TJ developed a taste for travel while living and (ostensibly) studying in Rome, Italy. Thankfully, his self-financed study abroad coincided with the liberalization of Europe’s airline industry. With Ryanair tickets and a rail pass in hand, he traveled around Western Europe, but somehow managed never to set foot in Germany. He in no way meant this as a slight against the good and efficient people of Germany.
After returning to the States, TJ devised an independent study in travel narrative, which was mostly an excuse to travel for college credit. The capstone of the project was a 7200-mile road trip across the United States made in 11 days with two friends in a Mitsubishi Mirage. Miraculously, the three are still close friends.
After graduating from SUNY Albany, TJ taught in Brooklyn for a short period before setting his sights on travel publishing. His internship with eurocheapo.com eventually landed him a gig as New York correspondent for the budget travel website, and he later contributed to the redevelopment of europeanhostels.com. In his free time, he broadened his palate, frequented dodgy bars and generally became snarkier due to prolonged exposure to Manhattan.
In February 2008, TJ moved to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He is freelance writer and English teacher at ILA Vietnam. By the grace of god, he will finish the final draft of his graphic novel by the time he returns to the States.
Hey TJ, your lovely friend Jerusha passed along your blog in the hopes of turning me green with envy. It worked. Very neat things you are doing. Just out of curiosity - how did you manage to get an internship with a travel company? And where would you point me should I want to attempt to find a travel correspondent gig-like-thing?
Hope you’re doing well in Vietnam. I’m in Japan right now– have yet to make it over there! One day…
Hey Nicole, I’ve found the travel editing business is a little difficult to break into because it’s a pretty popular sector of the editorial world. I started interning with eurocheapo.com after applying to a listing on craigslist. The pay was almost non-existent (I did legal proofreading in the evenings), but the experience was great, as it turned into additional, better paid work. You can comb job listings for these sorts of internships, but if you’re going to be in the New York area, I might even suggest sending the people at eurocheapo your resume and a cover letter. They take on interns quite regularly. Outside of New York, I might do the same thing: contact a small travel publication and try to set up and internship.