Where are you based?
Charlottesville, Virginia, about two hours southwest of Washington, D.C., on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
What topics and places do you cover?
That's a surprisingly tricky question. I'm drawn to feature stories with a travel element. Not traditional travel pieces, but stories that make you so interested in a place that you want to visit. As for topics, they vary wildly, but they often involve history or science, or culture. Not the boring stuff — but the fun, surprising tales people find fascinating.
I often write about the U.S. South, particularly about civil rights history. (I've been running a website, CivilRightsTravel.com, for 15 years.) I also love writing about geography, cities, parks, ideas, modern history, and food, and sometimes the intersection of all of them.
What you don't write about.
I don't know if there's anything I'd rule out completely. I'd say theoretical physics, but then again, I did write a BBC piece about the medieval Swiss clock that changed the meaning of time.
What outlets do you usually pitch (and write for)?
BBC, Garden & Gun, AARP, AAA, InsideHook, Fodor's, Southbound. I've also had work in the Washington Post, Nat Geo, Afar, and many others.
The best PR pitches include ...
A surprise. A hook or angle, or focus that I didn't know about. In short, something that's not obvious. Something unexpected.
Are you in-house or freelance (or both)?
Freelance
What is your approach to press trips?
I'll take them, but I'm pretty selective, especially with group trips. I need to be able to chase my own story, and not just visit a laundry list of places.
What are your professional pet peeves?
Hmm, I'm not sure I have many … maybe pitches that are exaggerated, cookie-cutter, or just don't hold up.
In your past professional life, you were …
A newspaper journalist covering politics and government in Kentucky; Vancouver, Canada; and for the Dallas Morning News in Texas. But the more time I spent with politicians, the less I liked them. I found I was happiest writing feature stories. Travel was an easy jump from there, which led to editing the travel section in Dallas and later Coastal Living magazine.
Where would you like to return to?
Australia. I've only seen a fraction of the country, and I find it endlessly fascinating – I still don't understand how kangaroos work.
What's on your bucket list?
Ohh, I'm wary of bucket lists. There are plenty of places I want to visit (Vietnam, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, to name a few), but frankly – and I know this sounds lame — my favorite place is the next place I'm going.
Where do you travel for fun?
Pretty much anywhere with my family, preferably outdoors and hiking. I try to spend some time every year in Crested Butte, Colorado, but I love cities of all sizes.
Your funniest (or most harrowing) travel story is …
I don't think I've put my life at risk, but I have made a fool of myself on many continents.
On Réunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean, I once ended up on local TV because a visiting travel journalist was a novelty. The reporter and I hiked to a waterfall, and when our conversation lagged, I tried to fill the silence. Pointing to my rope, the steep trail, and the jungle around us, the only French phrase I could muster was: Je suis Indiana Jones. I meant it as a joke, but the reporter had me repeat it again and again. By that evening's broadcast, I was the island's punchline.
What advice would you give your younger professional self?
Trust your judgment and take risks. If you find yourself literally and figuratively out there and by yourself, you're on the right track. If you think it's a story, it is. (I still have to give that advice to myself now.)
What nugget would you like to add that we haven't touched on?
Our industry is constantly changing. I've seen it go from print to digital and now to a world soon to be dominated by AI. The only constant is storytelling. People are drawn to tales that engage and surprise them. That's where I see our future.
How best should people contact you?
Find me on TravMedia.
