R&W: AT CJ - Jan 26

International, 1 partner, flat mail / cost of one stamp to mail.

AT = Armchair Traveler CJ = Collected Journal

I'm recycling an older idea (collected journal swaps) with a new idea (armchair traveling, ie learning about new areas without going there yourself) for a monthly group swap! Join one, join all - whatever works best for you and your schedule!

OK, this is a long explanation - I apologize, but I want to try to avoid confusion. :) The last Collected Journal swap can be found HERE if you want to look back on it and the formatting/ method. But, this will be a bit different.

This is a flat mail / 1-2 sheet of computer paper swap. You can neatly fold the sheet(s) and mail in a standard envelope, no need to mail flat. It is a collected swap b/c you can choose to collect the different rounds together in a book or folder, and it is a journal b/c we are going to take a bit of time to think and write. (Which is why it's a type 3 swap.) This isn't really partner specific, so you could choose to start on it early, if you wish. You may type or hand write, but it MUST me 8.5x11 / A4 sheet in size! Be sure to leave enough room as a margin so someone could choose to add it to a binder by punching holes.

Part 1 / Page 1: This is an introduction of YOU and where YOU currently live. You can also include other places you've lived if you (like me) have moved around a bit. This portion should cover the page. Do a little light internet research of your area or the history of your area and fill your partner in with the details. For example, I live in a tiny little town, so I could probably find about a paragraph's worth of information about my town. But, I can include the region of the state I live in as well. Things to consider adding, if you can find them: Date your town was established or settled, maybe the name of the person or people who founded it. Was anything produced here? Why was it settled? What is the population? Is the town known for anything historic or famous?** Trivia can always be interesting to some of us. :) You can include additional information about the county / area / region you live. (For example, I could include information about the neighboring towns, the county I live in, &/ or the Panhandle area of Florida.)

Part 2/ Page 2: (Or the reverse of page 1 if the printing/writing won't make page 1 difficult to read.) This is when you get to play tour guide! Now that you have introduced your area to your partner, talk about attractions near you. Where would you take your partner as part of a tour, if they were there with you? Do you have any favorite spots? Are there local coffee shops or restaurants you would recommend? Again, if your area is smaller, you can reach out the surrounding areas, but try not to go further from home than what you could drive in a day.

If you would like to include photos or a map of the area, you are welcome to do so, but it shouldn't replace the writing portions of this swap, those would need to be in addition to the writing portion of the swap. And it's not a requirement.

Does this make sense? Please ask questions in a PM and I will reply and edit the description as soon as I can! I hope this is a fun experience for us all. And maybe we can find new areas to explore!

For future rounds you will have the option of writing about where you currently live or where you have lived before. So, if you get the same partner in multiple rounds, you will be able to write about different places.

I would have liked to suggest we post our swaps in the forum so we could read each other's locations, but the forums aren't working! If anyone would be interested in doing this, please let me know. Maybe we can create a group Google Doc. :)

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please send me a PM!! SB doesn't send alerts to comments left below, and I will not see them. :( You are also welcome to email me your questions at: ih8nd06 @ gmail.com (Just take our the spaces around the @).