Tim Leffel
Encyclopedia
Tim Leffel is an American
writer
and editor
.
. He holds a degree in Music Business Management from James Madison University
and a CELTA
(Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) from Cambridge University. Leffel has worked in New York
, Seoul
, and Istanbul
. He has lived in Nashville
, Tennessee
, since 1999 with his wife and daughter.
, Every Day with Rachael Ray
, Imbibe magazine, International Living
, MSNBC.com, Luxury Latin America, the Boston Globe, and St. Petersburg Times
newspaper. He has reviewed hundreds of hotels in 16 countries for a travel trade publication and is frequently quoted in the media as a travel expert.
Leffel edits the award-winning site PerceptiveTravel.com, featuring nonfiction narrative
travel stories
by published book authors. PerceptiveTravel.com was founded in 2005. Its stories have been featured in several anthologies, including the annual Best American Travel Writing series from Houghton Mifflin
, plus the Best Travel Writing series, Best Women's Travel Writing series and More Sand in My Bra from Travelers’ Tales Publishing.
Leffel is the author of two blogs: Cheapest Destinations and Practical Travel Gear.
Leffel has also contributed to several business books.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
Background
Leffel was born in Harrisonburg, VirginiaHarrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
. He holds a degree in Music Business Management from James Madison University
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
and a CELTA
CELTA
The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults is a professional credential held by many teachers of English as a foreign language.-Overview:...
(Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) from Cambridge University. Leffel has worked in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. He has lived in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, since 1999 with his wife and daughter.
Career
Leffel has been published as a travel writer since the early 1990s and is the author of four books. He has been a regular columnist for Transitions Abroad magazine since 2002. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Global Traveler magazine, Arthur Frommer’s Budget TravelFrommer's
Frommer's is a travel guidebook series and one of the bestselling travel guides in America. The series began in 1957 with the publication of Arthur Frommer's book, Europe on $5 a Day. Frommer's has expanded to include over 350 guidebooks across 14 series, as well as other media including the award...
, Every Day with Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray
Rachael Domenica Ray is an American television personality, businesswoman, celebrity chef and author. She hosts the syndicated talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray and three Food Network series, 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels and $40 a Day...
, Imbibe magazine, International Living
International Living
International Living is a publishing group founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1979 as part of Agora Inc. headed by Bill Bonner. International Living monthly newsletter covers topics including retiring overseas, living abroad, international real estate, investment and travel, while a daily "IL...
, MSNBC.com, Luxury Latin America, the Boston Globe, and St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
newspaper. He has reviewed hundreds of hotels in 16 countries for a travel trade publication and is frequently quoted in the media as a travel expert.
Leffel edits the award-winning site PerceptiveTravel.com, featuring nonfiction narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
travel stories
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
by published book authors. PerceptiveTravel.com was founded in 2005. Its stories have been featured in several anthologies, including the annual Best American Travel Writing series from Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
, plus the Best Travel Writing series, Best Women's Travel Writing series and More Sand in My Bra from Travelers’ Tales Publishing.
Leffel is the author of two blogs: Cheapest Destinations and Practical Travel Gear.
Works
- Travel Writing 2.0: Making Money From Your Travels in the New Media Landscape
- Splinter Press (2010), ISBN 978-1609101084
- The World’s Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Money is Worth a Fortune
- Booklocker (2009), 3rd edition, ISBN 978-1601457011
- Antonio Villardi Editore (2007), Italian edition
- Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune: The Contrarian Traveler’s Guide to Getting More for Less. Recommendations on stretching one's travel budget by avoiding the herd mentality.
- Travelers’ Tales Publishing (2006), ISBN 978-1932361391
- Traveler’s Tool Kit: Mexico and Central America, co-written with Rob Sangster.
- Menasha Ridge Press, 2008), ISBN 978-0897329842
- Hip-Hop, Inc.: Success Strategies of the Rap Moguls, co-written with Richard Oliver.
- Thunder’s Mouth Press/Avalon (2006), ISBN 1560257326
Leffel has also contributed to several business books.
Awards and honors
- 2011, First Prize: North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards in the Eco, Environmental or Special Purpose Travel category for his article "Man vs. Man: Saving the Galapagos"
- 2011, Second Prize: North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards in the Sports & Recreation category for his article "Two Wheels, Two Drinks: Biking Through America's Heartland"
- 2011 Second Prize: North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards in the Cruises category for his article "Galapagos: Untouched by Time"
- 2010, Silver Certificate: Solas Best Travel Writing Awards in the Destinations category for his article "Unbalanced in the Sinking City"
- 2010, Bronze Certificate: Solas Best Travel Writing Awards in the Doing Good or the Kindness of Strangers category for his article, "The Collision."
- 2010, Second Prize Transitions Abroad Narrative Travel Writing Contest for his article, "The Collision."
- 2010, First Prize North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards in the Best Article for the Internet category for "Unbalanced in the Sinking City"
- 2008, Guidebook of the Year, Planeta.com Book of the Year Awards for Traveler's Tool Kit: Mexico and Central America
- 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, Best of the Web: Forbes Travel Blogs for his Cheapest Destinations Blog
- 2007, First Prize: North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards in the Hotels and Resorts category for his article, “A Spa Built for Two.”
- 2007, Finalist: Travvies Best Travel Blog on the Web Award for Cheapest Destinations blog
- 2007, Bronze Certificate: Solas Best Travel Writing Awards in the Bad Trips category for his article "Shake and Bake on the Equator".
- 2006, Grand Prize: North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards in the Journalist/Photographer category for his article "Meat and Malbec at Midnight".
- 2006, Finalist: North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards in the Local Lifestyle category for his article "The Life of a Peruvian Porter".
- 2006, Finalist: North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards in the Best Travel Guide category for his book Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune: The Contrarian Traveler’s Guide to Getting More for Less
- 2006, Finalist: Planeta.com's Travel Book of the Year Award for his book Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune: The Contrarian Traveler’s Guide to Getting More for Less