Times Travel Submissions Guidelines

"My Best Shot" Photo Submissions

Send your trip photo to "My Best Shot"/Travel, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Include a caption and your name, address and phone number. By submitting a "Best Shot," senders agree that The Times may reproduce photos in any format or media. Digital prints must be high resolution. Pictures will be returned if you enclose a self-addressed envelope. One entry per reader. Amateurs only.

Article Submissions

The following are guidelines for submitting manuscripts to the Travel Section on speculation.

The Travel Section is looking for original travel features that are sophisticated, compelling, complete and written with flair, stories evoking a strong sense of place (sounds, colors, smells, tastes), time (when did you go?), expertise and personal perspective. We are looking for destination stories. That means stories about a place-Columbus, Indiana., or Valencia, Spain, for example-and not some aspect of a place (just an art museum or an archeological dig, although that certainly can be part of the experience).

Trips must been taken within the previous two years. The Times will not consider pieces written about trips that have been subsidized in any way (even if part of a trip was not comped). We may ask for receipts. To be considered, the story may not have run elsewhere or be pending publication elsewhere.

We prefer first person, experiential pieces of about 2,000 words; Guidebooks (see below) are about 500 to 700 words. We accept computer discs and typewritten copy, and you also can submit stories by e-mail. Completed stories are preferred to queries. Photos are not a prerequisite for publication, but their presence and quality can weigh in a decision to buy an article. We prefer color slides or good-quality color prints. (Slide dupes are preferable; we require originals if the story is accepted for publication.) Because of differing standards, we do not like to use digital photographs. If you wish a response, or the return of slides, photos or discs, a self-addressed, stamped envelope is mandatory.

All features that qualify as "destination" stories should include a detailed sidebar or service information, which we call a "Guidebook." This includes:

Getting there: Current information and prices on air, train and bus fares and/or automobile routes

Where to stay: Names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, Internet addresses and current prices for recommended lodgings (based on a room for two). If you stay in only one place, it's important to check out other accommodations that you might recommend.

Where to eat: Restaurant information should also include addresses, phones and Internet addresses (useful mostly if they have menu information) and a range of prices for entrees, low to high.

For more information: The guidebook should include names, addresses and phone numbers for sources of more information on the destination and any other specifics (tour operators, etc.) appropriate to the story.

We pay $200 and up on publication for first North American rights, depending on quality and how the story is played. (Destination feature story payment starts at $350.) We also pay extra for any photos we use: $25 and up for each B&W; $50 and up for color. Photos should have detailed captions and credits, preferably on a separate sheet.

Submission of manuscripts by mail is required if material is to be returned. Send manuscripts to: Submissions Desk, Travel, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. First St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Include a daytime telephone number and your Social Security Number with and on your submission. You may e-mail your story to [email protected]. However, if you would like a response, or the return of slides, photos or discs, a self-addressed, stamped envelope is mandatory. We will try to respond as soon as possible, but because of the number of manuscripts we receive, we cannot guarantee a response time. We cannot be responsible for the return of unsolicited material.

Thank you for your interest in the Los Angeles Times Travel section.



SAMPLE GUIDEBOOK:

GUIDEBOOK (this happens to be Brattleboro, Vt.)
Getting there: The nearest major airport is Bradley International Field near Hartford, Conn., about 90 minutes' drive south. There are daily connecting flights from LAX on American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, TWA, United and USAir. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $560.
Car rentals from most major agencies are available at the airport. It's a 90-minute drive north on Interstate 91 to Brattleboro, at Vermont Exit 2 just past the Massachusetts state line.
Amtrak trains stop at Brattleboro once daily northbound, at 3:15 a.m., and once southbound, at 12:15 p.m., on their route between Washington, D.C., and Montreal.
Where to stay: The newly renovated Latchis Hotel, 50 Main St., Brattleboro, VT 05301; telephone (802) 254-6300 or (800) 555-5555, fax (802) 555-5556, Internet https://www.latchishotel.com, offers rooms and suites in an Art Deco atmosphere. Doubles begin at $125.
Naulakha, 425 E. Lansing Drive, Brattleboro, VT 05031; tel. (802) 555-5555 or (800) 555-5556, fax (802) 555-5557, Internet https://www.naulakha.com, is the former Rudyard Kipling home, and rooms can be rented for a week. Rates for a double begin at $225.
The Kellington, 350 E. Marian St., Brattelboro, tel. (802) 555-5555 or (800) 555-5555, fax (802) 555-5557, Internet https://www.thekellington.com, is a 15-room hotel set in a Queen Anne home. Each room has a fireplace; breakfast is included. Doubles begin at $150.
For a handbook describing all Landmark Trust properties including Naulakha, contact Landmark Trust, 28 Birge St., Brattleboro, Vt. 05301; tel. (802) 555-5555 or (800) 848-3747, fax (802) 555-5556, Internet https://www.landmarktrust.com. The handbook costs $18.50.
The Brattleboro area abounds with inns and bed and breakfasts, and a strip of inexpensive motels follows U.S. 5 north of town. For information, call (805) 555-5555, fax (805) 555-5555 or Internet https://www.wheretostay.com.
Where to eat: Brattleboro's unique vegetarian restaurant, the Common Ground, is at 25 Elliot St., local tel. 257-0855. Entrees run about $13-$17.
Peter Havens, 32 Elliot St., tel. 257-3333, Internet www.peterhavens.com, features continental cuisine, with the accent on seafood. Entrees run about $30-$45.
In the Latchis Hotel are the Latchis Grille, tel. 254-4747, Internet www.latchisgrille.com, serving International cuisine (entrees $25-$45), and the Windham Brewery (same phone), a small-scale brewery serving ales, porters, lagers and specialty brews.
For more information: The Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce, 180 Main St., Box B, Brattleboro Vt. 05301, tel. (802) 254-4565, fax (802) 254-4565, Internet https://www.brattleboro.com.