Celeste Brash has contributed to around 75 titles for Lonely Planet, and her work has appeared in many other publications including BBC Travel, Parents, Travel & Leisure, and the Travelers’ Tales anthologies. She’s studied Buddhism in Thailand, danced in a French Polynesian dance troupe and ridden a bike naked with 10,000 other cyclists in her current hometown, Portland, Oregon. Her weakness is falling in love with nearly every place she visits.
How did you get started traveling?
I was conceived in England, discovered in Mexico, and born in the US. My parents were hippies and we didn’t have a ton of money, so our holidays always involved getting way out there somewhere, sleeping under the stars, driving on bad roads with no plans, and a magical sense of adventure. I guess I just took it from there when I was old enough.
How did you get started writing?
A friend of mine in high school used to drive me home sometimes because I hated taking the bus. One day she said she couldn’t drive me home because she was taking a test to get into some class called AP English. I decided to take it too so I could get a ride home – I hated the bus that much. I was never encouraged to do well at school and had no idea what AP English was. I got in. Mrs. Jones, my AP English teacher taught me about writing and literature for sure, but mostly she showed me that I had a voice, was as talented as anyone else in that class and started me on a life-long love affair with words.
What do you consider your first “break” as a writer?
I was living on a pearl farm in the remote Tuamotu Archipelago when an old school friend, who worked in PR for Lonely Planet, suggested me as a writer to them. The only communication apparatus we had on the farm at that time was a satellite fax. So basically, I got a fuzzy fax from Lonely Planet Headquarters in Melbourne, Australia telling me they’d found someone to write for French Polynesia but would I be interested in working on Tonga? I said “yes!” Then I never heard from them again. However, this made me realize that writing guidebooks was a job that was within my grasp. Years later, through a series of other long stories, I got the job with Lonely Planet.
As a traveler and fact/story gatherer, what is your biggest challenge on the road?
It can be really tough being a woman. Oftentimes it’s the best and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, then, just when you least expect it, out pops an unwanted penis.
What is your biggest challenge in the research and writing process?
I’m a perfectionist so I want to have been everywhere in person and have every single detail correct. This is nearly impossible on a guidebook writer’s budget and schedule and yet I kill myself over it every damn time. Then during write up I re-live everything and usually beat myself up mentally until I’m done. By the time editing comes around I’m ready to hang it all up and become an accountant until another trip comes up and I jump all over the new opportunity to start the process all over again like an excited puppy.
What is your biggest challenge from a business standpoint?
Like most freelancers my work is not a steady stream. So sometimes I say yes to too many projects at once and at other times I don’t have enough work. It’s the perfect feast or famine cliché.
Have you ever done other work to make ends meet?
My husband and I run a Tahitian pearl jewelry business www.kamoka.com. Blatant plug: Many of my travel writer friends wear our kangaroo leather Mana necklace and love them. I never travel without a Tahitian pearl!
What travel authors or books might you recommend and/or have influenced you?
Zora O’Neill’s All Strangers Are Kin is amazing and she has been something of a writing mentor to me for a few years now. The power and quality of her brain never ceases to astound me. I love anyone who is experimental too like Alexandra Fuller (Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight is one of my favorite books of all time) and My Holiday in North Korea by Wendy E. Simmons. For straight up, beautifully written adventure I adored Four Corners by Kira Salak and love all of Carl Hoffman’s books.
What advice and/or warnings would you give to someone who is considering going into travel writing?
Be yourself and be honest. It’s what will make you stand out.
What is the biggest reward of life as a travel writer?
I feel like I’m in some special club. Through my travels I’ve created a web of contacts made up of friends, helpers, other writers and random weirdos who enrich my life every single day. I love that feeling of connection and support. There is nothing else like it.
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