The university of Cumbria got some bad press in the News and Star today because of me.

Four months after graduation, I still don't have my degree certificate!! They sent the wrong one at the beginning of November, as that said I'd studied Travel Tourism instead of Travel Journalism.

I don't know why they used my coursemate's picture ... I didn't even give them the name, but at least the story is published now.

UoC can obviously afford bad press.

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbria-university-issues-wrong-degree-certificates-1.783863?referrerPath=home

The second issue of my travel magazine Shoestring is finally online!
Read it here, enjoy it, be inspired and please leave feedback!

I'v been to the movies tonight. But instead of opting to see one of the newest releases, I went to see a classic. Well, a modern classic. The 25th anniversary, digitally remastered version of my favourite film Back to the Future!!

For the first time, I've had the chance to actually watch it on the big screen, at the volume it is meant to be played at. It's been 25 years since Michael J. Fox became Marty McFly, travelling through time in Doc Emmett Brown's DeLorean Time Machine.

At one point at the beginning of the movie, Doc mentions he'd like to see what the place would look like in 25 years (later this is changed to 30 because it's a "nice, even number"). And then it struck me - he was imagining THIS year! 2010! And Back to the Future II is set only 5 years from now! What was the future back then is the present now. What a weird thought.

Meine Kolumne über Laptops, die man ins Café mitnimmt um dort zu arbeiten und gemnütlich einen Kaffee zu trinken, wurde heute im Solinger Tageblatt veröffentlicht!

Laptops mit Latte Macchiato gefällig?

As you probably know, Shoestring travel magazine has its own website by now! If you haven't done so already, please have a look at www.shoestring-magazine.com and tell me what you think!

I've divided the links into different sections, to make it easier for you to find the relevant link. These sections are: Friends & Contributors, Networks, Gap Year Advice, Travel Companies, Books & Gear and Useful Info.

Please let me know whether you have a website you want to see included, from professional website to your own travel blog!!

I'd really appreciate your input!!

A massive debate has sparked in the world of journalism in the UK: It's about the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and whether their examinations are really still needed, as leading colleges and universities drop the NCTJ modules from their syllabus.

And rightly so. The UK is the only country to have journalists trained at university coming out with degrees that are worthless unless top-up exams (read: NCTJ preliminaries) are being sat and passed.

My own degree did not provide me with full NCTJ qualification. The only exam I was allowed to sit was News Writing, and I see this as the most important exam. If you can't write at the end of a journalism degree, you chose the wrong profession. Simple as that. This should be the one exam that matters to editors... if they take somebody on who can take notes very quickly but cannot write a decent story, they simply picked the wrong employee.

Law was only briefly touched upon in my B.A. (Hons) Travel Journalism degree, the title itself a bit misleading, as it was Journalism and Tourism Management, rather than Travel Writing. However, due to the title, potential employers now think that I'm not up to gathering hard-hitting news.

No, editors would not be able to send me to court right away. But I do have the book, (I even dished out for McNae's instead of going for one of the cheaper ones that cover exactly the same) and these things can be learned. They do not necessarily have to be taught. Then again, where I come from, there are dedicated court reporters, and those that cover other local news.

In Germany, where I come from, you don't even have to study journalism to become a journalist. In fact, a pure journalism degree is frowned upon. All you have to do is get a Bachelor's degree in a subject of your choice. This is meant to provide the journalist with insight and expertise in one topic, and also shows editors that they are determined. Once you have a Bachelor's degree, you start as a trainee and you learn on the job. There is no better way of learning than learning by doing.

Work experience is the keyword here. But the NCTJ and UK editors are equally discriminating against foreign journalists who try to get a job in this country. When I tried to hand in my portfolio, my cuttings from a German daily newspaper which I work as a freelance for, were not accepted by the NCTJ. And that's after I translated it all into English. It's not the foreign journalists' fault that people in Great Britain tend to be rather ignorant when it comes to living abroad or learning another language. Just because the cuttings are in another language, doesn't mean they are not newsworthy! Besides, translating them in a way that still makes them clearly written, grammatically correct and newsworthy in English is quite a skill. Work experience abroad is meant to be a good thing. Shows that you can adapt, that you can write in a different language and that you tend to have a wider general knowledge because of your experiences.

I have studied journalism in the UK for three years. I have done work experience in Ghana, South Africa, the UK and Germany. Most of it in Germany, though, because I used to spend my semester breaks in my hometown. Which means, I applied the skills learned in England to journalism in Germany and guess what? It worked just fine. The NCTJ's excuse that the systems are not compatible is a lie, and even so: Some of the best books on journalism are written in America... surely their system is different too.

The one skill everyone keeps going on about is Shorthand. No other country relies on shorthand as much as the UK does. The way I see it: If you didn't learn to take notes in your own longhand or your own abbreviations during at least 16 years of education (college + at least a Bachelor's degree) then even shorthand won't help. You only need it for court. Plus, it is much easier to prove what you have written if you don't have to transcribe it first. You could show me a piece of shorthand and then tell me what it means - I won't believe you. I can't read it, the shapes don't make sense. I believe what I can see. "You need to have passed 100 words per minute". Rubbish. I have never misquoted anyone. And if they speak so fast that you would really need over 100 words per minute there's a simple solution. It's called a dictaphone! Voice recording. Even my mobile phone comes with the software. The easiest way of proving that somebody actually said it, is to play it back to them. I did an interview in 2008 with German comedian Ralf Schmitz, who is known for talking at approximately 220 words per minute. Even with shorthand, there would not have been a chance to keep up. So I took an audio recording and took down some notes to remind me of what questions I need to ask and the really important quotes. I managed to write the interview up in the way Ralf Schmitz really talks, because I had it all, word for word.

Try your shorthand at this:



Some editors I have spoken to do not have or do not use their NCTJ skills. Why do they then insist on their employees to have them? Surely they are meant to set an example?!

I have survived in the world of journalism in Germany just fine without any NCTJ's. In fact, the local news editor for the daily Solinger Tageblatt asked me twice to continue working for the Tageblatt, gave me a pay rise thanks to the quality of my work (yes, in Germany, even work experience is paid!) and all that without Shorthand, PA or what they're all called. And why? Because quality of work, professionalism, a sense for news and the ability to work to a tight deadline still matter there.

Let's face it: I am less likely to get a break in journalism, because the university did not provide me with NCTJ qualifications. I'll have to pay another GBP 400 just to do the course (which covers a lot of things I already learned in my GBP 9.500 degree) just to have a paper to show that I have skills that I could either learn on the job or teach myself through books.

The NCTJ qualifications are overrated. A strong and diverse portfolio should be what matters. A wide range of publications and a wide range of topics covered to show that you can deal with anything that happens in your patch. If what matters most to editors are your NCTJ scores then stop doing (unpaid) work experience right now!! It might look good on your CV, but in reality, it's worthless!

SHOESTRING Travel Magazine now has its own internet home and can be found at http://www.shoestring-magazine.com/.

The website is hosted by Blogger, which means that anyone with a GoogleID (including Twitter, Yahoo, Blogger etc.) can become a follower of SHOESTRING Travel Magazine in seconds and get all the latest travel news directly to their dashboard as soon as the site is updated!

Shoestring-magazine.com has been designed to host news and reviews to keep travellers up-to-date. As the magazine is going to be published quarterly (Issue #2 is due out in October!), news that happen between publications would not get a mention otherwise.

The new site also hosts a forum called "Community" which is free to sign up to. Here, travellers and readers can share and exchange experiences and tips and maybe even find travel buddies! You can even share travel photos and videos, and who knows, maybe you'll even inspire a SHOESTRING feature or get to write for the magazine yourself!

The Tips & Tricks section contains the advice pages from the magazine, such as "How do you plan a Gap Year?" This valuable advice is always accessible, and even if you can't open the link the see the full issue of SHOESTRING, as this section will conatin the pages in jpg format. This means, that for most of your travel queries, this section will become a one-stop-shop and the pages can be printed out so that you can take them away and refer to them whenever you need them.

Next to all this, the website will also be where the next issue of SHOESTRING will be published! The issues will be downloadable and printable and you can bookmark and share the site on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Digg, Technorati and Google.

The little red sign on the left of the website shows how many visitors are online at the moment, while the map on the right shows where SHOESTRING's readers are from.

Please become a follower on shoestring-magazine.com and on Facebook (search for Group SHOESTRING Travel Magazine), and help turn SHOESTRING into an international backpacker magazine!!

I have a favour to ask.

As you might know, I'm busy planning my travel magazine Shoestring, and I am still looking for contributors.

I have designed for Shoestring and would really appreciate it if you could print them and distribute them around university notice boards, halls, student bars or community centres. One of the flyers is in English (below), the other is in German (above). Although the magazine is based in the UK (due to me living here), the authors can come from around the world and talk about every country on earth.

Drinks with the team at the Lady of Mann pub in Liverpool, after the contract working for easyJet's German customer service at Arvato Services came to an end today.

It's been great working with you guys, and, after 3 years I really enjoyed being able to speak German in England! Keep in touch!

To promote Shoestring magazine, I have set up a Facebook group at SHOESTRING Travel Magazine

I'm looking for writers and readers, and want to give everyone the chance to discuss story ideas with like-minded people and get published.

So join me on Facebook if you think that Shoestring sounds like your kind of magazine, want to find out more or even contribute to it!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Here are the first three articles I've published as a freelance for suite101.com.

The first article is about new World Heritage Sites just inscribed into the list, which are as diverse as Shrines and nuclear testing sites.

Then there are the basics of Air Passenger Rights when it comes to European Air Travel. And then there is a little bit about the phenomenom that is Couchsurfing.

Seven New Sites On UNESCO World Heritage List

My First Suite101.com freelance article has just been published!

Southport and Ormskirk Mini Owners Club made a real commitment at this years' Woodvale Rally in Southport. Two Minis, called Ursula and Woofer, were married by a member of the club on Woodvale airfield earlier today.

While the groom was sporting a bow tie and top hat, the bride wore a veil and pearls around her rearview mirror. The owners read their cars' wedding vows, vowing to drive side by side on motorways as long as their engines may run. Marriage certificates were signed, keys exchanged, the champagne was passed around, and the Mini owners cut specially-made wedding cake. At this time it should be pointed out, that the CARS got married... NOT the owners!!

Eliza Doolittle - "Pack up"

Soooooooo catchy! And that guy is an awesome singer! (The girl's pretty good too though)

If you have read this blog before, chances are you've heard about my final project, travel magazine Shoestring.

My name is Cornelia Kaufmann, I am looking for work as a journalist in the North West of England and this is my Curriculum Vitae.

I was born on 11th July 1987 in Solingen, Germany and I am a German national who has been a resident in the UK since 2007. Currently, I am based in Southport, Merseyside.

On 16th July 2010, I graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with Upper Second Class honours in my Bachelor of Arts Travel Journalism degree. This course was not offered anywhere else in Europe, and I graduated as one of the two top students (same grade) in my class. And because this course is not offered anymore, we are also the top two students to ever have graduated with this degree. The degree was taught at the University of Cumbria, which was formerly University of Central Lancashire's Business School and the Cumbria Institute of the Arts. The course included journalism modules such as newspaper production, practical journalism, general law, print and photography, as well as tourism management modules on supply and demand, geography, society and postmodernity.

This is what I did to get there.

In 1997, when I entered Grammar School, I became one of the first students to be taught bilingually at Gymnasium Schwertstrasse Solingen. This means, I had geography, history and politics lessons in English instead of German. At the end of Year 10 I decided to spend a year in Auckland, New Zealand as an exchange student at Waitakere College. Here, I attended 6th and 7th Form classes, including Geography, Photography, Drama, Classical Studies and English while living with a host family and exploring the Land of the Long White Cloud at the age of 16. Returning home, I attended Years 12 and 13 at Gymnasium Schwertstrasse and graduated with Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife (Abitur - the German university entrance qualification) in June 2006. Due to being taught bilingually, I also received a Certificate of Anglo-German language skills. My Final exams were sat in Advanced English, Advanced German, Biology and bilingual Geography.

After Grammar School, I decided to take a Gap Year and work all around the world. I was a journalist for weekly paper People & Places in Accra, Ghana reporting court cases for two weeks. However, since I don't speak local language Twi, I decided to teach children in a Day Care instead and so became a teacher for 5-year-olds at Little Angels Early Childhood Development Centre in Achimota. In my free time, I travelled with my host family and helped build an orphanage in a neighbouring village.

In South Africa, I spent three weeks in Johannesburg, where I acted as a substitute teacher for two local schools in Reiger Park. During these two weeks, I also translated STAESA's website from English to German (the website has been re-developed and does not include the German translation yet) and I also took Afrikaans lessons. In Cape Town, I was a reporter for local English and Afrikaans newspaper Daily Voice for five weeks before honing my photography skills on a four-week overland tour from Johannesburg to Nairobi.

In Australia, I completed a course and worked as a Jillaroo in New South Wales. I decided to work as a cowgirl in order to try something new and also to show that I am not afraid to get my hands dirty - literally. I then went into the Outback and around New Zealand, to practise my photography skills. My next assignment saw me as the photographer for the Parque Nacional Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. I was stationed in Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabela for seven weeks and it was my job to take photos of all aspects of island life, including the indigenous fauna and flora.

In May 2007, I reached the United States of America, where I studied Visual Communication in a summer session at the University of Nevada, Reno which I finished with grade A, before travelling across the northern states for three weeks. During my Gap Year, I published a series of articles with German Itchy Feet magazine.

Since I started university in September 2007 in the United Kingdom, I have done two months of work experience with the daily local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt in my hometown during semester breaks. I have contributed to all desks of local news, including the bi-weekly youth page Karl. for which I continue to contribute from the UK. I also contribute to the Solinger Tageblatt as a freelance and on story commissions everytime I'm back in my hometown, as of special request by the editor.

In August 2009, I did work experience with the Champion Media Group in Southport and have since contributed reviews for their weekly series of papers, as well as for their website. I have also contributed the photography for some GR8 Life magazine features. During my time at university, I was also part of the editorial team for The Informer, the student newspaper in Carlisle. At The Informer, I held positions as reporter, proofreader, page designer, sub-editor, pictire editor, webmaster and editor and published articles for three years. The Informer team also published the official magazine for Words by the Water literature festival which was called Write On!, as well as several student magazines like Horizons, and the magazine for the Carlisle Arts Festival C.A.F.ine.

Over the Easter break 2010, I worked at Wanderlust travel magazine in Windsor, to finally gain some experience in the travel sector. There I was working in editorial and helped research and write destination guides, as well as sourcing and editing pictures.

My final project was a travel magazine entitled Shoestring, for which I was editor, photographer and designer.

Here's the thing: I have recently applied for a job with the local weekly paper. And although my interview was apparently really good, and they know me, I've published with them before and could start right away - they took someone else.

Apparently seven years of doing work experience during free time is not enough to get a job when you're a journalism graduate. I spent my Gap Year doing work experience as a journalist and photographer, studied Visual Communication and wrote for a German magazine while I was on the road. During my Gap Year, I really got convinced that writing is what I want to do, and applied for a place on the B.A. (Hons) Travel Journalism degree at the University of Central Lancashire while I was working for Cape Town paper Daily Voice.

I have now graduated with upper second class honours. During university breaks, I did work experience at my local daily paper Solinger Tageblatt and was asked by the editor to continue to work for them as a freelance and on commissioned stories whenever I'm in town. Even from England, I continued to write features for their youth page Karl. and have my own, irregular column "Post aus..."

During my third year, I did work experience at Wanderlust magazine in Windsor while writing my dissertation (which by the way was twice as long - 16.000 words - than single honours journalism dissertations) and creating my Final Project, travel magazine Shoestring.

But apparently all that is not enough. Editors want somebody with work experience, but how are you meant to get any more work experience if nobody gives you a job?? I am past unpaid internships. There are bills to pay. And quite honestly, I am done offering my services for free. And the excuse, that it gives you work experience and enhances your portfolio is clearly not of importance if it doesn't get you a job you are more than qualified for.

Which is why I have just gone freelance. I have successfully applied for a job as freelance with suite101.com. I have to write at least 10 articles of between 400 and 600 words every three months and I can write about whatever I like. Finally a chance to actually write about travel.

My other half has just produced a magazine. A car magazine. A magazine about his motoring blog and column Life on Cars. It's a birthday magazine, as his blog went live exactly a year ago, with the blogger-related help and a bit of nudging on my part.

And guess who did half of the photography for this Life on Cars magazine? Yes, yours truly!

just as I thought I was leaving Carlisle for good, Carlisle tried to lure me back. Well, not the city itself, but Her Majesty's Courts Service. That's right. I've been summoned for Jury Duty at Carlisle Crown Court.

And yes, I did get a slight shock, receiving a letter from court.

The problem is though that I am not eligible to actually be in the jury. Jurors are picked at random from the electoral register, which I am on, if only locally. I can't vote in General Elections. But jurors must also have lived in the UK for 5 years or longer. I have been here slightly less than 3 years now. Besides, I am a German national and that's not going to change anytime soon.S

o I'll fill in the form and send it back - it's a legal requirement - and ask to be excused due to not having lived here long enough. That means though, that should I ever get another summons, I must attend. Unless I'm working for the local media by then, in which case I would almost definitely be in contempt of court...

Today is the day!! I have just graduated from the University of Central Lancashire (but taught at University of Cumbria) with Upper Second Class Honours in my Bachelor of Arts Travel Journalism degree!!

It feels weird in a way, that it's suddenly all over. Three years of university have finally paid off. This morning we collected our gowns and mortar boards - for everyone not familiar with that term... it's the hat - from Ede and Ravenscroft at the Crown and Mitre Hotel in Carlisle. Once again, I was glad that my degree is validated by Central Lancashire and not Cumbria. While UCLan graduands wear grey and red hoods over the gowns, Cumbria graduands wear grey and a colour best described as neon green and quite hideous.

I went back up to Carlisle yesterday, with my mum, dad, sister and of course my other half. Staying for the last time ever at the house that's been my home for three years - and which my landlord had already rented out again although our contracts hadn't run out yet.

Nonetheless, I had to get up early this morning to get ready and went over to the Crown and Mitre by myself, through the rain. Inside, I met up with fellow Travel Journalism graduand Lauren, got my gown and hat, got my official photos done and then waited for my family and other half to arrive.

While all the ceremony guests got seated in the cathedral, our gowns were checked, hoods straightened, hats put on tight and straight and the procedure was explained. We then made our way to the cathedral and down the centre aisle towards the altar and stage. What I didn't understand is why they hid us graduands behind the columns in the side aisle. After all, today was supposed to be our day. Helen Hutchinson came by, finding Lauren and me and congratulating us. Then the ceremony started with several addresses and it seemed to last forever until we finally got to go on stage. We had to hand name cards to the dean, then walk up the stairs when our names were called, shake hands with UCLan's vice-chancellor and walk off the stage again, walk around the whole cathedral and sit down. Kind of disappointing, that we did not even get a fake scroll. A graduation ceremony without anything to show off?

After all the degrees were conferred and two honorary fellows appointed, the ceremony was declared over and we followed the academic procession down the main aisle again, and exited the cathedral to applause from guests and all members of the university.

Outside Carlisle Cathedral, our course leader Dr John Luffrum, and tourism lecturer Brian Eaton came to find Lauren and me to congratulate. After all, we're pretty unique as graduating classes go, seeing as there are only the two of us. We're the first to graduate, and for now as far as we know also the last. For three years, it's been our little four person clique when we didn't have lessons at Brampton Road for the journalism modules.

University is over, and somehow we made it! I say hats off to that!!

My graduation is on 16th July (only two weeks from today) and I still don't know whether I passed or not.

After handing in my last assignment on 13th May, I haven't had anything from uni yet. If I was a single honours journalism student graduating in November I wouldn't be this stressed. But leaving it evidently less than two weeks before graduation to tell students whether they actually passed or not is not fair.

It really reminds me of the start of my third year... I was back at uni, studying in third year for 3 weeks, before they Gold me that i had actually passed second year.

The reason for this graduation result malarky is the University of Cumbria. Although I studied at their Carlisle campuses, my degree has always been run by the University of Central Lancashire. Assessment criteria, assigmemts, rules and regulations all set by UCLan and I have always considered myself a UCLan student. UCLan's exam boards where a while ago and we could have had results then. But apparently UOC decided they wanted to have a look as well, resulting in this massive delay. Why UOC wanted to have a look at degrees clearly validated by UCLan is anyone's guess..

All I can say is that I'm glad I can leave UOC behind me in two weeks and never have to go back. The teachers were great but that uni screwed up too much on my degree.

It's 8.30am and I'm sitting in Starbucks on Liverpool's Castle Street. For once I'm early and have time to sit and observe instead of downing my coffee while walking to work. The coffee shop itself is not as busy as I thought it would be, but I also know that could change in a second. More than once did I walk away without something caffeine-containing because the queue was that long.

A man in suit and tie works on his laptop on the table across from mine. Another man sips coffee in the corner, while lounging on one of the sofas and reading today's news.

Business men, construction workers and women in summer-y, flowery dresses walk past, and I can see them thinking "coffee would be nice right now" while they haste out of sight.

One of my colleagues just walked through the door. It seems I'm not the only one who needs to wake up!

The problem with this university degree in travel journalism that I've been doing for the las three years is: it's not NCTJ accredited. Which means, in order to actually work as a journalist in the UK, I'll have to get these sought-after qualifications another way.

There are 6 preliminary exams in total, only two of which I can actually do right now. One is Newswriting and the other is handing in a portfolio of work.

I've just sat my Newswriting exam today, in which I had to write a 325-word news story, an 80-word story, a 50-word story as well as come up with sources and possible interview questions and how to make use of the internet for a pretend news story within the space of two hours. It's my only third year exam, and it's not even set by the University of Cumbria.

The portfolio will be handed in soon, just need one more story for that. Now I just have to sort out where and how to learn shorthand, PA, law etc. which I will need for the full qualification.

I'm just glad that with this exam, university is really over!

I have just handed in my very last university assessment for the B.A. (Hons) Travel Journalism.

The assessment was to look at post-modern management at a World Heritage Site or other attraction. For mine, I chose Stonehenge, and created a website on which I can show my findings... very post-modern indeed.

Anyway, have a look at Managing Stonehenge to see what I found out.

Now that university is over, I can finally concentrate on the important things, like moving in with my other half and finding a job!

After several all-nighters, countless cups of coffee and very, very little sleep, it's finally done! I have just handed in my dissertation for the B.A. (Hons) degree in Travel Journalism.

"In what ways do travel magazines define their readership and how does their style and content refelct this? An analysis of the travel market" was my topic, and I looked at travel magazines Wanderlust, Lonely Planet Magazine, The Sunday Times Travel and National Geographic Traveler in terms of writing style, features, pictures, colours and advertising, to find their readership. For this I also had to know how market segments can be defined and what methods are used.

In total, I have written 15.938 words, excluding quotes, abstract, declarations, lists, captions and references. 60 pages including the cover, and the overall word count of everything I have written is 19.028.

I found that I had to cut a lot out. Writing the Literature Review, and the first few chapters explaining Market Segments, Travel Writing and Magazine Style was pretty straight-forward, based on quotes and my own interpretations. However, the four case studies were not that easy to write. I did one after the other, so I wouldn't get confused with the magazines. I looked at each one from many different angles, and really had to focus so I wouldn't write too much. The hardest part was then to link it all up, compare, contrast and add quotes and references to earlier chapters. I found that nailing down a specific readership is not possible in most cases, even though every book on the subject advises editors to have a very clear reader profile in mind when designing the publication.

I actually finished my dissertation in the early hours of yesterday. However, I still had to write an abstract, which took me most of the day, as I had to sum up nearly 16.000 words in 250 words or less.

Once the results are published, I will publish my dissertation for you to judge!

My Final Project SHOESTRING MAGAZINE went to print today!!



Shoestring is a magzine for backpackers aged 18 - 30, who enjoy outdoor activities, exploring cultures and might even be thinking or taking a Gap Year or Sabbatical to volunteer or work somewhere. Exploring the world on a budget - it's exactly what it says on the tin. Students with itchy feet might not know about all the possibilities open to them, and I'd like to help there. My motto is: "Where you have been is not half as important as where you are going! Meet you there!" and I mean it.

Just like Mark Twain once said "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." I do believe that you should take your chance to travel while you can, and even though the world has been explored many times over, there are still so many hidden gems and experiences to discover!

For now, Shoestring is a 12-page magazine, but if I get enough encouraging feedback, I will turn it into a regular online publication, with more sections (i.e. city breaks, what gear, etc.) and more pages. As this issue of Shoestring is an assessment and counts towards my degree, there will only be a limited number of hard copies, mainly for those who contributed to it (printing is expensive, if you don't print in bulk). But the good news is: you can read it online either here on Conny's Corner or on issuu.com, download it, print it and hopefully in the future even subscribe to it.

Click on the magazine above, and it will open in full screen modus. If you click on the page then, it will zoom in, so you can read it properly. I only ask you not to distribute it further once you downloaded it and not to pass it off as your own.

Last but not least I want to thank David Simister, Laura Heisig, Skye Macdonald, Luise Görlitz, all the photographers and everyone I interviewed for their big help!