The Travel Channel Academy

The Travel Channel Academy, from what I have seen on the commercials, is a school where you go to learn the ins and outs of making travel shows. The tag line is Learn, Shoot, Earn-implying that this is the pathway to fame and fortune as one of the perpetually cheerful hosts of a travel show. Which kind of sounds like my kind of thing.

If your work meets Travel Channel standards and we elect to use it, we will pay you for it. Sounds like a pretty big ‘if’-but then they are training you, so you should be able to whip out something they like.

For $2,500 you spend four days learning shooting, scripting, and editing. Several of the courses seem to be taking place at The Travel Channel Headquarters in Maryland. You pay for your own travel costs, lodging, and meals. The good news is anyone over 18 with a free week and $2,500 can sign up for the course.

They have a group of testimonials that talk about how great the Academy is and there are a handful of alumni videos featuring short pieces about unusual topics. I’m not sure I have the look or voice for a Travel Channel show, but it would be fun giving it a try. All I need to do is get 2500 of my random visitors to give me a dollar and I’m off. It would make a good week of blogging, don’t you think? But since I have never had any luck with that whole cyber begging thing, I guess I will have to think about saving the money myself.

My idea for a Travel Channel show is to do Tourist Stuff, which is what I like and what I tend to do when I travel. The Travel Channel seems to work on the general premise that you have already been to London and seen the British Museum, so let’s check out something more exotic. I would go to the British Museum.

Still, the whole Travel Channel Academy thing sounds pretty cool-I wonder if they have any scholarships?