Kopje Tops Lodge in Mavhuradonha Zimbabwe-1-5

About Beth Norton

In my teens and early twenties, I could never really imagine doing anything except becoming a writer. So when I was awarded a degree with distinction in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, my journey into storytelling felt somewhat validated. In my final year of university, I was awarded the class medal for my feature article written about Robert Mugabe (you can read an adapted version of this here), as well as being on the Dean’s Merit List throughout my studies.

After graduating in 2008, I moved to the big, bad, cold UK and realised that bills weren’t paid by internships, so I got a job in academic publishing and medical communications, working in Oxford for over 10 years. I started this Zimbabwe travel blog in 2010, fitting it into my spare time. Great Zimbabwe Guide Travel Blog forms the bulk of my portfolio, althoug the style of writing focuses on logistics, to suit the needs of the audience. The blog was born out of homesickness and sheer love for Zimbabwe, in a small room of a house off Cowley Road. Read more about my aims for the blog on the About Great Zimbabwe Guide page. I wrote a more personal article about my relationship with Zimbabwe in my seven-year anniversary post, and if you’d like to get to know me better, I did a profile Q&A with Johnny Jet which you can read here.

Freelance writing

As well as creating Great Zimbabwe Guide Travel Blog, I’ve written Zimbabwe travel articles for a number of publications. Some of my articles have been featured on Lonely Planet, print magazines and online platforms. My fiction writing has been published in African Pens: New Writing from southern Africa. If you’d like me to contribute to your publication, I would love to hear from you. My main interests are travel in Africa and Oxfordshire.

Below are some examples of my written & photographic pieces that I have published externally. Please click on an image to read the full article, where available online.

Published travel articles

 

'Coast Character' written for Coast Magazine, October 2023 [print only]
‘Coast Character’ written for Coast Magazine, October 2023 [print]. Click image to read.
BootsNall Beth Norton Zimbabwe
‘How to find an authentic safari’, written for BootsnAll. Click image to read full article.
Beth Norton Travel Africa
‘In search of nothing’, about Mavhuradona’s blissful isolation, written for Travel Africa Magazine, Issue 87 [print]. Click image to read.
Beth Norton Zimbabwe Safari Travelettes
‘Camping with elephants in Zimbabwe’, about a raw African camping holiday, written for Travelettes. Click on the image to read the full article.
Cecil Lion Beth Norton Safari
‘Cecil the lion: 8 things you should know’, written for Buzzfeed. Click image to read full article.
JohnnyJet Beth Norton Travel Style
‘My travel style: Q&A’, a personal profile piece on Beth, written with Johnny Jet. Click image to read full article.
Lonely Planet Zimbabwe Beth Norton
My article about Spurwing Island was originally written for Great Zimbabwe Guide, and it was featured on Lonely Planet Kids‘ top family travel post. Click image to read full article.
Children on safari Beth Great Zimbabwe Guide Africa
‘Taking a toddler to the wild’, about taking young children on an African safari, written for Nzira Magazine, Issue 4 [print only].
Zimbabwe Oxford Beth Norton
‘Culture without borders: BZS Research day in Oxford’, reporting on a research event, also published on The South African. Click to see full article.

Photography

Most of the photographs on Great Zimbabwe Guide have been captured by myself, usually with my Nikon D5100 and sometimes just with my iPhone.

I’m a photographic contributor to Getty Images: here’s a link to my portfolio on iStock.

Spurwing Zimbabwe Kariba Family
Matusadona National Park on the shores of Lake Kariba.

I have a portfolio on MuckRack which you can view here.

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