managing guides to Panama, Colombia, Bangladesh, Angola and Zimbabwe. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

MEMBERS NEWS

Members News is published quarterly by the British Guild of Travel Writers and is edited by Peter Lynch. We'd like to hear from you and find out what you think about our newsletter. Send any suggestions or comments you may wish to make to the editor on email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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British Guild of Travel Writers Tel: 01747 820455 or 020 8144 8713; web: www.bgtw.org

© The British Guild of Travel Writers, September 2010