So I blew it. I wanted to develop Travel. Write. Live where I could talk about travel and writing that fell outside of a traditional travel article, something that explored the art of writing and included thoughts about how travel and writing pertained to life, but I blew it.

It was not that I ran out of creativity or topics. Instead, I started worrying about social media and keeping up with the googles. I found myself rushing to get articles done before they were fully fleshed out, because other bloggers were spitting out new content at alarming rates. I found myself spending more time partnering with legions of people trying to keep up with the googles, most of whom ran sites I only felt so-so about, and I strived to be more like them. I worried about competing with large corporations and SEO masters so my little site might be found by the masses, as if I were selling get rich quick schemes or miracle floor-wax. I also became less willing to point out how some of these corporations and organizations are ruining travel, so I might play “the game” with them. Travel. Write. Live. became more like a banal video game than a useful site, or, at least, a site I could be proud of writing. It all became a huge mistake on my part.

Once I figured out the mistake. I stopped maintaining Travel. Write. Live. I needed to step back and regroup, think about what I hoped to accomplish. I have done that. I have some clarity of vision. It has taken eight months to finally write this little article.

During this time I thought about what I wanted to do, how I wanted to rededicate myself to travel writings and life. The answers were easy.

1. Never again publish a story that is not completely baked. This might mean fewer stories in the beginning.
2. Let knowledgeable experts chime in and help us become better at traveling, writing, and even leading a better life.
3. Promote travel, but not always. I love travel, but there are plenty of companies that make the process of doing it terrible. Expect to hear a rant about the TSA in the future.
4. Criticize, when necessary.
5. Because I intend to explore social issues as it relates to travel, writing and leading a better life, TWL will now become “the No BS Blog about life.”

I know, maybe it does not seem like much, and do not get me wrong; there are still a number of stories that I am proud of presenting on TWL. I just am not willing to publish duds to keep up with the googles. I will take a few more chances.

Welcome to the new thoughts on travel, writing and life on Travel Write Live.

From my last article, I probably left the impression that the better cultural experience is likely found by staying at a two-star hotel, rather than in fancy five-star digs. This is reasonable assumption for a reader since I bashed the new Westin in Santa Fe in Mexico City (I had my reasons) and did not counter with a better five-star examples. Trust me, there a loads of great five-star places worth considering.

The way I look at it, travel falls into one of two categories, traveling and vacationing. Traveling is more about a place or a culture and the hotel may make little difference to the traveler. A traveler is not going to cancel his or her trip to Paris because a favorite resort or hotel is booked solid.

Vacationing is different. I just returned from a five-star place Fiesta Americana in Los Cabos whose staff went out of its way to provide superior service and creatively invented memorable dining experiences. For four days, I was completely content and stuffed to the gills with incredible food without having to leave the property. However, had I wanted to leave I would have had to take a cab twenty or thirty minutes to get anywhere, and walking was not an option.

The reason most resorts and major chain hotels frequently attempt to become the destination unto themselves rather than just a place to sleep is about money. If a visitor stays several days and never leaves the resort all the money spent at the resort will remain at the resort. In all fairness the hotel or resort spends tons of money on aesthetics, convenience and luxury.  This is not bad within itself, it is just a different type of experience. Less culture and more luxury and amenities, versus more culture and less amenities and luxury.

However, I can have both. My days of youth hostels are over. Not only have I stopped being young, I also grew tired of the three German guys that seemed to be at every youth hostel I visited. The three would not stop drinking, screaming, running about, fighting and always came equipped with their own bad techno music. This means I have more work to do in planning my trip. To find a little luxury in my culturally based travel.

I stay in the center of town whenever possible. I ask myself, are there local bars restaurants, attractions within walking distance. As an example, on my last trip to Santa Fe, it would have been much more worthwhile to stay in the Zocalo area of Mexico City than in an area with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Location means not having to source long rides to be where I want.

A few great, ideally located hotels that come to mind are the swanky Opus Hotels of Montreal and Vancouver that have great food and beautiful hipsters but are situated in greats areas of town leaving me to explore on my own. The San Juan Marriott is on a gorgeous beach, has a casino, spa, fine dining and is a twenty minute walk to Old San Juan. Of course, these are only a couple of examples of thousands of great options. How can you find these places when looking for a travel/vacation combo?

Work with a travel agent

Most good agents have a geographic specialty. A place that the agent has personally been to numerous times and will have solid suggestions to neighborhoods and attractions worthy of your time. As an example, I know several agents who have been working in Mexico City and know numerous places to stay that would have been more charming and practical in making my trip memorable.

Phone a friend

Some hotels really do put their customers first. The most reliable information I get is from friends who have stayed at the hotel before and can offer an unvarnished opinion.

Call the hotel

Find out directly from a hotel concierge what is in walking distance including: bus stops, restaurants, Internet cafes, museums pharmacies, and markets. Ask them to get specific, then plan accordingly.

For the record, I always prefer travel. It was the natural progression of things when I took a rucksack out into a foreign land with not a lot of money. I had to stay downtown, near train stations, and walked a lot. However, as I wrote more professional travel articles, I learned to appreciate the vacationing aspect as something meaningful by experiencing both the good and the bad of luxury travel. I found the places that created experiences, which is, for me, what travel is all about.

The Five-Star, Two-Star Conundrum, part one

I recently visited two travel shows south of the border. One event was located in Mexico City for the newly created FITA, which invites tourism professionals from around the globe to showcase their products, services and destinations to other tourism professionals and the general public. The other conference was in Antigua, Guatemala for the more established, but smaller, CATM, which services the seven nations that make up Central America. I was glad to help promote both events and genuinely enjoyed both cities. There were also a few differences, mainly in accommodations.

In Mexico, I stayed in the Westin, a well-established hotel brand in Santa Fe (known as the financial district), an area in Mexico City. The hotel had black marble and a highly polished corporate appeal with numerous options for just about anything a traveler could possibly want. The staff at the Westin was bi-lingual and stylishly sleek. They were also very nice. My room door magically opened when my thin plastic key card waved before my door’s sensor pad.

In Antigua, Guatemala, I stayed at Posado Don Rodrigo, which had wagon wheel décor and thick Guatemalan ladies milling about that spoke only Spanish, but were also very nice. My room key was a clumsy skeleton key with a giant phallic fob that, when sitting in my pocket, suggested to all who noticed that I was “happy to see” them.

Both hotels were memorable, but for different reasons. One was a schwanky five-star place with layers of amenities and a sharp, efficient staff. The other was a creaky two-star (maybe three-star) hotel with a performing ten-man xylophone team (with a drummer) and fairly reliable Internet.

This is the part where I guess I am supposed to tell you about the value of five-star treatment and getting what you pay for. I discovered how true this was when I asked for an aspirin at the front desk of the Westin.

For my headache (likely due to Mexico City’s altitude), I was given Westin’s corporate policy of not offering medicine of any kind, but that they could offer pharmacy service in about an hour or so, but this would be at an additional expense. They could not give me an idea how expensive it would be. There was no gift shop to buy my own aspirin and it was recommended that I not walk to the pharmacy on my own. Later, I asked about Internet and was invited to use the business center for 190 pesos (about $15.50US) an hour.

I ventured out on my own anyway; I never found the pharmacy. I found mostly other huge hotels and construction sites for future hotels with bi-lingual staff and more corporate policies. I could not find a market, a restaurant, a mall or anything to do. I walked alone. Santa Fe did not even look (or sound) like Mexico. For a moment, I wondered if I was in Mexico. I still had a headache.

That night, I returned to my room to discover a carefully typed note letting me know that the breakfast coupons I had be given by the Westin would not be honored for undisclosed reasons. Instead I was invited to their $25 a day breakfast for the final three days of my visit at my expense (I eventually discovered that the Westin was arguing my host company over money. The Westin thought better of their decision the following day after some discussion). I knew I was just a writer on assignment and should be grateful for staying in such lavish accommodations, but I only felt like a means to turn a profit for a big company.

The Entrance at Don Rodrigo

By the time I left the Westin, I felt dejected and my main purpose as a guest was to tip and present reasons to be charged more. I left the Posada at Don Rodrigo feeling like I hoped to return and bring my family one day.

In the world of star listings, the Westin remains a popular five-star hotel with rooms filled with $6 Snickers bars, $9 bottled waters, Internet costing 190 pesos an hour through their business center and numerous costly luxuries waiting to be sold. The Posada Don Rodrigo does not carry the same airs, but is smack in the middle of town, affordable and far and away a better, more interesting value and experience.

The point of my article is not to trash the Westin, although the experience was not a good one. The enclave of five-star luxury drowned out all the things I like about Mexico: food, people, and rapidly spoken Spanish. My Westin experience was about not having choices and a corporate policy to ensure safety, and it drained the culture. In the end, it is about choice. It is fine to be offered an overpriced Snickers bar when there are other choices available. It is this type of experience that makes me think about how important a hotel and its location can be toward making a trip good — or bad.

How a choose a hotel? The Five-Star, Two-Star Conundrum, part two

Whether it be the speed bump riddled ride to Copan Ruinas, Honduras; the winding roads to Languin, Guatemala; or simply being trapped o a two-lane road for hours of stopped traffic due to chicken bus that got stuck in the mud — and the ride continues. So does travel and travel writing.

During the last 10 days, I have spent far more time on a bus that at an attraction, or even one city. So, while I am not always thrilled with the meandering roads in Central America, but I have learned that there are an endless amount of good photos and even mini relationships to be had just outside the van’s window. This above photo is only one of many examples I have seen over the last couple of weeks.

And now the coming week…

Writing

I return from Central America on Tuesday and have numerous stories that range from outline to final edit. With so many ideas about traveling Guatemala and Honduras fresh in my mind, I have had small epiphany about how much the Internet has changed the quality of my writing (and the writing of many others). This may maove my focus away from Central America slightly. However, I have some changes I will be implementing in the coming weeks dealing with the negative results from writing quickly to compete with “breaking news” on the Internet. Of course this is only a beginning of a larger focus at both TWL and ITKT. Don’t worry, I have plenty to share about Honduras and Guatemala.

Email

Yes, email. I am about 1500 behind.

I was in the middle of my final packing for Mexico last night when I received a curious email from Google. It was an update to let me know who was linking in to Travel. Write. Live. I clicked the link and found this.
A list of the “top movers” on Technorati.com in the travel world. Actually, TWL was actually the number one “mover.” Not sure how or why it happened but I thought, “Pretty cool.”

I clicked around a little and then saw a small banner that listed Travel. Write. Live as a top 100 site in Technorati. Even cooler. So I clicked the link and went to a different page. and saw that not only was Travel. Write. Live. in the top 100 travel sites on Technorati, it was in the top ten! I went from pretty cool to super cool.

I took a moment to try to contain myself. Excited does not always describe a feeling well. I realized that rankings like these go up, and then come down, and I know that at some point, and in my case, may come down sooner than I would hope. Still, for the moment, I can claim a “top ten” status in the vast sea of competing web sites. It is a nice pat on the back.

It was at this moment I realized how grateful I am for the readers I have and the folks who stop by and think about travel with me. So, thank you all for taking the time from your lives to ponder about travel, and a writers life with me. I am not as alone as I sometimes think. And while I know the fickle analytics that govern my site will waver, I will gladly take that pat on the back and find gratitude that the ride is not alone.

And now to finish packing for Mexico City.

P.S. Sorry for the likely spelling and grammar mistakes. It is really early here. –dg–

Also, as I mentioned in my last check in, I had broken out the Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America Level 1, version 3.0) for my upcoming trips south of the border. So far I have practiced every day for at least an hour. While I will reserve a final judgment and review until after my last trip in late October, Rosetta Stone is a smart program with a comfortable intuitive sense that makes learning straight forward. On the down side, the software uses a system that requires the user to speak (in some sections) and the computer evaluates the user’s ability to talk. The idea is great, but the technology is clearly not there yet. I have thought maybe my accent is throwing off the machine and I just need to work harder on my pronunciation. However, when I am screaming “hola” into the microphone and the machine repeatedly fails me in the most basic and common of Spanish words, there is a larger problem.

Still celebrating Mexico’s bicentennial, and learning Español, with some new shots from the Pueblos Magicos, the city of Parras.

Overall, a productive week, and now for the coming week of the business side of owning travel publishing.

Travel Writing

I have a new updated “Submission Guidelines” due for ITKT that will hopefully allow new writers easier access to getting their travel stories online faster. I am hopeful that I can create an online form for travel writers to add articles they want to post directly to ITKT. I also want to have new articles prepared for TWL, the Huffington Post, Technorati and Travel Writing Rock Star.

Delegating

I am slowly removing myself from reading articles. And truthfully, this is a good idea. I think I slow down the process and take too much time deliberating over good, or not so good, writing.

Traveling

While still a ways off, China has crept into the picture for a possible November visit. As it would be a first for me and a place drenched in culture and history, China is one of the few places I can get particularly excited about.

As a professional travel writer, there is nothing I would rather do than travel. I even love hating the security lines at the airport. So, when I say that I love resorts, because of the pampering while lounging on exquisite beaches with frosty drinks, I really mean it.

However, there is something amiss when I hear about a traveler “visiting Jamaica” but never leaving the confines of the resort. After all, most international vacationers will travel thousands of miles away from home on holiday. It would make sense to do some exploring of the vacation spot, no? Still, I know quality resorts offer a wide assortments of amenities: from spa to sport to archery to dance lessons and lots of food. There is no reason to leave the resort.

So, in response to arguments about leaving the lap of luxury for the unknown variables beyond the tall, well-manicured hedges of the resort, I offer five good reasons to get the hell out of the resort, at least for a little while, on your next vacation.

Excursions

Most great resorts are near great attractions. Whether it be a UNESCO heritage site, colonial town or ancient ruin, all good resorts will help provide a way to see nearby attractions. Take advantage of the opportunity.

Help the Local Economy

Lots of countries make a significant amount of their gross national product from visiting travelers. While I am not suggesting blowing your vacation bankroll outside of the resort, taking a little to spread the love to local businesses has a direct and positive effect on the local economy, and in many stores this means haggling over price, which can be fun.

Save Money

While I love the pampering I get at the resort, extras like meals, gym and Internet access frequently are offered at a premium. Not that long ago, I stayed at a hotel that wanted to charge me $30 for a single day of Internet — even though I only wanted to briefly check my email. I found an Internet store a block away for 75¢ an hour for a savings of $29.25.

Authentic Food

I know, I know. Most resorts do a good job incorporating local cuisine into meal options so visitors can get a taste of the local fair. Still, some of my favorite food memories include locals taking me to their favorite restaurants. Several years ago, I was in Malaysia and was supposed to have dinner atop the 421-meter high Kuala Lumpur Tower. I craned my neck up at that needle in the sky and felt a pang of vertigo. I asked my group’s driver where he was going for dinner and was able to tag along. The meal turned into the most memorable and authentic of my visit to Malaysia.

Real People

After visiting more than 50 countries, one thing has been proven true — while the resort is a wonderful experience for pampering and idyllic beach-side sunsets, the memories I consistently take home are of the new people I meet along the way. The inspiration for my own online magazine comes from a long lunch with a little woman from St. Lucia — who provided the worst food, but the best company ever.

So next time you’re enjoying a holiday at a great resort, consider a few hours to explore a local community. You’ll be glad you did.

Still the week went well. I had written a letter to the highest contact I could find at my host company and my note made a difference. For the time being, my sites will stay where it is, but I have back up plans. My first Technorati article is live, but have also added it here on TWL. My next article on the Huffington Post is in the queue.

With Mexico’s bicentennial coming up in the near future, these photos from Chichen Itza are for the pics of the week.

And now for the coming week…

Writing

I have new articles into both Technorati and the Huffington Post. Now the project becomes managing writing and time. I am finding that writing away from home, in the library, is a perfect writer’s environment and I have seen some good productivity.

Organizing

As I mentioned earlier, I need some help. I have outlined, or should I say streamlined, the way ITKT is going to do business in the future, now it is time to implement these ideas and speed up processes for writers and readers alike. I want to create a system to have writer submissions turned around within twenty-four hours and loosen some submission guidelines to allow for more content. Change is scary, but necessary.

Traveling

Mexico City came through. So this means Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras in a two month span. While I have a smattering of Spanish, this is a good opportunity to take advance of several weeks of immersion. I have broken out Rosetta Stone and will be working nightly to see what I can learn in the next six weeks.

And how has your week been?
devin

Truthfully, this writing is not an endorsement of the pen because, while super cool, it costs a bundle, more than what I could wrap my head around or afford. I didn’t even touch the display pen as it sparkled behind thick glass. Still, I find meeting new contacts (it was a first for me and the Mont Blanc team) beneficial. I wondered whether Twain would have endorsed such a pricey pen.

Steve Courtney on the left. Hal Holbrook on the right. Twain in the middle.

Beyond the sumptuous hors d’oeuvres and beautiful Rodeo Drive people, there was a short presentation by Steve Courtney of the Mark Twain House & Museum and the presentation of the very first Mont Blanc pen to Hal Holbrook, who may be most famous for doing a one-man show performed as Twain — and performed Twain better than anyone else, I might add. I could not help but enjoy both moments.

For those not familiar with Hal Holbrook’s Twain, please enjoy a taste below.

After chatting with Steve Courtney and Hal Holbrook about Twain while trying to hide how impressed I was by them, I made an abrupt exit from the Mont Blanc boutique in my dust-covered Honda before the beautiful people would see me. As I drove home, I wondered what Twain would have written about this night.

It all started with a simple note from my host server, the company that keeps ITKT and TWL safe and available to read. They wanted to let me know that my “CPU usage” was high. So high, in fact, that they were discussing turning off my sites. They could not tell me how to fix the problem or even point me in the right direction, but needed it done asap.

My aimless quest led me through platforms, themes, scripts, plugins, permalinks, redirects, super caching and many Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups (for emotional support). After a few days of stressing and deep thought, I might have figured the problem out. As of this moment, I am still in a holding pattern waiting to hear from five different tech people to coordinate and confirm.

For those who do not know running a web site frequently means having to wear many hats. The tech hat is the most frustrating by far. For now, I will take a deep breaths and hope for the best. And yes, this whole techy universe feels like a very inexact science at times.

Oddly, the first part of the week was productive. I wrote (one article is for one of the most prestigious web sites in the world) and sent out business proposals. I received my new (snazzy) business cards and interviewed India Tourism for Travel Writing Rockstar.

Writing

Outstanding Japan article needs to finish. I also need to shift my attention to my first ebook about making it in the travel industry as a writer, Travel Writing Rockstar. This means explaining how to get the perks and accessing the part of the travel industry that makes it all worthwhile.

I have also promised a friend to get a “real” book proposal together for her to shop on my behalf. I need three perfected chapters and a good argument why others might want to read it.

Video

Time to start video editing Travel Writing Rockstar. There are now multiple hours of footage to organize and edit.

Technocrap

I am looking to put platforms, themes, scripts, plugins, permalinks, redirects, super caching and many Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups behind me.

This week’s photo is long bridge in Greece. I could use a long bridge right about now. Greece would be pretty nice as well.