Are Travel Writers Present Day Explorers?

I am constantly searching for meaning to the work that I do as a travel writer. Am I becoming extinct as bloggers take over travel advising, or am I a present day explorer, charting unknown experiences all over the world?

Historical Atlas of the Arctic by Derek Hayes, courtesy of Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.

I wouldn’t go so far as saying my work resembles that done by historical explorers, especially after reading the wonderful Historical Atlas of the Arctic by Derek Hayes.

The large hardcover was given to passengers aboard an arctic expedition cruise I was on with Adventure Canada last fall. It chronicles the important explorers who risked their lives to chart the arctic regions of the world.

Famous names like Robert Peary, Frederick Cooke and John Franklin all get their due in this balanced and well-researched mega book. 

The many attempts to reach the North Pole first by Robert Peary and Frederick Cooke are still being disputed today, but Derek Hayes lays out the arguments and intriguing facts; the search for the northwest passage took up countless years and many lives lost.

I am fascinated by the sheer determination of these individuals, who faced the most extreme conditions on the globe to get around the next bend in the water or to reach a piece of land never before seen.

I highly recommend this book- it’s a great read and filled with old maps that are humorously incorrect and stories from days when explorers reached new land by way of balloon (thanks to Swedish engineer Salomon August Andrée) and faulty airplanes (Roald Amundsen first proposed the use of airplanes in the high arctic afer World War I).

What I liked:

• Fascinating information give in a large format book
• Old photos (some of the first ones taken of the arctic) and original maps that are humorously incorrect
• The massive amount of research done to make this resource complete