Travel Writing Workshops
2023
Dates: May 21-26

Registration is currently OPEN for our workshops. Please go to this link for details for our 2023 Workshops in Santa Fe, New Mexico . . .

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Report from Our 2022 Workshops in Charleston, South Carolina

On June 25, 2022, we wrapped up our 4-day Travel Writing & Photography Retreat and our 3-day Marketing Master Class for Travel Writers hosted at the Fulton Lane Inn in the heart of historic downtown Charleston, SC.

The workshops were a resounding success!

The Writers Came From Nine States 

Eleven excited travel writers & photographers from 9 States attended the workshops. They traveled from Texas, Florida, Washington, Alaska, California, Maine, Illinois, Oregon and Massachusetts.

Many Participants Are Already Accomplished Writers

Janet Rae-Dupree, for example, has been a news reporter, sci/tech correspondent, health/medicine writer, and freelance contributor to dozens of newspapers and magazines over the past four decades.

Sharon McLeod has spent over thirty years delivering manuals for high tech products.

Kate Dreger is a corporate communications director.

Emily Corak has a freshly minted Master of Fine Arts.

Donna Hall worked in public relations and marketing for 20 years. She is the author of a travel website about Homer, Alaska. https://www.homerbythebay.com

Ava Kabouchy is the author of a book on her four years in Saudi Arabia, “Wanderlust, A New Lease on Life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.

She also recently published “Where in the World is Grammie Now? The Adventures of a Globetrotting Grandmother”, a book for young readers and their grandmothers. Her superb travel photography can be seen at http://www.avakabouchy.com/about-the-photographer/

Angela Dowdy has a travel website, www.embracesouthernstates.com and writes about people, places, food, and art in the Southeastern United States.

Bonnie McKenna was travel writer for Tribune newspaper for five years and now freelances for Scuba H2O Adventure Magazine, X-Ray Dive ezine and has also been published in TravelWorld International Magazine.

Jill Friedman writes for various online and print magazines including Maritime Executive, Brazos Monthly, Travel Awaits and Sidelights. Jill’s book “Sail Around the World - and Get Paid For It” is soon to be self-published on Amazon.

This powerful and impressive depth in their writing backgrounds, their work experience and their enthusiasm made this class a joy to teach.

Topics We Covered

• What is Good Travel Writing?
• How to Develop Travel Story Ideas That Will Sell
• How to Create a Sense of Place With Photographs
• How to Craft a Compelling Lede & Summary
• Sharing Our Ledes
• The Most Common Travel Writing Mistakes
• Ten Tips for More Creative Travel Photos
• Active vs Passive Travel Writing
• Tips for Writing Active & Engaging Travel Stories
• How to Research & Write Enticing Travel Articles
• How to Edit Stories Before Submitting Them to Editors
• Travel Photography - What Magazine Editors Want
• How to Turn Creative Sparks Into Compelling Travel Stories

Sharing Charleston Story Ideas

We also took a field trip to Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau to collect travel story ideas. Everyone returned to class with a list of exciting and unique ideas. They each chose one story idea to research further and write about.

We Were Gifted Complimentary Explore Charleston VIP Passes

Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau gifted the participants an Explore Charleston VIP Pass that granted them complimentary entry to 22 of the city’s top attractions including the Charleston Museum, Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Boone Hall Plantation, Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, Old Slave Mart Museum, Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Museum and 5 historic homes. The combined value of these entry fees is in excess of $500!

And, boy, did they make the most of this gift!

Despite the onset of hot, humid summer days the writers buzzed around Charleston and environs like hyperactive bees, hoovering up the tourist attractions. They had a blast!

By the end of the week, everyone had a publishable front-of-book travel piece to pitch to travel magazines.

What They Got

eBooks

The Art & Craft of Travel Writing (Value $14.95)

Find Your Niche:  Uncover Your Most Meaningful and Valuable Writing Opportunities (Value $12.95) 

The Complete Guide To Query Letters For Travel Writers (Value $19.95)

How to Land Press Trips (Value $49)

The Complete Guide to Marketing & Selling Your Travel Articles (Value $99)

One-on-one Coaching With Roy — All participants receive a post workshop mentoring/consultation with Roy on one story idea. Roy walks the writers through the process of how to get their stories published. (Value: $750)

Our Guest Speaker was Kourtney Jones, Media Director, Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). Kourtney’s presentation on working with CVBs on travel assignments was a smash hit! Her advice was spot on & she really opened up to us with insider advice & secrets about working with travel writers.

Are Our Travel Writing Workshops The Best In The World?

We think they are!

Don’t miss out on our 2023 travel writing workshops!

Testimonials

"Thank you for an amazing week! We learned so many useful tips to improve our writing and photography. We thoroughly enjoyed the dinners, drinks and cooking class. You are so gracious and generous. Your workshop was everything we hoped for and more!

“To our fellow workshop attendees - We had a wonderful time getting to know all of you better. What a talented group of writers! Can’t wait to see everyone’s success over the next year. Happy Holidays!”
- Pam and Gary Baker

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“I would like to thank you for all you did for me in Hoi An. You made the classes very relaxed and understandable and passed on a wealth of information. This was the biggest bang for my buck of all the travel writing workshops I’ve attended. I learned more from you in those 5 days than I did in two previous workshops with a competitor. I will definitely recommend your classes!”
 - Linda Blair

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“I liked the pace of the sessions and blocks of free time – spot on. And I loved the group dinners!”
- Janet MacDonald

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“I loved the small size of the group and the relaxed and friendly atmosphere.”
- Jill Friedman

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“The balanced curriculum between writing and photography were outstanding”.
- Deb Sittko

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“The balance between the workshop, free time, and group events, and the practical, usable advice were great!”
- Annette DeSmedt

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“Good scheduling, excellent instruction, good exercises, great discussions.”
- Linda Blair

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“Enjoyed the dawn and sunset photo shoots. The photography tips were great.”
- Pam Baker

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“The one-on-one time with Roy to get feedback on my ideas and writing were invaluable.”
- Jill Friedman

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“The tour of the market and the cooking class were wonderful – never thought they would be so great! Loved the day!”
- Pam Baker

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“Just wanted to share something with the group - I've sold a story with photos, about Hoi An since coming home from the workshop. I wasn't going to tell anyone until it came out in print but was feeling like the cat with the canary however, I am choking on the feathers so just had to spit it out.”
- Linda Blair

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"Such wonderful memories! The classes in the mornings were informative and provided the detailed info we were looking for. But afternoons and evenings exploring with Roy and Linda were fun and delicious! We toured the marketplace, took a Vietnamese cooking class, learned about local dishes and dined at the best restaurants. And the friendships you form will stay with you!

We had so much fun, but more importantly, we learned a lot! If you're ready to up your game on writing and photography, Roy Stevenson and Linda Popovich are the dynamic duo!"
- Pam and Gary Baker

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“Roy Stevenson gives you the whole package, nuts and bolts included.  If you want a jumpstart to a successful travel writing career, Roy is your man. As a successful travel writer who has been published in numerous top shelf magazines, he will not only teach you the basics, but he’ll take all the guesswork out of the equation on how and where to sell your stories for publication.

You will learn how to avoid the pitfalls many beginning writers experience, and Roy will lead you to the right path for a successful travel writing career. With honest feedback, “how to” and “what not to do”, you will be able to go home and start doing what you love to do and get paid for it.

When I attended Roy’s Travel Writing & Photography Retreat in Vietnam in December, 2018, he taught me the skills I needed to get started and when I came home I had so much confidence and motivation, I could hardly wait to get started. 

Roy’s humble and relaxed style of teaching is easy to understand, informative, and sometimes entertaining. I found this learning experience to be a most memorable one.  I would highly recommend Roy Stevenson as a way to get where you want to be in the travel writing world.  If you want the most bang for your buck, Roy Stevenson is your man.”
- Linda Blair

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