I don’t write very often about the actual work I do for Global Traveler because, quite frankly, I doubt many people would find it very interesting. I telecommute, working thousands of miles from my coworkers, and I’ve actually visited only a small number of the fascinating places written about in the pages of our magazine. I truly enjoy my work (who wouldn’t love reading about all the amazing places we cover?!), but when folks ask what I do for a living and I tell them I am a proofreader, usually their eyes begin to glaze over and I imagine them thinking, “Oh, how boring, nitpicking all day about where a comma should go!”

Believe me, there are times when I wish I could wow someone with an exciting and unusual job description. Just the other day I was listening to an interview on NPR with a young woman who, as a graduate student, worked as a “date” booker for a high-end call-girl agency. Now there’s a person who I am sure provides plenty of stimulating conversation at parties! Conversely, her work might be an awkward topic around the family table at Thanksgiving; my profession might be terribly mundane, but it isn’t likely to cause Grandma to choke on her turkey!

However, my purpose goes beyond merely making sure punctuation is properly used, the right words are capped, spelling is correct and the rules of grammar are observed. I fact check and keep an eye out for inconsistencies and style issues. These are things which editor in chief Lisa Matte and associate editor Jan Hecht watch out for, too, and periodically we put our heads together and hash out a solution or answer to some issue which crops up as we’re reviewing an article. If you’re not asleep yet, let me give you an example.

Several pieces in each issue provide contact information for hotels, restaurants and places of interest in destinations all over the world. Whenever possible, we provide addresses, phone numbers and website addresses so that our readers might be able to visit those locations, or at least easily get further information about them, on their own. The question arose the other day as to what form we should use to present an address. For instance, in some cultures, street numbers follow the street name rather than preceding it, as we are used to here in the United States. Should we “Americanize” the address for the majority of our readers or present it in the form typical of the country of its origin? Should we use abbreviations and spellings familiar to English-speakers or use the form in the original language?

Such questions may appear to be so much dithering over unimportant details, but let me assure you that the editorial staff at GT seriously consider that our readers are real people who will use the information we provide to help them make travel plans and visit the places written about in the magazine. Our decisions usually are made against this final arbiter: What will make the most sense and be most useful to someone in a different culture who doesn’t speak the local language?

In this particular case, we imagined travelers jotting down the address of a fabulous restaurant that had been praised on our pages, eager to try the unique cuisine offered there. It might be on their first night in a city completely new to them, and they might not be able to speak the local language. Hungry, tired but excited to step out in this fascinating destination, they hail a cab and hand over the name and address of the eatery to the driver. What will make the most sense to HIM, the one responsible for getting his passengers to their destination? An “Americanized” version of an address, or a form familiar to him and used throughout his city or country? Voila! The answer is clear, yes?

It’s the attention to those little, seemingly inconsequential yet important details that I believe helps make Global Traveler an excellent, reliable source for the business and leisure traveler. And, while it ain’t very glamourous, I’m proud to do my part!

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Aside from baseball season, we are currently in the midst of my other favorite sports season of the year — March Madness. I hail from an alma mater pretty well recognized for its basketball program, Syracuse University. My freshman year in college was the year of Carmelo Anthony as he led the Syracuse Orange (then Orangemen) to its first NCAA Championship. Talk about exciting!

I still follow the basketball team fairly closely now, and this was a great season to be a fan. SU finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nation with a 28-3 record. At one point, we were tops in the nation. Our home game against Villanova was the highest-attended college basketball game in history. Yesterday was disheartening. After a double bye in the Big East tournament, we lost to Georgetown yesterday and had a scare when mainstay Arinze Onuaku left the game due to a knee injury. Luckily, it looks rest will do the trick and Onuaku should be back in the game for the NCAA tournament.

So, now I look forward to Selection Sunday. Go Orange!

– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

According to The New York Times travel section, Spring Break is not just for college students anymore. Student travel agencies, such as STA Travel, StudentUniverse and StudentCity, may not openly target older travelers, but they do not discriminate when it comes to age. This has been a long-kept secret for years, but now certain agencies, such as STA Travel, have started actively promoting their “flights for everyone” campaign, featuring round-trip flights from New York to Sydney for as low as $798. In addition to low airfare, some of the best deals can be found in the form of package or group tours.

This is something only the budget traveler should keep in mind, as booking a package trip might place you right in the heart of the college Spring Break action. For cheaper airfare, however, it might be worth checking out.

– Courtney Centeno, account executive

A while back, I wrote about my niece Sam’s search for the right college. By “right,” I was assuming she meant the right place to go for a winter break. Or the right place to go for great college sports. Or the right place to go for a new destination. I gave her my advice. Iowa, Texas, Wisconsin, Louisville, UCLA, Colorado and Kentucky would have worked, just to name a few.

Last week, she made her decision. She chose Southern Illinois University, home of the Salukis.

I admit SIU would not be my choice . . . I mean for her, of course. However, I know Sam (and her parents) put a lot of thought and research into the decision. I also know that Carbondale is just 342 miles (give or take) away, which translates to a 5.5 hour trip. Not too bad.

I also know that the Salukis have made six NCAA tournament appearances since 2002. Not too bad, either (and better than my DePaul Blue Demons).

I also know that Carbondale is generally several degrees warmer than Chicago. It might not sound like much, but a few degrees is always welcome in the middle of a Chicago winter.

I learned that SIU has a teaching museum (the University Museum) on campus, which houses 60,000 artifacts and hosts traveling shows from artists. SIU also has one of the largest student unions in the country and a huge Student Center, along with a Rec Center and Health Center. There are also a number of popular food franchises on campus, including Chick-fil-A (one of Sam’s favorites).

SIU’s notable alumni include Jim Hart (former star NFL quarterback), Walt Frazier (NBA Hall of Famer), Dennis Franz (actor) and Scott Olofsson (a longtime Global Traveler fan). Unfortunately, Jim Belushi is also an alum, but I digress.

The city of Carbondale also has a lot to offer. The Shawnee National Forest, the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and Giant City State Park are all in the Carbondale area. For the golf enthusiasts (aka our publisher, Fran Gallagher), Golf Digest awarded Hickory Ridge Golf Course a 4-star rating for the past six years.

Reviewing these facts (and Sam’s wishes, of course), I will become a proud supporter (and hopefully occasional visitor) of SIU. Go Salukis!

– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

Are you an adventure traveler? I saw a piece of news on the TV about a new adventure idea called skyaking. It’s jumping out of a plane in a kayak. While the visuals looked awesome on TV, I am not jumping out of my desk chair to try this one. So perhaps I am not an adventure traveler.

However, I believe adventure travel can be defined in many ways. Each month GT features an “Adventure Add-on” destination article, ranging from eco-tours to trekking the mountain peaks of the Andes. Personally, I think the pictures accompanying the article are stunning. But I’m quite happy reading about and looking at them from the pages of GT.

On the other hand, I am one to get on a plane and go anywhere off the beaten path. I believe it’s just as adventurous to go to a politically unstable environment as it is to jump out of a plane. One opportunity involving sport and travel that I would take advantage of, if it came my way, is heliskiing. Jumping out of a helicopter is a little more manageable for me than an airplane, especially since there are fresh tracks to be skied that have yet to be touched by another person.

What’s your idea of adventure travel? Don’t forget to take a look at GT’s auction to see what prize suits your adventure needs!

– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher