I was watching a talk by Gary Vaynerchuk yesterday and he was talking about a lot of ideas that are totally relevant to everything we do here at Matador.

Here’s one soundbyte:

“Listen to your users? Absolutely. But giving a shit about your users is way better…. Do something.”

Vaynerchuk was griping about the fact that every company says it’s listening to their users, but few of them actually take what their users are saying and turn it into something actionable.

I happened to watch this talk before hopping on a four-way call across three countries and as many time zones with Matador co-founder and CEO Ross Borden, senior editor David Miller, and BNT co-editor and resident tech genius Ian MacKenzie to talk about MatadorU.

Though our original marketing material indicated that the U’s courses would be independently guided, students are sending a clear message that they want more feedback and guidance from the editorial team.

To that end, we’re making some big improvements at the U, including:

1. More visibility and engagement on the part of the Matador editorial team. I’ll be the point person from the editorial team who will have the most active presence in the forums and providing feedback, and you’re welcome to reach out to me anytime at julie[at]matadornetwork[dot]com.

2. A refined leads system via the Market Blog. In addition to writing gigs, commissioned assignments, and article leads, we’ll be including information about residencies, fellowships and grants, and other opportunities in traditional and new media. What makes this more than a simple leads system is that, when relevant, Matador editors will include insider insight and advice about how to approach specific opportunities. We’ll also provide direct contacts and recommendation letters when appropriate.

3. Some technical improvements. These should improve navigability and ease of use in the forums.

The first two changes are rolling out this week, with the third improvement being an ongoing process. Let us know what you think about these additions, and feel free to share your feedback with us by sending it to my attention: julie[at]matadornetwork[dot]com.

And now, if you want to watch Vaynerchuk’s talk…

Community Connection:

Why do people enroll in MatadorU? Because it leads to paid writing positions and a chance to “learn about what goes on behind the scenes at a travel magazine.” Read about Heather Carreiro, a MatadorU alum who has been brought on board as an editorial intern.

Matador intern, Heather Carreiro

If you’ve read Heather Carreiro’s articles on Matador, you probably have a good idea why we invited her to join our team as an editorial intern. Heather’s writing is vivid and authentic, conveys a strong sense of place, and relies wholly on original images.

Given her experience as an expat in Pakistan, we thought Heather would be an ideal person to assist editor Sarah Menkedick with MatadorAbroad, our blog about studying and living abroad.

Heather and I exchanged a round of emails so the Matador community could learn more about her.

Julie:
Where were you born and where are you living now?

Heather:
I grew up in western Massachusetts and recently moved to Fall River in southeast Massachusetts. Although it’s the same state, it feels like I’m living in a completely different culture as a large part of the population is Portuguese.

My husband Duarte and I live in an apartment in his parent’s house, and I’m the only one whose native language is English. Meals at our house include dishes like octopus, salt cod, tripe, kale soup, linguica and blood sausage.

Julie:
Tell us a bit about your academic and professional background.

Heather:
As an undergrad I studied Linguistics & Middle Eastern Studies at UMass-Amherst. My junior year was spent in Morocco, where I took classes in Islamic theology, Arabic, Berber history and culture and Islamic art & architecture. I started to see how travel complemented academic pursuits.

In one class we were learning about Moroccan policy in the Western Sahara, so during Eid break some other students and I headed south to Laayoune to see what the situation was on the ground. On another occasion, a friend and I hiked through the High Atlas mountains to see the historic Tin Mal mosque, a place even our Islamic art professor hadn’t been.

I quickly became hooked to travel that was not just for the sake of travel, but also for experiencing different cultures and gaining local perspective.

After graduating from UMass, I moved to Lahore, Pakistan to work in education development. I didn’t go with any organization or have any particular job lined up, but I went and stayed with my Urdu tutor’s family and started making connections that way.

During my three years in Lahore I ran creative writing workshops, developed an ESL curriculum for teachers, offered professional development seminars for teachers, and lectured for an MA TESOL program at a local university.

Although I didn’t have an MA myself, my background in linguistics and my experience teaching ESL in the UMass Continuing Education department put me in high demand in Lahore. Because linguistics is a fairly new field of study in Pakistan, I was seen as an expert and was able to have creative freedom in designing college classes and curriculum.

Julie:
And a bit about your professional goals.

Heather:
While I loved being abroad and working with local NGOs and schools, Duarte and I realized that we wanted a bit more structure in our lives. Taking care of our own visas and constantly having our finances in flux was a huge source of stress, and we were ready to take a break from the power cuts and 120-degree heat of the Pakistani Punjab.

As we both had experience teaching and enjoyed being in the classroom, we decided to pursue careers as international teachers: me in secondary English and him in physics and math. We’re currently in the U.S. for the purpose of getting certified in those subjects and continuing our education so we can be more competitive teaching candidates.

In the long term, we both have a lot of dreams and we aren’t yet quite sure how they will all mesh together. I plan to write about any place we go, and I also want to get involved with the community, whether it’s through training teachers, starting book clubs, encouraging local musicians and artists, or working with literacy development programs.

Julie:
How did you find Matador?

Heather:
While I was living in Pakistan I started thinking about ways to be location independent so that I could live anywhere in the world and still have opportunities to write. I ended up following the Residuals and Royalties blog, and one of the writing opportunities mentioned was Matador’s Bounty Board.

Julie:
What motivated you to enroll in MatadorU?

Heather:
Although I’m a grad student in English, I felt starved for direction and feedback when it came to my creative writing. I’d been publishing informative travel articles, doing some copywriting, and working on teacher training curriculum for a few years, but I didn’t really know how to go about advancing my career as a travel writer. When I heard about the Matador U course, it immediately went on my wish list.

I love things that are pragmatic and offer specific steps you can take to move forward. Looking at the Matador U course syllabus, I was impressed that the course not only offered advice on how to improve your writing, but that it also went through practical matters like how to pitch to different publications, how to think like an editor, and how to make travel writing a career.

Julie:
What are some of your upcoming travel plans?

Heather:

This summer Duarte and I are planning on WWOOFing in Maine or Vermont for two weeks, taking a one-month spiritual retreat at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, and doing some camping along the east coast. I also work as a certified horseback riding instructor, so I’ll be spending a few days in New Hampshire helping out with a camp riding program on Lake Winnipesaukee.

We’re plotting to go back to the Azores, where Duarte was born, and explore some of the islands we didn’t hit during our first trip to the archipelago.

Julie:
What do you hope to learn/do/contribute as an editorial intern at Abroad?

Heather:
I’m excited to work with Sarah as I’ve been inspired by her writing and how she so seamlessly interweaves travel narrative with thought provoking questions and cultural observation. As a teacher, I believe the best way to learn is by doing, so I look forward to learning about what goes on behind the scenes at a travel magazine.

Many times people feel that the only way to be a travel writer is by becoming a global vagabond, leaving behind their career and taking off into a perpetual state of the unknown. I admire this type of travel writer, but I hope that I can serve as another example that you can study, teach, pursue a career, live or work abroad and be a travel writer at the same time.

Community Connection:

Become a travel writer!

MatadorU is the most supportive, engaging, and innovative course for helping students accelerate their careers as travel writers and new media professionals. Join Us!

Photo: Matador members, New Nomads

Dig deep into the Matador community, and you’ll find all kinds of interesting folks: filmmakers and photographers, deep-sea divers and extreme sports enthusiasts, expats and entrepreneurs.

Lots of our members go out into the world solo, leaving everything and everyone behind.

Others go out in pairs, having found a partner as passionate about travel as they are.

Here are five couples making a life together on the road:

NewNomads

The female half of NewNomads says:

“I love traveling with my best friend – my husband. We are on the road about 80% of the time and hope to increase that this year to 90%…. We can go from the Hilton Arc du Triomphe to sleeping in the back of our old van at a fishing pier and be just as thrilled. We can go from convenience store burritos at dawn in Arches National Park to a four star restaurant in Washington DC and have a great time either way.”

Robert Kittilson and Jessie Kwak

Robert, a writer and photographer, and Jessie, a writer, have slow traveled their way through Peru and contributed an article to Matador on which they collaborated, “On the Trail of Ruins in Northern Peru.”

Photo: Matador members, Robert Kittilson and Jessie Kwak

Robert writes, “I am a photographer traveling with my wife Jessie who is a writer. I love having a blast, and sometimes that means real fireworks.”

Deb & Dave, aka ThePlanetD

Together for 18 years, Deb and Dave–”Canada’s Adventure Couple”– seem to have perfected the art of traveling as a pair. They’ve cycled around Africa and their next stop is Asia. Like Robert and Jessie, Deb and Dave collaborate professionally–Deb is a writer and Dave is a photographer. Check out their blog, ThePlanetd and follow them on Twitter.

Technomadia

Featured recently on MatadorLife, this couple describes themselves as “two gen-X technomads – synthesizing technology in with our full-time traveling.” They’re currently roaming the U.S., with long term sights set on doing “extended sailing and global backpacking.”

GeordieP

GeordieP writes:

“My boyfriend and I have been travelling around Oz for a couple of years and are now planning to head back to our beautiful hometown in NSW to start a family and make a home. I love travelling with a passion, though I am now ready to hang up my hiking boots and travel vicariously through websites like this for a while. Looking forward to creating everyday adventures at home.”

Community Connection:

Not sure if you’re ready to take your love on the road? Read “Traveling Solo: How to Tell Your Partner You Want to Travel… Alone” for some tips on leaving your other half behind when it’s time for you to pack your bags.

Photo: AntwerpnR

Matador really is a community, and one of the places where you can see what I mean is in our travel forums.

Maybe you’re not familiar with the forums–they’re a little bit buried within the Matadortravel.com site–but hundreds of travelers use the forums to ask for advice, seek inspiration, to look for travel partners or a place to stay, or to confirm information about local transportation, food, or lodging.

Here’s a sampling of recent requests… can you help a Matador member out by responding?

TRAVEL PARTNER REQUESTS

Buying a Big-Ass American RV to Travel the World… Who’s In?

Tayerhughes writes:

“I’m thinking of buying a big ass American RV to travel around the world in! I have no idea how or when etc but I thought I would see what kind of response I get when I post the idea. I’m looking for probably 7 people to join the team. I have no plans at the moment, I’m just looking to find people that are interested.”

Tayer- Once you’ve got some takers, be sure to check out Matador contributor Misty Tosh’s guide to renovating an old travel trailer.

“I want to hitchhike around the U.S. Anyone want to go with me?”

Jackiehaze says:

“I’d really like to hitch hike around the US this summer. Perhaps fall. I’d prefer a woman. I think it’d be cool to document it. And since the only requirement I personally have is to stay clean, it will probably take some planning finding state parks and places to shower.”

Jackie, if you do find some travel partners, be sure to read Tim Patterson’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to Hitchhiking before you hit the road.

TRAVEL ADVICE NEEDED

A New Yorker inspired by Matadorians’ travels asks for advice from SE Asia experts

TheDaysRjustPacked asks for help planning a SE Asia trip:

“I have been talking about this trip for over 2 years now and here I am planning for it officially with my ticket purchased.

This trip is going to be different for me on so many levels since I have never traveled alone before…. [I leave] on April 13th and plan on returning May 1st.

To start my trip I have a lay over in Seoul, Korea for a nice 14 hrs…. My plan is to leave the airport and see what Korea has to offer for a few hours maybe get some Kalbi. I love Korean BBQ. Does anyone have any pointers on what I can do in Seoul for about 8 hours?

Now on to Thailand… I will be in Bangkok for what I believe to be the second night of Songkran and I plan to stay around for 2 days before heading north so I can cross into Laos. I have been reading Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai then somehow to Laos is the way to go about it. I feel like I’m strapped for time and I want to enjoy as much as I can with the time I have but also enjoying things as well.

After going to Laos I wanted to go to Cambodia but I don’t know if I should go from Laos straight to Cambodia or go back through Thailand. That part I am hoping you travelers of S.E.A can help me with as well. From Cambodia I want to fly or boat it back to Southern section of Thailand. On the 28th I would like to just experience the full moon party. I would also love to go Scuba diving (I have never been) so I have been looking to that as well.

I will appreciate any info that you guys have to offer. Fill in any blanks that I may not have touched upon. You have no idea how many times I thought of taking someone along because I didn’t feel I would be able to do this trip solo but through this site and many others I have realized that I am ready to do the trip the way I have always wanted to do it: with a backpack, few clothes, a camera and a wide open mind.”

While you’re waiting for advice, be sure to check out Matador’s focus page on Southeast Asia.

Colombian weather in October?

Jesse Meshkov asks:

“I’ve read that October is the rainy season, but does that mean that it’s raining constantly, or that there are showers for an hour or two each day? Any insight would be really helpful. Thanks!”

All of Matador’s articles about Colombia are archived on the Colombia Focus Page.

Community Connection:

Do you have a question about an upcoming trip, or do you have advice you can share? Visit Matador’s travel forums to ask for or give advice.

Photo: Gabriela Garcia

I met Gabriela Garcia a few weeks ago in a Manhattan coffee shop after she returned from a trip to Cuba. After handing over some gifts she’d brought back for my husband from his son, who lives in Havana, we talked about Cuba, Cuban families, the writing life, and social justice.

The short conversation left me wanting to know more about Gabriela, so we did this interview over email.

Julie:
You’re a full-time freelance writer. How did you get started in the field, and what did you do before this?

Gabriela:
Even though writing has always been a part of my life, it took me a while to arrive at doing it as a profession. I always knew I wanted to work in media. Before becoming a freelance writer, I held some crazy jobs and internships all over the media landscape, from working with multi-platinum artists in the music industry to researching photos for RL Stine books (remember Goosebumps?)

New York is a really expensive place to live so I took on a lot of freelance gigs as side jobs along the way, mostly through contacts I’d made in the various companies I worked for. In my last job at a book publishing company, I realized I was doing so much freelance work on the side that it suddenly struck me that it was possible to leave the office altogether.

And well, I did.

I started off mostly writing service pieces for consumer magazines and taking on a lot of proofreading and copy editing jobs. Being a travel writer always seemed like one of those fantasy jobs like saying I wanted to be a “rock star” or something. Matador offered that first window of opportunity that opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me.

It has been far from easy, and I still have to take on a lot of other projects to make ends meet, but I’m watching with incredible gratitude as the fantasy slowly merges into reality.

Julie:
You commute back and forth between Miami and New York. If someone asks you, “Where’s home?,” what’s your answer?

Gabriela:
I think that being a multi-cultural daughter of immigrants has made me very comfortable with fluid identity. I’m used to belonging and not belonging at the same time, and having pieces of who I am tied into different physical locations. New York provides me with incredible creative energy, inspiration, and motivation, but Miami is like a long exhale that keeps me grounded. I would have to say that both are home to a different part of me.

Julie:
Back to writing– what I love about your work is that you tend to tell stories about overlooked people and you insert yourself into the story in this lovely way that’s not egotistical but is, as Matador editor David Miller says, transparent. In my women’s studies classes we called that “positioning yourself as the writer,” which meant we were acknowledging that objectivity doesn’t really exist. Do you feel like this is an accurate description of your writing style? And what influences you to write in this way?

Gabriela:
I think that acknowledging objectivity doesn’t really exist is important, especially in travel writing. The same place can look a million different ways through different eyes. The way I experience a place, the things that stand out to me, the way I interpret those experiences—they are all based on who I am, and I like to let my readers know that.

I think the majority of people experience most of the world through media, and so much of what we think we know is based on the observations of a select group of people.

I’m constantly amazed at how few places, cultures, or people match up to the collective images I’ve received all my life of what they are supposed to be like once I actually go there or get to know them. I know I can’t give anyone a voice, but I’m immediately attracted to people and ideas that provoke me, that spur up questions in me, or that challenge me to look at things differently.

Julie:
Are there any seminal travel experiences that have caused you to rethink who you are or that have shaped your direction in life?

Gabriela:
I think every travel experience has shaped parts of who I am and what I care about. But if I had to choose specific moments where I looked around and felt the ground shift beneath me, it would probably be based on my volunteer experiences.

Reading the essays of school children from a rural village in Ghana who say they have no dreams. Sitting beside the bed of a dying woman picked off the street in Calcutta, India and suddenly feeling her hand grip mine. Standing amidst wild horses and canyons in the Navajo Nation and realizing that running water and electricity aren’t a given in the United States.

The constant juxtaposition of beauty and pain that I have experienced in my travels has left me dizzy and searching for answers. They are the images that constantly make me question my own life and how I can be a more positive force.

Community Connection:

Have you joined the Matador community? If not, sign up for a free account on MatadorTravel.

Marie Szamborski

Meet Marie Szamborski.

Marie, or @Shantiwallah on Twitter, is a recently enrolled student in MatadorU’s travel writing program and a teacher who has just taken the leap out of working in the classroom full-time to pursue her goal of becoming a full-time writer.

I’m totally inspired by Marie and enjoy her kind, gentle presence on Twitter, as well as the “I love” series on her blog, which pairs her evocative photos with simple observations about objects and experiences she loves.

I asked her a few questions via email:

Where are you from?

I was born in the US, but do not have a hometown as I moved… every two years or so growing up. The hospital near Miami I was born in was blown away by a hurricane so I really do feel rootless in that way. My parents are from Michigan and I went to high school in Atlanta, GA. My family now live in California, which is fun to visit, but I’ve never lived there so I’m a complete tourist.

I lived in the UK for 10 years where I did my undergraduate degree and met my husband. We later immigrated to New Zealand and have both become dual nationals. We’ve also done stints in Vietnam and Japan and have been very lucky to have traveled a lot in between.

Tell us about leaving teaching to write.

I’ve just left my 10 year teaching career (although I don’t believe you ever really leave teaching) to write full time. I know I sound like a complete suck-up to say so, but Matador was pivotal in this decision. Well, actually, the people I’ve met through Matador are the ones who have convinced me.

I’ve always been a writer, but I just didn’t know it. I’ve always kept journals and blogs and have even tortured my students by making them write journals and blogs. Which, might I add, they come to love in the end! It’s only recently that I’ve started thinking that I might be able to do this for a living.

I think the timing was right, because I started ‘meeting’ other people, who were writing on the internet, and exchanging dialogue about writing. Whereas in the past, my writing was really for me or my close friends and family, I realized that maybe I did have something to say to the wider world.

The thing about social networking is that it is not, as I once thought, just a venue for self-promotion but a link to the thousands of other people who think like you do. This ‘community’ is empowering.

What are you working on right now?

I’m currently serving as the regional contributor for New Zealand at Pocketcultures.com. It’s a fantastic site aimed at getting the facts out about countries as seen from the perspective of locals who are living there.

I’m also using my applied linguistics background to do write some EFL [English as a Foreign Language] exams and textbooks for the Taiwanese market.

I currently keep a personal blog about writing, travel, and everything else, and also a food blog about the multicultural aspect of food in New Zealand. Oh, and of course, I pitch to Matador now and then!

But, for the future, I want to keep writing about identity, place, and experience because I really believe that honest exchange of information is the only real way things are going to progress in this world. The more I travel and learn about other people, the more I internalize that we all need the same things. I hope that by passing on stories and observations about how people live their lives in the places that I visit I can make a positive contribution.

Community Connection:

Would you like to introduce yourself to the Matador community? Don’t be shy- send me an email at julie[at]matadornetwork[dot]com and tell me a little about yourself. Be sure to include the link to your MatadorTravel profile.

One day, I’ll get to SXSW, the 9-day festival described as “a unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies” that’s a premier destination for discovery.

Though those quotes come from SXSW organizers, most people I know who’ve attended agree. They come away fired up and full of new ideas about their own work.

This year, Matador has a few staff members at SXSW– our Twitter ninja, Andy Hayes, is there, as is MatadorNights co-editor, Tom Gates. And MatadorTrips co-editor Hal Amen and intern Lindi Horton will be meeting up with the crew for an end-of-festival brunch bash next weekend.

Are you at SXSW, have you been, or would you like to go? Shoot us a line at julie[at]matadornetwork[dot]com to tell us about your experiences and plans.

Community Connection:

SXSW is held every year in Austin, Texas. We’ve built up our Austin Focus Page. Give it a visit!

“One of my favorite photos – It was taken in Kerala. We were on a backwater cruise, and were passing a small village. The lady in photo is cleaning the base(s) of a traditional brass lamp that are native to the region (the top half of the lamp is sitting on the stone above).”

Photo: Neha Puntambekar

Community Connection:

If you’d like your photo considered for our Friday Photo series, please visit the Matador photo pool on Flickr.

Photo: magicalworld

Lots of Matadorians love cycling.

If you keep up with news of what Matador staffers are doing, then you’ll know that Matador Trips co-editor Carlo Alcos just returned from a multi-week cycling tour of Cuba. Photographic evidence substantiating he survived Cuba’s potholed infrastructure can be found in the Cycling Cuba photo essay over on Trips.

The other Matador staffer currently taking the road on two wheels is intern Eileen Smith, who helps manage the Matador Travel community.

Eileen set off from Santiago, Chile, where she lives, for a multi-week cycling tour of New Zealand on February 9. Along her route, she’s meeting up with MatadorU student Marie Szamborski. Follow Eileen’s trip on her blog.

Community Connection:

Planning on taking a cycling trip? Check out our Road Bike/Cycling Focus Page for dozens of resources.

“A young boy still in his uniform hangs around the tailor shops in Iponri, Lagos after school – observing and learning a new skill. In a city of over 20 million inhabitants, the bustling metropolis of Lagos continues to struggle with infrastructure, corruption and employment issues among a myriad of problems. Many recent college graduates remain unemployed as they battle for limited resources and jobs. As such, learning additional skills and developing one’s multi-dimensionality early on acts as a surefire investment to help locals survive the fiercely competitive city.”

Photo: Lola Akinmade

Community Connection:

If you’d like your photo considered for our Friday Photo series, please visit the Matador photo pool on Flickr.