Travel writers
Exploring as a profession

A photo by travel writer Tsang Kwong Lam at Akita Kanto Festival.
(Courtesy of Tsang Kwong Lam)

By Jeanne Luk

In northern Namibia, Himba women coat their hair with butterfat. The Tharus Tharu, a tribe situated at the Nepal-India border, plaster their homes with mud and cow dung. The nomads in Tibet live in black yak tents and serve visitors with salted butter, tea and yogurt.

Tsang Kwong Lam, who has been a full-time travel editor of the feature section of Sing Tao Daily for 8 years, experienced these peoples first-hand.

“In the eyes of others, travel writing is an admirable job.

“Besides having plenty of chances to take trips, travel writers are paid to travel,” said him.
In the past, most daily newspapers featured travel sections 2 or 3 times a week.

In 1995, Apple Daily pioneered a daily travel page. Mr. Tsang was one of the staff who helped the paper start the section.

“The editors thought that the daily travel page would attract more readers and revenue,” Mr. Tsang said.

Later, other local newspapers followed suit.

Mr. Tsang said, “Many people want to have my job. But I think they have to know more about the nature of the job first.”

The frequency of travel depends on the number of reporters working for the travel section of a publication.

As a travel writer for a daily newspaper, Mr. Tsang travels 10 to 20 times a year.

He said, “I know some reporters who may stay only 3 days in Hong Kong each month.

“It sounds like a lot of fun if you can leave the tight deadlines behind and forget about our editors.

“Of course, that is impossible.”

Travel writers are responsible for introducing fresh and attractive concepts and places around the world to the readers.

“Places like Japan and Thailand have been introduced many times. To interest people in these places, we have to write something unique,” said Mr. Tsang.

Time is also a great challenge.

“Packed schedules make me too tired to write articles during trips. . . . Take trips to Singapore as an example: The schedule starts at 8 a.m. and ends at about 12 a.m..

“When you’re back at the hotel, you are already so tired that you don’t want to write your articles.

“So you usually can’t write anything during the trips.”

Still, he has to submit a certain number of articles each week.

“It’s a tough job, indeed,” Mr. Tsang said.

Travel writing involves many personal feelings and opinions, distinguishing it from news writing.

Mel Greenberg, executive director of the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association, said, “What makes travel writing special is that the writers are part of the travels, and they relate readers to their personal experiences.”

Travel articles should have a healthy blend of practical information and personal touch.

For newspapers, practical information often takes precedence, according to Mr. Tsang. For magazines, the personal touch has a greater weight.

Mr. Tsang said, “Some readers depend heavily on newspapers for travel information.

Therefore, it is necessary for us to provide accurate and interesting information.”

Photographs are also essential for travel articles.

“When reading newspapers or magazines, most readers are first attracted to photographs. Travel writers need to be aware of this when capturing unique images,” said Mr. Tsang.

Another important issue for travel writers is the arrangement of trips.

Though publications sometimes arrange trips, this practice is uncommon in Hong Kong.

More often, travel agencies, airlines, travel boards and hotels subsidize travel writers with air tickets, food, accommodation and other perks, enabling travel writers to afford such trips.

This raises concerns that such private funding may affect the objectivity of professional travel writers.

Mr. Tsang denies the accusation.

“We have no obligation to promote our sponsors, nor do they require us to do so when they provide us with subsidies.

“We only publish neutral and useful information which is beneficial to readers, such as security issues and visa information.”

In exchange for private subsidies from businesses, travel writers acknowledge the sponsors at the ends of the articles. They also put the sponsors’ information in an attached information box for readers.

In this way, writers can maintain their objectivity yet compensate sponsors.

Mr. Tsang does much of his own photography, likr this one shot in Japan.
(Courtesy of Tsang Kwong Lam)

 

Travel writing tough but fulfilling

By Jeanne Luk

Peter Somerville is a travel writer who has been to more than 25 countries. He has been working as a freelancer for about 6 years.

Question: Why did you choose to be a travel writer?

Answer: To bring people stories about places, and to travel to places that they may not be able to visit, for reasons like health, price, politics and age.

Q: Travel writing is usually regarded as a pleasant and exciting job. What is your opinion?

A: It is often arduous, a risk to one’s health and wallet. Flying is often very boring, and I find ways to fill in the long time lag while flying between destinations. I find as I get older, the time passes more quickly; maybe I am getting used to it.

Q: Can you share some memorable and interesting experiences from your journeys?

A: Once I was an important guest at a wedding in a remote valley in Uzbekistan. Another time, I visited the army barracks in Nairobi, Kenya. And on another occasion, I saw nine wild rhinos in a game park in Africa, and once I saw the re-enactment of the American Civil War in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, USA. I also had a helicopter flight over Kauai, Hawaii.

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