Andrea Granahan is a freelance magazine writer, editor, and photographer. She has worked with outlets such as the Navigator, the Sonoma Coast Quarterly, Fishermen’s Newspaper, The Paper, and more. Her outstanding work has also been recognized by the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Lincoln Steffens Investigative Reporting, and the Manalli Literary Awards. Andrea has worked on several books as well: It’s Greek To Me, Backstories from the West Edge, The Man with the Portable Love Room, Other Stray Thoughts, and Loving David. She will soon publish The Wandering Widow.
What got you into travel writing?
I was already writing in 7th grade when my teacher mentioned the famed travel writer from the 1920s and 30s Richard Halliburton. I ran to the library and read all his books and developed a crush on a dead guy. I made up my mind to become a travel writer then and there.
What’s the most challenging part of being a travel journalist for you?
With 9/11 and now the Pandemic, the biggest challenge is finding viable publications and persuading online outlets to pay properly for professional work.
What is one thing [equipment or personal item] you can’t go without on the road?
Pad and pencil. No matter what happens to power sources they keep working. Traveling third world destinations I always carried a camera that could take AA batteries. No matter where you go – the backside of an island on Lake Titicaca, an African village – they all have AA batteries.
What’s your most unusual and/or memorable travel experience?
The most unusual was sleeping in a hotel made completely of ice in Quebec. The most memorable is harder – there are so many, but I’d have to back to two years on a remote Greek island because I learned to love so many wonderful people there.
How did you learn about NATJA and why did you join?
I am a member of Bay Area Travel Writers and a colleague mentioned NATJA to me. I went to my first conference and felt I had found kindred souls.
What is the best piece of advice you could give to a rookie travel journalist?
To rookies – start by writing about what’s around you. Once you can write well about a place you know intimately then take those skills to new places. Unless you have a specific reason, don’t give your work away. If you see yourself as a professional, get paid.Just don’t expect to get rich.I was already writing in 7th grade when my teacher mentioned the famed travel writer from the 1920s and 30s Richard Halliburton. I ran to the library and read all his books and developed a crush on a dead guy. I made up my mind to become a travel writer then and there.
