When I started within the travel industry, one writer came up often in conversation: David Farley. He was a rock-star writer who taught at NYU and Columbia, wrote for AFAR, National Geographic, the ny Times, and lots of other publications. I always wondered who this guy was. He was almost mythical. He was never at any events.

But, one day, he turned up and, over the years, we became good friends. His writing tips and advice have helped me immensely, and his impressive résumé and keen sense of story are why I partnered with him on this website’s travel writing course.

Unlike me, David may be a more traditional magazine/freelance/newspaper writer. He’s not a blogger. And. today i assumed interview David about his life as a travel writer.

Nomadic Matt: Tell everyone about yourself!

David Farley: a couple of interesting facts about me: My weight at birth was 8 lbs., 6 oz. I grew up within the l. a. suburbs. i used to be during a rock group in high school; we played late-night gigs at Hollywood clubs, and that we weren’t excellent . I travel tons , but I even have no interest in counting the amount of nations I’ve been to.

I’ve lived in San Francisco , Paris, Prague, Berlin, and Rome, but I currently sleep in ny City.

How did you get into travel writing?

The usual way: accidentally . i used to be in grad school and my girlfriend at the time, a writer, proofread one among my 40-page research papers — i feel it had been on the exciting topic of the House Un-American Activities Committee within the 1950s — and afterward she said, “You know, don’t take this the incorrect way, but your writing was better than I expected.”

She encouraged me to write down stuff aside from boring history papers. I heeded her call.

One of the primary stories that got published was a few pig killing I attended during a village on the Czech-Austrian border. then , enough of the stories got published, mostly in travel publications, that by default I became a “travel writer.”

I ended up breaking into Condé Nast Traveler, working my way all the high to the features section, also because the ny Times. Eventually, I wrote a book that Penguin published. Then I expanded my field of interest to food and now I often combine food and travel.

Having done this for about 20 years , one thing I’ve learned is that the “expectations of success” is basically just a myth in our minds. I always thought, for instance , that when I write for the ny Times I’ll have “made it.” Then it happened and didn’t really desire I had done so.

Maybe once I write a feature for an enormous travel magazine? Nope.

Maybe a book published by one among the most important publishing houses within the world? Not really.

The point is: just keep striving within the direction of success and ditch various plateaus you would like to urge to. i feel it’s a way healthier thanks to go.

Do you have any favorite experiences/destinations that you’ve been ready to write about?

I’d long been eager to attend Hanoi to research , report on, and write on the origins of pho. I finally convinced the ny Times to let me roll in the hay in February. it had been amazing and delicious.

But then, as we all know, the pandemic decided to swirl its way round the world, and, as a result, most travel stories—including this one—are rotting away on editors’ hard drives for the nonce .

I’ve been really lucky to convince editors to let me delve deep into some things that I’m fascinated with and/or love like spending fortnight hanging out with the blokes who cremate bodies on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi to ascertain what I could study life and death.

I need to spend a month volunteering during a camp in Greece and write a dispatch about it.

I went cycling across southern Bosnia with four great friends following a motorcycle trail that was carved out of an erstwhile train track.

I got drunk on vodka with old Ukrainian ladies within the ir homes in the Exclusion Zone in Chernobyl.

And I hiked across a swath of Kenya with my uncle, sister, and brother and law for an honest cause: we raised thousands of dollars for an AIDS orphanage there and also need to spend a couple of days with the youngsters .

I could continue and on — which is precisely what makes this a rewarding profession.

What are a number of the most important illusions people have about travel writing?

That you can peel off a feature story for a travel magazine a bit like that [snaps fingers]. It takes tons |most"> such a lot work for every story to urge to the sort of experiences we find yourself writing about — a lot of phone calls and emails to line up interviews and to urge your foot within the door some places.

When a magazine is paying you to travel to an area so you'll come with a stimulating story, you've got to try to to tons of behind-the-scenes work to make sure that you’re getting to have an honest story. It rarely just happens on its own.

Travel stories are essentially a fake or altered reality, filtered through the author and supported what proportion reporting she or he did on the spot, also as her or his past experiences and knowledge about life and therefore the world.

How has the industry changed in recent years? Is it still possible for brand spanking new writers to interrupt into the industry?

Very much. within the previous couple of years, we’ve seen an industry-wide push to be more inclusive of female and BIPOC writers, which may be a great point . The publishing industry – magazines, newspapers, books – is usually able to accept great, new writers.

The key's that you simply , as a writer, got to find out how the industry works first.

So, how do people even set about breaking into the industry?

In the decade approximately I taught travel writing at NYU and Columbia University , the scholars of mine that went on to write down for the ny Times, National Geographic, and other publications weren't necessarily the foremost talented within the class; they were the foremost driven. They really wanted it.

And that made all the difference.

What meaning is that they put enough energy into this endeavor to find out how the sport is played: the way to write a pitch, the way to find an editor’s email address, the way to improve your writing, learning the nuts and bolts of writing, and expertly knowing the market that’s out there for travel articles (i.e. learning the kinds of stories that various publications publish).

It seems there are fewer paying publications lately and it’s harder to seek out work. How does that affect new writers? What can new writers do to face out?

I realize this is often a tough one, but living abroad is basically helpful. you finish up with such a lot material for private essays and you gain a knowledge of the region that permits you to become something of an authority on the world . It gives you a leg abreast of people who are pitching stories that place.

That said, you don’t need to go far to write down about travel. you'll write on the place where you reside .

After all, people travel there, right? you'll write everything from magazine and newspaper travel section pieces to non-public essays, all about where you’re currently residing.

How does one think COVID-19 will affect the industry?

There’s little question that the pandemic has put a hold on travel writing a touch . People are still writing about travel but it’s mostly been pandemic-related stories. That said, nobody knows what the longer term holds. Which during a perverse way–not almost the travel writing industry but within the bigger picture as well–makes life and reality quite interesting too.

And while many of us are losing their jobs and magazines are folding, I even have a sense the industry will recover . It just won't be over night. Which is why it’s an ideal time to create up those writing chops. you'll also shift your focus for the nonce to writing about local places and about other niches (food, tech, lifestyle) supported your expertise and interest.

What can new writers do now to enhance their writing?

Read. A lot. And don’t just read, but read sort of a writer.

Deconstruct the piece in your mind as you’re reading.

Pay attention to how the author has structured her or his piece, how they opened it and concluded it then on. Also, read books on good writing.

This really helped me tons once I was first starting out.

For most folks , lecture strangers isn't easy. Plus, our moms told us to not do so. But the simplest travel stories are people who are most reported. therefore the more we ask people, the more likely other opportunities arise and therefore the more material you've got to figure with. It makes the writing of the story such a lot easier.

Sometimes you’ll be right within the middle of a situation and think: this is able to make an excellent opening to my story. My good friend Spud Hilton, former travel editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, says that the dirty secret to good travel writing is that bad experiences make the simplest stories. this is often true, but please don’t put yourself during a bad situation only for your writing. you'll write an excellent piece without having to urge your wallet stolen or losing your passport.

What books does one suggest new travel writers read?

There are a couple of books out there on the way to be a travel writer, but they’re all embarrassingly abysmal. For me, I write William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” and James B. Stewart’s “Follow the Story” once I was first starting out and that they were very helpful.

For a memoir or personal essay, Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” is superb .

For great travel books, it depends on what your interests are. For history-laden travel, anything by Tony Perrottet and David Grann are incredible; for humor, David Sedaris, A.A. Gill, Bill Bryson, and J. Maarten Troost; for just straight-up great writing, Didion , Susan Orlean, and Jan Morris.

I highly recommend reading your way through the series of annual Best American Travel Writing anthologies.

Where does one find inspiration for your articles? What motivates you?

I get my motivation and inspiration from unlikely sources. i feel about the creative masters and wonder how I can tap into their genius.

What did Austrian painter Egon Schiele see when he checked out a topic then the canvas?

How did Prince put out an album a year from 1981 to 1989, all a masterpiece and every one cutting-edge and like nothing anyone else at the time was doing?

Is there how to use this creativity to travel writing?

I’m not saying I’m on par with these geniuses — faraway from it — but if I could somehow even slightly be inspired by their creativity, I’d be more happy for it.

More specifically for the articles that I find yourself writing, tons of it just falls into my lap. The key, though, is recognizing it’s a story. a lover will casually mention some weird facts a few place within the world and it’s our job to require that fact and ask yourself: is there a story there?

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