Every year for the past decade, I have been invited to speak at a magazine writing course at Emerson College on my life as a travel writer. One of my favorite props to bring to that class is a folder filled with at least 200 rejection letters that I pass around. I especially like the one rejection from Mad Magazine that simply checks off a box: “Didn’t tickle our funny bone.” When I first started as a freelance journalist back in the early 90s, you would send a query letter with a self-addressed stamp envelope. If the publication liked your idea, they would more than likely call you to do the assignment. If they didn’t like the pitch, they would send back a rejection letter. I’m not sure what masochistic strain of my personality persuaded me to collect these rejection letters, but I cherish them now. Many editors were encouraging, writing comments like “please send us other ideas.” One editor would simply write “Nope” on my pitch letters and send it back.
The reason I’m reminded of this now is that the latest Man Booker prize winner, Marlon James, admitted in an interview that his first novel was rejected 78 times. 78 times!! We live in an age of helicopter parents and over-coddled college students, ones that are used to getting their way. That simply doesn’t happen in the writing world. You will face rejection often and even after getting the assignment, you could deal with a litany of problems, worst of all an editor who doesn’t know how to edit. If it’s your desire to be a writer, have patience, give yourself enough time to make dreams a reality, and persevere through the muck. Better yet, laugh off the rejection. The word “Nope” became a running gag between my wife and me for years. “Do you want to go food shopping?” “Nope.” “Time to shovel the driveway.” “Nope.” I love that Marlon James was rejected 78 times and I can’t wait to read his latest novel, “A Brief History of Seven Killings.” My record number of rejections is 38 for an assignment to write about the freighter cruise ship, Aranui, which still delivers food to the residents of the Marquesas Islands. More than 1500 published clips and some 90 countries later, I’m often asked what’s my favorite place in the world. The Marquesas Islands, I reply.
To be honest, every day of our Backroads family trip to the Swiss Alps was a dream, from biking the shoreline of glorious Lake Brienz to hiking 6 miles of the Bachalpsee Route high above Grindelwald, then taking the Trotti bike back to town. Yet, if I had to choose one day above the rest, it would be the day we hiked on the Eiger Trail. We took a short train ride from Grindelwald to Alpiglen to start our long uphill climb, over 3,000 feet. Lofty Eiger Peak, standing 13,020 feet, was socked in with clouds, until we were practically beside the North Face. Then the clouds started to part and we were treated to magical views of Eiger and Jungfrau and the hanging glaciers that snaked down the hillside in between. For the next hour, we walked alongside these craggy snow-topped peaks before reaching the village of Kleine Scheidegg, home to the highest major train station in Switzerland. After lunch, we left the crowds behind as we made our way on relatively level ground to the Männlichen Gondola. The only obstacle was a herd of cows we met up with on the narrow path. One cow came straight toward me and I wisely ran into the grass above the trail to avoid being trampled. My legs weren’t working too well at that point but I’m happy to see my brain was. 
Having spent half my childhood listening to Pink Floyd on my headphones, I’m incredibly excited by the following news. Starting tomorrow at London’s V&A Museum is 
It’s not until you leave the town of Sedona and make the 15-minute drive to 
I’m a travel writer, so it’s my job to turn you on to places around the globe I think you should definitely check out. But after spending a glorious day in the Boston area, I’m just as happy to see you venture outdoors in your own neighborhood. I just visited my longtime oasis, 
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing the work of travel writer Reid Bramblett since we were both contributing editors at Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine some 15 years ago. He’s the foremost expert on Italy, where he spent his adolescence and then proceeded to pen ten guidebooks (including Frommer’s and DK titles) and far too many articles to count. He has since launched 
Every night after dinner at all 
2 ½ hours later, we pulled the canoe out and hiked the remaining 2 miles to the