Humor and Travel Writer

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Doug is the author Up the Amazon without a Paddle and Last Trout in Venice , two anthologies that highlight his unique style of offbeat travel writing. When asked about his accomplishments, Doug thinks for a while, then digs deep:"I won the long jump in 3rd grade, then received some independent publishers award for No Toilet Paper on the Road Less Traveled , a humorous travel anthology I edited. I don't actually know, specifically, what the award was for, or even where it currently is, but the publishers were very happy with it, as they could print 'AWARD WINNING' on subsequent copies when the book went back to press."

Doug's been traveling since 1992, and has been writing about it since 1994. His work has been published in the Maxim Magazine, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Miami Herald, Denver Post, and about 40 other major papers. Doug writes regularly as the Vagabond Adventurer on GORP.com. He can also be heard on Public Radio's "Savvy Traveler" program. He has also been employed as a banana picker in Israel, a crew member of a yacht in the Caribbean, a grape picker in France, and a snowmobile guide in the Alps.

His most noteworthy achievements are his relationship with his wife and the recent birth of their baby girl. "Of course, I had very little to do with #2," Doug admits, "but in the glow of new parenthood it feels like a 'noteworthy achievement.'"

In His Own Words

The Job
"Fortunately, this is not a real job. I look around for entertaining/kitsch/adventurous happenings, and then go somewhere and attempt to do them, then attempt to write about it, then attempt to get paid for it. The responsibility comes when you figure out a way to get paid for it before you write it. Then you've got deadlines and such to worry about."

How He Got There
"I got started way back in 9th grade at the same time that I was trying to part my hair down the middle and desperately (albeit unsuccessfully) 'feather' it with a comb. I started a humor column in the school newspaper, 'The Typo.' Actually, it was called 'Breezes,' but this was in the era before the automated spell checker, and we often didn't feel like re-reading the material until after it had been published.

"For four years I wrote a humor column in my college newspaper, The Compost Heap, and worked summer internships at Late Night with David Letterman (where I was in charge of screening unsolicited tapes of 'stupid human tricks') and 'Spy Magazine' (where the extent of my investigative reporting consisted of getting my crew cut re-coiffed at five prestigious salons the same day and taking before and after photographs). I went Eurailing in 1991 and got pathetically hooked, then took a two-year trip around the planet after I graduated, and would have certainly gone longer if I hadn't been run over by a car in Bangkok. Never quite made it to journalism school.

"The big break came in the summer 1995 while I was living in Santiago de Compostela, Spain after about nine months of trying to break into newspaper travel sections. I got an email from United Features Syndicate saying they'd like to syndicate my humor-adventure column, 'Vagabond.' I went out with some friends to celebrate and we totally assaulted our livers with red wine. Then the very next day, I got an email from the Chicago Tribune syndicate with the same offer. We had to go out and repeat the previous night's performance. Three months and minimal bidding later Vagabond was launched. I signed up with the Chicago Tribune for a 5-year stint to circle the globe and send in weekly dispatches."

How to Get His Job
"First, borrow a load of cash to live off of while you get started or move in with your parents, cause the money doesn't come quick, if it comes at all. And write everyday. And polish your material. And don't give up. And, of course, keep your fingers crossed. I think there were about 6,000 applicants for the syndicated position I ended up getting."

Pros
"The diversity of experiences, which are all things I get to choose, so in theory, I'm interested in them already. And on the days I need to write, I can work and sit around in my underwear at the same time."

Cons
"Discipline. Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood to write, or wake up in the mornings. I'm sort of always at work and always on holiday. They blur together for good and bad."

Salary Range
"$0$1,000,000, or whatever Bill Bryson pulls in."

His Dream Job
"This is it. Or maybe Ambassador to Sweden."

Do you think there's any danger in your passion becoming your career?
"Sure. But I think there's enough flexibility to keep it interesting and I also I hope I've got the guts to pull the plug and try something new when the time comes."