Recently, my wife and I were guests of a country inn located in Leola, Pennsylvania. We dined at the inn’s five-star restaurant and stayed in a luxury suite, all on the house.
Staying in boutique hotels and sipping fine wine may be your motivation for becoming a travel writer. Heck, that’s why I decided to become one!
Discovering exciting attractions and traveling the world can be in your future. But before you can do that, you have to get your first few articles published to build credibility.
Here are three tips for new writers—that worked well for me.
Travel Writer Tip #1: GET CONNECTED
Join a Facebook group for fellow writers. Not only can groups be repositories of information; the members also tend to lend emotional support. You’ll get valuable information from the members on where to find writer’s guidelines, publications looking for stories, visitor bureaus that are looking to host travel writers, and other useful tips on how to accelerate your new career.
Travel Writer Tip #2: USE YOUR EXPERTISE
Tap into your knowledge of your local area or a place where you used to live. Many of my early stories were written about New Zealand, Colorado, Alaska, and the Mid-Atlantic region—places I already knew very well. I was thrilled when Alaska Magazine accepted my first article. That opened the door for several more stories—some of which paid $550. Plan on writing about the places you know well, and write as if you are telling a friend all of the reasons to experience a destination. Pitch regional magazines, local newspapers, and specialty magazines that need your knowledge. One example of a specialty magazine I write for is Mother Earth News. I write for this blog on a regular basis due to my experience with organic gardening and my knowledge of small farms in my area. The magazine has published one story, and I have another in the queue. You have similar specialized knowledge, and a publication is just waiting for your pitch.
Travel Writer Tip #3: DO WHAT YOU LOVE
Write about places, attractions, and restaurants you love. I find that when I write about subjects I’m passionate about, the writing comes easy, and editors seem to grab these stories. You have a wealth of places you have been to—or would like to go to—just waiting for you to write about them. Travel websites in need of stories are many and varied. Published articles bring more published articles… and before you know it, bigger and better publications will be accepting your pitches.
I’ve been blessed with more than 200 published articles in my first 26 months as a travel, food, and wine writer. The income has been decent and the perks outstanding. I travel seven to eight weeks per year. When I’m home, I work about 15 to 20 hours per week. Most of all, I love what I do. I encourage you to find your niche and customize a work/travel schedule that makes the travel writer’s life just right for you.
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can fund your travels and make an extra income with photography, travel writing, blogging, and more in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Five Fun Ways To Get Paid To Travel: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]