Travel Maven Blog ...... David Molyneaux posts from TheTravelMavens.com

Best of travel journalism

Los Angeles Times travel blogger Jen Leo has collected some of the story links to the winning entries from the 2008 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition. Winner Catharine Hamm, L.A. Times Travel editor, described the awards as “our Pulitzer.”

You'll find some great reads, from the Boston Globe's revealing article about Alice Brock, of "Alice's Restaurant" fame in the 1966 Arlo Guthrie anti-war song, to an investigative story on "The Long Trail to Jail" in Backpacker Magazine. 

For links, CLICK

The Lowell Thomas contest awards nearly $20,000 annually to North American journalists, overseen by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. Contributions to the non-profit Foundation's endowment fund for the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition are welcome at the Web site or contact administrator Mary Lu Abbott, [email protected].

Transparency note: David Molyneaux is president of the SATW Foundation. 

Check out the Travel auction

From weekend getaways to cruising the Nile or brousing through the art cities of Flanders, travel packages with bargain possibilities are Up For Auction at a Website managed by the Society of American Travel Writers.

Each year, SATW, an association of travel journalists and public relations people in the travel business, invites the public to bid on a selection of trips and destinations donated to SATW.

You'll find choices from five star hotels and resorts to gift baskets. Values of the donated items range from $50 to $5,422.
 
The auction works similar to Ebay and other online auctions. Browsers and bidders will log on to SATWAuction. With a specially created ID and password, you may bid as often as you want. The auction will be updated in real time. Bidding closes at midnight EDT on Nov. 20.

From weekend getaways to cruising the Nile or brousing through the art cities of Flanders, travel packages with bargain possibilities are Up For Auction at a Website managed by the Society of American Travel Writers.

Each year, SATW, an association of travel journalists and public relations people in the travel business, invites the public to bid on a selection of trips and destinations donated to SATW.

You'll find choices from five star hotels and resorts to gift baskets. Values of the donated items range from $50 to $5,422.
 
The auction works similar to Ebay and other online auctions. Browsers and bidders will log on to SATWAuction. With a specially created ID and password, you may bid as often as you want. The auction will be updated in real time. Bidding closes at midnight EDT on Nov. 20.

Talking travel and turkey in Houston

I am in Houston for the annual convention of the Society of American Travel Writers.

SATW is a group of writers, editors, photographers, and audio and video folks who travel the world, relaying  their reports to other travelers, as well as many readers and viewers who seldom leave their armchairs. I have been writing about travel for more than 25 years, a nice gig, but it doesn't pay much.

Once a year, travel journalists meet with public relations people representing destinations and businesses that concentrate on leisure travel. It's my opportunity to listen and to learn about changes and trends that will impact vacationers. I will pass on some of those gleanings after the convention.

Thanks for a tiny turkey sandwich

I flew to Houston last week from Cleveland, Ohio, where, because of traffic I didn't have time to grab a lunch to go before getting on the plane.

Not to worry, because Continental Airlines is one of the few carriers that provides food at mealtime. On my 12:40 p.m. flight, we coach class passengers got a small turkey sandwich, a bag of Fritos and small chocolate bar. With a cup of tomato juice, that was a better lunch than I have overpaid for in some restaurants.

Don't know whether anyone else tells Continental thanks for a small deli turkey sandwich, but I did.

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Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, golf, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.

National Geographic Adventure tops Lowell Thomas Awards

Houston, Texas

National Geographic Adventure magazine ran away with top honors today at the presentation of the 24th annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition.

National Geographic Adventure is well-edited and well-researched, which impressed the judges, as the magazine gathered 10 awards, including Best Travel Magazine.

Among newspapers -- a dying breed in travel journalism -- the Boston Globe won five awards, including the gold for Online Travel Journalism and the gold for Special Projects, combining traditional print journalism with high-quality video, sound and photojournalism on the Web.

Travel Journalist of the Year is Christopher Baker, a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in articles and guidebooks on the Caribbean, with a concentration on Cuba and Costa Rica. Baker will receive $1,500. In the grand-award category, the silver went to Jane Wooldridge, travel editor of the Miami Herald. The bronze was awarded to freelance journalist Sarah Wildman.

New categories this year included broadcast, won by Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman for their work on XM Satellite Radio, and video, won by Joseph Rosendo for shows on PBS TV stations.

The contest is overseen by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation (www.satwfoundation.org) and was judged by the faculty at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Travelers are reading on the Internet

I am president of the SATW Foundation. Our goal is to recognize and reward the best of travel journalism in all its forms, including print, the Internet, audio and video. Each year, travelers explore farther, beyond traditional places, for information, expertise and authenticity in the journals of fellow travelers. And each year, journalists find new ways to provide insights, reviews and good reads to the traveling public.

Total prize money for individual winners this year was nearly $20,000. Among the winners:

Newspapers: The Chicago Tribune and  Seattle Times won multiple awards. The Los Angeles Times earned the gold for Best Newspaper Travel Section with a circulation of at least 500,000; the Houston Chronicle won silver, the Boston Globe bronze. In the circulation class of 350,000 to 499,999, the Globe and Mail in Toronto took gold, the St. Petersburg Times silver, the Miami Herald bronze and the Cleveland Plain Dealer honorable mention. For circulation under 350,000, The New Orleans Times-Picayune earned gold, California’s Orange County Register silver, Fort Worth Star-Telegram bronze and Ottawa Citizen honorable mention.

Travel magazines: National Geographic Traveler, Departures and Budget Travel each won multiple awards. Travel + Leisure, Brides Magazine, and Coastal Living won awards.

Online Travel Journalism Sites: BudgetTravel.com, from Budget Travel, won silver. Southernliving.com/southernbyways, from Southern Living, won bronze.

Travel books: The gold winner for best travel book was “Encounters with the Middle East,” Nesreen Khashan and Jim Bowman, editors, published by Travelers’ Tales/Solas House. The gold winner for best guidebook was “Secret Hotels,” by Erik Torkells and the editors of Budget Travel, Stewart, Tabori & Chang

The competition is open to all North American journalists. First-place gold winners in individual categories each receive $500. Silver and bronze winners are awarded $250 and $150, respectively. The awards are named for Lowell Thomas, acclaimed broadcast journalist, prolific author and world explorer during five decades in travel journalism.

A list of the winners and the judges’ comments are available on the Foundation Web site, www.satwfoundation.org, or from the Foundation administrator, Mary Lu Abbott, at [email protected]. For information about the contest or the Foundation, visit the Web site. For information about SATW, visit the organization’s Web site, www.satw.org.

For a free subscription to Travel Maven, type your email address in the box at right or add an RSS feed, upper right.

Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net. CLICK for articles on cruising, golf, Florida, Europe, adventure and travel gear and gadgets.