The Sunday Check In, 9/5

Devin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:26:07 +0000

The last week has been about organizing and delegating work so I could more effectively focus on the larger picture items in expanding both In The Know Traveler and Travel. Write. Live. I am fortunate to have several editors helping me catch up with the mundane overload of submissions. I am grateful for the consistent response, but it is the first thing to fall behind when work piles up. However, I am now committed to changing the system that handles responding to new articles in a much faster way. I think long-term that faster response will help build a stronger community at ITKT.

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.

In Photos: Pueblos Magicos

Devin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:19:50 +0000

It was a lot of long van rides through the desert and its summer heat in the quest of finding the Pueblos Magicos, Magic Towns, of Mexico. The Pueblos Magicos are 35 towns in Mexico that are promoted by the tourism board as having history, culture and beauty making them ideal stops for travelers looking to get a sense of Mexico. Sadly, the journalists along for the ride complained about everything: the food, the accommodations, the van, the heat, the organization of the press trip and anything that wasn’t perfect. In all my time as a travel writer it was the worst group of writers ever. However, there were a few really nice towns to visit. Parras, Santiago, Saltillo and Monterey (Saltillo and Monterey are not classified as Pueblos Magicos, but are still nice places to visit) were among them. Here are a handful of my favorite photos from that trip.

For more on the Pueblos Magicos. It is an older article, but still good for the basics.

Travel. Write. Live. » Parras Mexico

The Sunday Check In, 9/5

Travel Writing

Delegating

Traveling

In Photos: Pueblos Magicos