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WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE PART 2 & 3 OF TOXIC GARBAGE ISLAND? RATE THIS VIDEO TO VOTE FOR MORE!

Photo: Rutger de Moddertukker

IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD YET, new FTC guidelines will be going into place beginning Dec. 1. These guidelines include, among other things, a mandate on disclosing any and all paid sponsorships or endorsements.

From the FTC Guide:

“The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. . . . Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.”

While many bloggers such as Marty Dickinson are bemoaning the impending regulations, some of us in the travel writing are looking at them as a step in the right direction. With full disclosure now being federally mandated, there seems to be more of a chance that current industry policies forbidding travel writers from taking comps will be revised, giving travel writers more freedom in looking for / accepting stories, and perhaps more to the point, earning a living.

How you answer Dickinson’s question about the regulations–”why would it be important for people to know that you’re getting a commission payment for a referral?” will probably determine how you feel overall about the issue.

The point is less about money and more about about transparency. After looking at this issue (or at least trying to) from all sides, I came up with a manifesto of sorts called Material Transparency.

I argued that bloggers and writers not only embrace the impending FTC regulations on material connections, but expand the concept into an overall aesthetic of transparency in their other connections, their crew, their companies, all as a way of defining and helping exhibit / promote their personal brand.

In what ways, if any, will these upcoming regulations affect your work as a writer or blogger? Please let us know in the comments below.

Photo: TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³

We’re ripping out a page from the popular Notes from the Road series over at the Traveler’s Notebook and asking you to take a moment to sketch out something that probably crosses your mind now and again: A Personal Manifesto.

When I happened upon Gwen Bell’s, author of the Unconventional Guide to the Social Web, process the other day, I immediately became excited at the notion of going through my own.

Check out her guide on the myriad of ways to go about developing your own manifesto.

Here are a few highlights of possible road-map choices:

Vision Map

Yep, this means breaking out the magazines, scissors, and glue. Good magazines, with positive images, by the way. Cut out pictures of what you want in your life, whether that includes traveling the world or owning a yoga studio. Don’t forget to write yourself a little note about your beauty.

Put it all together in a systematic or wonderfully haphazard fashion on a big piece of cardboard, and hang it up on your wall. I also like Bell’s suggestion of scanning the map in order to have a travel-version.

Life List

Life list, bucket list, whatever you want to call it – just write down a 100 things you want to do before kicking well, you know, the bucket. I like the look of Maggie Mason’s (the inspiration for Bell’s list), and the idea of having mine sitting pretty on my computer and crossing through the ones I’ve completed. Oooh, I want to stop writing this post and go do it right now.

Digitized Goals

Photo: TinyFizzyPop

Bell provides a link to an online questionnaire, which can be helpful for those of us that need prompts. Or cut-offs. Plus, who are we kidding – haven’t most of us forgotten how to write in cursive anyway?

Microactions

To continue the tradition I began of stealing ideas from the Traveler’s Notebook, take a look at their new series, Micro Notes, in order to get primed for this one. I know I can sometimes be wordy in both writing and speech (have you noticed?), and often, the best way to get things done is to define them with brevity. Index cards, short lists, to the point=making things happen.

Finally, here’s one I’m adding to Bell’s list:

Visioning/Meditation On Your Goals

A former dance teacher of mine will freely tell you that without a doubt, “visioning” her future every single day has led to her dreams becoming a reality. After passing the bar exam, Vicki decided to chuck the lawyer-life and pursue her true passion, dance. Now, she along with her business and life partners throw one of the most consistently sold-out club nights in San Francisco, Non Stop Bhangra, and her dance troupe, Dholrhythms, performs up and down the Western Coast of US and Canada.

Vicki has had a daily routine of reciting and meditating on her dreams, and says that everything that has come to fruition began as a thought in this process. In other words, don’t forget the power of intention.

Since fall always feels like a good time for introspection, I’ll be working on my manifesto this weekend, and then will post some of my results and musings at my blog, Living Holistically. I’m hoping to see some of yours, even just bits and pieces, too.

Add parts of your manifesto to your personal blog, and then come back here and paste the link in the comments section below!

Community Connection

While developing your manifesto, don’t forget about the beauty of transparency in your writing, whether for yourself or others. David Miller takes a look at the importance of Material Transparency in creating a personal brand.

Photos: author

I’ve lived in Copenhagen long enough to know punctuality is the cardinal rule of Danish etiquette, and yet my day somehow still goes like this:

Eight(ish) :

Waking up early in Copenhagen is surprisingly complicated. Today, with one foot planted in the Scandinavian winter, sunrise is just before eight and hidden behind the patter of rain. My husband tries to roust me before leaving for work, but even then, with the casual work-life balance here, he’s barely out the door by nine.

After pillaging our carbohydrate stash for breakfast – dark bread called rugbrød and real butter – I dash down the four flights from our walk-up and head for the gym. Between October and March, we get, at best, six to eight hours of grayish daylight, so cycling, the gym and running at leafy Fælledparken keep the winter D’s – vitamin D deficiency, depression and drinking – at bay.

Ten(ish)

And… I’m late. Today it’s for coffee with a Danish friend at the Royal Library café downtown, so after the gym I hurry through the corner market where a tiny Egyptian stocks hummus, flatbread and veggies. Normally he practices his English on me – we’ve gotten up to “Have a nice day!” – but I’m trying to avoid an impending punctuality disaster, so I snack fast, clean up and choose the bus over biking downtown.

There’s a rumor here that bus drivers worsen exponentially through the winter, and today’s ride is proof. The driver plays chicken with cyclists and cars while out the window, crumbling yellow buildings and green copper spires punctuate the gloomy sky.

Noon(ish)

Finally at the café, I sip a ten dollar latte and chat about babies and maternity leave (one year, fully paid – just one of the many social services supported by high Danish taxes). Outside, the reflection of the library’s streamlined façade in the Øresund is an interesting juxtaposition with the 17th century apartment buildings across the water.

It’s easy to hate on the Danish winter (and I do, often), but the weather can also be a catalyst to see new parts of the city, like the library, or old parts through a new lens.

Three(ish)

After coffee, I make a quick trip to the supermarket, ignoring the ridiculous prices while loading my basket – the only way to stay sane while shopping. After, I poke around local boutiques until a random Dane pops out of a chocolate shop and offers me a piece of candy.

I’m so shocked at a gregarious (while sober) Dane popping out of anywhere, I accept without a second thought. That’s a fun part of living here; at first the Danes seem very reserved, but then little surprises make me remember how friendly and funny they are just under the surface. It’s also great not to have to worry about the whole candy/strangers issue.

The city is so safe mothers leave babies in prams on the sidewalk while shopping or eating in cafés. So, munching on my chocolate, I set off down the crowded sidewalk towards home and am rewarded with another treat: the setting sun peeking out of the clouds in a patch of ethereal blue. Less than an hour later, it’s night.

Dark.

My husband arrives home at eight to find me wrapped in a blanket, writing, reading email and planning our next trip. We light a few candles, lounge on the couch and snack on smoked salmon. The Danes call this hygge: the art of cozying up with your significant other (or friends and family) to ward off winter, while outside, the night settles over the city like a blanket. The dark, at least, is punctual.

Community Connection

If you like peeking into a day in the life of an expat, check out A Day in the life of An Expat in Oaxaca, Mexico, A Day in the life of A Writer in Zagreb, Croatia and A Day in the Life of An Au Pair in Breukelen, The Netherlands.

The newly released EX-G1, first in Casio’s new EXILIM® brand of digital cameras, is built to endure shock, water, dirt, and frigid temperatures, all wrapped up in a slender 0.78 inch package.

According to the press release, the company is determined to “create digital cameras suitable for top athletes and adventurers.”

The shell passed drop tests from seven feet during testing, can be used underwater for up to one hour, and will function in temperatures down to 14°F.

Full features include:

• Slim-line Design with Toughness Construction
• Shock resistant/waterproof construction and design
• BEST SHOT® functions befitting a waterproof, shock-resistant camera
• 12.1 effective megapixels
• 2.5-inch monitor with 230,400 dots of high resolution and a non-extending 3X zoom lens ranging from 38-114mm (35 mm film camera equivalent)
• Intelligent AF
• Advanced Dynamic Photo function
• Wide Screen Movies

With a slick look and tough skin, this camera is perfect for photographers who seek out more extreme shots.

Price: $299.99

Photo: pviojo

I’m floating in a muddy spring called Baños Morales while looking at the walls of Cajón del Maipo and talking to Jorge about Lil Wayne. Jorge is around 12. He wants to know who are the best “cantantes of hip hop.”

For some reason none of this seems improbable in South America.

“What’s this song saying?” He has a little mp3 player with built-in speaker.

He plays the first 5 seconds of that commercial hip hop track that goes “I see you winding and grinding up on the floor. . .”

He hits pause.

“Te veo bailando,” I say. He starts laughing. Then gets serious and presses play again.

Cajón del Maipo is less than 2 hours from downtown Santiago. My friend Gustavo, Lau, Layla, and I rented a car and headed up here yesterday.

If we’d had more time, we would’ve taken the bus [from estación de Metro Bellavista la Florida (Línea 5) -- take the Metrobus 72 towards Plaza de Armas de San José de Maipo] and camped somewhere.

But as it was, renting a car for three days in Chile wasn’t that expensive (about $120 US), especially for a legitimate ’sedan’, the minimal sized vehicle I’d advise for driving caminos de ripio in the Andes.

The road follows the Rio Maipo upstream passing several small villages, each with little restaurants, lodging, horseback riding, and some incredibly cheap and good local fruit preserves, bread, nuts, olives, honey. You don’t really need to waste time buying food in Santiago on your way up here.

Basically, you just follow the G-25 the whole way along the river, although to explore the numerous side roads you should download and print out this map.

Activities

Photo: mabahamo

paddle

The whole time I was passing by the river I was wishing I had a kayak with me. The commercially rafted section of the Maipo is a S. American classic. You can set up trips via Chile Rafting.

There were some really gnarly looking creek runs flowing into the Maipo and steep sections in the headwaters for expert boaters. A lot of what I saw reminded me of Clear Creek in Colorado, only much bigger.

snow

It was out of season when we went, but the Centro de Ski Lagunillas looked like it had amazing potential. Check the prices too, it’s super cheap to ski in Chile.

backcountry

I jealously watched a van drop off a bunch of dudes with mountaineering gear in Baños Morales. From here you can access various climbing and mountaineering routes that go off in all directions as far as you can see.

It’s hard to believe this isn’t a national park, but simply a small chunk of Andean cordillera that you’re looking at right from downtown Santiago.

***

Photo: Naturaleza

Later, after getting out of the springs, Jorge and I stand looking at the river. It’s a heinous-looking and at the same time very runnable stretch of whitewater.

“You think anyone will ever run that in a kayak?” I ask him.

Jorge looks at the flow. “No.”

“Never?”

“Maybe someday.”

Community Connection

Make sure not to miss Take Me to the River: 8 Simple Steps for Getting into Whitewater Paddling.

The 2009 AIDA Freediving World Championships start on Wednesday at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas. Dozens of the world’s top free divers will compete in the tournament, which concludes with finals on December 5.

This year, Herbert Nitsch is the diver to beat. The Austrian diver currently holds the world records for three of AIDA’s eight disciplines, including the ultra-competitive No Limits. With a record 702 feet, Nitsch has free dived almost ten times as deep as most divers can go on scuba.

In this video, Herbert Nitsch shows off his crazy skills by breath-holding it through a flooded cave and the inside of a sunken ship. The man’s a breath-hold Buddha: he seems totally tranquil, even with a layer of rock between him and the open air.

Community Connection

Check out more videos at Matador TV.

Photo: rusvaplauke

The book, available for viewing and download on the couple’s website, JonsiandAlex.com, features an eclectic compilation of curries, dressings, soups, libations, and desserts that all have one thing in common: none of the ingredients are cooked.

From the website:

“The book holds a small collection of our home-made, Good Heart recipes. These recipes gather fresh and beautiful ingredients and are simple and easy to make. We hope this book will encourage improvisation and experimentation… so feel free to substitute your favorite ingredients in and out as you like.”

Though the food photos are less than stellar and the handwritten notes can be a bit hard on the eyes, after years of offering up their creative souls to the public, Jonsi and Alex are now serving their personal lives as well. Clicking through the recipe book, it becomes startlingly clear just how inviting and welcoming the two are. Fans will undoubtedly appreciate this intimate look into the domestic side of Jonsi and Alex.

Interested in healthy cooking? Author of The Adventure Cookbook Sofia Brandon wrote her book after quitting her stressed corporate lifestyle to travel the world and focus on her health again.

Want to learn more about Iceland? Filmmakers Thomas and Tim had the fortune of being shown around Reykjavik by a local everyman. You can catch the video here.

Earlier this month, MatadorTrips Editor Hal Amen reported on Iceland being named the #1 economic tourist destination of 2010.

Additionally, Matador editor Paul Sullivan documented his trip to the fascinating country in this beautiful photoessay.

Interested in Icelandic culture? Want to show some love to Jonsi and Alex? Leave your comments below!

Photo by Kim Grant for Hawaii: An Explorer’s Guide.

I come at this issue from two different sides of two different coins: as a 25-year veteran travel writer and as an Acquisitions Editor for a national print publisher and iPhone travel app company. Every day, in many ways, I massage my brand and am pitched by other writers who have (or have not) polished their image with varying degrees of efficacy.

1. Be clear, simple and consistent in your message.

Whether you are posting on Facebook, engaging with other bloggers, spreading snippets via Twitter (which I confess to not pursuing much), writing a guidebook or speaking informally to colleagues at a professional gathering, decide who you are and stick to the message. Are you a fun-loving raconteur with a lively nightlife? Are you a resort reviewer who knows the value of a $650 a night room at Amangiri? Both are fine, but it’s tough to convince the world that you do both well. I’ll probably hire both writers at some point, but these two hypothetical people are not right for the same job.

Now in its 8th Edition. Buy it here.

2. Narrow your scope of expertise.

Skimming the surface of many topics, while perhaps personally exciting, might brand you a dilettante in all those topics – which is fine if “dilettante” is your brand. I became an expert on Boston, New England and Cape Cod, and then I moved outward into regions I frequented and was passionate about: the Southwest, Hawaii and Florida. By spreading myself too thinly, though, I stopped having time to exploit my expertise in all those areas. By cutting back to a few areas, I created the space to pitch myself again.

3. Write a book and then parlay it.

Think of yourself as an entrepreneur rather than simply as a travel writer. It probably won’t pay well, but the book will brand you as an expert and provide a launching pad for better paying and (potentially) more prestigious work. You probably won’t be an expert before you write it (even though you will have to pitch yourself as one), but you will be afterwards. For about six months, you will be the expert on that topic. Exploit the heck out of that window of opportunity while it is open. It will open other doors and windows; keep leaping from one to another before they close.

4. Not every gig is a perfect fit.

The Universe abhors a vacuum, but don’t seize everything that falls into your lap. If you don’t leave time and space for the right project, it won’t appear. (I know, that’s a very “Northern California” concept, and you know what I mean because Northern California has a very strong brand.) Be like Northern California; be instantly known. There isn’t time for anything but an instant, strong impression.

5. Question yourself unrelentingly.

Who and what, professionally, are you? (Skip the metaphysical answers for this exercise.) Make and continually scrutinize a 12-month plan. Be patient and persistent. Assess which jobs are furthering your path and which are not.

Craft your brand icon.

6. Image matters.

Once you build it, guard your reputation. Of course I would say this: I’m also a photographer. But presentation matters: from design and font selection to paperweight and PDF headings; from associations with colleagues and organizations to your revolving weekly update on LinkedIn. It all matters; build it with care and attention. On Facebook, I belong to the Change This fan page but not The Soup. There’s nothing wrong with The Soup, but the signal it sends doesn’t fit my brand as a travel writer who works in new and social media.

7a. Don’t necessarily use every means of communication available.

Choose your weapon(s) wisely and push each to the hilt. Develop wide circles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media outlets. If you don’t have time to maintain them all, pick one or two. Post frequently to your own blog; keep your web site up to date with clippings, radio interviews and upcoming appearances. (Yes, this presumes you have those to begin with.) Build an author page on Amazon; get friends and colleagues to comment on your books and blog posts. Give them talking points to stay on message – your message.

7b. Don’t ignore low-tech methods.

Print and distribute thousands of postcards promoting your books and website(s). Wear out some proverbial shoe leather by going door-to-door – virtually or literally. Print a dramatic business card that clients will keep for one day instead of one hour.

8. Be passionate about what you do.

People will notice when you are passionate, when your ideas almost sell themselves. How many people have you talked to today who absolutely love what they’re doing? We remember the ones who do (and I hire them). I love what I do, and I prefer to work with like-minded people. It’s a privilege to say this and mean it. It takes some luck – and more work – to get to this place.

9. Ultimately, you must produce a superior product.

No amount of branding will render you immune to what’s important: you must be an exceptional writer who knows how to research, organize and communicate your thoughts, provide value to your editor and reader, deliver on time and be pleasant to work with.

10. Use All the Great Resources You Can.

Here are a few to get you started:

a) TomPeters! – The Brand You
b) socialmediatoday, including “A Framework For Branding Through Social Media”
c) ChangeThis
d) Seth Godin’s Blog
e) SEO Traffic Spider
f) HubSpot Marketing Resources
g) “25 Social Media Sites For Entrepreneurs”

Community Connection

For more notes on how to make it as a travel writer, check 6 Tips for Making the Most of a Writers’ Group, Video Portrait of a Travel Writer, Do Freebies Undermine Honesty in Travel Writing?, How are Writing Conferences Relevant to Travel Writers?, and The Importance of Connecting with Travel Writing though History.

Other branding ideas? Comments? Give us a shout below.

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