Thanks to the internet, your travel writing is available for everyone to read. And for new writers, this can be scary. After all, these days everyone’s a critic, and you may not want to be judged. Who does? Whether you’re a newbie or an experienced travel writer, you may allow fear and doubt to crush [...]
Some travel writers make the mistake of thinking they need to travel to far-flung destinations many time zones away…. … when, in actuality, there are interesting travel-related stories waiting to be written about their own backyards. In fact, one of the best ways to build a travel writing portfolio is to write about the destination [...]
Like many writers, I had dreams of wafting around the world and spinning tales about my adventures to a rapt audience at home. And luckily I did have the chance to do that, but not without a few sharp lessons along the way. The biggest lesson I learned was about the difference between travel journalism [...]
Travel writing is a romanticized profession. It conjures images of adventuring to far off places, meeting interesting people, and eating delicious food – all while you get paid. It’s not quite so glamorous, of course. But many people, including me, pursue it because they want to see the world and share their experiences. Like other [...]
Learning how to write stories from different angles is essential skill for any travel writer. Most of us have to operate on a shoestring budget, hence the need to make the most of our working trips by writing more than one story and submitting it to various publications. But having this skill has nothing to [...]
Freelance work is a great way to supplement your funds especially when you have a regular 9-5 job. Some even decide to go freelance full time when their loyal clientele has grown too huge to manage on a part-time basis. Becoming a freelancer, however, comes with risks, including not getting paid by your client. Here [...]
You’re a travel writer. You don’t write about food or gardening. You write about travel therefore, you have a niche. Unfortunately, unless you have star status as a travel writer, you’re not niche enough. Budget-strapped editors hiring freelancers don’t get stars for the majority of their stories. All things being equal, they hire writers with [...]
Have you been reluctant to take lessons in writing, watch online seminars or read books on improving your writing? Perhaps you fear that if you are too heavily influenced by outside sources you will lose the originality and raw talent of your own style. Or, that your writing will become like the boring literature they [...]
I recently asked my friend and colleague, Ed Wetschler, if he was traveling much these days. It was a fair question for Ed, who is the Executive Editor of Tripatini and chair of the Northeast Chapter of SATW. But his answer baffled me. “No,” he said. “I’m not. I’ve taken some press trips, but I’m [...]
When I was at Conde Nast, my colleagues and I periodically talked about how powerful the words “Free” and “Sex” were. Those were the two words that sold the most magazines, the two most frequently used words on the covers. However, they were never used together (which, quite frankly, would have drawn even more readers). [...]
