I'm A Travel Writer Who Uses A Wheelchair — And The Genre Needs More Stories Like Mine
My husband and I have a wedding anniversary pact: We don't buy presents or cards, but each year we take a trip together on our anniversary. This past year, I spent a long time planning a trip to Pisa, researching and putting together an itinerary to…
By Carrie-Ann Lightley
Travel Memoirs Don't Tell The Stories Of Poor People — Because You've Assumed We Don't Travel
“You’re never home!” I get that comment a lot as a travel writer, and generally, as a travel lover. I’d rather prioritize my time and money on things that let me in on new experiences — which I know sounds very cliché, but that doesn’t make it any…
By Samantha Leal
Travel Memoirs Are All About Immersive Experiences — But What If You Use A Wheelchair?
My favorite professor led the winter study abroad trip my senior year. A small group, maybe 12 students altogether, including my best friend Katie, left for Cairo on New Year’s Day. During the second and final week, Dr. W led a camping expedition…
By Kayla Whaley
I Thought Travel Writing Wasn't Meant For Me — Until I Read One Book Of Black Stories
When I quit my job to travel the world full time, I stuffed my dog-eared paperback of Go Girl! The Black Woman’s Book of Travel and Adventure in my 75-liter backpack. After all, it was the catalyst for me dumping my Manhattan newspaper job for Latin…
By Monica Williams
Reading Is How I Traveled As A Kid — Because Leaving My Hometown Just Wasn't An Option
On the first day of second grade, Mrs. P asked everyone to go around the room and tell the class what we’d done over summer break. “My family went to California,” someone said. Another kid talked about trips to Six Flags, Canobie Lake Park, and…
By Alaina Leary
Travel Writing is Inherently Colonial — But I'm Writing A Memoir That's Different
One function of travel writing is to make the reader feel like they're traveling with you, or so I've been taught repeatedly. But if the job of travel writers is to bring the faraway close up, I wonder why what ends up on the page often reads like a…
By Bani Amor
