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Today Norm Goldman Editor of Sketchandtravel.com and Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest travel journalist, Emma Jones.
Emma has written a wide variety of articles for national publications as well as working as a contributing editor for insight guides and on the award winning TV series Globe Trekker.
She is here today to share her knowledge about London, England.
Good day Emma and thanks for agreeing to participate in our interview.
Norm:
Please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background. When did your passion for travel writing begin? What keeps you going?
Emma:
While I was working in France during my first university summer, I rang my mum to tell her I was quitting my Journalism degree to drive to Morocco with some friends I'd just met. She persuaded me to return but two years later I made the journey by hitch hiking from London to Tangier.
After graduating I tried to quench my thirst for travel by working on cruise ships. The job took me all over the world but when I left to settle back on land I couldn't sit still.
Eventually, the light bulb went on, I combined the journalism with my passion for travel and 45 countries later I am still in search of my next adventure.
Norm:
How do you come up with ideas for what you write? What methods do you use to flesh out your idea to determine if it's salable?
Emma:
Ideas come to me through a conversation with a friend, from something I read on the tube or perhaps randomly when I am making dinner. They bounce around my head for a while, almost developing subconsciously, before I put them down on paper.
I try to start by channeling ideas to a specific market and then, like a spider diagram, work off the original idea to find other articles I can write from the same base.
I usually have lot of ideas in various stages of development and an event or experience might bring one to the surface. I believe all ideas are salable, it is just finding the right market and the best angle on the story.
Norm:
London is probably one of the most fascinating cities in the world. As our readers are always interested in romantic getaways, I wonder if you could name and describe 8 of the most romantic venues in London. Why are they romantic?
Emma:
In my opinion (though a little biased!) London is the most fascinating city in the world. From history and culture, to nightlife, food and open spaces. If you want it, London has got it.
As for romantic venues, here are my top picks.
· Oxo Tower Restaurant: This restaurant is set at the top of the Oxo tower on the south bank with beautiful views across the Thames and London. The floor to ceiling windows, live piano music and intimate atmosphere provide the perfect romantic dinner setting.
· Primrose Hill at sunset: Wide open space, the city lights and a glowing horizon. Just pure romance!
· London Eye: Again, it is all about views. The slow rotation round gives a 360 degree view of the city and is breathtaking, especially at night. For the ultimate private ride you can hire out an entire capsule.
· Somerset House ice rink: There is just something about being wrapped up for winter that is romantic. Add the old elegant surroundings of Somerset house and it feels like you are in a Jane Austen novel.
· Regent's Park open air theatre / Globe theatre: I can't decide between these two but they are too similar to include separately. Being in the open air, watching a Shakespeare play in one of these beautiful venues is like falling in love all over again.
· Hyde park boat lake: You don't need to recite poetry or strum a fiddle for this to be a romantic afternoon. Out on the lake it feels a world away from the centre of London.
· Little Venice: A lovely little corner of London with interlocking canals and a quaint Mediterranean feel.
· Greenwich Observatory: This is where time begins. Just the thought of that is romantic to me. Couple that with the lovely old house and large gardens that the observatory overlooks and it makes it in my top 8.
Norm:
Is traveling in London safe? How easy is it to get around London? How expensive is traveling in London and could you suggest how to minimize expenses?
Emma:
That's a lot of issues! Forgive me if I ramble on a bit here.
Yes traveling in London is safe. Although obviously, like in every big city, you have to be sensible and aware of your surroundings. Research after the London bombings shows that visitors to the city are not deterred by the terrorist attacks and with heightened security and a stronger police presence, the city actually feels safer.
London has one of the most extensive underground networks in the world and it is easy to navigate around. The bus system is also good and a great way to get an overview of the city.
Yes, it is a very expensive place to visit and accommodation is the greatest cost. Try and stay outside the centre where rooms are cheaper and with tubes running until 12.30am and many night buses, it is easy to get back even if you want to see a show or visit some bars. Buying a weekly travel card is the most economical way to get around and gives you unlimited access to all the city's transport.
Also, I know it sounds boring, but plan your meals. Bringing sandwiches for lunch is a great way to save money or if not then step away from the tourist trail for something to eat. Places such as Chinatown do good set price meals or look out for pre-theatre offers. Toptable.co.uk is a great place to get discount rates of up to 50%.
When it comes to visiting the sights, this is actually the cheap part. Nearly all museums and art galleries are free and many major attractions such as Buckingham Palace and Westminster can be appreciated from the outside. The tour buses can be fun but exploring the city on foot gives the best insight as you will always stumble across a building or exhibition not mentioned in the guide books.
Other great places to visit are the many markets which convey the cosmopolitan vibe of the city. Borough market for food, Columbia flower market or Portobello antiques are a fantastic way to while away the hours and get a true taste of London life and all for free!
My best advice would be to plan your trip well. If you know where you are going, how you are going to get there and what you are going to eat then you won't be tempted to splash out on unnecessary costs.
The expense doesn't have to be prohibitive and shouldn't put anyone off visiting this fantastic city. Remember: If you are bored of London, you are bored of life.
Norm:
As you are a very experienced travel writer, can you tell us what editors typically look for in a magazine/book query letter/proposal?
Emma:
I think if any of us could figure out the minds of editors we would all be a lot richer and would bottle the formula and sell it!
A well thought out, authoritative and engaging query, geared directly to the target publication is always a good place to start. The rest is a little bit of x factor, building relationships and landing on the desk at just the right moment.
Norm:
What challenges or obstacles do you encounter while traveling and writing your articles? How do you overcome these challenges?
Emma:
I guess the biggest challenge is things not going to plan. You have to develop the ability to think on your feet, change the slant of a story and overcome difficulties while a long way away from the office.
When writing the biggest obstacle is writer's block. Sometimes the words just flow and other times you can stare at a blank screen for hours. I deal with this by getting up, going for a walk, cooking, dancing, shopping doing something totally unrelated and I find the answer tends to come to me when I stop concentrating on the problem.
Norm:
What is the biggest reward of life as a travel writer and what does travel mean to you?
Emma:
Travel excites me. Talking about it, reading about it, writing about it and actually doing it. The best piece of advice I have been given in life is find something you enjoy doing and then get paid to do it.Travel and writing are those things and if I wasn't doing one I would be doing the other.
The best reward is constantly exploring new places, meeting new people and having new adventures. These can be as small as discovering a great back street café or as big as quad biking across the Namibian desert. I believe in the saying The world is a book and those who don't travel read only a page.
Norm:
What is next for Emma Jones and is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered.
Emma:
I am off to Malawi next month and then to spend a few months in New York, another of my favorite cities. Early next year I am planning to volunteer in an orphanage in Peru and I am also in the process of writing a book about life below decks on cruise ships. It's a hard life, but someone's got to do it!
If anyone wants to get in touch they can reach me at mj_emmajones@hotmail.com and hopefully my website should be up and running in the near future.
Thanks once again Emma and good luck with all of your future endeavors.
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