The Traveling Bornsteins

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WHAT DESTINATION REPRESENTATIVES ARE SAYING

Eric Tomer—Israel Tour Guide

I had a great pleasure of hosting and guiding Ira and Sandy during their last visit in Israel on May 2022. They came to explore, to see everything possible and to taste local food. We visited Israel from North to South and everyday I saw how both want to experience everything in order to describe their feelings and share it with others. More of all – I saw their love of travelling. They are the travelers because of whom I love to guide so much! I hope to see them both again very soon here in Israel.

Paul Nirens – Owner, Galileat Culinary Adventures, Galilee Region, Israel

We were so honored to be able to introduce Sandy and Ira to Mi’ad, our Druze host and expose them both to an unseen side of Israel. Sandy used that as a springboard, further researching and asking questions, ultimately producing articles about their Israel trip that are beautifully written, fascinating and accurate. The ultimate professional.

It was a pleasure to have briefly been brought into their life.

Jesse Doris, Marketing Manager for Civana Wellness Resort & Spa

Sandra and Ira have a story that captivates and a voice of honesty and professionalism. It was so wonderful to be able to host them and we appreciate all of the thoughtful research that went into creating each of their pieces. We look forward to welcoming them back in very soon!

Sharolyn Kawakami, Resort Manager, Ko’a Kea Hotel & Resort, Kauai, Hawaii

We had the pleasure of hosting Sandy and Ira on their visit to the island. There was no detail missed in the stories about our hotel and restaurant. We look forward to welcoming them back to our aloha spirit in the near future.

Marketing Team at South Seas Island Resort, Captiva Island, Florida

Sandy was a joy to have at our resort during a media trip in the spring. She was able to share her experience at South Seas Island Resort to the fullest in two separate articles which were incredibly outstanding! We would highly recommend having her cover your property or product if you want to spread the word from a first hand perspective.

Ivie Parker, Denver President, Lou Hammond Group

I collaborated with Sandy on a client visit in Vail. She was prompt, attentive to detail, articulate and thorough in her writing. She was professional to work with and produced content quickly thereafter, which pleased our client and us. We appreciate the partnership.

Stephanie Wilson, Marketing Director, Vista Verde Ranch, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Not only was working with Sandra a pleasure from a professional aspect, but we all thoroughly enjoyed having her and Ira stay with us at the ranch for their media visit.  What lovely people they are!  What I really appreciated about working with Sandra is how she looked at the story of Vista Verde from several angles, and was able to write about those different aspects of the ranch in order to acquire multiple placements. 

Dan Howard, Director of Communications, Visit Park City, Utah

As the media world shrinks and feature articles morph into listicles, it is a genuine pleasure and an honor to host a writer who maintains standards of journalism from a time gone by.  Sandy cares about her subjects and is worldly enough to know when she has come across a news-worthy topic, venue or destination. She writes with authority and passion and we are grateful that she could share her talents with us so that Park City could be understood and new angles could be shared with integrity and enthusiasm. 

Matthias Kramer, Media Relations Manager Western USA, Switzerland Tourism

With great interest, I have read the in-depth articles about the Jewish history of Zurich, but also the towns of Lengnau and Endingen in Switzerland. Sandy did profound research, met the experts and historians on-site and combined all the content into highly insightful stories. In addition, she is an avid hiker and she did a wonderful job in reporting about her Swiss hiking adventures.

Joanne Hudson, Public Relations Manager, Tourism Santa Fe, New Mexico

Hosting The Traveling Bornstein’s in Santa Fe was an exceptional experience.  They are incredibly curious and thoughtful travel journalists, who strive to go deep in their research and understanding of a place.  Our team was overly pleased with the coverage of our destination that resulted from their visit.

Kate Cox, Marketing Coordinator for Cochise County Tourism Council, Arizona

Sandy and Ira were fabulous to work with. Not only were they able to capture the essence of Cochise County, Arizona, but they thoroughly showcased the history, nature and culinary aspects of its culture. They were flexible and enthusiastic throughout their itinerary, even with a few hiccups. I recommend taking the opportunity to bring this professional couple on your next FAM. 

Gaylene Ore, Ore Communications, Inc.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Sandy and Ira on a trip to Grand County, Colorado. True to their word, several stories were placed regarding their experience at one of our ranches. We look forward to hosting them on future trips.

Tina Luster, CTA, Domestic Media Relations Manager at Sonoma County Tourism, California

It was a pleasure to read your articles about Sonoma County. I always like to see our destination through fresh eyes and you provided a beautiful glimpse with both your words and photography. Your attention to detail was spot-on and you really made the places you visited come alive for your readers.

Veronica Vega, Marketing Manager, The US Grant—A Luxury Collection Hotel, San Diego, California

It was a pleasure working with the Bornstein’s during their visit to San Diego. There was no detail missed in the stories Sandy wrote about our historic hotel. We look forward to welcoming them back to San Diego!

Dan Gibson, Senior Director of Communications at Visit Tucson, Arizona

The Bornsteins have been a delight to work with – open to ideas, ready for adventure and beyond reliable in producing great stories about the places they visit. All you can ask from writers these days is that they’re professional and genuinely interested in your destination. Ira and Sandy go delightfully well beyond that.

Karen Kollars, Nebraska Tourism Commission

It was a pleasure sharing the hidden gems of western Nebraska with you. Your enthusiasm, creative ideas, beautiful photography are simply amazing.  I admire your eagerness to learn more about our state and explore as much as time would allow.  Thank you for sharing your Nebraska adventures with others. Come see us again soon!

WHAT EDITORS/PUBLISHERS ARE SAYING

Holly Rutchik, Director for Content at Best Version Media

In her three years as Content Coordinator for Golden Living, Sandra utilized networking connections and professional relationships to identify members of the community to feature in the community magazine. She interviewed subjects, maintained a community and editorial calendar and created a top-notch family and business-focused profiles and feature stories. Sandra has the unique ability to convey both factual informational while also getting to the heart of a story. I recommend Sandra for writing and editing opportunities that require strong communication skills and/or a need for exemplary editing, writing, interviewing and networking abilities. I look forward to potentially collaborating with Sandra again in the future.
 
Katie Wold, Vice President of Production at Best Version Media
 
Sandy and I worked together for years on a magazine. She was the Content Coordinator and I was the Designer of the magazine at the start of our journey together. Sandy always had the content ready before the deadline always had ideas of how to make the magazine special from month to month. She has a special talent in writing and editing. She was able to be flexible with my schedule as my duties changed, and was always gracious and still made deadlines, even when I was a bit behind. I strongly recommend Sandy for any team, as she is a great writer and a better team player. As I transitioned off the magazine and had other Designers working on the magazine, she was able to keep the feel of this magazine local for the readers. She is very easy to work with and is extremely organized.
 
Dr. Jessie Voigts, Publisher Wandering Educators
 
One of our most popular columns, Sandy Bornstein’s History Comes Alive series, is a treasure for all readers. In each installment, Sandy details interesting, informative, and unique historical aspects of a place. Her exceptional writing, attention to detail, and photography skills work to bring the history of a place to life. She is always on time for deadlines, includes excellent images, often taken by her husband, Ira, to accompany the piece, and is a joy to work with. She’s my very favorite editor to work with, after a dozen years and several dozen editors. 
 
Courtney McDonough, Publisher Real Food Traveler

Sandy Bornstein has been a prolific contributor to RealFoodTravler.com since I purchased the site in 2018. I appreciate that her articles offer not only practical tips, but also give the reader a sense of what they’ll really experience when they go to that destination. Sandy and Ira’s photos further entice. Sandy has covered the world, from where to eat in San Francisco’s Chinatown, to an Israeli restaurant in Germany. I’m honored that her wonderful, and very helpful article on our site, Cruising Tips: Choosing Active Shore Excursions with Diverse Itineraries, won the Silver from the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA).  

Jennifer Young, former publisher of Golden Living

“Sandy is an ambitious and passionate writer I had the pleasure of working with during my time as publisher for Golden Living magazine. Sandy consistently delivered high-quality articles for the publication, has excellent communication and organization skills and a very proactive work style. Sandy did an excellent job proofreading and editing all of the Golden Living content and always submitted the monthly stories and digital images prior to the deadline.”

Morlette Cowan, Content & Creative Director for CheapOair.com and OneTravel.com

“For almost two years, Sandy Bornstein has contributed two or more travel stories (400-1500 word each) per month to Fareportal’s online sites— One Travel Going Places and CheapOAir Miles Away. The majority have been based on Sandy’s extensive domestic and international travel experiences.

Sandy has effectively used personal narratives and third-person stories to introduce prospective travelers to worldwide destinations. In other pieces, Sandy has used her experiences along with appropriate research to tie together different themes such as describing places with common features (examples: worldwide food markets, archaeological sites, catacombs, plus others) or highlighting What’s New in a destination. In a few instances, Sandy wrote research-based stories (examples: destination weddings, places to view upcoming solar eclipses, traveling with a disability, as well as others). All of these well-written stories conformed to the stipulated assignments, required minimal editing, and were submitted prior to the designated due date.

Had it not been for a reorganization of Fareportal’s travel writing department, Sandy would have remained in her capacity as a contracted freelance writer.”

 
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