Interview with Leif Pettersen
Nomadic Matt: First of all, what you gave wanderlust
Leif Pettersen: I relaxed into it. It started with a few trips friends in Mexico to visit in my youth and shipped for six weeks Language / Culture program at 18 from Norway. A quarter of theater and literature in London is to study at 22, when the bomb went off really. A chance encounter won me a job as a cameraman for a new on-site cooking show. We went for six weeks to tape to Morocco the pilot. I was left on my own while she worked and camped (and ultimately failed to sell) the show, during the time I staggered through Spain, France, the Netherlands and Norway again. After nine months of work back in the United States Temp jobs and hoarding cash, I have a real backpacking trip in Europe, and since then I have incurable
NM :. How did you move from intrepid travelers travel writer?
I had fascinated with travel literature since a friend at school has me Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, who is still regarded as one of my favorites to read travel writing of all time. In my late 20s, I messed around with writing on my own - to this day I've never done a writing class of any kind - but I would have been paid never to write, unless you count acclaimed application manuals for the Federal reserve Bank system. So at 33 I sold everything I owned, bought a plane ticket and padded into the fray. I strongly suspected that I would return home and not published in a few years completely broke, but happiness and confused perseverance prevailed and five years later I am still
NM :. You travel a lot and Romania country seems to get a lot of attention lately. Do you think it will ruin? Will people on the talks to "Romania at that time", as they do about Thailand?
After decades (centuries in some cases) by an invisible hand leaning on Romania "Pause" button, change happens quickly. EU membership has the usual frantic action brought: infrastructure, roads, utilities and freakish inflation. Romania has always ruining quite effective even without outside help, but the half-hearted attempts at EU appeasement (eg enforcement of laws that the average farmer or outlawing horse cart on major roads cripple), while clear on things kicking back like corruption high-level has painful to watch. And frankly, until recently, to visit Romania was a resolve-examination pain in the ass, reserved only for the most patient and dedicated backpackers. But Romania is a great place for European standards and there is a ridiculous amount of incredible things to see and do, so I do not think that it is destroyed in immediate danger due to tourism, a few select attractions notwithstanding. To achieve this, they would actually recognize tourism as a legitimate industry and provide the right infrastructure. Bafflingly missing Bucharest nor any kind of tourist office
NM :. I am now reading the Thomas Kohnstamm book. He gives the impression that, at least for Travel Publications, is a real simple low payment, rushed experience, superficial reviews. Do you think that's true? not
. I have only a sense of urgency on the one guide job (so far), and that was only because the first author, ill and I rushed into the yarn pick. At the time, to work, I have, the project ran almost six weeks behind schedule. But some Badass heroics on my behalf, careful work delegation with a second author and an extension of time has given me a lot of research and write-up time at the end.
What the compensation, it is not a long time to take the numbers and piece together a fairly accurate estimate of your daily expenses and then baste, what you feel is a fair weekly fee to run. It is simply a matter of running around and reasonable negotiations. At the end, if you can not come to an agreement on the fee, there is always the possibility to say "no." Bottom line, act like a professional, and you will be treated (usually) like a pro.
NM: use most travelers, including myself, the Internet as a main source of information. Do you think the Internet is going paper guides to the way of the dodo?
My very narrow view is that printed guides are to make to the king and will probably continue to rule for at least another decade. With the exception of a few specific target sites easily online resources can not match the reliability, accuracy, completeness and impartial reviews (as compared to wide, user-generated content sites, lavish failed on all four the) compete. But the technology, delivery and consumer preferences go to drastically all in the very near future influence. While some travel writers fear death of printed media (because it is the best paying gig at the moment), I actually think the digital guide evolution create more opportunities for travel writers who pay eventually as well. The catch is that this content will not be nearly as rich in quality, until they begin to pay a wage that professional writers will attract. But they can not do that does not happen to online revenue streams and ramp that is, to print receipts an important transition makes online ... it's a vicious circle. Something eventually has to break
You know, maybe it's wrong, but I have very few stories that could be "crazy" understood even remotely as. But crazy about what never ceases to amaze me how people who can not even manage a cup of coffee on her own street without breakdown buy to maintain themselves, to international destinations (and presumably also at home) without repeatedly accidentally kill a day. You know who I am talking about those people who should be stopped at the border when they tried to leave their country and escorted back to what halfway house she escaped. Where do these people come from? It keeps me in the night
NM :. Any chance you will have your own book publish
This is like a crackhead asking whether he wants it with the $ 20 to score? just found. I know I have the chops got a book (make that more books) to write that will be so nice and funny that you want to smoke a cigarette and change your underwear after each chapter. And with print media emphysema with each year getting worse, I feel a deep urgency to get started. Unfortunately I have no takers just yet found. Sorry to go somewhere that Bill Bryson days and amused the high jinks recounting you have fallen into long gone. These days publishers not even your book be open proposal if a columnist New York Times were 15 years or may have a killer hook as you got whipped pistol to a dump in the back seat of a police car while taking try to smuggle a panda from China, the occupation of Tibet and global warming protest. So the burden of proof is to dream on me the hook, but openly to take the stimulus and practical necessity to pay work has kept me too busy to give it much thought. Maybe some nice millionaire reading this who would like to support me as long as it ignite the genius concept takes
NM: Everyone dreams of being a writer a trip. What advice would you give to new writers who start job?
The unfortunate fact is that out of every travel writer, that it has the true ability of a living wage to ask, there are 25 cliché confused, alliteration junkies that nothing works for virtually anything. And for this price, many editors will swallow and even encourage this kind of hack work. So break and make an honest living means nothing but manic commitment. I will not advise anyone to quit their day job, but it is almost a necessity. Nights and weekends are not enough, unless your only goal is to see your name in print a few times a year to that is admittedly a nice buzz no matter how jaded you are. Writing every day is crucial and a lot only slightly fewer trips like this. Find an uncrowded niche, especially in the beginning. In my case, a summer in Romania turned into a contract Lonely Planet, while visiting 18 European countries in six months become nothing.
If you decide to quit your job and jump into the deep end, unless you start with good contacts, extraordinary talent and / or an indication, it is likely that money for at least will lose a year, while you build your name, so prepare yourself. Finally, carefully open. You're more likely to get by spending a whole day on a single, well-researched, laser-guided machine pitch as published 50 blind, public places in the same amount of time Gunning.
Leif Pettersen is currently in Romania for Lonely Planet on a guide work. You can his rantings and ravings and his sharp wit on his website, Killing Batteries .
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