In 2015, I thought perhaps I’d hit rock bottom. I was a stringer for a weekly community newspaper for more than six years, with more than 850 published feature stories and four Keystone Press Awards to my credit. When the number of stories I covered on a weekly basis...

I was a struggling-to-make-ends-meet newspaper reporter when I received my first paid travel assignment. It wasn’t big or glamorous, but I felt like I’d won the lottery. I was asked by a magazine to visit a Vermont ski resort to take a mountain-biking lesson. Being an...

As a travel writer, I’ve enjoyed a myriad of perks. But my favorite benefit is the free trips. The perks don’t come overnight, and they take time to cultivate. But if you have a plan and work your plan, attending travel trade shows can yield a goldmine of hosted...

This year, for the third summer in a row, I’ll be crossing the pond to visit Italy and southern Europe for three weeks. The first time I did this (before I was a travel writer), I paid for all of our lodging, meals, transportation, and attractions… in return for a...

We were heading back on a catamaran to the Southern California mainland when my hubby, who’s often my photographer, turned to me and said, “This was one of those million-dollar weekends.” We’d just spent three glorious days on Santa Catalina Island—a remote paradise...