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 [...]
Congrats, you’ve put together a full itinerary visiting a number of fabulous hotels. So now it’s time to get to work, reporting on these hotels and experiences through your unique lens in a way that will add value for your readers. As a professional travel blogger, perhaps the most important element of a successful press [...]
In my previous post about pitching tourist boards I shared the one and only thing you must know before you start;… …Tourist boards work for the hotels, tour operators and other stakeholders in the destination. So don’t start by pitching tourist boards directly, start with the stakeholders. Develop a killer idea with a hotel first, [...]
Between the horrific events of 9/11, a struggling global economy, and the unknown impact of new technologies,… …the early-2000’s were not a good time for the travel industry. This is also right about the time I was hired to run North American marketing for the Kenya Tourist Board. This was my first gig in the [...]
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 [...]
As a travel writer, you want your stories to be as authentic as possible. The best way to create a realistic piece is to discuss the destination with those around you. Incorporating interviews into your travel writing can provide your readers with tremendous insight that you, as an outsider, cannot. As a writer, your work [...]
Once upon a time, travel writers scoured the globe with a pen in hand ready to record the abundant secrets of the great unknown. Nowadays, travel writers have a lot more to think about. Search engines have completely changed the game, and now online writers need to be smarter than ever to get noticed in [...]
Some time ago I wrote a piece for this site on how certain online markets were maturing and beginning to offer new opportunities for well-paid, professional travel writing assignments. In the months since I have worked with numerous travel brands who are waking up to the value of investing in professional-standard travel journalism for their [...]
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 [...]
Editor’s Note: This is the final article in a Three-Part Series Six Things You Need to Know About Travel Writing. Although a travel writing workshop helped me jump into the field, experience and time were my best teachers. I read other travel writers, researched outlets, sent out queries and wrote voraciously. Some of my attempts [...]
