Whenever I tell someone I first meet that I’m a travel writer, I’m almost invariably asked the same questions.

They usually involve some variation on “What’s your favorite place in the world?”, “How do I get your job?”,  and/or “Can I come with you?”

Depending on my mood at the moment, I may give one answer — or another — because some answers invariably lead to further discussion, while others almost always cut it short.

So here is my list of travel writer FAQs — with sometimes varying answers.

• What’s your favorite place in the world to visit?

If I have the time and inclination to talk, I say “Yap.”

I pick Yap because not only do I like it a lot, but hardly anyone has ever heard of it, so it leads to stimulating conversation.

Yap is a group of small islands in the far western Pacific… Continue reading →