Welcome to “TravMedia's Travel Writer of the Week," where we highlight an active journalist or editor within the TravMedia community. We have so many amazingly talented, successful and inspirational professionals in our midst — let's meet Marie Barbieri.
Q. Where are you based?
I live on the glittering Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia.
Q. What outlet do you write for? Who is your audience? What are your travel specialties?
I write for a diverse suite of publications, including: Great Walks, Escape, Explore, Luxury Travel magazine, RAA, NZ Herald and Stuff NZ. My main area of interest is in soft outdoor adventure, particularly guided multi-day hikes that showcase nature, wildlife and culture. I'm regularly commissioned to write immersive first-person narratives, from health and wellbeing journeys to sensory long-distance road trips - all illustrated with my own photography shot on location.
Q. What is a professional pet peeve?
Receiving press releases and emails offering me free samples of Viagra. Some PRs really ought to research the specifications of my delicate undercarriage(!).
Q. In your past professional life, you were …
A chameleon: I've been a drama queen, a dancer, a secretary, a practising holistic therapist and nutritionist. The only profession I would swap my career for today is acting - I'm a closet Catherine Tate (less closet after a squid ink gin!).
Q. Where would you like to return to?
In my early (London-based) days, I nailed a cracking assignment to the Azores (back then for £1 per word!). I'd love to experience that hair-raising landing again (I think it's why my hair still grows thin, today!).
Q. What's on your bucket list?
While I've travelled so much of the world across the decades, I still have Pitcairn Island, Lord Howe Island and Catalina Island high on my dream commission list.
Q. Where do you travel for fun?
Where it never rains but it pours... my beloved California. My heart lives in SoCal. In fact, I turn into a bit of a Beach Boys' gal whenever I am there. I also love the deserts of Nevada. But coming from an Irish family, Ireland is precious to me as that's where my roots are. Ever spotted that leprechaun on roller skates in Venice Beach? :o)
Q. Your funniest (or most harrowing) travel story is …
Many of my travel writer colleagues will remember when I experienced an attempted abduction in a taxi in Sweden. It ended without me being harmed as two incredibly kind (and quick thinking) gay men who were attending a wedding adjacent heard my screams. The incident was lodged at the police station in Stockholm. But the message here is even if a taxi is at a train station (in this case, an illegitimate taxi hiding in the queue of genuine registered taxis), don't just presume they are legitimate. Very hard when you have just got off a train after two long economy flights from Australia.
Q. What advice would you give your younger professional self?
The COVID pandemic taught me one huge professional lesson. Not to put all your creative eggs in one editorial basket. Pre-pandemic, I had a thriving freelance writing career here in Australia, BUT it was mainly writing for one publication in the UK. I was their main travel correspondent after moving here from the UK and wrote 8-10-page spreads in almost every issue for many years. Yes, that publication collapsed after lockdown. My other outlets were inflight magazines across the world - most of which, as we know... It's why today, I write for a large pool of titles.
Q. What nugget would you like to add that we haven't touched on?
We've touched on it, but I can't stress the importance of doing prior research on public transport when you land in a foreign country jetlagged and weary - especially if you are a leprechaun on skates.
Q. How best should people contact you?
I can be reached at mariebarbieriwriter@gmail.com.
And via:
www.instagram.com/marie_barbieri
www.linkedin.com/in/mariebarbieri
