Description
Travel, and travel writing, can be complicated. Climate change, issues such as overtourism and its effect on housing and local infrastructure, socio-cultural changes, and geopolitics all shape how we travel and, subsequently, what we write and how we write it. We also know tourism is a huge industry that supports many communities, many of which are disproportionately affected by the issues mentioned. So how do you write about the joy of travel, but meaningfully, responsibly, and with clarity?
This free webinar is a continuation of August’s webinar – Ethics and dilemmas in travel writing today: No-pay/low-pay, AI, editorial integrity, conflict of interest and more which you can watch for free here. This topic was on the agenda but time wasn’t on our side…
Questions we’ll attempt to answer
How do you combine travel writing with the issue of overtourism? Whether it’s environmental concerns over cruise ships in Antaractica or the numbers of visitors in cities such as Barcelona and Amsterdam, how do we decide whether to go? And if we do, what are the best ways we can write about these places?
Climate change, positive tourism and travel writing: For many years, travel writing in many publications has been going beyond ‘the fluff’. Yes, you can stay in a gorgeous hotel and eat incredible food, but there’s increased focus on e.g. conservation, carbon emissions, community benefits, food waste, cruise ships, as journalists dig into stats and science alongside the travel experience. How do you pitch and combine this effectively?
To go, not to go and when to go: We have seen first-hand the impact of travel bans, foreign office advisories and the effects of war, conflict and genocide on places and people. What questions do travel journalists need to be asking? Who should travel writers be talking and listening to? How do you make the ‘right’ decision?
Joining me are: Yulia Denisyuk a journalist whose works covers travel at the intersection of today’s biggest challenges like social justice and climate change; Damien Gabet who has been combining environmental issues such as plastic waste and the politics of private land ownership into his travel writing and broadcasts with an approach that’s both light-touch and serious approach; and Kavita Kanan Chandra, an award-winning journalist and travel writer, and member of OCJN (Oxford Climate Journalism Network) with a focus on solutions journalism.
This webinar is sponsored by Adventure Travel Networking (ATN) and supported by Talking Travel Writing (TTW).
The panellists
Yulia Denisyuk is an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, writer, Telly-Award-winning filmmaker, and podcast host who turned to travel and culture journalism after serving in the US military and working as a Fortune 500 brand manager. With bylines in The New York Times, National Geographic, TIME, Condé Nast Traveller, BBC Travel and more, Yulia’s work spotlights under-represented communities and prioritizes ethical storytelling that helps travelers move through the world with awareness and context. On her Going Places platform, Yulia covers travel at the intersection of today’s biggest challenges like social justice and climate change, with Indigenous perspectives at the forefront. She also teaches travel media and storytelling workshops around the world, leads trips, and speaks at conferences and events.
Website: yulia-denisyuk.com
Follow Yulia on LinkedIn and Instagram
Damien Gabet is a travel writer, presenter and storytelling speaker with a flair for offbeat travel and cultural storytelling. Whether cycling 1,000 miles in the shape of a Lucozade bottle, surviving the World Hair Freezing Championships or wild camping across Britain to raise awareness for Right to Roam, his adventures have appeared in The Guardian, The Times and Condé Nast Traveller, Lonely Planet and Adventure.com, and harness the power of honest, offbeat storytelling with stories that are peculiar, persuasive and purposeful. Damien also writes Errant, a Substack newsletter exploring strange and soulful corners of the world, is a fluent French speaker, and a trustee of Future Academy UK, a non-profit supporting refugee access to higher education.
Follow Damien on Instagram
Kavita Kanan Chandra is an award-winning freelance journalist/ travel writer based in India and a member of OCJN (Oxford Climate Journalism Network) whose travel journalism explores Indigenous foodways to the future of sustainable travel. With a focus on solutions journalism, she writes across genres, spanning the environment, climate change, grassroots innovations, gender, travel, food, art & culture, and more. She has lived in over 10 cities and travelled extensively across India.  Over her 25-year journalism career, she’s covered everything from women’s role in the agri-food system to India’s transition to renewable energy to the need for responsible tourism. With bylines in The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Condé Nast Traveller, Travel + Leisure, Climate Action Live, Good Food Movement, and several others.
Follow Kavita on LinkedIn and Instagram
Meera Dattani is the founder and presenter of Travel Writing Webinars, executive editor at Adventure.com, and a freelance travel and culture journalist with bylines in Condé Nast Traveller, National Geographic Traveller, GreenTraveller, Travel Weekly, Olive magazine, and others. Former Chair and Events Director of the British Guild of Travel Writers, she is also a mentor, awards judge, and a speaker and moderator on external panels about travel writing, sustainable tourism and other travel media topics.
Website: meeradattani.com
Follow on LinkedIn and Instagram
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This is the 14th in a series of informal webinars aimed at travel writers. This session is sponsored by Adventure Travel Networking (ATN), an award-winning organisation founded by Pru Goudie that promotes adventure and experiential travel with a positive impact. As well as an annual two-day hybrid Conference & Marketplace in London each February, the twice-a-year spring/autumn ATN Media Meet-up connects the adventure travel community with key travel media during an informal networking event with a panel session. If you write about positive impact adventure/experiential travel, contact Pru here. Follow ATN on LinkedIn.
The webinar is supported by Talking Travel Writing. TTW is a Substack newsletter that promises to demystify the travel media for freelancers forging a career in travel writing. Follow on LinkedIn and Instagram.
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Travel Writing Webinars pays self-employed/freelance panellists and/or makes a donation to TTW’s mentorship scheme. The usual £6 fee or donations are to cover tech/software, time, panellist fees etc. More info here or email travelwritingwebinars@gmail.com
All previous webinars are available here. Past sessions include topics such as how to be a better ‘sustainable travel’ journalist, working with PRs and navigating press trip coverage, write sparkling copy that gets you re-commissioned, pitching smarter and better, how to use data and trends in travel writing, and mental health and wellbeing (free webinar) and ethics and dilemmas in travel writing today (free webinar).
