Interview: Randy Curwen

Nana: Aside from Strahan, Tasmania, which you named the "Best Little Town in the World", what are some other favorite destinations?

Randy: 1. Paris, because it's the most beautiful city in the world. 2. Thailand, because it's a completely different experience yet quite approachable (and the people ARE very nice). 3. The Galapagos Islands, because they in 1975 were my first truly exotic destination... and I'm not sure any trip will ever top the experience. 4. Wisconsin, because--ok, it's my home state, but it really is Americana writ large (but I could do without the winters). Too many other places to mention...

Randy Curwen and sisters.

Nana: Please name a destination you think is under-explored.

Randy: Among U.S. cities, Pittsburgh (still a bit down on its heels, but oh, the great old buildings...) and Philadelphia (yes, it gets a fair number of tourists, but if it weren't so much in New York's shadows, it might get more). Just a coincidence they're in the same state. Foreign places... South America, the entire continent.

Nana: In the long term, do you feel that good travel writing hinders or helps "undiscovered destinations"?

Randy: If it's being written about, it really isn't undiscovered any longer. I get lots of stories on places "nobody has ever been"; usually there's a very good reason why.

Nana: You must receive hundreds of submissions weekly. What makes a strong beginning paragraph and what elements must the story have?

Randy: I'm pretty jaded, so I assume anything that keeps me reading after the first paragraph might do the same for readers. But that, of course, is only the start. A really good story shouldn't leave anything dangling, and should seem to read like its effortless--which, of course, it isn't.

Nana: What are some of the biggest obstacles travel writers face today, and has this changed in the last ten years?

Randy: Just the volume of stuff out there--especially now with blogs and the internet--makes it harder to find an audience and stand out from the crowd. So, yes, that has gotten harder.

Nana: It's no secret that most travel writers are in the lower income bracket. Is it possible then, for the writer to produce a good story on a destination if he/she has not been there? Is it possible to become a travel writer if one cannot afford to travel?

Randy: It depends on what type of "travel" writing you're talking about. Consumer things, round-ups, lists; those can be done from at home. But to write about a destination... no, you can't do that without visiting it. But you can write about travel in your own backyard.

Nana: What is your feeling about press trips and comps?

Randy: I am very grateful that the Tribune doesn't take press trips or comps--AND provides me with a budget to send my staff places on our own dime. But I realize that's a luxury not every publication has. Press trips/comps are a necessary evil for many.

Nana: What advice and/or warning would you offer a young travel writer just starting out?

Randy: Do it because you love it, not because you expect to make a living at it.

Nana: What do you consider the primary merits or benefits of working as a travel editor?

Randy: Working in a field I love! Traveling (sometimes). Talking about traveling with anybody who passes by, and not having it considered "loafing." The list goes on... It truly is about as close to a dream job as you can get at a newspaper.

Nana: And, finally my last question, what should be the point of traveling?

Randy: To get away!