23 March 2007

Global Travel Articles

As global travel has become more popular and more possible in recent years, many more writers are hoping to make travel writing a career. Just check the web! Besides numerous articles and blogs on travel experiences, we can find travel writers offering their tips on how to become a travel writer. One well-known U.S. writer, Rick Steeves, writes in his article "How to Be a Travel Writer" about the importance of becoming "a generous teacher of travel, not a travel agent."

Tallinn, Estonia

About the Genre
Travel writing is a literary form of expressing the self-definition of the author who parallels his or her cultural experience to the experiences of other cultures. Generally, the goal of travel writing is to incorporate facts and impressions that enhance the readers' understanding and acceptance of other cultures. A travel article or essay can be written in any style. According to Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, travel literature is "nonfiction prose form that depends largely on the wit, powers of observation, and character of the traveler for its success." Yes, we like witty writing!

About the Writers
This blog entry contains information of critically acclaimed global travel writing by U.S. writers. About half of the essays were recognized in The Best American Travel Writing 2004 collection published by Houghton Mifflin, and the rest are included on the Outside Magazine's Literary All-Stars list on the Outside Online website. By the way, the "all star" list includes Garrison Keillor, Ian Frazier, and Jane Smiley, among others.

Descriptions of Example Articles

"Everybody Loves the Assassins" by Tim Cahill
Traveling to Iran to visit ancient castles and members of an Islamic sect, Cahill discovers people who can't stop being nice. Recognized in The Best American Travel Writing 2004 collection.

"Sandbags in the Archipelago" by Heather Eliot
On a remote South Pacific island Eliot meets a man and explores the fine line between fantasy and reality. Recognized in The Best American Travel Writing 2004 collection.

"Chasing the Wall" by Peter Hessler
Hessler, Peter. "Chasing the Wall." National Geographic 203.1 (2003): 2. InfoTrac: Expanded Academic ASAP. Lake Superior College Library. 18 Mar. 2007.
Hessler drove 7,436 miles and, in his own words, "found the good, the bad and the real great wall of China." Recognized in The Best American Travel Writing 2004 collection.

"Gansta War" by George Packer
Packer, George. "Gansta War." The New Yorker 79.33 (2003): 68. InfoTrac: Expanded Academic ASAP. Lake Superior College Library. 18 Mar. 2007.
Packer, a former Peace Corps volunteer, visits the Ivory Coast in Africa, where civil war is turning the once glamorous city of Abidjan into a hellhole. Packer follows the trails of two separate gangs. Recognized in The Best American Travel Writing 2004 collection.

"The Road to Herat" by Elizabeth Rubin
Rubin, Elizabeth. "The Road to Herat." The Atlantic Monthly 291.1 (2003): 194-204. InfoTrac: Expanded Academic ASAP. Lake Superior College Library. 18 Mar. 2007.
Guided by a former Taliban director of investigations, Rubin fishes with grenades and visits a notorious outlaw during her travels in Afghanistan. Recognized in The Best Travel Writing 2004 collection.

"The Kabul Express" by Peter Symmes
Symmes visits the 1960's and 1970's hippie trail that brought foreigners to Afghanistan. Today's Kabul is an interesting, lively mixture of NGOs, soldiers, spooky nation-builders, and freaks. Recognized in The Best Travel Writing 2004 collection.

"A Jug of Wine (More Jugs of Wine) et Moi" by Bill Vaughn
Vaughn writes about his long winding bike ride through southern France and tells how extreme pleasure and adventure can coexist.

Note: If you ended up using any of these articles in your courses, please let me know how you used them and how students reacted to them.

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