Television news bombards us daily with images of global destruction, famine, disease, and wars.

No wonder we despair at the future mankind is forging for itself, one filled with hopelessness and religious fanatics hiding behind guns.

However, what the news does not show is a modified trend amongst the citizens of the world – a transfer from salvation to liberation; a change in mindset and taking responsibility, teaching other like-minded individuals by example.

As a reporter I travel to many third-world countries, those with just emerging markets, and of late have seen this thread as a constant in all of them.

I had the privilege of meeting one such pioneer when I recently travelled to the tropical paradise island of Sri Lanka, just off the southern tip of India.

What the guidebooks promised and what I found were worlds apart.

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1 year. 365 days. 52 weeks. Ummm…8760 hours?

You get the idea. It’s been a long time since I first created Brave New Traveler.

During that time I’ve met some amazing people, celebrated small milestones, and continued to plug away.

Some realizations: creating a sustainable blog model is much harder than it looks. It’s not like you can slap up some content (along with a strip or two of Google ads) and expect the money to roll in.

Also, there’s no way I could have done this alone. For the first 4 months I was writing 90% of the content and driving myself insane.

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Please note: This is a sponsored post.

For me, luxury travel usually means little more than clean sheets, hot water and black coffee in the morning. Camping on a beach or staying with local villagers makes me just as happy as sipping a cocktail next to an elegantly landscaped plunge pool.

But even though vagabonding travelers like me have been known to sneer at expensive luxury resorts and dismiss their pampered guests as out of touch with reality, I recognize that the luxury travel experience, done well, can be a beautiful thing.

There is a time and a place for everything, and when I plan my Honeymoon, or my parent’s 40th anniversary celebration, I’ll want a truly memorable and luxurious holiday.

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In August 2007, travel journalist Eva Holland attended the Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference in Corte Madera, CA. In this article, Eva shares practical tips dished out by the professional Book Passage faculty of travel writers and editors.

Book Passage was a blast.

After four full days of workshops and discussion panels, and four late nights of informal schmoozing, I came away with some great advice, some new friends, and a serious cumulative hangover.

Here are 9 tips I picked up about writing and selling travel stories.

1. Is Your Destination Mature Or Immature?

According to San Francisco Chronicle travel editor John Flinn, “mature” destinations – places that readers will already know a lot about, like Paris, or Cancun – require a narrower focus or a more unusual angle.

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It’s time to wrap up the week now with our favorite links from around the web.

Looking to escape the ratrace? Nomad4Ever dishes up The 3 Secrets of Early Retirement.

Earlier this month, the BBC bought Lonely Planet. Some aren’t too impressed.

Halloween is coming up…do you know where the World’s Creepiest Places are?

Pickpockets are often a worry of new travelers. Witness a short video clip of the technique called The Phantom Wallet.

Finally, improve your vocabulary and donate free rice with the nifty website FreeRice.com

Enjoy the weekend!

Here’s an early treat from my friends at Common Craft. Have a great Friday! I’m still looking for my own costume…anyone have any ideas?

Everything takes getting used to.

Whether it’s sleeping on the street with your family, saying ‘no’ to beggars, fasting for days, functioning with dysentery, or even something so simple as casting off one’s attachment to toilet paper.

The most important lesson I learned in India is that (for better or worse) human beings can adapt to anything.

Many travelers visit places where they need weeks to completely adapt to their new surroundings (and many eventually become partial to them).

Inevitably, the time comes to change again and re-adapt to the society you left.

The new challenge is to incorporate the knowledge you gained on the other side of the world; all without being pompous or preachy about your travels.

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Is there a link between monetary wealth and quality of life?

I pose this question because mainstream economic theory and the policies promoted by international “development” institutions such as the World Bank, IMF and WTO, government agencies such as USAID, various UN programs, and the majority of NGOs assume that monetary wealth and human well-being are tightly coupled, even synonymous.

Of course, this assumption flies in the face of common sense. One need only know of a miserable rich person in order to cast doubt upon its validity. So what gives?

The first thing to understand is that the doctrine of economic growth is sacrosanct in the mainstream paradigm that dictates how these “development” bureaucracies function.

The idea is that if the economy grows everyone will get richer and thereby become better off.

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