Young reporters need not spend years struggling in obscurity to land coveted foreign assignments. In fact, technological advances and cost-cutting at major media companies have created unprecedented opportunities for enterprising journalists to succeed abroad as freelance correspondents - stringers - for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, wire services, and Internet outlets.

This step-by-step manual describes how to choose your region wisely, select the right equipment, establish vital editorial contacts at home and abroad, make ends meet while filing stories to various media, prepare for the risks of reporting from war zones, and work effectively with distant editors.

Colorful anecdotes and practical advice from successful stringers around the world highlight the trials and triumphs of freelancing abroad, enabling you to assess and take control of your career in the competitive world of journalism.