The Quality of Independence: Share your Story

 

How do you define independence?
Dictionary.com says: “freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.” Share your definition in our Independence Travel Writing Award this summer.

Do you want to be completely free from the influence and support of others? I do not think so. I do not want that kind of freedom.

What do you want freedom from? How does travel show you how you do need others? We all rely on the kindness of strangers in a new place and on those we love every day no matter where we are in the world.

In Something Like Happy, Eva Wood’s characters remind us that our time is limited and we can choose our attitudes. The two main characters, Annie and Polly, become unlikely friends and share some crazy adventures.

When Polly says, “Life isn’t about avoiding the storm, it’s about learning to dance in the rain. Where’s your sense of adventure?” It reminded me that you can explore anywhere in the world. The only person holding you back is YOU! What do you want to discover? Where can you travel with or without leaving home?

For our Independence Travel Writing Award, share about your sense of freedom. Where do you feel free? When do you feel free? What makes your heart sing and dance? 

Date: Enter from May 11, 2017 to July 4, 2017

Theme: Independence:  Where do you find freedom?

Deadline: Enter by midnight PST on July 4, 2017

Fees: This competition has a $15usd entrance fee. (We want everyone to be able to participate, please apply for a scholarship to enter the award as necessary.)

To Enter: CLICK HERE 

Prizes
1st Prize – $500 usd
2nd Prize – $150usd
3rd Prize – $50 usd

Winners will be selected by our judges and We Said Go Travel Team. Cash prizes will be paid through PayPal in United States Dollars. All winning entries will be promoted on We Said Go Travel.

RULES

Publication is dependent on proper use of English language and grammar, appropriateness of theme topic, and being family friendly (G rated). If your post is written in a language other than English, please also send an English translation. Travelers of all ages and from all countries are encouraged to participate. Entries are 500-800 words with 1 photo. You may submit multiple entries. Your article must be an original and previously unpublished piece. All posts, which meet the requirements, will be published on this site, WeSaidGoTravel.com. Void where prohibited.

To Enter: CLICK HERE 

JUDGING

Amanda Castleman

A former wilderness guide, Amanda Castleman has published photos and stories in Afar, Outside, Journey, BBC Travel, Sport Diver, Bon Appétit, Delta Sky and The International Herald Tribune, among many others. Her 30-odd book contributions include Frommer’s and National Geographic titles.Now based in Seattle, Amanda has lived in Oxford, Rome, Athens, Cyprus and Turkey. She has taught travel writing since 2003. 

www.amandacastleman.com

Jason Frye

Jason Frye is a travel, culinary and culture writer with stories and photography in Southern Living, Coastal Living, AAA Go!, AAA Traveler, Dallas Morning News, Our State, Salt, StarNews, Charlotte Observer, Raleigh News & Observer, Thrillist, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Our State Eats, VisitNC.com, Forbes, Moon.com, The Official North Carolina Visitors Guide, Discover South Carolina Vacation Guide among other places. He’s the author of Moon North Carolina, Moon North Carolina Coast Including the Outer Banks, Moon Blue Ridge Parkway Roadtrip,and Moon Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers where he serves on the Eastern Chapter Executive Board, the Association of Food Journalist, and holds his MFA in Creative Writing—Poetry (2005) from University of North Carolina Wilmington. He lives on the coast of North Carolina with his wife and cat.

www.teakettlejunction.com

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Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

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