I Wanna Be a Travel Writer
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Jen's a long-time BootsnAll mate. We rip the piss out of her a lot, but that's so she'll survive Oz.
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Jennifer Leo is a San Francisco BootsnAll Insider and has been a member of BootsnAll since June 2000. Her previous travels have taken her to Mexico, Hong Kong, and across the U.S. on a bicycle, along with a hodgepodge of domestic travel.
For almost six years she worked with San Francisco publisher Travelers' Tales, and you can find her stories in A Woman's Passion for Travel, and The Adventure of Food. Last year she co-edited A Woman's Path: Women's Best Spiritual Travel Writing, and is currently a global crusader writing for a new Australian travel magazine called Whoop Whoop.
Jen begins her travels with seven months in the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. On her trip Jen will take a stab at travel writing as well as various gambling practices around the world.
Intro
Jen knows it takes a lot of work to be a travel writer, but she's also curious as to how lazy a traveler can be before being considered a tourist.
Latest Story
Oct. 10: Direction is Good, Even When You're Not Going Anywhere
Depression in London? Like hell. Jen's spirits are up, and something's churning away inside her. She's gonna be a travel writer yet.
Catch up on the Journey
Sept. 24: Where Am I Going, Hold On, Let Me Ask...
Back home in San Francisco, Jen is torn between staying home and mourning over the Sept. 11 attacks, and going on a Tuscan retreat with her writers' group.
July 15: A Prude in PatPong
Jen wasn't sure that she wanted to see all that was possible on PatPong, Bangkok's infamous red light district. But that was before she heard about the "bird woman"!
June 10: Barfing Up a Byline
Jen doesn't recommend that you invite yourself over to all the editors and publishers that you plan to pitch travel stories to, and then barf in their toilet. But it worked for her.
May 30: Secrets, Dreams & a Pair of Scissors: Jen turns 30 in Australia
Jen approaches a landmark date and finds herself in a much different position than she had planned.
March 20: The Beauties of Brisbane
The thought of staying in Oz is high in Jen's mind after finding Brisbane to be an undiscovered gem - and the beaches nearby aren't bad either.
March 10: For Love or Ice Cream?
Jen decides she could live in Australia. It wouldn't even take something as strong as love to convince her. Just the food would be enough.
March 1: Survivor II: The Australian Campout
There's no denying that the Ogakor and Kucha tribes were camped out in a pretty sweet spot to lose weight, win a car, and strategize their way to getting the million dollar prize.
February 23: Hog Ride
Jen entertains thoughts of moving to Oz after visiting Magnetic Island and riding on the Harley her dad always wished he'd had.
February 13: Grandma to Groover
In Cairns, what Jen thinks are growing-old pains really is just the yearn to groove, and the only medication she needs comes during happy hour. Table tops of Australia, look out!
February 3: Guts
The writer's nemeses and needs: devotion, motivation, inspiration - and where Survivor was set.
January 27: Wallet v. Wardrobe
Sydney is the hippest city in the world, and Jen's dying to get up to speed. What's a budget backpacker to do? It's a clash of the wallet and the wardrobe.
January 25: Hostel Virgin
Jen's travel nerves subside when her first night in the hostel takes her from virginity to missionary. But it's not what you think - neither is the person in the bikini.
