Tips for Breaking into Travel Writing

Tips for Breaking into Travel Writing Being a travel writer has its perks. Travel publications pay well and on time, and once those initial articles are published, free trips start rolling in courtesy of public relations firms. But how do you acquire those first few published articles? Pick Locations Wisely Know your fellow countrymen. United States residents prefer the Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico, so U.S. travel magazines prefer stories on these regions. While Taipei may intrigue you, these other stories improve your odds of a sale. Party Crashing   Tourism boards, like Atout France or the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, will host events in big cities like Los Angeles or New York to give updates about the latest news in tourism, like new airports or hotel openings. You can use the information given at these events to write an article, even if youve never been to the country hosting the event. Typically, attendees are invited via their publications, but emailing different tourism boards can land you an invite. Follow them on Twitter to find out when theyll be hosting events and shoot them an email request a few weeks in advance. Will Blog for Trips PR firms constantly seek high traffic blogs and may offer bloggers free trips in exchange for a post or two, even if their blog themes are about topics besides travel. You don’t have to pitch editors or have experience to blog, so it’s a good way to break into travel writing Look into Less Popular Publications Everyone knows Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler and AFAR, but what about magazines catering to travel agents? Magazines like Recommend, Travelweek and Travel Agent. Writing for trade publications is different from writing for consumer publications, but its easy enough to get the hang of the style. Just remember that whoever is reading the article is not going on the trip themselves. Local newspapers also have travel sections. Check with them and see which locations are popular. Make Friends The travel industry thrives on networking. Everyone you meet can offer you an in with an editor, a press trip, an invite to an event. Make friends on every trip you go on, with travel agents, and every publication you write for. When on assignment, always reach out to the tourism board of whatever country youre going to as well as local tour operators. They are more than happy to help you, and once you post an article about a location, you will be on their radar for future trips and opportunities. Pick Up and Move (or Stay Where You Are) Travel magazines love when someone actually lives in the location theyre writing for. If you live in Mexico, Myanmar, or Montevideo, search for publications that have newsletters related to these areas. They love having someone local to attend hotel openings or inaugural flights. Twitter Chats Twitter chats are when groups coordinate a time and hashtag to talk about travel-related topics. Many big publications like Conde Nast Traveler have their own (#TravelerChats). They are the perfect way to network, net followers, and place you on the radar of editors. To find out when theyre happening, follow tour operators, travel agents and travel magazines on Twitter. Two you can start with are Conde Nast Traveler and Travel Weekly.