“Bruce Whipperman Wins BATW’s 2008 Rebecca Bruns Memorial Award”
by Ginger Dingus
For 2008, the BATW Rebecca Bruns Memorial Award goes to Bruce Whipperman, guide book writer extraordinaire and esteemed former BATW president. During BATW’s early years and before becoming president, Bruce presented a meeting on his Silk Road trip and served as a member of the board. It was Bruce who initiated the idea of the Rebecca Bruns award in 2001.
The lure of travel first drew Bruce away from his career of teaching physics in the early 1980s. He was off to Kenya and hasn’t stopped exploring the world since. He says his travel writing career began for the fun of it, sharing slide shows with friends. Next, he sold his photos, followed by selling stories to magazines and newspapers.
Moon Handbooks Pacific Mexico was his first venture into guidebooks. And what an adventure it has become. Bruce’s numerous Moon guides to Mexico’s most visited cities and regions include volumes on Acapulco, Ixtapa-Zihuatenejo, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Oaxaca. His well researched works set a high bar in the sphere of travel guidebook writing, and his many successes serve as an inspiration to fellow BATW members, particularly those hoping to crack the evolving guidebook market.
Bruce has won several awards including Mexico’s prestigious Pluma de Plata and BATW’s 2005 gold for best guidebook.
When speaking about traveling, Bruce likes to quote a Nepali Sherpa. As the wise man once said, “Many people come, looking, looking. Few people come, see.”