Lottie Gross

2025 travel writing mentoring scheme open! The Talking Travel Writing mentoring scheme is back thanks to sponsorship from TravMedia - find out how to apply here.

Together with @stephdyson.bsky.social and @travmedia.bsky.social, we're using the Talking Travel Writing newsletter to launch our latest mentoring scheme for aspiring travel writers! Details here - please share: travelwriting.substack.com/p/2025-trave...

Couchfish: Less Bad Travel A new way to think about your travel

As ever, @travelfish.bsky.social is intelligent and measured on the topic of responsible and more sustainable travel, and what it means in practice. An excellent read: travelfish.org/couchfish/news/less-bad-travel

I'm part-way through this! A gorgeous read. Engrossing and immersive. Wish my travel writing could be as impactful.

Researching an article this morning and came across a business making blatant use of AI to populate its website with "photos". It immediately turned me off and dampened my trust in their service, so have decided to no longer include it in my article. Fair? Or am I being harsh?

I have neglected this app for several months because it just wasn't giving me interesting or relevant content – anyone got new travel writer / editor lists I should follow? Keen to get back to it! Fellow travel/lifestyle journalists, HMU! (Pic for attention, ofc)

Thanks Daniel!!

How Britain fell out of love with the caravan Our writer looks at the colourful history of the caravan and asks if it can it ever be cool again

Enjoyed this piece by my pal @lottiegross.bsky.social: www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comme...

As a child, my parents would book ferry crossings six weeks apart during the summer holidays, hook up the 'van & follow our noses: one year we ended up in Portugal, others we'd spend weeks in Italy. Great fun

They've removed the sit-down element but it's all still there for takeaway! Weekends only :-)

Beyond Diddly Squat: The best Cotswolds farm shops that are worth the trip Clarkson’s Farm is back, but his country outpost isn’t the only place you should be flocking to – from merino wool to world-famous sausage rolls, these are the Cotswolds farm shops that put Jeremy Cla...

I love Clarkson's Farm but found Diddly Squat to be a huge disappointment. Here's where I'd rather shop / eat / drink / smooch cows in the Cotswolds
www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/en...

This newsletter was written by AI No humans over-exerted themselves in the making of this newsletter.

We let ChatGPT write our newsletter today (it's free for all to read). Reckon it did a decent job? travelwriting.substack.com/p/this-newsl...

Caravan parked on driveway

Sure, I've skydived solo and paraglided in the Himalaya. But have you ever successfully reverse parked a caravan at a mechanic's garage while being watched by five men? Let me tell ya, the thrills are second to NONE 💪

No sadly I'm away

Happy ALCS day baby freelance writers! 🤣🙏✒️💰

Very interesting discussion going on here

Job opportunity: Travel Writer, Crystal Cruises Crystal Cruises is recruiting. We've got the lowdown here.

Fancy a job as a travel writer? Apply here: travelwriting.substack.com/p/job-opport...

Just One Thing: stupidity Inspired by the late Michael Mosely, this month's series is a Just One Thing tribute.

What one thing would you suggest every travel writer needs to be good at their job? We're running a series on this very topic in #TalkingTravelWriting this month, so here's my take:
travelwriting.substack.com/p/just-one-t...

Call for pitches: We're looking at launching a destination-focused newsletter at point.me, and I'm looking for pitches from writers with deep expertise in a particular city or region(live in/visit often).
🧵

Last chance to apply for the FWJ New Directions bursary You've got until midday today.

Writers, this really is your last chance now! You've got until noon to apply. open.substack.com/pub/freelanc...

I did a thing! I finished my third book! I am a (sort of) free woman for the next five minutes before I start writing the next one!!!! 😅🥳🐾

It's as if the freelancing gods know I am about to finish my book... Four new commissions have come in in the last week! 😅 A welcome replenish of my bank account #travelwriting

TRAVEL WRITING WEBINAR ALERT! This one should be very interesting - feel like data in travel stories is such an untapped thing! Excited to learn how to harness...
travelwritingwebinars.com/product/data...

Thank you!!

I AM ON THE FINAL CHAPTER 🤯

In the Talking Travel Writing newsletter we bang on about how reading widely can help you come up with more ideas for features. Case in point for me today; just opened a new book by page three I have two new story ideas for a trip I'm doing later this year! 🙌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #travelwriting

Gosh now there's an idea!

I've just done the very adult thing of making my will. Worst £500 I've ever spent 🙄

Crack on! Maybe one for HTSI as the price point's a bit high 😉

Trying to book parking at my Hilton hotel for the NEC caravan show and getting this quote no matter what dates and times I input 🙄🤣 but steep, no?

I've got one of those very silly hoods and am planning to become a shareholder in Smidge 😉

I'm so excited! Am spending the rest of the summer in Shetland, too, house sitting for a friend. I'll be 50% whisky and 50% irn bru by the time I'm done 🤣