The SATW Freelance Council is made up of members who are self-employed travel journalists: writers, photographers, authors, broadcasters, creators of mobile apps and travel websites, content creators, bloggers, and entrepreneurs providing travel information to the public.
Council Officers
- Chair: Bea Broda
- First Vice Chair: Sharael Kolberg
- Second Vice Chair: Susan Kraus
- Secretary: Barbara Ramsay Orr
- Treasurer: Debi Lander
Past Freelance Council Chairs
- Carole Terwilliger Meyers 2016-2019
- Sandra Friend 2012-2016
- Michael Snell 2010-2012
- Martin Hintz 2008-2010
- Sally More 2004-2008
- Milton Fullman 2001-2004
- Carol Barrington 2000-2001
- Carl Purcell 1998-2000
- Herb Hiller 1996-1998
- Margaret Zellers 1995 (resigned after one year)
- Arky Gonzales 1991-1994 (was perhaps the start of two-year terms)
- Hal Gieseking 1991
- Lee Foster 1990
- Victor Block 1988-1989
- Florence Lemkowitz 1986-1987
- Eunice Juckett 1984-1985
- Dale Remington 1982-1983
- Arky Gonzales 1981-1982 (resigned mid-term)
- Barry Anderson 1980-1981 (resigned mid-term)
- Ralph Peck 1979
- Mark Rhodes 1977-1978
- Bob Spring 1975-1976
- Eunice Juckett+Bob Spring/co-chair 1974
- Eunice Juckett 1973
- David Bruce 1971-1972 (was founder of the council, then appointed coordinator,
- then renamed chairman)
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned!
Council Information
FLC Meeting Information
Past Meeting Sites
- (At Lawai Village during Freelance Council Meeting in Fiji; Steve Bly is our Chief – Photo Credit: Chad Case)
- 2019 – Columbus, Ohio
- 2018 — Mammoth Lakes, California
- 2017– Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam cruise,
- from Fort Lauderdale, with a stop in Nassau, Bahamas
- 2016– Lake Charles, LA / Trinidad and Tobago
- 2015– Peru
- 2014– Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- 2013– Atlantic City, NJ
- 2012– Tel Aviv, Israel / Riviera Maya, Mexico
- 2011– Fiji
- 2010– Thailand + Dubai (stopover enroute)
- 2009– Egypt
- 2008– Banff, Canada / Myrtle Beach, SC
- 2007– Quebec, Canada
- 2006– Lafayette, LA / Northern Arizona
- 2005– Rochester, NY / Missoula, Montana
- 2004– Dothan, AL / Lake Tahoe, NV
- 2003– Curacao / Albuquerque, NM
- 2002– Grand Bahama, Bahamas / Colorado Springs, CO
- 2001– Puerto Rico / New Brunswick, Canada
- 2000– Montreal, Canada
- 1998– Trinidad & Tobago / Las Vegas, NV
- 1996– Key West, FL / St. Martin / Jamaica /
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Houston, Texas
- 1995– Florida Panhandle
- 1994– Mississippi / Pinehurst, North Carolina
- 1992– Northern California / Hampton-Norfolk, Virginia
- 1985– Vancouver, Canada
- 1984– Munich, Germany
- 1983– Ecuador / Toronto, Canada
- 1982– Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- 1981– Northern Ireland
- 1980– Edmonton-Calgary, Canada
- 1979– Egypt
- 1978– Germany
- 1977– Chattanooga, TN
- 1976– M/S Southward 7-day cruise from Miami to
- Cozumel, Grand Caymen, and Jamaica
- 1975– Panama
- 1972– Toronto, Canada
Many thanks to SATW Historian, Beverly Hurley, who unearthed much of the information about older meeting sites from the SATW National archives in Washington, D.C. The Freelance Council welcomes further information about past meeting sites.
Meeting Registration Info
- FLC meetings are open only to FLC members. We do not extend invitations to other councils or chapters to fill open spaces. We do not permit guests, including spouses or children.
- Unfortunately, most of the time there is no guarantee that you can attend an FLC meeting. We did have an exception to this a few years back when we had our meeting in Israel and were told by our host that all who signed up could attend. Usually we are given a maximum number.
- If the meeting is oversubscribed, we use a name-draw to select those who will attend. We continue with the name-draw to form a waiting list that includes everyone who registered. Usually, with drop-outs, everyone winds up going, but our council has become so large that this might not continue into the future.
- A new FLC policy beginning with the Trinidad meeting is that anyone who applies for the meeting and is put on the waiting list, and is ultimately not selected, will be at the top of the acceptance list for the next meeting. Note that this means that if you are selected to go and then drop out, OR if you are on the waiting list and you decline to go when your name comes up, you lose your place. If you choose not to attend the next meeting, you do not retain a place; it does not carry over beyond one meeting.
- We try to keep registration open for at least a week, so those of you who are traveling have a chance to get to a computer.
- You are usually responsible for air costs to the gateway cities.
- It makes sense not to solicit an assignment until you are sure you are going, or to let your editor know there is a chance you might not go.
Sub-Councils
Bloggers Sub-Council
The Bloggers Sub-Council is a community for members of all SATW councils who own and publish independent travel blogs and websites. Whether you are the exclusive blogger for your site, or if you own a blog site with multiple contributors or occasional guest bloggers, you are welcome to join.
Our private Facebook Group page–SATW Bloggers (to join, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/287284055050804/). The Facebook Page is a place where SATW independent bloggers can:
- Help answer each other’s questions about all things travel blogging
- Share resources and recommendations
- Grow our networks
In the future, we’ll also be adding some weekly sharing opportunities and follow-a-thons for those who want to participate, and expanding out through some other social media channels. Members of this sub-council retain their membership in their own council.
Contact: Shelly Rivoli/Director, [email protected]
Photographers Sub-Council
The Photographers Sub-Council was created to provide a community and a voice for the members of the Freelance Council who primarily earn their livelihood from photography. The sub-council is open to FLC members who consider themselves photographers first. Sub-council members may also write, but they should be involved in marketing their images independent of their own stories as well.
The Photographers Sub-Council will work with PD committees to help identify professional development sessions geared toward professional photographers, as well as assist with itinerary development, where appropriate, to ensure meeting schedules meet photographers’ needs.
The sub-council’s Muster Liaison will provide support for the SATW Bill Muster Photo Competition by working with SATW headquarters and the competition judges to ensure a consistency of process and to maintain the high quality standards that the awards deserve. Members of this sub-council retain their membership in the parent Freelance Council.
Contact: Michael Snell, [email protected]
Clips Information
Freelance Council is currently collecting clips for:
Adventures on the Gorge/Southern West Virginia (Through May 2023)
Send clips to Teresa Bergen, FLC clips chair
and
Mona Mesereau, PR representative for the meeting hosts
Japan/Tohoku Province (Through June 2022)
Clips to be sent to Teresa Bergen, FLC clips chair
and
Geoffrey Weil, PR representative for the meeting hosts.
Columbus, Ohio (CLOSED; but you can continue to send any clips to our host)
Mammoth Lakes, California (CLOSED; but you can continue to send any clips to our host):
Lara Kaylor, Director of Communications Mammoth Lakes Tourism
Holland America Line cruise and Fort Lauderdale (CLOSED; but you can continue to send any clips to our host):
Erik Elvejord, Director PR, Holland America Line, and
Veronica Nett, Coordinator PR, Holland America Line
Ivonne MacMillan, PR Manager, Fort Lauderdale
Trinidad & Tobago (CLOSED; but you can continue to send any clips to our host):
Jennifer Johnson, Director of Client Development, Cheryl Andrews Marketing Communications
Cheryl Andrews, President, Cheryl Andrews Marketing Communications
Lake Charles (CLOSED; but you can continue to send any clips to our host):
Will Precht, Media Relations Specialist, Visit Lake Charles (our host)
What items qualify for clips?
The FLC collects the following types of clips:
- Newspaper, magazine, and web articles
- Photographs
- Radio and TV broadcasts
- Interviews where you are the expert/journalist talking about a destination
- Travel presentations to groups
- Blog posts (both personal and paid blogs)
- YouTube videos
We do NOT currently collect the following:
- Trip Advisor postings
- Social Media postings: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
When you submit a clip, it should include:
- The title
- The publication
- The publication’s circulation or the website’s UV (Unique Visitor) figure, which you might need to request from your editor
- The link where it is posted online. When you send a link, please send the ENTIRE LINK, not just the name of the website.
- If it is not posted online, please attach a PDF or JPG scan of the article. We no longer accept hard copies.
- Remember, when you submit a clip it is eligible for a Clips for Cash drawing.
FLC E-blasts (members only)
FLC meeting minutes (members only)
Host A Freelance Council Meeting
The Freelance Council is comprised of more than 500 writers, photographers, editors, broadcast/video/film producers, bloggers, and website owners dedicated to producing engaging content for their readers. Our extensive editorial and photographic outlets range from general circulation magazines and high-profile travel websites to the trade press; from top travel blogs to international stock agencies, television series, and the professional lecture circuit; and from newspapers to guidebooks. In all, our members represent an estimated 900 worldwide markets.
The benefits of hosting a Freelance Council Meeting
The benefits of hosting an SATW Freelance Council meeting are numerous. The most high-profile benefit is the public relations value attached to media highlighting the host destination. Coverage of the host destination begins even before many of our members land, as they anticipate their trip. Many members have significant social media followings and post constantly about their experience and exploration of a host destination throughout the duration of a FLC meeting, and the knowledge gained about the host destination during an FLC meeting can provide fodder for articles for years following a trip.
In addition to media coverage, the host destination and its partners will build long-lasting relationships with journalists who daily influence the decisions of the traveling public.
General FLC Meeting guidelines
- FLC meetings are typically 3 to 4 nights in the host destination.
- Pre- and post-trips range in length from 1 to 3 nights each on either side of the core meeting, with 3 to 5 options generally offered for both pre- and post-trips.
- The host determines the number of FLC meeting participants, with no fewer than 45 members as part of the group, which includes the five FLC board members.
- FLC meetings are limited to FLC members only; there are no spouses or guests, and SATW’s associate (industry) members are not invited to participate.
- The per-person pricing for FLC trips normally, but not always, includes airfare from major gateway cities in the United States and Canada, accommodations, meals, and transfers/transportation.
To learn more about hosting a Freelance Council Meeting, contact SATW Freelance Council Sites Chair David Lang at [email protected] or Freelance Council 2nd Vice Chair Susan Kraus at [email protected].
Learn More About Freelance Council
To learn more about the Freelance Council, please contact council chair Bea Broda.