Gabriella Le Breton

An experienced and imaginative freelance writer
specialising in skiing, adventure and luxury travel.

Gabriella Le Breton travel blog - lunch for one

Gabriella Le Breton travel blog - future honey hunter

Gabriella Le Breton travel blog - Whistler Sliding Centre

Today in the life of a travel writer

 

When I tell people I’m a travel writer, it invariably sparks some gentle abuse followed by a series of questions about how I get away with being paid for being “on holiday”. I frequently think I have the best job in the world, but budding travel writers be warned: it’s a career that pays more handsomely in experience than cash.

 

The travel editor of a national newspaper hit the nail on the head when he described travel writers as “Champagne paupers” – when I'm researching a feature abroad, I might be sipping Dom Perignon in a sumptuous chalet after a day’s heli-skiing but, when I'm back home, chances are you'll find me scouring the shops of Clapham for bargains... 

 

The purpose of this intermittent blog is, therefore, to share the ever-changing routine of a travel writer – both the highs and the lows - with those curious about the reality of this extraordinary job.  

 

 

Top Packing Tips!

07/12/2011

One side-effect of the amount of travelling I have done over the past 15 years is that I have learned a lot about packing… Learning how to pack efficiently makes a significant difference to the enjoyment of trips away – travelling light makes your journeys to and from the airport / t[Click for more]

All in ten days’ work…

02/12/2011

What a few days it has been! Last week I enjoyed a whirlwind tour of the magical city that is Florence, while this week has been a blur of deadlines and the first wave of festive press events back in London.   Even as a supposedly jaded and cynical travel writer, I was absolutely blo[Click for more]

A week in London

18/11/2011

Despite not having left London this week, I have been whisked off virtually to Switzerland, Abu Dhabi, Turkey and Italy at a number of press events hosted in the capital. Travel journalists are always on the hunt for fresh new stories and, as such, hotels, tourist boards and destinations do their[Click for more]

Shalom y’all from Israel

09/11/2011

As I write this, I’m sitting on the balcony of my suite onboard the sumptuous cruise ship, Oceania Marina, overlooking the beautiful Bahai’a Gardens in Haifa, Israel. It’s a balmy evening and, together with my mother (my best cruising partner), we’ve been ensconced in luxu[Click for more]

Debunking Some Myths About The Netherlands

31/10/2011

Being half Dutch, I am naturally somewhat biased when it comes to the Netherlands. I accept that it is extremely flat and lacking in dramatic landscapes, that parts of Amsterdam are deeply seedy and that the weather isn’t exactly tropical. However, having just spent a week in Amsterdam with[Click for more]

London Ski & Snowboard Show 2012

20/10/2011

Should you go down to Earls Court today, you will find it seething with beanie-toting, baggy-panted snowboarders and ski bunnies, here for the annual Metro Ski & Snowboard Show . The Show, which kicked off yesterday and will run until Sunday 23 October, has moved from its traditiona[Click for more]

Wine, Fish & Pips - The Holy Trinity?

14/10/2011

As a wine-loving, ski-obsessed, long-time Clapham Old Town resident and gourmand, the invitation to join Holly Fisher and Phillipa Eyes (the crack team behind the innovative ski chalet operator Fish & Pips ) for a wine tasting last night at Adam Byatt’s award-winning Trinity Clapham re[Click for more]