Mary Bergin

What inspired you to pursue a career in travel writing, and how did you get started in this field?

I began my shift from daily newspaper work to freelance travel and food writing in 2002. While features editor, I was frustrated by the lack of travel stories about destinations accessible to the average person. So many wire service articles were about exotic, luxury or obscure places that the typical traveler could not afford. So I began and self-syndicated a weekly column that emphasized close-to-home travel, excellent ideas that went beyond the obvious. No one else was doing this, and the column lasted 19 years. I never skipped a week.

What role does your Midwest background play in your perspective on travel and the stories you choose to tell?

My Midwest background is key to separating me from other travel writers. It is a proud part of my identity, as is my willingness to concentrate on exceptional, unusual, under-the-radar and close-to-home destinations. Tourism offices may provide fodder for what I write and even host me for a visit, but don’t mistake that for being spoon-fed. What I decide to write about is up to me unless a destination approaches me to contribute to their website or publication as a guest writer.

How do you find unique story ideas and destinations to cover, especially in an era where so much travel content is readily available?

The typical press trip provides a nice introduction to a destination or travel subject, but not enough depth or freedom to explore on your own. My work includes four Lowell Thomas awards, the highest recognition in America for travel journalism. In the mix are features about a bratwurst museum in Germany, an eco-retreat in rural Missouri, an exceptional barbecue shack in impoverished Arkansas and a Wisconsin hamlet that is home to a kingpin sausage maker. None were the result of press trips.