Over the past several years of working with novice travel writers, I’ve noticed they tend to make a lot of incorrect assumptions about how things work in freelance writing. These assumptions cost them assignments with paying magazines and newspapers. One prevalent assumption is that some paying magazines will not be interested in their stories. I [...]
As a travel writer for print media, I’m often asked by other freelancers how digital media has affected the print travel magazine business. That’s a fair question. DEFINITIONS Print travel media consists primarily of travel magazines, travel memoir books, & travel guidebooks. Digital travel media includes travel websites, travel blogs, travel service websites like TripAdvisor.com, [...]
Over the past couple of years, I’ve received several desperate requests from novice travel writers, …. ….asking me to help them round up some last-minute assignments, so they can request complimentary accommodations, meals, entry to tourist attractions, rounds of golf, fishing trips, boat cruises, and a host of other freebies, at their destinations. There’s only [...]
Do you envision yourself on a distant shore, documenting your daily adventures, while at the same time, funding your dream lifestyle? Many people are finding that becoming a travel writer is an attainable goal. But a few missteps can shatter those dreams in record time. Some of the suggestions below are applicable to all who [...]
Wouldn’t it be great if we had the power of foresight? We could gaze into the future and learn from our mistakes. Well, I may not have the superpower of foresight, but I’ve learned a lot—and gained a lot of valuable experience—in my ten years in the rough-and-tumble freelance travel writing game. Looking back on [...]
Whether you are a beginning writer or one with several articles under your belt, you might miss being part of a group since writing can be a lonely occupation. Maybe you have been mulling over whether you should join a traveling writing group or not. If so, the first question would be what are the [...]
When I started my travel blog some seven years ago, I’m quite sure I wrote as I thought a “travel blogger” should. Ironically, in the process of trying to be something I wasn’t, I was nullifying my own actual writing ability, which is what people ended up actually responding to. I was 19, and I [...]
So you’re a travel blogger, but you want to be a professional journalist. You want credibility and recognition. That means building a portfolio of published articles, honing your skills to produce quality content, and developing a network of contacts with editors and publishers. It means writing for prestigious media outlets, not just your own or [...]
One of the most well-known and respected travel writers out there (David Farley) has teamed up with one of the most successful travel bloggers (Nomadic Matt) to create a travel writing course. I was really excited to learn about their course — “How to Be a Travel Writer” — because as someone who has seen [...]
It’s not where you go, but how you show readers… …what it was like once you got there that matters most. The most exotic of places can be made to look dull if travel writers ignore the basics of good travel writing, and your articles may never find their way into print if you continually [...]
