Read • n paper
Text A, and then answer Questions 1(a)-1(e) on the queSlto •
Text A: Top tlpa for travel writing ,.
. . . b 'te to people thinking of a career
This text is an online article giving advice from the editor of a we 51
in travel wn'ting
'Don't worry.' said the stallholder. 'The snake round your daughter's neck is
not
venomous.·
•
That was the example my instructor used when he taught us the immen se value of a
. . . . d'
good opening to an article.
.
My instructor 1s the travel e 1tor for a nationa 1newspa
t· t·
per.
.
Since 2000, he has written about, and been hopelessly 1ost in,• d·verse
1 des ina ions on J
six continents.
Having quit my job in software design to become a travel blogger and edit t_his websit
e,
I was attending a travel writing conference he was running. I wanted to improv
e the
writing on my blog; my writing has improved, but I didn't anticipate how much
that
conference would affect my role as an editor. If you have sent me an article and I have 10
rejected it, rt was probably because of something I learned at that confere nce.
Writers of the unsuccessful articles submitted to me seem to think that they need extra
padding at the beginning that goes something like: 'Travel is wonde rful. We should
all
travel.' Get to the point. The articles I hate the most begin:. 'Our plane landed in
. _i tf
the most interesting portion of your trip is the plane landing and collect ing your luggag
e,
then OK, start your story that way. Arguably though, if this really is the most interes
ting
portion of your trip, you'd be better off staying at home.
Good travel writing transports ~eople. It celebrates the differen ces in manners
and
customs around the world, helping readers to understand other peopl d
helps readers plan their own trips and avoid costly mistakes wh·I t e ~~ places
. It
a11. readers get to experience those far-off destinations that the I e rave ing •. ~ost of
Y may never v1s1t.
I should point out, while I'm encouraging others to pursue th • .
th_a~ it ~as also at that conference that I decided to return to etr ~are_er 1n travel writing
. ,
~•~ng ,n a room full of travel. writers who were describin workin_g .1n so.~a re design
living persuaded me to keep 1t strictly as a hobby. g how difficult 1t 1s to make a
But if you have the desire to travel and the .
confe ' savings
rence which my good friend runs every August. , I can recommend that annual
Read Text B, and then answer Question 1(f) on the question paper.
Text B: The truth about being a travel writer
This text is a magazine article about being a travel writer.
Go ahead, hate travel writers. They're constantly jetting off to stay in luxurious resorts
,
often without paying. Barely even sounds like a real job, right? We spoke to some travel
writers to find out what it's really like.
Freelance travel and fashion writer Gothanji Jayaram always wanted to visit Paris,
so
was excited to be invited to cover a fashion show there. But the itinerary was so packed
that she didn't get to see the city at all. 'I didn't even visit a cafel I really missed out.'
'You're always thinking about what you can tell readers later,' explained travel writer
Duncan West. 'It's no holiday.'
Apparently, there's no such thing as a free trip. 'You have to balance publica
tion
requirements with host expectations. Annoying the PR professionals at the hotel that's
hosting you isn't wise,' says Gothanji. 'They move around in the industry and could
help
you land similar opportunities in future.'
Speaking of opportunities, travel bl_ogger Vanessa Villegas recalls, 'When I started
, it
took months to get noticed by the best publications. Then late payments and editors
who took the soul out of a story gradually moved me away from offering my best stories
to them.'
As exciting as seeing new places is, travel writers often struggle leaving home. 'You're
never around to attend anything,' explains Duncan West. 'People stop inviting
you.
Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries - life at home continues without you. Workin
g
freelance means no set work hours, no routine. Our lives don't really fit with other
people's schedules. Paying rent when you've been away all month is painful, and
that
brown water that comes out of the taps when you get back, or the food you'd forgotte
n
in your fridge - are just the beginning.' On a more serious note, he says, 'The lifestyle
rules out any possibility to have pets or kids.'
Delhi-based writer Sanghita Ct)atterjee once went to Vegas for a weekend, came back
to India and had to leave for Canada almost immediately because of a team crisis.
'The
next six days saw me on eight long-haul flights. Landing in Frankfurt on my way back,
I was exhausted. The last thing I wanted to hear was that there were delays! We spent
an agonising night at the airport - no lounges, only stiff plastic chairs.'
w
~2.d Text C, and then answer Questions 2(a~-2(d) and Question 3 on
the question paper
Text C: How I bec ame a trav el writ er
The narrator. Chartie, has boo ked a plac e
on a spon sore d trek to the nnci enl ruinecJ city
P,cc fw. Peru He hop es lo mee t l11s favo1 of Machu
1nte t,ave l write,. Jed Davms. who has bee
n mv,t ed by
I
the chan ty to 90 011 the trek
I would meet the others in Madrid We'd fly
together to Lima, then travel on to Cusco
for the four-day high-altitude trek. Before then
, I had to raise the required sponsorship
money to be allowed to take part.
The adventure had seemed exciting on the
pages of a magazine. Now realtty loomed.
Online advice for would-be campers warned
of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, instant
death from snakes and othe r delights. Pan 5
ic buttons were pushed on three fronts -
sponsorship. training and remaining alive.
As far as sponsorship, my savings covered
the required amount, but from the charity's
point of view it wasn't just about fundraising:
it was about raising awareness and sparking
long-term interest in thei r cause. I could 'spo
nsor' myself for 25 per cent, in addition to
paying for all the clothes and equipment 10
I'd need. After that, I still needed to
pester friends. family and casual acquainta
nces for support.
Initial reaction to my endeavours to collect
money for my trip typically went like this:
'Wo uld you like to spon sor me for charity?'
'Spo nso r you for what exactly?'
15
'Well. I need to raise mon ey to go on a trek
in Peru.'
Mom enta ry pau se and narrowing of eyes.
·You mean you wan t me to pay towards your
holiday?'
Her e wou ld begin a long explanation of [Link]
they wouldn'~ be paying for my holid ay but
instead contributing mon ey that the charity
would otherwise not get. 20
'Wh y don 't I give the mon ey straight to the
charity then?' they'd persist.
'Mos t people who trek with us are new to the
~harity. a~d go ~n to supp ort us a~e r thei r
trip,' explained the even ts man age r when I
raised this issue. The adve ntur e brin gs the
money, the supporter, and inspires others too.'
I renewed my efforts to cajole cash from
everyone around me.
25
Training-wise, organisers advised that unle
ss we were in seriously goo d sha pe we
would struggle. Trekking at altitude could caus
e breathlessness and dizz y spells: if we
were physically unprepared, such symptom
s could develop into som ethi ng a little mor e
serious - death, for instance.
;
Trek-training beg an in to JO
ite caf e in cas =~~ :e~ ~rM y care!ully [Link] route passed fortuitously close
a favour for Peru, but
th_e cheery list of disorders ne~~ncy. d ~nt,~ipated I'd need a few jabs
1
I doctor
re tha n a little glee. ed vac cinating against was reeled off by my
with mo
. .
·Nevertheless, on the appointed d I met 31 s1m1larly well-intentioned strangers and
our expedition guides. Fur t' ay 35
1 1 looked around for Jed Davies. I'd already decided
that the best policy would b iv~OY, st ar-~truck shyness and stride forwards for a
efu l intr odu ctio n E e she d ~y
purpos ing us later. Maybe
he was being pampere.d .xcte hpt VIcouldn t see him. Maybe he was join
in e IP lo_unge.
''Nhere,s Mr Dav ies ?' 1 k d lly.
• as e one of our guide~ eventua
ryone well.' 40
, he pul led out . Bus ine ss in the US Sends his apologies and wishes eve
'Oh
ring an epic
All hopes of befriending the legend, sha
~a t? No_ Jed ? I wa s devastated. extracting
y wit~ my new pal, gai nin g can did insights into his hallowed life and
1oun:1e dark thoughts
in three cruel sentences. Brooding with
precious wnter1y secrets were gone get
I had onl y the dec ade -an d-a -ha lf flight to Lima to pull myself together,
of betrayal, of a lifetime 45
e for what would turn out to be the trip
over my dis app oin tme nt and prepar
across rope
set off slow ly,- foll owi ng the white rush of mountain rivers, creaking
We
, forcing our way through dense jungle
ggi ng up unfeasible muddy inclines
bridges, slo chirruping
scenery became bleaker. Instead of
tangles. As we clim bed higher, the vel and rock 5C
cts and rus tlin g lea ves , gas ps of breath and laboured footsteps on gra
inse friends now
strangers onl~ days before, life-long
provided the sou ndt rac k. Complete in
at a dia mo nd- enc rus ted nigh t sky fr~med by toweririg mountains cloaked
marvelled
rain fore st-g ree n velvet.
was what I wanted to do.
I'd alre ady dec ide d - travel writing