One Trip, Multiple Stories: A Travel Writer's Journey to Europe & the USA

For the journey detailed below, I paid for my airfares and received on-the-ground assistance from local tourism authorities and hotels. Full disclosures are included with each linked article and blog post.

This is my 400th post at Aerohaveno. Eight years ago I started this blog, somewhat reluctantly, then realised it was a valuable additional outlet for my travel writing.

I've managed to keep the output consistent over that time, averaging precisely 50 posts per year. Often I post about topics which I haven't been able to cover in my work for newspapers, magazines and websites.

For the 400th post, I'd like to do something a little different - draw back the curtain on the mechanics of my trade.

Focusing on a four-week travel writing research trip I undertook in 2014 to Europe and New York, I'll outline how each activity led to a specific piece of writing - with a link to the published article or blog post.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin.

Thursday 21 August 2014

Activity: Fly Qantas flight QF9 from Melbourne to London Heathrow.
Resulting story: A 'Flight Test' review of Qantas' Premium Economy class for the Traveller section of Fairfax Media's Saturday newspapers in Australia.

Activity: Check out the Qantas First Class lounge at Melbourne Airport before the flight.
Resulting story: A review of the lounge, here at Aerohaveno.

Saturday 23 August 2014



Activity: Visit London's Cartoon Museum for an exhibition of World War One cartoons.
Resulting story: A 'Postcard from London' piece for the Spectrum (culture) section of The Age newspaper in Melbourne.

Sunday 24 August 2014



Activity: Visit Abbey Road, West Ham, to investigate local attractions.
Resulting story: An article on the "wrong" Abbey Road, for the Traveller section of the Sun-Herald newspaper in Sydney.

Activity: Take the Gentleman's Afternoon Tea at The Athenaeum Hotel, Mayfair.
Resulting story: A blog post about the experience, here at Aerohaveno.

Monday 25 August 2014

Activity: Visit Hampton Court Palace, to check out the newly reopened chocolate kitchens.
Resulting story: An article on the experience, for the Traveller section of the Sun-Herald newspaper in Sydney.

Tuesday 26 August 2014



Activity: Eat at restaurants in Cardiff, Wales, which specialise in dishes using locally-sourced ingredients.
Resulting story: An article on Cardiff dining for the Traveller section of Fairfax Media's Saturday newspapers in Australia.

Activity: Visit the Doctor Who Experience, Cardiff Bay.
Resulting story: A review of the exhibition, here at Aerohaveno.

Wednesday 27 August 2014



Activity: Explore Cardiff's Victorian-era shopping arcades.
Resulting story: An article on the various arcades and their charms, for the travel section of the Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne.

Thursday 28 August 2014

Activity: Check into the Ibis London Blackfriars.
Resulting story: A review of the hotel, here at Aerohaveno.

Friday 29 August 2014



Activity: Join the Eating London Tour from Spitalfields Market, London.
Resulting story: An article on the tour's food highlights, for the travel section of the Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne.

Saturday 30 August 2014



Activity: Investigate several unusual aspects of the London Underground.
Resulting story: An article on secrets of the London Underground, for the Traveller.com.au website.

Sunday 31 August 2014

Activity: Catch Eurostar train from London to Brussels, Belgium (then later on to Cologne and Berlin).
Resulting story: An article on the rail journey and the cities visited, for Get Up and Go magazine.



Activity: Visit the Mini-Europe theme park in Brussels.
Resulting story: An article on the park's quirky appeal, for the travel section of the Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne.

Monday 1 September 2014



Activity: Visit the Waterloo battlefield outside Brussels.
Resulting story: An article on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, for the Lonely Planet website.

Activity: Explore central Brussels.
Resulting story: An account of my experiences of the city, here at Aerohaveno.

Wednesday 3 September 2014

 

Activity: Visit Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany.
Resulting story: An article on the museum's impressive modernist collection, for the travel section of the Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne.

Activity: Soak at the Neptunbad baths, Cologne.
Resulting story: A review of these historic baths, here at Aerohaveno.

Thursday 4 September 2014

Activity: Explore central Berlin, Germany.
Resulting story: An account of my wander from the Hauptbahnhof to the Hotel Adlon, here at Aerohaveno.

Friday 5 September 2014

 

Activity: Join a tour of Berlin street art, led by an artist.
Resulting story: A 'Postcard from Berlin' piece for the Spectrum (culture) section of The Age newspaper in Melbourne.
Second resulting story: A blog post about Berlin's street art, here at Aerohaveno.

Saturday 6 September 2014

 

Activity: Explore the remnants of the Berlin Wall along Bernauer Strasse.
Resulting story: An article on the Berlin Wall Memorial, for the travel section of the Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne.
Second resulting story: A blog post for the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall, here at Aerohaveno.

Monday 8 September 2014

Activity: Fly British Airways flight BA173 from London Heathrow to New York JFK.
Resulting story: A 'Flight Test' review of British Airways' Premium Economy class for the Traveller section of Fairfax Media's Saturday newspapers in Australia.

Activity: Check into the Z Hotel, Queens.
Resulting story: A post about the rooftop bar's amazing view of Manhattan, here at Aerohaveno.

Tuesday 9 September 2014



Activity: Visit Little Collins, an Australian-run cafe in Manhattan (and four others in the following days).
Resulting story: An article on Aussie cafes of Manhattan, for the travel section of the Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

 

Activity: Visit the newly-opened Morbid Anatomy Museum, Brooklyn.
Resulting story: A 'Postcard from New York' piece for the Spectrum (culture) section of The Age newspaper in Melbourne.

Activity: Take a cruise to Ellis Island.
Resulting story: A review of the island's immigration museum, here at Aerohaveno.
 
Thursday 11 September 2014

Activity: Explore the Bushwick neighbourhood of Brooklyn.
Resulting story: An article on the attractions of the area [accepted but as yet unpublished].

Friday 12 September 2014



Activity: Visit the newly-reopened Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows.
Resulting story: An account of the museum and its history, for the Traveller section of the Sun-Herald newspaper in Sydney.

Saturday 13 September 2014



Activity: Join the Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl, a regular literary tour.
Resulting story: An article on the tour, for the travel section of the Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne.

Monday 15 September 2014

Activity: Fly Qantas from New York JFK to Los Angeles (then home to Australia).
Resulting story: A review of Qantas' Premium Economy class, here at Aerohaveno.

I also wrote two general blog posts about a selection of quirky New York elements:

• Curios of New York.
• Quirky Signs of New York.

And that's that! Courtesy of the International Dateline, we arrived home on Wednesday 17 September 2014 - just short of four weeks since we'd left.

Writing output, financial income

By my count, the trip produced a total of 20 paid articles for outside publications, and 14 posts on this blog.

If you're interested in the business side of such things, I calculate the paid articles (less the one unpublished piece) earned a total of $9727.30 before adding GST (sales tax) for both words and photos.

About another $400 should come in from the final article, taking it over the $10,000 mark. And there was additional research undertaken on the trip which I may yet write about, as well as revisiting subjects in a fresh way.

The blog posts don't earn any direct income, but drive traffic to Aerohaveno and thus contribute to the occasional small payments I receive from the Google Ads running on my blog.

Expenses

Of course I had sizeable expenses on such a journey, especially in New York where I received less assistance re hotel accommodation.

Including airfares, I estimate my total expenses on this trip at $6450, which leaves a profit of about $3677 (plus possible income from future stories derived from the same research material.)

Some trips have a greater return on outlay, others less so. This one had higher expenses than I usually incur, mostly because I paid for my own flights; but was a great experience and turned up lots of interesting travel articles.

It's not easy to make a living from travel writing; but if you can wring a story a day from a trip, you're off to a decent start.

Having typed all that, I feel exhausted! I'll be giving Aerohaveno a rest over the holiday season, and will be back with you in early January. Have a great New Year!

Lost in the Souq of Muscat, Oman

I travelled to Muscat as a guest of Oman Tourism.

Muscat, the capital of Oman, is in many ways a modern city. Its low-rise buildings sprawl along the coast of the Gulf of Oman, on the eastern end of the Arabian peninsula.

As a result, it's difficult to get around without driving. But there is one district that's eminently walkable - the old port of Muttrah.

Sitting on a curving harbour and backed by craggy hills, Muttrah is in a scenic location...

... and the gem at its centre is the 200 year old Muttrah Souq. A covered market with shop-lined passages winding in and out from its centre, it's a fascinating place for a wander.

Visiting it none afternoon, I headed away from its tourist-friendly centre toward the Gold Souq section. This is what I saw on the way...

... and then, following a curving passage, I popped out into an alley and daylight:

It took a bit of walking and a certain amount of confidence to find my way onward to the main road from here (I didn't want to retrace my steps).

But, following locals who looked like they knew what they were doing, I had an intriguing glimpse of the secret life of Muttrah.

Street Art of Berlin

I visited Germany courtesy of Railbookers Australia.

A year ago I wrote an article on the Alternative Berlin Street Art Tour for The Age newspaper here in Melbourne. You can read it by clicking here.

It was fun to attend and write about, particularly as we were led by an actual street artist who could explain the philosophy and techniques behind the art.

As always with such articles, there was limited space for accompanying photographs. And images were, of course, the heart of the subject.

So here's a selection of art I encountered along the streets of the German capital that day in September 2014... ending with a spray-painted cat I created myself at the artists' studio inside a former East Berlin margarine factory:

 

The Alternative Berlin Street Art Tour costs €18; click here for times and booking details.

Review: Qantas International Business Lounge, LAX

For this review Qantas gave me access to its lounge at LAX, though I paid for my own airfare to/from the USA.

When booking connecting flights, I prefer to have a surplus of time in case of delays.

Thus my Alaska Airlines domestic flight from Seattle touched down at Los Angeles International Airport some eight hours before my Qantas flight to Melbourne was due to take off.

Excessive? Possibly. But on this occasion I knew I'd have access to Qantas' new International Business Lounge (officially the "Los Angeles Business Lounge") at LAX.

Even without lounge access, I don't mind a bit of dead time between flights at the end of a big trip. I'll find somewhere to sit with something to eat and drink, and fill the time by working on my iPad: writing a blog post, or doing some final admin.

The new Qantas Business Lounge, it turned out, was a classy place to be wrangling my receipts.

Opened in June 2014, it's actually a joint lounge shared by Qantas, British Airways and Cathay Pacific, though managed by the Australian airline.

It's located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which itself has had a complete overhaul and is now a much more attractive place in which to wait for a flight.

The first thing that struck me about the new lounge is its size - it's immense, spreading out in various directions and wrapping around a central lightwell.

The second thing I noticed was its decor. Borrowing design elements from each airlines' own lounges as from Californian culture, it has a sleek retro look which varied as I moved through the space:

There were also a lot of power points throughout the lounge, something you really appreciate when you have work to do or need to recharge a device.

For a while I sat at this long table which was inset with power points along its centre:

I was also impressed with the catering, particularly from a vegetarian point of view. Of these six hot dishes, only the butter chicken was non-vege (the bacon bits mentioned were stored separately from the roast potatoes):

There was also an excellent selection of fresh salads on offer:

In the dedicated dining area across the lounge, I believe there were further hot dishes on offer. But I found the buffet selection to be more than adequate.

I moved around between the various areas and seating types, got some work done, and ate some good food. The time passed more quickly than one might expect at LAX, and the lounge provided a pleasant finale to my latest US visit.

If you can afford a Business Class fare, I recommend it.

For other posts regarding air travel, click on the air travel link among the Labels below, then scroll down.

Farewell Petra: Business Associate, Friend, Cat

Petra, 2003-2015

This is the blog post I knew I'd have to write one day, but dreaded writing.

Last Saturday our cat Petra passed away.

She'd been with us for twelve years, nearly a quarter of my life.

We adopted her from the Lort Smith Animal Hospital in North Melbourne the same week I became a freelance writer, in January 2004.

As a result, I thought of her as my "business associate"; a kind of silent (well, not so silent) partner who did her thing while I was doing mine.

She was also a friend. Our interaction was limited by communication barriers, and by the very different ways our brains worked; but we communicated just the same.

At my desk, in November 2011.

I didn't need to be Doctor Dolittle to figure out what she wanted most of the time (generally summarised as "attention").

Interrupting my packing in April 2015.

For her part she reminded me that life wasn't all about me, and that I should get up from the desk occasionally and do things other than write.

It was partly this mysterious interaction that made me decide to become vegetarian this year; she made me see animals as emotional beings with whom we can connect.

I learned a lot from Petra, and I think she had a good, fulfilling life and knew that she was loved.

She's gone, and she's left a hole in our lives. In my working life, too. The home office seems so still this week.

She's gone, and I miss her so much.

Murals & Statues: Portland Street Art

I stayed in Portland as a guest of Railbookers.com.au and Travel Portland, though I paid for my own airfare to the USA.

I was really looking forward to visiting Portland, Oregon on my recent visit to the USA.

Largely it was because I'm a fan of Portlandia, the TV program which makes fun of the hipster culture of that city (and by extension, of all cities). I was curious to see whether Portland's reputation for quirkiness was deserved.

I'm please to report that it was. And while we're waiting for my investigations to eventually see the light of day in various publications, here's some fine street art I spotted as I made my way around.

These first three examples I encountered were along and near Alberta Street, a cool shopping strip in the city's northeast:

I particularly liked that third one, which read "You are confined only by the walls you build yourself."

I spotted the art below on the wall of Eastside community radio station KBOO, with lots of energy to it:

And here are two more conventional pieces of street art. The first is the Downtown statue which gave its name to the TV series, Portlandia...

... while below is the Skidmore Fountain in the city's Old Town district, erected in 1888 in honour of a late businessman. It was modelled on fountains Skidmore had seen in Paris at an international exposition, and is such a landmark that there's a nearby light rail stop named after it.

On a more offbeat angle, this pillar of famous books stands at the entrance of the vast Downtown bookstore, Powell's Books. On this side you can make out the titles of A Thousand and One Nights, Hamlet, Tao Te Ching and The Odyssey:

 
Finally, I saw this embedded in an Old Town sidewalk. No idea what it's about. Anyone know?