Part 5: Thank you to WSGT contest participants!

 

plantsWe are very lucky at WSGT to have talented participants in our contests and most recently, the Travel Writing Award. To say thanks, we will be featuring contributing writers each week who are currently displaying the WSGT Travel Badge. Our next Gratitude Travel Writing Award opened on September 11, 2016. We hope you will share your story!

Sandra Bornstein

Sandy is a Colorado based educator and freelance writer who values the benefits of living and traveling abroad. Her award-winning memoir, May This Be the Best Year of Your Life, highlights what she learned as the only American teacher at an international Bangalore school. After being a middle-aged expat, Sandy continues to explore the world and write about her travels. You can follow Sandy’s adventures at www.sandrabornstein.com.

Favorite place: Israel

Sandra’s writing

Sandra
Sandra Bornstein

Tiffany Soukup

As a writer I hope to inspire others to find what motivates them and follow their passions.

Favorite place: Fiji! It’s such a great island country to enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving before heading back to the states.

Tiffany’s writing

tifaany
Tiffany Soukup

Dan Ettinger

I chose to participate in the WSGT writing award contest (bravery) as an opportunity to hone my writing skills. I had not published anything of substance in awhile and it was a good chance to get back into writing. As a writer, I hope to add – and leave – something beautiful in this often cruel world.

Favorite place: One of the most memorable places I’ve ever visited is called Parque Nacional Tayrona, in northern Colombia. It’s a spectacular scene, with abundant wildlife (including relentless mosquitoes!), pristine beaches, coral reefs, green turtles, and even an archaeological site deep in the jungle. Colombia often comes to mind when I think about memorable travel moments, not only because of its diverse landscapes, intense history, and delicious coffee, but principally because of how genuinely welcoming I found Colombians to be.

Dan’s writing

Dan Ettinger
Dan Ettinger

Joy Thierry Llewellyn

I am transitioning from teaching at a film school and writing film and TV scripts to travelling for long distance hiking and writing about my experiences in articles and blog posts. 

Favorite place: Oak Bluffs; I can hike there with a thermos of tea, a book, and work I need to read, but find I spend much of my time “moodling” (to quote the wise Brenda Ueland) and staring out at the water. I leave both refreshed in body and recharged creatively.

Joy’s writing

Joy Thierry Llewellyn
Joy Thierry Llewellyn
Last week a lady from a village just the other side of Exmoor from us witnessed a road traffic accident.  She immediately Googled the number for the local emergency rescue service and phoned. It’s better than the national 999 emergency number to get straight to the local services, she thought. But what she didn’t realise was that she had phoned Barnstable, Massachusetts, not Barnstable, Devon, UK.  It took a bit of a roundabout conversation for the penny to drop, but she is still in touch with the operator who took the call, and they have become friends. This explains why I should enter WSGT Travel Award and why I want to be part of that community. You get the chance to communicate beyond physical boundaries and the world becomes smaller. You make friends across the world.  Even if you never meet, your shared humanity comes to the front. We laugh, we may cry, or emphasize, but we capture – if we are lucky – something of our shared humanity, our abhorrence of international conflict and a common sense of awe and wonder towards this big old world steps forwards in its place. 
Favorite place: India is my favourite destination but I would be hard pressed to name which part because I loved the whole of my experience there.  However, my inspiration for entering for the award comes from a lot closer to my current home.
Pete Baxter
Pete Baxter

Thank you to all of our talented participants! WSGT wouldn’t be the same with you! Read Part 1Part 2Part 3 and Part 4.

Stay up-to-date with WSGT via our blog, FacebookTwitterInstagramPinterest and youtube channel!

Caitlyn O'Brien

Caitlyn is a 26-year-old Canadian with a passion for travel, futbol, and more recently kayaking in her new Patagonian home: Futaleufú. She teaches English at a local school and loves turning her daily experiences into stories.

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