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Travel Writer

Travel: Ron Stern, Fort Collins, CO
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Do you love to travel? Can you imagine combining your travels with writing and photography? Do you love the idea of making a living while traveling for free? Make your dream of being a travel writer come true after spending time on a VocationVacations dream job holiday with travel writer and public speaker Ron Stern.

Ron lives in Fort Collins, Colo. and is the travel columnist for the San Diego Community Newsgroup and the Women’s Newspaper Group. His freelance work has been published in Shape, Mobil Travel Guides online, La Jolla Today, Voyaging among other magazines. He is also the editor of justsaygo.com.

Ron came to travel writing as a second career. He retired from his first career as a California Highway Patrol Officer in 1990. He then moved to quaint Fort Collins while keeping strong connections back in California. After publishing a few books about law enforcement careers and health, Ron became interested in travel and came to the conclusion that he could write as well as the travel articles he was reading. The first story he sold was about a trip to Las Vegas where he and his wife saw four shows for free.

“We were pinching each other,” Ron remembers. “It’s a job that seems too good to be true, but it is true if you know what you’re doing.”

Since then Ron has ridden camels in Jordan and interviewed the queen of that country, photographed Petra, driven racecars in Mexico’s Baja peninsula, taken a $16,000 cruise up the East Coast, flown first class to London and seen Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Not a bad gig.

But travel writing isn’t all leisure. Ron has learned many tricks of the trade, like how to write a successful article query to magazines and newspapers, how to sell articles and photographs packaged together to increase earnings, how to build a portfolio and how to get included on travel-related press junkets.

In addition to selling his articles and photographs, Ron had created a niche as a public speaker on travel related topics. He talks to groups at libraries, colleges and recreation centers, giving talks like his popular “Fly Cheap, Stay Cheap, Travel Cheap.”

Over eight years of public speaking, Ron has figured out how to target his talk to the right venues and groups and how to augment his public speaking income by selling supplemental materials.

Looking back on his second career, Ron is pleased with his life as a travel writer and public speaker. And he still pinches himself from time to time.

Here's what recent Vocationers had to say about their experience with Ron:

“As a travel writer you get to go have experiences you couldn’t have any other way,” he says. “First of all I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. I get to do things the general public never gets to do, like going on a hot air balloon in Colorado. I stay at first class hotels all over the world. I love traveling and if you get to do it and get paid for it it’s even better.”
Beth Kearns
Lakewood, CO

“Ron made it so easy to help me figure out how to get into the travel writing business. He shared many incredible resources from both the travel writing and photography prespectives. His knowledge represents all aspects of the field of travel writing. Ron is simply amazing.”
Glen Havelock
Basking Ridge, NJ

“Ron Stern was absolutly magnficent. I loved every minute of my experience. He was the perfect mentor for me. I needed structure, Ron provided the structure. Ron had an agenda, I followed his agenda, every sinlge step. Ron's timing was perfect in all that he provided me. His passion for what he does is infectious. I came away with a passion regarding writing and travel I have never felt before.”
Stacy Sawyer
Boston, MA

While on your Travel Writer VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Ron Stern, activities will include some or all of the following:
  • How to create your own unique brand and travel identity
  • Learn how to build a portfolio to earn money
  • How to approach editors with story ideas that will get attention
  • Where to find outlets currently looking for writers
  • Fast track ideas for aspiring travel writers
  • How to interview for creative success
  • Using self-publishing to instantly create travel opportunities
  • How to travel for free and get paid for it
  • Learn how to travel the world for free - press trips and FAM tours
  • How to get on secret lists for travel invitations and media events
  • Learn about how to take travel photos that sell
  • Other ways to make money with your photographs
  • Create an article for possible publication on a major travel Ezine
The Travel Writer Vocation Vacations® dream job holiday with Ron Stern includes:
  • Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as a travel writer
  • The option to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post- VocationVacations career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coach
  • A pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job coming to reality
  • Light lunches with your mentor

Available: All year based on mentor's availability with exception of holidays

Price: $949 Per Person

Book this dream job vacation


Suggested Accommodations

Hampton Inn     

Courtyard by Marriott

(Not included in the price of the VocationVacations® holiday)

Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® adventure:

Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:

Full payment of the VocationVacations dream job holiday is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacations adventure cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. In the US, Grounded Nomads, LLC and VocationVacations holidays encourage all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling. In the UK, Grounded Nomads, Ltd and VocationVacations holidays must require all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling and provide verification of such travel insurance to Grounded Nomads, Ltd.