World Travels | 一笔走天下

by Marcus Maurice

Writing about traveling the world can be amusing, but it's not always easy.

旅游写作很好玩，但不是一直都能那么顺利进行。

While we read travel articles in magazines all the time, do we really know what goes on behind the scenes to get them done? This month, World Travels follows two writers as they trot around the globe looking for stories and stable Internet connections to file them. Together, Robin Esrock and Julia Dimon battle culture shock, jet lag, and even deadlines to make sure the world learns something new.

Like all journalists, travel writers have different beats. Dimon is a travel columnist for Metro International, so she always wants the personal side of the story. When she lands in Bolivia, she goes on a mission to learn more about indigenous female wrestling. In Ethiopia, her bargaining skills are put to the test when she tries to buy a goat at Africa's largest outdoor market.

Esrock has more freedom because he is strictly a freelancer. When he travels to Venezuela, he gets to swim around with dolphins, abseil a canyon, and even catch a piranha dinner. In Latvia, Esrock experiences one of the world's oldest circuses from backstage, as well as gets down to the nitty-gritty at a local stag party. Neither of them thinks that Columbia is the war zone that the media portrays it as while they enjoy its beauty and take a dip inside the crater of a mud volcano.

On the road, life for these travel writers is not always easy because sometimes interviewees cancel minutes before an article's deadline. What's more, they are often faced with the ethical dilemma about promoting tourism that would have a negative effect on a pristine environment. This month, World Travels on the National Geographic Channel reveals the truth behind the byline.

1.  What is NOT mentioned in the article as a problem for travel writers?

(A) Drinking water from a tap in a country with no clean water supply.

(B) Being unable to sleep because of a change in time zones.

(C) Finding a working Internet connection to send files.

(D) Not understanding local customs.

2.  According to the article, what did Robin Esrock and Julia Dimon do together?

(A) Had a delicious dinner of dangerous fish.

(B) Got into the middle of a war in Columbia.

(C) Soaked in a mud-filled volcano.

(D) Attended a bachelor party.

3.  What is the main topic of this article?

(A) A lot of tourism harms the local environment.

(B) Writers can make a fortune by traveling around the world.

(C) The media always looks at countries from a biased standpoint.

(D) While it may seem glamorous, travel writing has its ups and downs like any other job.

我们总是在杂志上读到关于旅游的文章，但我们真的了解文章从无到有的过程中，幕后所发生的事吗？本月的《一笔走天下》跟着两位作家全球走透透，一起寻找故事题材、以及稳定的网络联机好将文章发出去。罗宾‧艾斯洛克和茱莉亚‧迪蒙双双奋力对抗文化冲击、时差和截稿的压力，确保全世界能得知新的事情。

　　和所有的新闻记者一样，旅游作家也有不同的负责领域。迪蒙是《都市日报》的旅游专栏作家，所以她总是把自己或他人的切身经验写成故事。当她抵达玻利维亚时，授命去进一步了解当地的女性摔角。而在衣索比亚，当她在非洲最大的露天市场想买一头山羊时，她的杀价功力备受考验。

　　艾斯洛克则有较大的自由空间，因为严格说来他是一名自由作家。他到委内瑞拉旅游时和海豚共游、在峡谷上进行绕绳式垂降，甚至还自己抓食人鱼当晚餐。而在拉脱维亚，艾斯洛克参观全世界其中一个最古老马戏团的后台，还去参加当地一个告别单身的男性派对了解详细的状况。当他们一起在哥伦比亚享受美景，以及泡在一处泥火山口里之际，怎么也想不到这里竟是媒体所描述的战区。

　　这些旅游作家并非一路上总是如此顺遂，因为有时候受访者在他们截稿前的几分钟会突然放他们鸽子。还有，他们常面临道德上的天人交战，在宣传观光与对原始环境造成负面影响之间作出抉择。本月《国家地理频道》的《一笔走天下》将揭开文章背后的点点滴滴。

  

For Your Information

《都市日报》是一份跨国性的免费报章，由瑞典传媒集团 Kinnevik 创办，意为在捷运上所看的报纸。该报创立于 1995 年，并于 2 月 13 日在瑞典首都斯德哥尔摩地铁首度发行。其后把业务延伸至多个国家及城市，包括亚洲、西欧、北欧、南美和北美洲在内共 19 个国家及地区，一共发行 40 多种版本。现在《都市日报》已列入金氏世界纪录大全，成为全球最大的国际报章。

全球首份中文版的《都市日报》于 2002 年 4 月 15 日在香港发行，该报在香港大获成功，迅速带动起一股免费报纸的发行热潮，此免费报纸的策略更为台湾的各平面媒体所仿效，如联合报系的《Upaper》以及港商壹传媒的《爽报》等。（数据源：维基百科）