Want to get paid to travel?

If you love traveling and have been tempted to write a travel article before, now's your chance. Heritage magazine, devoted to historic travel in Britain, is looking for previously unpublished first-hand accounts of travel experiences around Britain for its new writing contest. According to a press release, "The inspiration for your tale could be anything from a day trip to a historic city or village to a weekend spent exploring your favourite stretch of coast or countryside. … Just remember, the more entertaining you make your story the more chance you have of winning."

The winning entry and four runners-up will be published in the June 2010 issue of Heritage, and the top five will also receive prizes. The first-place prize is a seven-night cruise for two of the western isles of Scotland. There's no entry fee; just submit your story of no more than 500 words by Feb. 26. Read all the contest details at Heritage's Web site.

And if you'd like a little help with your entry, look for The Writer's March issue, on sale Feb. 9. We've included a special section on travel writing, including Roberta Sandler's "Mastering the historical travel article."

On a somewhat related note, I'm reading Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger's second novel, a (so far) fabulous ghost story with two sets of twins, a man suffering from OCD, and a Little Kitten of Death (love it!). It takes place in London, near Highgate Cemetery, the final resting place of George Eliot, Christina Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal. I'm now determined to take a tour of the cemetery on my next trip to London. As 30 Rock's Liz Lemon would say, "I want to go to there!"