Catching Up with My Travel Writing Family in NYC

The travel publishing community is like a family. I always enjoy the time I get to spend with the familiar faces who grace the stage at the NY Times Travel show and who are fixtures at the after parties that are such an important part of the networking of the weekend.

After our successful presentation about travel writing and travel video to an enthusiastic crowd downstairs at the Javits Center, I joined travel writer Janis Turk in a cab down to the Village to the Lolita Bar. There, David Farley and Rolf Potts hold travel writing readings, and though we missed that part, we were quickly engulfed in a sea of friends. Kathy McCabe, the publisher of I Dream of Italy Newsletter, and her fellow Italy loving pal, Susan Van Allen greeted me with hugs and good wishes.

It was fun hearing about Susan’s impressive sales of her book, “100 Places In Italy Every Woman Should Go” which at 15,000 copies so far is a runaway success! Kathy’s also been successful with a new venture, offering referrals to travel agents for travelers looking for expert advice on what’s new and hip in Italy.

I ventured into the thick crowd and found Kim Mance, the hard-to-reach founder of the TBEX travel Blogger show that’s being held in Colorado this summer. She confirmed me as a presenter for the show and said she had very exciting news that will be announced on Monday. I don’t know enough to comment but it sounds like a very positive reward for years of hard work—good on ya Kim!