Writer and Photographer Amanda Castleman specializes in travel, adventure, health, science, business and the environment. A former wilderness guide, she has won two Lowell Thomas awards and a grand silver Solas for Best Travel Writing for stories involving nature.
Amanda has worked on 30-odd books, including titles for National Geographic, Frommer’s, Michelin, Time Out and Rough Guides. She has taught journalism and travel writing since 2003, and has worked as a graphic designer, web developer and editor-in-chief, launching a magazine group and a Silicon Valley start-up.
EXPERIENCE
Freelance Writer, Reporter and Photojournalist, Seattle, WA, USA (January 2004 to present)
Reporting beats: health, medicine, the environment, green living and travel (nature, parks and adventure). Editorial clients include National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, Outside, Sierra, AARP, AFAR, AAA Westways, Bon Appétit, Coastal Living, Hemispheres, Hidden Compass, Islands, Marriott Bonvoy, Robb Report, Scuba Diving, Sport Diver, The Seattle Times, Vera, Virtuoso and USA Today.
Regular contributor gigs
- AFAR magazine: writing features, custom content and destination guides (Seattle, Vancouver, Dominica, Hawaii and Maui); reviewer and photographer (hotel, restaurants and attractions). 2016–present
- AARP magazine: contributing guides to Seattle, Pacific Northwest national parks and solo travel, as well as road trip coverage and miscellaneous features. 2020–present
- The New York Times: writing sponsored content about health medicine, pharma and hospitals. 2020–present
- The Seattle Times: reporting on DIY, landscaping and green living for the At Home section. 2022–2023
- Rutgers: covering research and healthcare for Rutgers Today, the medical school’s Pulse magazine and the School of Nursing Magazine. 2018–present
- American Express’s Square: reporting on business, credit cards, events, fintech, travel and corporate social responsibility. Occasional photography and interviews with C-suite executives. 2010–2019
- The Telegraph: reviewing hotels. 2017–2018
- Travelgirl magazine— writer-at-large, travel news and features. 2006– 2016
- Cruise Critic: reporting, photography and reviewing ships. 2014–2016
- MSN: covering travel and weather, 2005–2012
- Yahoo: travel and lifestyle articles related to the London Olympics. 2011–2012
- Luxury Magazine: writing about travel and lifestyle for Visa Black Card members. 2011–2014
- SagaCity Media — reporting for various Pacific Northwest titles, including Visit Seattle, Visit Tacoma, Visit Bellevue, The Washington State Wine Guide and The Washington State Visitor’s Guide. 2006–2015
- The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: outdoor columnist. 2005–2009
- Road and Travel: European travel editor, writing and photography. 2005–2010
- Moviemaker Magazine: film-travel columnist. 2005—2009
- The Daily Mail: travel writing. 2002–2005
Book contributions: Break Into Travel Writing; Frommer’s Dream Vacations; Frommer’s Best Hiking Trips in British Columbia; Greece a Love Story; Italy, A Love Story; Library of Things: A Cornerstone of the Real Sharing Economy; Lonely Planet’s Unique States of America; National Geographic’s Journeys of a Lifetime; Rough Guide to Italy; Single State of the Union and The Travel Writing Textbook
Editing: Addiction.com, Knowledge Leader, Seattle Bride and Wanderlust & Lipstick. Also Due North, Traveling with Kids and The Body Parts Menu of Good Table Manners, plus titles for Frommer’s, Michelin and Thomas Cook.
Teaching: Writers.com, the Richard Hugo House, The Travel Writing Master Class and Write Like a Honey Badger, plus guest lecturing at The Workshop and Oregon State University
Brand work: Editor and writer. I bring journalistic polish, reporting and fact-checking into content- and copy-writing projects.
- Associations:AAA, AARP, APEX, PADI, Sierra and American Forests
- Business, fintech and technology: American Express, Chase, GEICO, Shareable, Visa and Vouch
- Medical and pharma: CVS, Breyanzi, Boston Children’s, Kori Krill Oil, Rutgers, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers School of Nursing, The University of Wisconsin and Vertex via The New York Times T Brand Studio
- Travel services and tourism boards:Airbnb, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, the Arizona Biltmore, Delta, Holland America, Island Outpost, Lufthansa, Marriott, Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau, Seabourn, Travel Tacoma, Thomas Cook, UnCruise, United, Visit Arizona, Virgin Atlantic, Visit Bellevue, VisitBritain, Visit Seattle, the Washington State Visitors Guide and the Washington Wine Guide
- Other: Acura, Andria Mitsakos PR, AOL, Content Works (now Enveritas), Island Outposts, Jones Advertising, MSN, Writers.com and Yahoo
Launches: founder of TripSketch, the OTTER learning management system, The Travel Writing Master Class, Write Like a Honey Badger and Writing Rome
Write Like a Honey Badger, Seattle, WA, USA (October 2019 to present)
Founder of a writing school with scholarships to encourage more media inclusivity. Duties include managing and training eight instructors; website design and development (WordPress); UX and UI design, instructional design; set-up and tech support for Google Classrooms; and advertising, social media and newsletter campaigns. I teach pitching, interviewing, photography and travel writing via asynchronous written lectures and weekly developmental line-edits.
TripSketch, Palo Alto, CA, USA (February 2008 to January 2013, remote)
Creative Director and founding Editor-in-Chief. I branded and launched the Silicon Valley-startup app: an itinerary builder for consumers and B2B site embeds for companies including Japan’s Okura Hotels & Resorts, Executive Cosmopolitan Hotel Toronto and Executive Hotel Le Soleil in New York City. My role included writing, editing, editorial direction, SEO, UX and UI design, managing 77 freelancers and staff members, and overseeing construction of a custom CMS. Our emphasis on sustainability and social enterprises led to top honors from Nokia Open Innovation Challenge (eco/green) and Mobile Star Awards (travel). Additionally, TripSketch was one of seven travel apps recommended by the 2012 BBC Gift Guide.
Freelance Writer, Editor and Instructor, Greece, Cyprus and England (October 2002 to January 2004)
- Regular contributor to The Athens News, The Daily Mail, The International Herald Tribune, Italy Daily and Wired News
- Instructor at Writers.com
- Freelance outlets included BBC Thames Valley, Magazine, Underwire and Wired.
- Books contributions included the AA Key to Rome, (editing), Rome in Detail, and Time Out Athens
- Book editing: DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: France (also layout) and Greece: Garden of the Gods
American Academy in Rome, Italy (September 2000 to August 2002)
Visiting Writer. Other projects included producing Aristophanes’ Clouds at the Museo Nazionale Romano’s Palazzo Altemps, and writing and directing the play Il Cowboy di Natale.
Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times, Newsquest, Oxford, UK (September 99 to August 2000)
Senior Feature Writer and Sub-Editor. Although primarily a reporter – specializing in books, the environment, human-interest and travel – I also edited, copyedited, proofread, designed pages, and assisted with infographics and other visuals, using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
Oxbow Books, Oxford, UK (September 98 to September 99)
Web and Graphic Designer for an independent publisher. Duties included development and maintenance of a commercial web site, book publicity, cover design, typesetting and proofing.
Freelance Editor and Designer, Oxfordshire, UK (October 97 to September 98)
Clients included Past Times, Woolacott Davidson Advertising and Oxford University Press.
The Gist Magazine Group – circulation 40,000, Oxford, UK (November 96 to October 97)
Founding Editor-in-Chief of four localized monthly magazines covering current affairs and entertainment. Duties included commissioning, editing, desk-top publishing and staff management (hiring, training and supervising).
The Daily, University of Washington, Seattle, USA (September 93 to September 96)
Various positions including Editor-in-Chief, News Editor and Senior Reporter. Duties included writing, photography, editing, proofing and DTP. I also trained new employees and directed a 60-person staff (circulation 18,000).
Savage Love Live, Seattle, USA (September 94 to September 96)
Part-time Researcher. I prepared background for pundit Dan Savage’s weekly radio program.
EXPERTISE
- Tools: Adobe Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and Lightroom. Also Brevo, Canva, Calendly, Google Analytics and Ads. Google Workplace, GroundSource, Hootsuite, IFTT, Mailchimp, Media Cloud, Microsoft 365, WordPress, Otter.ai, Qurio, and various database and teleconferencing programs.
- Internet: web design and development, SEO, HTML, CSS, tweaking basic JavaScript and Drupal nodes, UI/UX and keywording. Very CMS savvy.
- Graphics: professional-level photography; experience with packaging, book covers, website branding, newspaper and magazine design, and outputting digital files for color reproduction
- Languages: competent Italian; mediocre Spanish; fading German, Latin and ancient Greek
- Skills: leadership, collaboration, inclusivity, problem solving, broad evolving expertise, blogging, multimedia, social media, human-centered design, teaching, training, mentorship, research, fact checking, interviewing, news writing, engagement journalism, investigative reporting, trauma-informed coverage, solutions journalism and longform narrative nonfiction
- Traits: agile, articulate, analytical, conscientious, curious, diplomatic, flexible, insightful, inventive, highly proficient with technology, grammar nerd, growth-oriented, pioneering and self-starting
EDUCATION
- BA in Latin with a classical studies minor, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- National Outdoor Leadership School’s Cascades Mountaineering Course
- Diving: PADI open-water, advanced and dry suit certification
- Red Cross Lifeguard and CPR Certification
AWARDS
- Travelers’ Tales Solas Award, silver for coverage of aquatic journeys
- Hidden Compass, inclusion in the magazine’s first legacy issue
- Lowell Thomas (travel writing’s ersatz Pulitzer) silver in cultural writing
- Travelers’ Tales Solas Award for Best Travel Story of the Year, grand silver
- The Statesider Best Pacific Northwest Travel Writing
- Afar Good Reads
- Lowell Thomas bronze in Adventure Writing
- Mobile Star Award (travel app)
- Nokia Open Innovation Challenge (eco/green app)
- First-place In-depth Reporting, Society of Professional Journalists, West Coast
- Columbia Scholastic Press Association – Golden Circle Awards
- Pacemaker Award (for top five student newspapers in America)
- Most Hated Liberal on Campus, University of Washington Conservative Club
RESIDENCIES
- Visiting writer at the Whitley Center at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories (2021 and 2022)
- Fellow at Mineral School Arts Residency at Mount Rainier (2018)
- Visiting writer at the American Academy in Rome (2000—2002)