travel as a writer

Trending Post : Best Freelance Business Ideas to Start in 2023

The Freelance Hustle contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these Amazon links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. See our Disclosure  for the finer details on what that means.

How to Become a Travel Writer in 2024 (& Get Paid For It)

Curious about how to become a travel writer?

Travel writing is probably the most asked about niche for new freelance writers. There’s a certain amount of $ex appeal associated with travel writing thanks to Instagram, YouTube and other social platforms. 

Luckily for you, I’ve been a travel writer. Unfortunately, I have no luxury TikTok videos to show for it–because not all travel writers get that fancy social life.

But if you’re looking to get into travel writing, this is the place for you. I’ll share all my nuggets of advice so you can get started on the right foot!

Ready to start your own freelance writing business? You need Make Money Writing ! Get It For Only $9 »

Tae the Travel Writer (AKA My Story)

I have to admit, I stumbled into it. 

While I always thought it was a cool idea, I really didn’t have a ton of travel experience—I’d been on a plane a handful of times, and had only left the country twice. Both on short-term trips—so, honestly, I figured I didn’t fit the bill.

Travel writing was a far-off, barely-there dream for me. But when I started building a future in freelance writing, I certainly didn’t have it anywhere close to the horizon.

Then, out of the blue, I got an email from a travel editor. 

I had apparently applied for a writing job with them (which I swear I didn’t remember doing) and they were interested in working together.

I know, scam alert.

But the company was real, the editor really worked for them, and her email was official. They wanted me to do a test SEO rewrite on one of their articles, and they’d pay me via PayPal.

I was brand new to freelancing, and I didn’t exactly have anyone with a wad full of cash knocking down my door. So, naturally, I went for it.

Fast forward four years…

I’ve written hundreds of travel-related pieces, covering everything from cool destinations to what to pack and wear while you travel. I’ve written for some HUGE websites and a few smaller ones. And I can tell you, I LOVE travel writing.

I am living proof that you can legitimately make money writing about travel, even if you have no experience. Better yet, eventually, you can make money writing about travel while you’re traveling!

What is travel writing?

Before we get too far into it, let’s talk about what travel writing is.

Travel writing is the art of sharing stories about people, places and things. Writers in the travel space can pen a variety of things, such as:

• Best of and recommendations
• Guide books
• First-person narratives
• Tailored travel advice
• Social media content

They can specialize in writing about places where they live or spend significant time, or they may write about many places they visit.

The former is probably the most lucrative if you live in a unique destination, and don’t have the bank account to fund regular travel adventures. But the latter is what most people picture when they think flashy travel writer .

My experience as a travel writer has been focused on the hows, whats and wheres of travel. That is, I write practical travel advice.

This is the most lucrative route in my experience. It’s also where my skills lie.

You’re unlikely to find me crafting a feature about taking an African safari fit with gorgeous photographs. But if you’re looking for a gal that can tell you the technical ins and outs of the best time to purchase a cheap plane ticket, that’s me.

Travel writing like every other niche is filled with sub-niches. It’s your job to carve out your own.

But travel writing is NOT…

Let’s get serious for a second: travel writing is NOT what Instagram makes it out to be.

I would love to be sipping bellinis beachside with my laptop in a pair of designer sunglasses, a comped bikini, at a fully-paid for hotel. But that’s simply not the reality.

Honestly, I have a beach in my literal backyard, and while working on it is really cool – it’s not glamorous, and there’s a TON of sand involved.

So, before you get too far into planning your dream travel writing career, it’s important to know that travel writing is not:

• Getting paid to travel –you might experience paid-for trips and experiences, but it’s never as simple as jetting off into the sunset and snapping a few photos for your blog or Instagram. For most of us, no one is going to hand us a check and say “book a flight to Turkey on us!” Instead, the majority of travel writers get paid for telling their stories after the fact with the benefit of expensing parts of their trip. It might not be the full dream, but it still counts. The exception here is press trip writing , but this isn’t my area of expertise. 
• Writing about your family vacation —unless it was unique and amazing, no one wants to know that your father-in-law wore a banana-coloured speedo on the beach, or that your kids loved Mickey’s ToonTown. The caveat to this is that you can share these things on your own blog.
• Always a stable industry —If you asked me about job security last year I would have told you that people always travel so there’s always an appetite for content on it—2020 decided to prove that hypothesis wrong.

These realities are not meant to sway you from going down this path. 

If you want it and you’re willing to work for it, you can get there. Just don’t quit your day job tomorrow to freelance in travel.

How to become a travel writer and get paid

Now that the formalities are out of the way, let’s dig into the meat of why you’re here: you’ve got at least some interest in becoming a travel writer, and you’ve got no idea how to get there.

No problem.

If you’ve got a little patience, time and passion, I can teach you how I became a travel writer, and started making money. But first, you’re going to need to do a few things…

1. Proof You Can Write (AKA a Portfolio)

My initial magical story aside, you do actually need some examples if you want to get hired. In fact, I left a little bit out of my story at the beginning…

I’ve been a writer my entire career working mostly in the legal, accounting, energy and government sectors, all well before I started freelancing. And while I didn’t have travel-specific experience, I did have a portfolio and demonstrable knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO).

The original travel gig I got was updating articles from an SEO perspective. After I completed that, I was moved to their regular pool of freelancers and started taking on more niche work from there.

All this is to say that if you want to become a travel writer, you need to show them that you can do the job . You do that by producing travel clips for your portfolio. 

Clips, for those of us just starting out, are examples.

If possible, you want these clips published on someone else’s site–the bigger the better. But for those starting out, that might not be an option. With that in mind, here are the two places I recommend testing out your skills:

• A shared revenue site where you can possibly earn a little side cash (Medium is my choice)
• Your own blog

I recommend doing both. Long-term having your own travel blog is going to be important.

Self-Editing Your Samples

There are some REALLY important things to keep in mind if you want to make money with your pen (AKA keyboard since it’s 2024). You want to make sure that your content:

• Has no errors
• Has a beginning, middle and end
• A genuine point
• Is built with SEO in mind (even writers who don’t specialize in marketing content NEED to know how to optimize articles)
• Has a killer headline. You can use CoSchedule’s headline analyzer to help you out with that.

2. Get feedback on your writing

When I first started reaching out to prospective clients, it never occured to me to get feedback. As someone who’s been writing for my entire career, I should have known better. But, alas, I didn’t.

I wish I did.

I’ve learned a ton of things over the years, but there are a few that I could have learned faster had I just asked. So, I humbly suggest that you get someone to give you feedback on your first few BEFORE you start shipping them off to potentially paying customers.

You do not have to ask an actual editor to read your work for feedback (though you certainly can). Anyone you trust will do. The point of it is to (a) double-check that you don’t have any crazy grammar or spelling mistakes, no matter how many times you look over something, things still get missed, and (b) the piece is engaging.

This process sounds A LOT scarier than it really is. I totally understand not wanting to show people your work before you’re ready or you get the money in your account—but as someone who does this for a living, I can tell you this never goes away. So, slash that idea right now.

Eventually, people are going to pour over your work. They’ll cut it to bits and deliver you the pieces in blood-colored text, so you may as well start practicing receiving that feedback sooner rather than later.

3. Set up a writing business

I’m not going to dig too much into this topic in this article but I think it’s important to touch on. BEFORE you start making money, you really should look into the requirements of running a sole proprietorship in your jurisdiction.

When you make an income from anything you need to pay taxes. When it’s an income that’s self-reported, there are additional responsibilities. And simply not paying taxes (even if you think they’re dumb) is a bad idea because it often results in having to pay more later on.

To be clear, I’m not a lawyer or accountant . You should speak to one if you have questions. You’ll also want to have a look at what you need to do and report wherever you live.

You’ll also want to have:

• Some way to accept payment
• Some way to make and send invoices
• Some way to record income

If you’re just starting out, I recommend Bonsai. 

I used it for years and I can vouch for the ease with which it makes freelancing. Nowadays, I use a combination of Honeybook and Wave–these are equally good choices.

Writers also need insurance in most jurisdictions. It’s not a thing we talk about a lot, but it is important. In my jurisdiction (Canada), this insurance is called errors and omissions insurance.

4. Create a Pitch List

Most websites that have any semblance of a lifestyle section publish travel-related articles. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean they hire freelance writers –some have in-house staff that take care of these specific niches. But it doesn’t hurt to ask.

With some work under your belt, it’s time to scope out travel-related opportunities.

There are some great resources where you can find work of all kinds, including travel. I recommend checking out:

• Who Pays Writers
• Freelance Writing Jobs
• All Freelance Writing

Beyond looking at job boards, I can tell you a few places that might take something travel-related. But it is really important that you take a peek at their requirements before you submit a pitch. Here are a few places you can check out:

• Popsugar Voices
• Great Escape Publishing
• Matador Network
• GoWorld Travel Magazine
• Horizon Guides
• Verge Magazine

Please note: Just because I mention something here doesn’t mean I currently work with the publication. I might have in the past, I might not have–regardless, I’m not intimately familiar with their current processes, how much they pay or how easy it is to work with them.

It’s also important for me to stop here quickly and tell you a hard-and-fast freelancer’s rule: unless a publication specifically asks for something that’s already written, submit only a pitch .

5. Write a Thoughtful Pitch and Send It

Once you’ve found a few places that you’d like to submit your work, start crafting some pitches.

Pitches are essentially ideas for articles that will fit in with the outlet you’re hitting up. These ideas are more in-depth than simply dropping a title in an email and saying I want to write for you.

When you pitch, you want to define:

• A suggested title
• What you want to talk about
• What angle you’re going to take
• Who you are
• Why you should be the one to write about the piece and not anyone else

And don’t forget to include links to some of your sample work!

Pitching sucks. I STILL hate doing it. But it’s a part of working for yourself as a writer, so it’s something you’ll want to start on.

You’ll make mistakes when you pitch—seriously, I STILL do. So, write your pitch. Double-check it. Run it by someone you trust and see if there are any quick fixes you can do to improve. Then send it and move on.

If you haven’t heard anything from the publication in a week or two, it’s totally fair game to circle around and follow up. A simple, “I just wanted to follow up and see if you were interested in this” will do.

It’s also important to stop here again and say, do not submit the same pitch to multiple outlets . It’s VERY bad practice, reserved for times when you have no choice—for example, you have a very timely piece that needs to be published ASAP. If you’re a beginner, you’re likely not there yet.

Don’t feel bad if you get a rejection or, worse yet, hear nothing back. It happens to all of us .

Stick to one pitch per outlet. If you don’t hear from them in a while, then you can move on to the next. In most cases, I’d give it 14 days, at least, but check their writer guidelines to see if they have a predetermined time frame set out.

Where can I find travel writer jobs?

Finding contract jobs for travel writing can be a bit of a challenge. In a lot of cases, you’ll want to pitch travel publications stories or become a staff writer. The more and better you write, the more jobs you’ll get. But if you’re just starting out a few of my favorite places to keep an eye out for entry-level work include ProBlogger and Freelance Writing Jobs.

6. Rinse and Repeat

This is the part of the article where I tell you that becoming a writer can really suck at times. Most pitches you send will be rejected or ignored .

This is not a reflection on you or your work—unless your work sucks, then maybe it is. But in most cases, editor’s inboxes are STACKED with pitches. They only have so much room and budget to hire contractors.

So, if you don’t get a yes right away, that doesn’t mean that you’ll never become a travel writer. It just means you need to give it some time.

Keep creating sample work and keep reaching out. If you try enough times, someone eventually says yes.

What Do Travel Writer’s Get Paid?

Unless you’re a staff writer for a publication, you likely won’t get a salary as a travel writer. Most of us work on a per-word or per-piece basis, and for those writing for bigger publications, you’ll be at their mercy of how much they’ll pay for it. 

Payment of $150 to $500 per article isn’t uncommon for a seasoned travel writer. However, as a newer writer, you’ll probably make closer to $50 to $100 per article. It’s not the most lucrative niche to write in, but if you get good you should see pay increases!

I always recommend providing your own freelance rates when you approach a new client (after you’ve had some back and forth of course!). While they might not pay you them yet, it’s worth it to know what you WANT to make versus what they offer. You don’t have to take every job that’s offered to you!

What Other Niches Go Well with Travel Writing?

I’m a firm believer that when you’re starting out you need to explore multiple writing niches . But if all you’ve ever considered is travel writing, you might not have any ideas of what else you could write about without straying too far.

No problem, I can give you a few ideas.

In most cases, travel is considered a lifestyle topic. So, if you want to stretch your writing legs and do some more practice work (or get paid more) you could try out another lifestyle niche. Examples could include:

• Relationships and dating
• Product reviews
• Personal finance

Writing in other niches can be a good way to back-door some by-lined work that has a travel angle for your portfolio, and still make money while you do it.

Almost all of the above niches could have a travel association. For example, you could write about the next romantic place to visit for couples in love or the best makeup to pack in your carry-on bag without overloading your liquids allotment.

If you already have a regular gig in some other lifestyle niche (or you get one before you start travel writing), you could always pitch a piece or two that has a travel angle to it and possibly get a piece published that way.

What About Writing Guest Posts?

A lot of people talk about using guest posts to boost your street cred in the beginning—whether or not you’re aiming to become a travel writer. And I can tell you that while I don’t have a problem with it, I’ve never guest-posted anywhere to gain followers or get a published piece.

There are A LOT of benefits with guest posting—which you can find by simply Googling them—but I’ve always had the mentality that if I’m going to create something for free, I’m going to do it for me.

So, any piece that I might have submitted has gone onto one of my blogs, my Medium profile or somewhere else where I could boost my own output or possibly put money in my pocket.

By no means am I saying that guest posting is a bad idea. I don’t think that at all. I’m just not the one to tell you about how to do it or why you should because I’ve never done it myself. But if that ever changes, I’ll let you know.

Is Travel Writing For Me?

Becoming a travel writer is just like becoming a writer in any other niche. It’s not right for everyone, even some of those that are passionate about it don’t find it to be a fulfilling job.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

If you get into travel writing and decide that it’s simply not the niche for you, then move onto the next. It’s OK to decide that you don’t want to do something, even if you’ve already started it.

I did a lot of personal and commercial finance writing earlier on, only to find out it wasn’t my favourite thing in the world. There are definitely aspects of it that I LOVE but a lot of the work I was doing I wasn’t passionate about.

While I didn’t completely drop it from my roster, I did severely slim down the contracts I took, sticking with things that I was truly passionate about.

It’s OK to change your mind, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise .

Final thoughts: How to Become a Travel Writer

Travel writing is NOT for everyone, and because it’s such a *fun* niche to work in, there’s A LOT of competition. But if you’ve been daydreaming about travel writing, there’s no time like the present to try.

I stumbled into travel writing, and I can tell you that I still do a lot of travel writing these days. I’ll admit, it’s not the most lucrative niche that I’ve written in — but I’ve also learned in my time as a freelancer, there’s more to consider than just the money.

My best advice to sit mix your travel writing with a second, slightly more lucrative niche — like technology or business. This way they can balance each other out and provide you with a combination of fun and money.

Looking for More Freelance Inspiration?

• 23+ SMART Goals for Freelancers in 2024: Rock This Year
• How to Become a Freelance Writer With No Experience in 2024
• Freelance Rate Calculator: How Much Should You Charge?

Tae has been a freelance hustler since she walked into her cushy cubicle job one day in 2017, and handed in her notice. She's done everything from social media management to graphic design, but her real skills lie in her writing ability. As a professional writer, her work has been featured by KPMG and the Royal Bank of Canada to Skyscanner Canada and Travel Fashion Girl. She helps thousands weekly build their dream freelance hustle, right here on this fancy lil' blog!

Similar Posts

31 Best Side Hustles for Couples in 2024

How to Start a Blog and Make Money in 2024

25 Side Hustles for Lawyers in 2024

33 Side Hustles for Introverts in 2024 (That PAY WELL!!!)

Tax Resources For Freelancers

45+ Side Hustles for Men Who Want to Earn More Money

TRY OUR FREE APP

Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Jul 12, 2023

How to Become a Travel Writer in 5 Steps: A Guide for Travel Bugs

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Martin Cavannagh

Head of Content at Reedsy, Martin has spent over eight years helping writers turn their ambitions into reality. As a voice in the indie publishing space, he has written for a number of outlets and spoken at conferences, including the 2024 Writers Summit at the London Book Fair.

For most people, trekking through the mountains or sampling French cuisine is a rare treat. For travel writers, it might just be another day on the job. As their job title suggests, travel writers create content about anything and everything related to exploring the world. 

Whether they’re writing to help readers plan a trip or to transport them — through words — to places they may never visit, no two travel writers share the same journey through their careers. But if you intend to walk down this road and become a travel writer, here are five steps to help you on your professional adventure.

Learn to be a descriptive writer and a thorough researcher

If there’s a single skill-set that almost all great travel writers share, it would be in research and descriptive writing. While people in this profession often have degrees in English or journalism, this is not a strict requirement. People come to travel writing from all walks of life, and publications tend to be concerned with your ability to deliver a great piece over any advanced degree. 

Although there isn’t any specific travel writing degree, if you want to learn all you can in one centralized place, there are many travel writing courses that train everyone from experienced journalists to new writers. 

Immerse readers with your descriptive writing

Readers want you to take them on a journey with you. If you can’t pay for them to join you on a sea voyage to the Azores, you’ll have to settle for evoking the five senses and other descriptive writing techniques. 

Take for example, Paul Theroux. A prolific travel writer with a career spanning five decades, he’s treasured for his ability to pull readers into his adventures with simple yet evocative language, as he does in his essay, “ Taking the Great American Roadtrip ”: 

What made Barstow's billboards a peculiar blight was the contrast with everything that lay around them—the landscape that was so stark and dramatic as a brooding expanse of withered shrubs and fat cactuses, the stony roads that seemed to lead nowhere, the bleak and beautiful backdrop that seemed as though no one had laid a hand on it, with lively colorations at a distance and up close so dry, like a valley of bones looking as though they could not support life. I had seen deserts in Patagonia and Turkmenistan, northern Kenya and Xinjiang in western China; but I had never seen anything like this. The revelation of the Mojave Desert was (peering past the billboards) not just its illusion of emptiness but its assertive power of exclusion, the low bald hills and far-off mountains looking toasted and forbidding under the darkening sky.

Theroux invites the reader on the road with him and describes the desert landscape in crisp detail. The use of simile (“like a valley of bones”) and strong language (“stark, dramatic”) brings the piece to life and gives us a view from Theroux’s window so it feels like we’re traveling along with him. 

How do you remember and keep track of all these details while you’re on the go? Keeping a journal while you’re traveling — even if it’s just to another part of the town you live in — is a great method to have all the information you need to write your story when you finally get to sit down and reflect on your journey. 

Cherry-pick the details that will tell the best story

Though you may have recorded many interesting details, you can’t include everything. Travel writing may feature a lot of exposition to set the scene, but it isn’t the same thing as keeping a journal. To make a stronger piece, you need to focus on the right stories and details, which means knowing what to add and what you can leave out.

At the same time, being concise is important. Unless you’re running your own blog or website, most digital or physical publications will have word limits to adhere to. Identifying what’s most important and most interesting to your audience as you write makes for more compelling writing. 

Preparation is key

For travel writers, research skills go hand-in-hand with writing skills. You might be asked to write about a topic you aren’t familiar with or you might need to learn more about a place’s history or background to give your piece greater context. Research will allow you to create an accurate and well-informed story and help fill in the gaps in your own knowledge. And who knows, you might stumble on something that will inspire your next trip or story. 

Before you begin planning your next trip to the most popular destination of the year, you need to research where everyone has already gone. If you find a lot of articles about solo travel in Brazil, that might mean you need to find a new angle or pick a different place entirely, and down another research rabbit hole you’ll go. 

Learning as much as you can about the culture and history of the place you’re visiting will undoubtedly deepen your understanding and experience of it. A monument or a park might be pretty and fun to hang out in, but knowing that New York City’s Washington Square Park was built over the graves of 20,000 people makes for both an interesting angle and a more emotionally impactful piece.

Even if you want to write from the perspective of someone going into an experience blind, you still need to do research to travel anywhere — or you’ll end up writing a travelog where you barely find your way out of the airport parking lot. 

While these are the main two skills you should focus on, there are a few more that can give you and your writing a boost. 

Interviewing

A subset of research, learning how to interview effectively will broaden the scope of your knowledge and your writing. Sometimes, you need a perspective other than your own, and who better to tell you about all the hidden secrets of Barcelona than a local? It’s an invaluable skill — especially for a travel writer — to be able to go into a place and speak to people, to get their stories and perspectives so you can go beyond just being a tourist. It’s a way to pull back the curtain and really connect yourself and your reader with the wider world. 

Travel writers do this quite often, and a great example can be seen in Anthony Bourdain’s TV show, Parts Unknown . On the surface, this food travel show showcases the cuisines of the world. But Bourdain’s interests, and thus the show’s, were much more focused on the lives of the people he’d meet along the way. 

If you also want to write in a way that exceeds the usual ‘visit-here-and-eat-that’ humdrum of most so-called travel writing and really start to understand the people you’ll encounter, you’ll need to become a passable interviewer.

Finding people to interview, asking the right questions, and making your interviewee comfortable are the main things that go into conducting a successful interview. Before you go out into the wider world, you can practice with friends, but really, the best way to learn is by doing. Record your interviews or take notes to ensure you don’t forget anything and have quotes to use for when you write your story. And, of course, ask permission before you conduct the interview or use the material.

With your notes and quotes in order, you then need to do the hard part: figure out what’s relevant. You may have dozens of poignant quotes and conversations, but it’s inevitable that you’ll have more raw material than you’ll be able to use. There’s no one right way to make this judgment. It takes time, experimentation, and experience to figure which ones are the best and order them together into one coherent whole. 

Stay up to date with the travel industry

While not necessarily a skill, part of being a good travel writer is being in the know about what’s happening in the travel industry. After all, the larger trends of people’s travel habits, popular destinations, and the state of major airlines and hotels influences the kind of information people are looking for. And it can always serve as inspiration for your next story. There are dozens of industry newsletters you can subscribe to that will keep you apprised of any new developments (including job openings and calls for pitches) in the world of travel, such as Lottie Gross’s Talking Travel Writing . Use them wisely. 

Staying up to date is also knowing where the opportunities to monetize your writing lie. The travel industry is full of affiliate programs and content partnerships, where you can get paid for your work without having to sell it to a publisher or outlet. Your chances of landing these types of deals significantly increase if you have your own blog or social media accounts with a good amount of subscribers, but there may be other opportunities out there as well if you’re savvy.

Even travel writers who don’t consider themselves “influencers” can learn a lot from people creating video content relating to travel topics, especially when it comes to how to make a profit off their content.  If you’re interested in running and making money off your own blog, knowing about programs like these and where to find them is incredibly important. 

Whether you’re looking to get a brand partnership, pitch an online publication, or a guest post on a travel blog, learning the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) and applying it to your writing will help you as you search for opportunities. Essentially, SEO is about optimizing a web page — in this case, your article — to be read by a search engine and draw users to it. It’s no surprise, then, that many publications value writers who have SEO skills and can optimize their articles to bring more traffic to their website.

Learn to take good photos

Besides being a competent and compelling writer, there's another skill that you should look to hone: photography. As much as people enjoy reading about places they’ve never been to, descriptive writing and imagination can only go so far. When it comes to travel, a picture can truly speak more than a thousand words. And a video might be even better. Visual media adds extra color and context to your piece while complementing your writing. 

Depending on whether you’re freelancing or working full-time for a publication, you won’t always have a photographer following you on your journey. Learning the basics of photography can be helpful in those instances and make you a more well-rounded travel writer. In some cases, it might even be attractive to publications if you can provide your own photos. Consider posting what you capture on your personal blog, Instagram, or TikTok as well. Any way of building a following is great.

This doesn’t mean you must invest in a quality DSLR camera (though you certainly can). These days, many smartphones have top-of-the-line cameras that can take the kinds of stunning pictures of white sand beaches and ancient castles that readers are looking for. A beginner’s photography course can help you learn all the basics about lighting, color, and composition and have you snapping great shots in no time. 

📸 Taking plenty of photos can also help you ace your descriptive writing, for those moments when you’re struggling to recall specific details about a place you visited. 

Build a portfolio of work

Once you have a solid foundation of skills, you can begin creating your portfolio. While you might dream of being a staff writer at a travel publication, or make a living as a freelance travel writer, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to jump straight into that role. 

Find a niche you love

Unsurprisingly, travel writing is a popular choice for aspiring writers. Who doesn’t want to galavant around the world and make a living writing about your adventures ? But, of course, that also means it’s a very competitive field, and standing out can be difficult. Finding a way to differentiate yourself will give you a leg up and provide a focus for your articles. 

The great thing about travel writing is that there is a nearly never-ending number of niches you could devote yourself to. You can write exclusively about a certain country or area of the world or gear your work towards a specific audience, such as budget travelers, people traveling with family, or digital nomads. If you have a unique perspective, it’s likely that people will want to read about it. 

That isn’t to say you can’t write outside your chosen subfield. Plenty of writers find success publishing in their niche and then expanding their reach to become a sort of jack of all trades. Having a focus will simply allow you to stand out from the crowd. 

Collect some quality clips

First, you need to build up a reputation and a solid amount of quality clips — a journalistic term for published articles. They will serve as your resume, showing off your writing and research skills, as well as the topics you’re familiar with and your general style. As you start looking for ways to build your portfolio, internships, freelance opportunities, and blogging can all be great ways to start out. 

💡If you’re curious about the many kinds of work travel writers can do, check out this post about the different types of travel writing . 

📕And if you already have a travel writing blog, you might want to turn your blog into a book that you can pitch to publishers or self-publish.

Look for internships

Internships are a common way writers gain experience and clips. Magazines and online publications may allow aspiring travel writers to flex their skills and learn about what goes into professional travel writing. However, while there are paid internships in this field, many are likely unpaid. Whether you want to pursue an unpaid internship remains up to you, but we recommend valuing your time and pursuing paid internships when you can. 

Consider freelance writing

Another option to consider is writing on a freelance basis . Pitching articles to travel publications will not only be a way to gain jobs and clippings but allows you to practice ideation and build up a personal brand, as you are entirely in charge of the topics you’re writing about. It also expands your network of contacts in the industry, which will help you as you continue to pitch magazines and might lead to a job somewhere down the road. 

FREE RESOURCE

Writing Submissions Checklist

Make sure your magazine and contest submissions are prepped to impress.

And if you want to take complete control of your career, a subset of freelancing is blogging. Dozens of freelance travel writers supplement (or make a career out of) running their own personal blog. Having one will give you a ready-made portfolio of clips showing off your skills. This is where having a niche can be especially helpful, as it’s a way to set you apart from all the other travel blogs on the Internet. 

Search for jobs and writing opportunities

With a solid portfolio of clips, it’s time to go out into the world and fully devote yourself to a career in travel writing. There are two main tracks you could take: finding a staff writer position at a magazine or becoming a freelance travel writer. 

Finding full-time travel writer jobs

For many writers, the dream is to work full-time as a travel writer for a publication. It offers stability while letting you travel to different destinations to write and explore. 

Although there are many travel-focused magazines like Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure that might have staff writer positions, don’t discount other publications. Some magazines and newspapers with completely different focuses have travel sections that need staff writers to keep them running. 

For positions like this, a portfolio is especially important. Magazines want to see that writers have a background in journalism and are reliable writers who can deliver good-quality pieces on time. Previously being published is often proof of that. But part of building a portfolio is also building connections with people in the industry. Knowing someone at a magazine who is familiar with your work and can vouch for you can help you get your foot in the door and be hired as a staff writer. 

Freelancing

Another option is to continue down the freelance path, pitching and writing your own stories. This route gives you a lot more freedom. You can decide which places to visit and which activities you want to do, and you’re always in charge of your own itinerary. Overall, you’re much less likely to work on a story you’re not interested in because an editor told you you must. 

This is where picking a niche and having a blog can be especially helpful. Establishing yourself as an authority on a subject will draw people to your articles and give you credibility as you pitch publications. A website dedicated to your niche, with all your expertise located in one place, elevates your credibility and provides a useful resource for your readers — especially if you get a handle on SEO. Eventually, you can even turn your blog into a book and create another revenue stream. 

The Full-Time Freelancer's Checklist

Get our guide to financial and logistical planning. Then, claim your independence.

Travel writing allows you to indulge in and subsidize your wanderlust and make a living off of it. More than that though, travel writing is a way to connect people across cultures and great distances, and build an appreciation for the uniqueness and diversity around us.

Continue reading

Recommended posts from the Reedsy Blog

100+ Character Ideas (and How to Come Up With Your Own)

Character creation can be challenging. To help spark your creativity, here’s a list of 100+ character ideas, along with tips on how to come up with your own.

How to Introduce a Character: 8 Tips To Hook Readers In

Introducing characters is an art, and these eight tips and examples will help you master it.

450+ Powerful Adjectives to Describe a Person (With Examples)

Want a handy list to help you bring your characters to life? Discover words that describe physical attributes, dispositions, and emotions.

How to Plot a Novel Like a NYT Bestselling Author

Need to plot your novel? Follow these 7 steps from New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt.

How to Write an Autobiography: The Story of Your Life

Want to write your autobiography but aren’t sure where to start? This step-by-step guide will take you from opening lines to publishing it for everyone to read.

What is the Climax of a Story? Examples & Tips

The climax is perhaps a story's most crucial moment, but many writers struggle to stick the landing. Let's see what makes for a great story climax.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

We made a writing app for you

Yes, you! Write. Format. Export for ebook and print. 100% free, always.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

• How to Become a Travel Writer: Complete guide for travelogue writing
• Self Publishing Guide

The world is a treasure trove of experiences waiting to be explored and shared, and becoming a travel writer is your passport to capturing and narrating these adventures. If you’ve ever felt the wanderlust in your veins and a passion for storytelling in your heart, then embarking on the path of a travel writer might just be your calling. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the intricate art of travelogue writing, offering insights, tips, and a roadmap to help you embark on this exciting journey of words.

Understanding the Role of a Travel Writer

Travel writers embark on journeys that transcend physical landscapes; they immerse themselves in cultures, traditions, and stories that shape the world. Their role is to bring these experiences to life through words, painting vivid pictures for readers who long to discover new horizons. Beyond merely documenting destinations, travel writers craft narratives that transport readers, evoking emotions and sparking a sense of wanderlust. They uncover the hidden stories that breathe life into places, connecting readers to the heart and soul of a locale. Travel writers are not just chroniclers of journeys; they are ambassadors of exploration, inviting others to embark on their own adventures armed with insights and inspiration.

Developing Your Writing Style

In the realm of travel writing, a writer’s style becomes their distinct fingerprint, an expression of their literary personality. This style is the lens through which readers perceive the world you describe. It’s crucial to cultivate a voice that resonates authentically with your experiences and perceptions. Experimentation is key; try on different stylistic garments, from lush, poetic prose to succinct, informative language. Reading a diverse range of travel literature can broaden your horizons and help you pinpoint your comfort zone. Whether you’re crafting a blog post, an article, a book, or a social media update, your style should reflect your genuine self. The more you explore and experiment, the more refined and unique your writing style will become, captivating readers and making your travel tales truly unforgettable.

Mastering the Art of Observation

You may also like: Top 10 Best Biographies of All Time

Choosing Your Niche

In the vast realm of travel writing, finding your niche is like discovering your compass in a labyrinth of possibilities. Your niche isn’t just a subject; it’s your lens for exploring the world. It’s a culinary journey that takes you from street food stalls to Michelin-starred restaurants, or an adventure seeker’s quest for adrenaline in the great outdoors. Your niche sets you apart and lends your writing a distinct perspective. It allows you to delve deep, becoming an expert in your chosen field. Whether it’s sustainable travel, solo backpacking, cultural immersion, or any other passion, your niche shapes your identity as a travel writer and connects you with an audience that shares your interests.

Research: The Backbone of Travel Writing

Behind the enchanting stories of travel writing lies the backbone of thorough research. This groundwork is essential to creating narratives that are not only immersive but also accurate and informative. As you plan your journey, delve into the history and cultural nuances of your destination. Understand the significance of local landmarks, festivals, and traditions. Connect with locals to gather insights that may elude tourists’ eyes. A well-researched travel piece goes beyond surface-level description; it weaves historical context and cultural richness into the narrative tapestry. Research transforms your writing from subjective musings to well-rounded, engaging tales that educate and inspire readers. Just as an architect relies on blueprints, a travel writer relies on research to construct narratives that stand strong, with credibility and authenticity as their pillars.

Crafting Compelling Stories

You may also like: Unlocking Success: How to Sell Books Online Effectively

Honing Your Photography Skills

In the digital age, visuals serve as windows into the worlds you describe. Basic photography skills can be a powerful asset for a travel writer. A well-captured image encapsulates a place’s essence, and a picture truly can speak a thousand words. Learning to frame captivating shots enhances your storytelling. High-quality photos complement your prose, offering readers a visual portal to your adventures. Skillful photography brings authenticity and relatability to your narratives, reinforcing the authenticity of your experiences. Whether it’s a sweeping landscape, a bustling market, or a candid portrait, your photos harmonise with your words to craft a multidimensional story that lingers in readers’ minds.

Building an Online Presence

In the digital landscape, an online presence is the bridge between your words and a global audience. Launching a travel blog or website serves as a portfolio where your stories reside. Here, you showcase your adventures, insights, and expertise. Leverage social media platforms as portals into your journeys—a place to share real-time snippets, behind-the-scenes moments, and reflections. Engage with your readers through conversations, fostering a community that rallies around your explorations. By cultivating this virtual tribe, you forge connections that amplify your impact. An online presence not only helps you reach a wider audience but also becomes a platform for sharing your passion and inspiring others to embark on their own journeys.

Pitching and Networking

Pitching your travel stories is akin to casting a net into the vast sea of publications, aiming to capture the attention of editors and readers. Thorough research is paramount; identify magazines, newspapers, and websites that resonate with your writing style and niche. Tailor your pitches to align with their editorial focus. Craft a succinct yet enticing pitch that highlights the uniqueness of your story and why it’s a perfect fit for their audience. Networking serves as a bridge to these opportunities. Engage with editors, connect with fellow writers, and attend industry events. Building relationships within the travel writing community not only opens doors but also fosters a supportive network where insights, advice, and collaborations flourish, propelling your journey as a travel writer.

Continual Growth and Learning

You may also like: Find the Benefits of Reading Books Online: Beyond the Pages

To embark on writing a travelogue, start by selecting a destination that has left a significant impact on you. Reflect on your experiences, emotions, and observations during the journey. Organise your thoughts and create an outline to structure your narrative. Begin with a captivating introduction that hooks readers and sets the tone for your story. Incorporate vivid descriptions, sensory details, and personal anecdotes to transport readers to the destination. Share cultural insights, interactions with locals, and unique experiences to make your travelogue engaging. Blend your personal perspective with informative content, and wrap up with a reflective conclusion. Remember, authenticity and passion are key to crafting a compelling travelogue that resonates with readers.

Becoming a full-time travel writer requires dedication, skill-building, and strategic steps. Start by honing your writing skills through practise and feedback. Create a professional online portfolio showcasing your travel writing. Pitch your work to travel magazines, blogs, and websites to gain exposure and build a portfolio. Establish a strong online presence through social media platforms and a personal blog. Network with fellow writers, editors, and industry professionals. As your reputation grows, consider reaching out to tourism boards, travel companies, and publishers for collaborations. Diversify your income by offering workshops, speaking engagements, or freelance writing. Consistency, perseverance, and a passion for exploration will pave the way to becoming a successful full-time travel writer.

To excel as a travel writer, you need a combination of skills and qualities. Strong writing skills, including descriptive language, storytelling, and attention to detail, are essential. Curiosity and a love for travel are paramount, as you’ll be exploring new destinations and cultures. Flexibility and adaptability are key to thriving in different environments. Research skills enable you to provide accurate information and historical context. Photography skills can enhance your content and make it more visually appealing. Networking abilities help you connect with editors, fellow writers, and potential collaborators. Finally, resilience and the ability to handle rejection are crucial in the competitive travel writing industry.

Travel writing, also known as a travelogue, is a genre of literature that captures the essence of travel experiences. It involves narrating personal journeys, adventures, and observations from various destinations. Travel writers aim to transport readers to new places, cultures, and landscapes through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and insights. A well-crafted travelogue not only informs but also inspires readers to explore the world themselves. It can take various forms, including articles, essays, books, and online content, and often combines elements of storytelling, journalism, and creative writing.

Yes, travel writers can make money through various avenues. Freelance travel writers often get paid for articles, blog posts, and content commissioned by magazines, websites, and travel companies. Some travel writers secure book deals, earning royalties from published works. Collaborations with tourism boards, hotels, and brands can also be financially rewarding. Additionally, offering workshops, speaking engagements, and consulting services can generate income. However, income can vary widely based on experience, niche, and the demand for your work. Successful travel writers often have multiple income streams and diversify their offerings to sustain their careers.

You can write a travelogue for various platforms and outlets. Start by creating a blog or personal website where you can share your travel experiences. Submit articles and essays to travel magazines, both print and online. Many websites accept guest posts from travel writers. Consider pitching to travel-focused blogs and online publications. You can also contribute to the travel sections of newspapers and literary journals. Social media platforms, especially Instagram and YouTube, offer opportunities to share micro-travelogues through captions, stories, and videos. Additionally, consider self-publishing travel books or e-books through platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.

• About The Author
• Latest Posts

Mansi Chauhan

You May Also Like

Trending Destinations

Trending articles.

10 of the UK’s best stargazing escapes

10 of the best new wildlife trips for 2024

Where is Dune: Part Two filmed?

Destinations.

Sorry but no search results were found, please try again.

Get paid to travel: How to become a travel writer

Time on your hands? Use it to explore turning your dream job into reality, with advice and guidance from industry experts Lyn Hughes, Bill Bryson, William Gray and Jonathan Lorie…

Want to be a travel writer? Then prepare to be loathed. The idea that someone goes to exotic places for free – and then gets paid to write about them – is too much for many to take.

“You’ll never convince friends you are going abroad to work,” explains freelance travel writer Liz Edwards . “They’ll make constant reference to your ‘holidays’.”

But while free trips, global travel and your name in print sound glamorous, there are down sides.

It’s hard work, hugely competitive and – unless you are the second Bryson – you won’t earn much. Roving overseas with a notebook, a deadline and a pack of other journalists can also take the fun out of travelling altogether. It’s certainly no holiday.

Not put off? Read on to find out how you can get this dream job.

Can you do it?

Travel writing from a cliff at sunset (Shutterstock)

You can – but you need to be self-motivated and flexible. You need to have good ideas and be able to sell them.

You need to manage living on a pittance and be willing to spend time away from home at short notice. You need to be writing a lot, for practice, not just for potential publication.

“Write to your passion,” says Don George , author of Lonely Planet’s How to be a Travel Writer guide. “Marry your own passion with a publication’s editorial interests and you’ll maximise your chances – knowledge and passion can sway an editor.”

“You need to be able to string two words together,” adds Jonathan Lorie , course leader of Travellers’ Tales , “but beyond that, what really matters is your attitude. Be persistent, reliable and believe in what you’re doing. Be prepared for rejections, and keep playing the numbers game until your number comes up.”

What kind of writing?

Travel writing comes in many forms: guidebooks, first-person features, practical articles, 500-page novels. You should be reading all types and taking notes, suggests Jonathan Lorie: “Read as much as you can to pick up tricks from the experts.”

Many immediately think of lengthy destination pieces, but this is the area where competition is most fierce.

“Don’t necessarily begin with big features,” suggests Wanderlust editor-in-chief Lyn Hughes . “Scour publications for spots where you could supply something with a travel spin. It could be a news piece, a contribution to a regular column or a quirky filler.”

What makes a good writer?

Your writing will need an original angle and an interesting tone (Dreamstime)

“A basic error with travel writing is assuming everybody’s interested,” advised Bill Bryson in an interview with Don George. “ You have to work from exactly the opposite assumption: nobody is interested. Even your wife is not interested. You have to somehow make it so that they become interested.”

No one wants to hear about your last holiday. It’s not enough that you had a good time – you need a focus and you need to tell the reader something new.

“Know what the point of your article is,” says Don George. “What exactly are you trying to convey to the reader?” You need an original angle and an interesting tone.

The first line is key. It should draw the reader in to an engaging opening, middle and equally good end. “A good travel feature transports you to the destination. You should be able to see it, hear it, smell it,” says Lyn Hughes.

Don’t underestimate accuracy. Writing beautiful prose is no good if the facts are wrong. “Double-check your text for accuracy, especially with foreign names and words,” says Jonathan Lorie. “And don’t make things up: you only embarrass an editor once.”

How to get published

It’s never too late to start writing (Dreamstime)

The UK has several dedicated travel magazines and newspaper supplements. But also think laterally – there are around 10,000 magazines in the UK. Many women’s titles have travel sections, or you could try Saga magazine , Which Caravan , Country Walking … the list goes on.

Familiarise yourself with each publication so you are pitching the right style of article on the right topic. “Know the publications you want to write for,” reiterates Don George. “Read each issue from cover to cover. Try to put yourself in the editor’s head.”

Before approaching any publication, read its contributor guidelines, which are usually on the website. Some may not accept any unsolicited articles, others may have strict rules about submissions.

Find out the name of the editor or relevant section editor so your submission hits the right desk/inbox. Addressing your email to ‘The Editor’ (unless that’s the specified approach) shows a lack of effort.

Check whether your target publication prefers proposals or completed article submissions. Proposals should be snappy and attention-grabbing. If you’re sending an article, make sure it includes a synopsis of the piece, a word count, your contact information and details of any available photos.

“If you’re pitching an idea to an editor, keep it (just) long enough to give them an idea of your angle and style, but short enough so they don’t get bored,” advises Liz Edwards. A hundred words should do it.

Lyn Hughes adds: “ Think about the subject line of your email. With so many proposals hitting our in-boxes, you have to make sure that yours gets opened and read. Your subject line is your marketing tool. It should sum up what the topic of the article is and which destination it is. Your email is much more likely to be opened and read if the subject line is relevant to the publication.

For instance, if the publication runs a city break feature called ‘ First 24 hours in . .. ’ , and you were pitching an idea for it, your subject line might say ‘24 hours in Matera, Italy – European City of Culture 2019 ’. ”

Then you need patience. Most publications receive hundreds of unsolicited submissions every week. It could take months before you hear back – if at all. In the meantime, keep practising.

A word from a pro… William Gray

William Gray and friend in Madagascar (William Gray)

Award-winning travel writer and photographer William Gray is a contributing editor for Wanderlust . So, how did he do it?

“I painted lots of peoples’ houses to save for my first big trip: eight weeks back-packing in Kenya. Nothing was published, but I did learn how to keep a journal. A year later (after a self-funded trip to Australia) I had one small feature accepted in Trailfinders’ free magazine.

“The trip probably cost me £3,000, but I was chuffed to bits with the £75 fee for the article. I began proposing features to regional papers and less well-known magazines. Then came a lucky break – a contract to write a book on coral reefs and islands. It helped me get my first travel commission in a national paper.

“You’ve got to treat travel writing like a business. I may only travel for a few months each year – the rest of the time I’m pitching proposals, negotiating free travel with airlines and tour operators, writing copy and generally plugging away at PR.”

Top tip: “It’s like getting into a hot bath. Don’t jump straight in! Hold on to that full-time job while you build contacts and a portfolio of published work in your spare time. ”

More travel writing advice from the pros:

How to start your own travel blog, 10 top tips for perfecting your travel writing, 5 writing mistakes to steer clear of.

Everything to know about China’s Terracotta Army in Xi’an

Meet Peter Momoh Bassie, Sierra Leone’s top tour guide

World Tourism Day: How our privilege to travel can be a force for good

Explore more.

Sign up to our newsletter for free with the Wanderlust Club, full of travel inspiration, quizzes, events and more

Notes from the road: How to travel as a travel writer

Travel writing is one of the most misunderstood, and romanticised, jobs on the planet. That’s where this three-part Masterclass series comes in. To shine a light into its dimly lit corners, correct a few misconceptions about travel writing (and writers) and hopefully inspire you to write about your travels.

My very first travel writing assignment – to Tamworth in northern NSW – was nothing to write home about, which was a pity because of course I did have to write about it. But those three days were a masterclass in how to travel as a travel writer.

My “colleagues” were all experienced travel writers; I was a neophyte with a day job. I had no idea what I was doing. So I watched what they wrote down, snapped what they took photos of, listened to the questions they asked, tried to emulate their confidence. It was a great way to learn, but it’s not often a newbie gets the chance to travel with professional travel writers.

So let’s take a brief trip now and I’ll show you a few shortcuts.

Rule #1: This is not a holiday

Trekking in Mustang, Nepal.

One of the biggest misconceptions about travel writing is that you go on holiday and write about it. While that can work in the beginning, to make a living from travel writing you’re going to have to travel a little differently.

*REALLY* NEED A HOLIDAY? CHECK OUT OUR FULL RANGE OF SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES HERE

Before you go

Before you write a word, before you even leave home, your work begins: with some pre-trip research. This helps you line up story-worthy things to see and do when you’re away and ensures you don’t waste precious travel hours in your hotel room planning your schedule.

The other main thing to do before a trip is to get a few story commissions. This can be tricky, if not impossible, when you’re starting out, but one thing you can do is at least have in mind one or two publications you’d like to write for, so you know what kinds of things to research while you’re away. There’s a big difference between travelling for, say, a luxury travel website and a bushwalking magazine.

RELATED: STUCK IN A RUT? HERE’S HOW TRAVEL CAN HELP

What to take

Every travel writer has her own “must have” travel kit. Mine looks like this: a small notebook I can fit in a pocket, a few pens, my Canon DSLR camera, my phone (to record interviews, check emails, post on social media as well as take photos) and my laptop (unless I’m going to be far from a power outlet, say trekking in Nepal or sea kayaking in the Philippines, in which case the laptop stays home). A lot of travel writers I know no longer travel with cameras; they just use their phones to take pictures. Others use DSLR cameras and download their images onto portable hard drives and/or their laptops every night on the road. The bottom line is: find what works for you and the kind of travel you do.

While you’re there

The more effort you put in while you’re away – getting up early to take photos, seeing one more city sight when you’d rather relax with a beer, arranging to meet local experts when you’re tired – the easier it will be to write about the trip later.

The trick is to do more (sightseeing) with less (time) while also being discerning about how you spend your time. Devoting half a day to one modern art museum might not be the best use of your time if you have only two days in that city – unless it’s so offbeat or interesting it deserves its own story.

You don’t have to see everything; if you can get a sense of the place and the main things to see and do there, you can fill in the gaps with online research when you get home.

RELATED: DISCOVERING THE TRUE MEANING OF HOSPITALITY IN WESTERN MONGOLIA

Seven more quick tips:

• Be observant: This is more than half the job of being a travel writer: noticing details, using all your senses and recording everything you think might be important later.
• Take lots of notes. I use a notebook and pen; other travel writers use their phones to take notes or record observations. Use whatever you’re most comfortable with and can access quickly and without thinking.
• Take lots of photos. Not just for publication, but to help remind yourself of details and record information you don’t have time to read (in museums, for instance). When taking pics for publication, try to get a variety of shots – close ups, landscapes and plenty of people shots – but avoid “happy snaps” of your fellow travellers looking at the camera.
• Listen well. Sounds are often, er, overlooked, but they can add so much to a story. Keep your ears open and you might also hear someone say something you can use in your story.
• Be curious. Travel is one of the best ways to learn about how the world works, about people, about life, about yourself – all of which will make you a better writer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Be there . As well as looking, listening and recording all you see and hear, try to experience where you are. Get hot and sweaty and rained on and lost and always, always talk to strangers. First-hand experiences bring your travel stories to life.
• Be multi-talented. Travel writing is no longer just about writing. It’s also about taking great photos, shooting video, posting on social media, doing podcasts and whatever else you can offer. The more skills you develop, the more work you’ll get.

HOW A NIGHT ON A TURKISH BOAT TAUGHT ME THE MEANING OF INTREPID

When you get home

Spending time with the locals in the Galapagos.

Every writer has a process and you’ll soon develop yours. Some write their stories direct from their notebooks. I like to write up my scribbled, semi-decipherable notes into a master document as soon as I get home – or in transit on the way home – which helps me process and organise what I’ve seen and experienced; this then becomes a sort of mega-draft for several stories.

You might not be on holiday, but travelling as a travel writer can be so enriching and rewarding; plus you often get access to places and people most other people don’t get access to. And you can always take a holiday later, to unwind.

Need some story inspiration? Get it on an Intrepid small group adventure! Check out our full range of trips now . 

Feature photo by Louise Southerden. 

Feeling inspired?

Louise Southerden

Louise Southerden has been a professional travel writer and author for more than 20 years and is passionate about travel that makes the world a better place. She’s also an author and award-winner; in fact, in 2019 she won the Australian Society of Travel Writers’ Travel Writer of the Year award – for the fifth time. To follow her adventures in simple, sustainable living, see No Impact Girl .

You might also like

Visiting cotopaxi: ecuador’s iconic volcano, 7 interesting facts about the czech republic, 10 must-see places when you visit georgia, the truth about antarctica – 8 burning myths..., why you should hike in the winter, learn how to leave hack your 2025 canadian..., level up your australian public holidays in 2025, how to make the most of us federal..., make the most of nz’s public holidays in..., top us national parks, how to maximise your annual leave using uk....

What does a travel writer do?

Would you make a good travel writer? Take our career test and find your match with over 800 careers.

What is a Travel Writer?

A travel writer is a writer who specializes in documenting their travel experiences, providing insights into the places they visit, and sharing recommendations for other travelers. Their job is to create compelling narratives and stories about their travels, including descriptions of the people, culture, and geography of the places they visit. Travel writers often work for newspapers, magazines, and travel websites, and they may also write books or blogs about their experiences. They may travel to destinations across the world, from major cities to remote locations, and may have expertise in specific areas or types of travel, such as adventure travel or luxury travel.

To be a successful travel writer, one needs to have excellent writing skills, the ability to capture the essence of a place, and a passion for travel. They must be able to convey their experiences and observations in a way that engages and inspires readers, and they should have a keen eye for detail, as well as the ability to research and fact-check information. Travel writers may also need to have photography or videography skills to capture the visual aspects of their travels.

What does a Travel Writer do?

Travel writers play a vital role in shaping our understanding of the world and its diverse cultures. Through their writings, they offer a window into the unique experiences and perspectives of different people and places, helping us to broaden our horizons and expand our knowledge. They not only provide practical information about destinations but also capture the essence of a place, its people, history, and culture, making us feel as if we have been there ourselves.

Duties and Responsibilities The duties and responsibilities of travel writers can vary depending on the specific role and employer. However, some common duties and responsibilities of travel writers include:

• Researching and exploring destinations: Travel writers need to conduct extensive research before visiting a destination. They need to know the history, culture, and attractions of the place they're writing about, as well as practical information like transportation options, accommodation, and safety considerations. Once they arrive, travel writers may visit museums, galleries, historical sites, and other tourist attractions. They may also attend local events, try local foods, and interact with locals to get a better sense of the destination.
• Writing engaging and informative content: Travel writers need to write engaging and informative content that captures the attention of their audience. They need to be able to convey the sights, sounds, and feelings of a destination, and make readers feel like they're actually there. Travel writers need to be skilled in storytelling, using vivid descriptions, and painting a picture with words.
• Developing story ideas: Travel writers need to come up with fresh and interesting story ideas that will appeal to their audience. They may draw inspiration from their own experiences, or from trends in the travel industry. They need to be able to identify unique angles and highlight lesser-known attractions or hidden gems.
• Taking photographs and videos: Travel writers may be required to take photographs and videos to accompany their written content. They need to have a good eye for composition, lighting, and framing. They may also need to edit their photos and videos using software like Adobe Photoshop or Final Cut Pro.
• Editing and proofreading: Travel writers need to be skilled in editing and proofreading their own work. They need to check for accuracy, clarity, and consistency, as well as correct any spelling or grammatical errors.
• Meeting deadlines: Travel writers need to be able to work to tight deadlines, as they may be working on multiple projects at once. They need to be organized and able to manage their time effectively to ensure they deliver high-quality content on time.
• Networking and building relationships: Travel writers need to network and build relationships with other writers, editors, and industry professionals. This can help them stay up to date with trends and opportunities, as well as get their work published in reputable publications.
• Adhering to ethical standards: Travel writers need to adhere to ethical standards when writing about destinations. This includes being honest and truthful in their writing, respecting local customs and traditions, and avoiding any conflicts of interest or biased reporting.

Types of Travel Writers There are various types of travel writers, each with their own specific focus and area of expertise. Here are some common types of travel writers:

• Destination-Focused Writers: These writers specialize in writing about specific destinations, such as countries, cities, or regions. They may provide practical information like transportation options and accommodation, as well as highlight attractions, events, and local culture.
• Adventure and Outdoor Writers: These writers focus on outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and skiing. They may write about their own experiences or provide advice and tips for readers interested in outdoor adventure.
• Food and Drink Travel Writers: These writers specialize in writing about food and drink in various parts of the world, highlighting local cuisine and beverages. They may recommend restaurants, cafes, and bars, as well as provide recipes and cooking tips.
• Luxury Travel Writers: These writers focus on high-end travel experiences like five-star hotels, luxury cruises, and private tours. They may provide recommendations for luxury travel destinations and experiences, as well as tips for travelers looking to splurge on their next vacation.
• Budget Travel Writers: These writers focus on budget-friendly travel options, providing advice on how to travel on a budget and still have an enjoyable experience. They may recommend budget-friendly destinations and accommodations, as well as provide tips on how to save money on transportation, food, and attractions.
• Family Travel Writers: These writers focus on family-friendly travel experiences, providing advice and recommendations for families traveling with children. They may highlight family-friendly destinations, accommodations, and attractions, as well as provide tips on traveling with children.
• Cultural and Historical Writers: These writers focus on cultural and historical attractions, highlighting museums, historical sites, and cultural events. They may provide insights into local customs and traditions, as well as provide recommendations for cultural and historical destinations.

What is the workplace of a Travel Writer like?

The workplace of a travel writer can vary greatly depending on the specific writer's job requirements. Travel writers may work remotely, traveling to various destinations to conduct research and write about their experiences. This can involve working from coffee shops, airports, hotels, and other public spaces as they gather information and write their stories.

Many travel writers also work for media outlets, such as magazines, newspapers, or websites, and may have a more traditional office setting. They may work in a newsroom or at home, researching and writing stories that meet the requirements of their employer's editorial style.

Some travel writers are self-employed and work as freelancers. They may have a home office or co-working space, where they can work on multiple projects for different clients. Freelance travel writers need to be able to manage their time effectively, as they may have multiple deadlines to meet.

Regardless of their work setting, travel writers need to have access to a computer, reliable internet connection, and other tools necessary to conduct research and write their stories. They may also need equipment like cameras or video cameras to capture images and footage of their travel experiences.

Travel writers may also attend industry events and conferences, such as travel trade shows and tourism boards' events, to network with other professionals and learn about new travel trends and opportunities. These events can take place all over the world, and travel writers may need to travel to attend them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Writing and journalism related careers and degrees.

Writing Careers

• Academic Writer
• Content Writer
• Fiction Writer
• Food Critic
• Ghostwriter
• Grant Writer
• Literary Agent
• Music Critic
• Nonfiction Writer
• Screenwriter
• Speechwriter
• Sports Writer
• Technical Writer
• Television Writer
• Travel Writer

Journalism Careers

• Correspondent
• News Anchor
• News Reporter
• Photojournalist
• Broadcast Journalism
• Children's Literature
• Creative Writing
• Screenwriting
• Songwriting
• Technical Writing

Continue reading

Travel Writers are also known as: Travel Journalist

• Travel Writing

What no one ever tells you about being a travel writer

• By Lindy Alexander
• 10 Comments

If you like this article, you’ll love my weekly newsletter. Sign up for next week’s instalment

What do you think of when someone says they are a travel writer?

Jet-setting business class around the world to stay in luxurious hotels and eating feasts prepared by Michelin-stared chefs?

I won’t lie; this is not unheard of (and I have definitely had more than my fair share of travel at the pointy end of a plane).

But more often than not, the life of a travel writer is much more complex than it appears.

I know lots of you are travel writers or aspiring travel journalists, so let’s go behind the scenes.

Here’s an insight into what it’s really like to be a travel writer and what you need to know to land jobs as a travel writer.

Freelance travel journalism – what you don’t get told

Skip to what you want to read:

So what is the life of a travel writer really like?

There is a black list (this is how to stay off it), writing on the road doesn’t always work, travel writing can “seem like a time-sucking burden”, think you just need to be able to travel and write to be a travel writer think again..

• Get rich. In experiences

The unglamorous side of travel writing helps make ends meet

Travel writing is not a 9 – 5pm job, the things non-travel writers don’t see, travel writing can cost you money.

• Unique ways to get personalised press trips
• Wondering about the best way to break into travel writing?

One of my titles is “freelance travel writer” and in 2019 I took five international trips for work and 20+ domestic ones.

I’d often come back from trips to questions and comments from friends and family such as:

“How was your holiday?” or “You have the best job in the world” or “Travel writing is such a sweet gig.”

And yes, at times it does feel like a sweet gig and the best job in the world, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

It’s definitely no holiday.

As a fairly new travel writer, I was struck by how little time I spent travelling and how much time I dedicated to building relationships , pitching , and planning.

Pre-pandemic, I asked travel journalists from all over the globe to tell me what goes on behind the scenes of being a travel writer.

I wanted them to share their insights into a side of travel writing that isn’t always spoken about.

And as the world begins to open up again, I think it’s a perfect time to revisit what it’s really like to be a travel writer.

For Bonnie van Dorp , it’s important to recognise that travel writers get afforded privileges others do not.

“My biggest advice to those lucky to be invited on famils and international press trips is to stay humble, be grateful and never assume that you have the right to be there,” she says.

“Although PRs will never admit it willingly, black lists do exist, so treat others the way you want to be treated and count your blessings everyday.”

Travel writer Jac Taylor says she has seen plenty of “jaded, too-cool-to-be-impressed travel writers”.

But in Jac ’s experience, enthusiastic, appreciative and engaged travel writers generally fill the places of the best journo trips because they’re the writers that return invitations.

“I was recently invited back to a destination not because my coverage is the best, but because they could see how excited I was to be in their country, videoing and photographing like a crazy person last time I was there,” she says.

Freelance travel writer Briar Jensen says it can be easy to underestimate the time you actually need to sit at your computer and write.

“It may be different for nomadic travellers who are on the road all the time, but for me I don’t write stories on the road,” she says.

“I want to maximise my time absorbing the destination, so I need to allow time at home to craft the stories, which can be difficult if you have multiple trips coming up.”

“You often don’t get to write the stories from one trip before you are off again, so it can be months after a trip that you actually write about it.”

“And in the meantime you may have been to several other destinations, so, making detailed notes when I travel is important. This means I can invoke the feeling of a destination again by reading my notes and looking at my photographs.”

The money isn’t the most important thing (and thank goodness, because often there’s not much of it)

I’ve noticed that since I started focusing more on travel writing, my income from feature writing has taken a serious dip.

Many publications pay once your article is published, not when you submit it or the editor accepts it.

“It can be a very long time between going on a trip and when the story is published, and consequently, when you are paid,” says Briar. “Many travel writers will have examples of up to two years (or more!).”

Press trips (often called fam trips or famils) are one way travel writers get to visit destinations.

While these are common, freelance travel and health journalist Yasmin Noone says you don’t just have to do organised famils.

“You can organise your own to fit in with your life and responsibilities – but it takes work and determination to do it that way,” she says.

Pulling together your own trip can be incredibly time consuming though.

“Researching the destination, working out what angles you want and who best to meet and talk to achieve that, then negotiating with the destination PRs and perhaps airlines takes time,” says Briar.

“It can be fun if you have plenty of time, but when you need to be writing stories it can seem like a time-sucking burden.”

“You need to be able to balance lots of balls,” says Briar.

“This includes researching destinations and markets, travelling, writing, photography, social media for both the destination and your work, blogging, self-promotion, keeping abreast of travel trends and what’s been published, networking and upskilling and be ready to travel if a last minute trip comes up.”

You’ll be hearing from me (or not)

“As with any freelancing, lack of response or timely response form editors when you are trying to pitch a trip idea can be extremely frustrating, as these days PRs need a confirmed commission before they will send you,” says Briar.

According to Briar, this has changed in recent years.

Years ago, Briar says, PRs would send writers on a trip and trust that they would pitch stories on their return.

“In fact they probably got more stories from a trip then, as we had multiple angles to pitch once we’d done the trip, as you often come up with different angles while you are in the destination,” she says.

Jac Taylor adds that the stakes are high with travel writing. “To be a travel writer, you need to be tough enough to only be as good as your last article every single time,” she says, “even with editors you’ve worked with for years.”

Get rich. In experiences.

“Travel writers don’t get anywhere near as well paid as people might expect,” says Briar.

“But the opportunities we get are extraordinary, and we are so privileged to travel so widely.”

Anne Lowrey from Part-Time Traveler says she gets a lot of questions about how she makes travel writing work financially, especially as she lives in San Francisco – one of the most expensive cities in the United States.

“I tell my family that I’m “rich in experiences,” which is true — but at the end of the day, most of the perks of travel writing are just that — trips and experiences,” she says.

“It is much more difficult to get paid actual money (you know, the kind you need for bills) particularly with so many other writers willing to accept free or low paid assignments in exchange for these perks.”

“To help with cash flow, be prepared to take on less-glamorous assignments, like updating guidebooks or similar,” says Briar.

Anne agrees saying, “The reality is that I end up doing a lot of unglamorous travel writing, whether that’s content marketing or copywriting for travel companies, to make ends meet — and I’m okay with that. I’m home behind my computer writing for clients a lot, as opposed to the perception that I’m gallivanting the globe and purely sharing the personal stories I yearn to write.”

The bulk of Elen Turner ’s work at the moment is copywriting and content marketing. “This isn’t necessarily what a lot of beginner travel writers think of when they think of travel writing,” she says, “they more think of the glamorous world of flying around and always being on the go.”

But Elen specialises in content about Nepal and produces lots of articles and blog posts about the country in general.

“This is ideal because it requires a very broad and detailed knowledge of the country, but doesn’t necessarily require my intimate knowledge of the newly opened restaurants,” she says.

In terms of her copywriting work, Elen has clients who require general knowledge about travel destinations, and “a lot of travel common sense” where she draws on her past travels.

Elen’s advice for new travel writers is that “you actually don’t need to be constantly travelling to make a successful career out of travel writing. But you do need to have done plenty in the past, or live somewhere worth writing about (which is most places, I’m sure).”

[Diversification is so important as a freelance writer – read about how 5 freelancers make money by diversifying their business]

“If I had a French Pacific Franc for every time I’ve heard ‘you’re a travel writer – that’s gotta be the best job in the world!” I’d be hunkered down on a luxury yacht in Tahiti with a chilled mojito and a hot man winding my winches,” says Fiona Harper .

“Instead, I’m at my desk seven days a week tapping out stories, editing photos, chasing invoices, marketing my ‘brand’ and pitching, pitching, pitching to ensure there’s another assignment/commission/paid gig on the horizon.”

“That’s when I’m not on the road which usually involves multiple flights, often over multiple days, pre-dawn wake up calls (to capture the best photos) followed by a full day of touring, meeting, interviewing and taking notes that usually ends sometime around 8pm on a good day.”

Fiona acknowledges that yes, cocktails and wonderful food are usually involved, but that’s not the reason why she loves what she does.

“I love being a travel writer because I enjoy the challenge, the freedom, the independence, the creativity and the truly amazing opportunities that land at my feet simply because I have the ability to line up some words that will hopefully inspire others to follow in my footsteps,” she says.

Jennifer Johnston has channelled her energy into becoming a travel writer later in her working life.

“My friends think I’m setting myself up for my twilight years in a role that is all about luxury and decadence,” she says. “They see the stories and the Instagram images.”

But Jennifer says her friends don’t see:

The nervous pitches sent out to editors – will they like it, will I hear from them, will they commission me?

The self-doubt and constant questioning around your ability to deliver to the editor’s standards

The long hours in her home office

Becoming a night owl as emails and interviews are done with people on a different time zone, half way around the world.

“Much like a politician and the never-ending meet and greet of constituents, a travel writer has to talk, interview, converse and engage with as many people as possible on a trip to gather the quotes and information that colour a story,” Jennifer says.

“Even when you’d prefer to blend silently in the background, you can’t, you need to be present, alert, taking everything in, and making notes.”

Showing up – all the time

Many of the writers I spoke to commented that while press trips are wonderful, they are often exhausting.

Jennifer says: “When you want to switch off and relax at night time because you have been on the go since 5am, you still must attend that dinner on a press trip.

There is a moment where you can run into your decadent hotel room for a quick shower and change.

But before dinner, you know to keep your hosts (and PRs) happy you should post that Insta story, which means gathering facts and editing photos to present the highlights of your destination.”

Veteran travel writer Kerry Heaney says that most people wouldn’t realise travel writers fit three times the activities they would do into every day.

“It means we get great stories and see a tremendous amount but it’s sometimes exhausting,” she says.

“We can do this because there’s usually someone in the background doing a great job organising everything to showcase their region.

It also means we rarely have time to just soak it in and often the experiences are shortened. For example, who would go on a half-day boat trip when they are catching a plane that afternoon? Most people would just relax by the pool and pack at leisure.”

Digital influencer Kerri McConnel from www.beerandcroissants.com agrees.

Kerri treats every trip as though it’s her first, and works incredibly hard to ensure a high return on investment from brands, destinations and experiences that host her.

When you read what Kerri does on a trip, it’s hard not to feel exhausted.

“I am currently on a famil with a solid itinerary, where we are covering many brands at once,” she says.

“Our days are very full and most evenings have finished around 11pm. This isn’t because we’ve been kicking back having a few drinks either.

Many dinners have been hosted by senior management of the respective brands.

They are pure business. All day we are listening, taking notes and thinking about the angle for our stories and what questions we need to have answered in order to do so. Then there’s the photos and videos.”

“As someone who writes for my own website, there’s so much more to do than just my articles,” says Kerri.

“I spend all day taking hundreds of photos and capturing so many moments on video. I have to take all of this in many different formats depending on what I might need them for (website, Instagram, Facebook etc).

A video for Instagram stories must be shot vertically and only for 15 seconds whilst clips for a YouTube,FB and website video must be shot horizontally.”

“This normally means I take two videos for every scene.

It’s a constant switching process and I only have one set of hands.

I use normal DSLRs, iPhones, a drone, GoPro and have gimbals and selfie sticks to assist with it all. At night when the official duties are finished I then need to download and categorise the images and video to ensure that if I have an equipment failure I don’t lose my content.

Then there’s the curating and post-processing.

A two minute video can take me two days to edit and produce.

If we get a moment during the day (e.g. travelling between venues) then you’ll find me on the phone posting Instagram stories or Facebook posts or just generally trying to get some traction with social media.

This doesn’t entail putting just any photo up. I need to think carefully about what image might draw the most engagement, caption it, tag it and so on.”

It can get lonely

Freelance writer Danielle Norton says travel writing can mean experiencing amazing things by yourself.

“Recently I spent the weekend at a five star boutique hotel,” she says.

“The room was so incredibly luxurious and the restaurant had a brilliant new chef who showered me with extra dishes of exquisite quality.

Each course of the meal was matched with award winning wine.

I sat alone in a restaurant filled with romantic couples and families celebrating special events and wished that I had one of my special people to share the experience with.”

Danielle has seen the sun set over the Indian Ocean in Sri Lanka, hiked the track around Uluru, snorkeled the crystal clear reefs in the Solomon Islands, visited war museums in Cambodia, discovered Gaudi’s artworks in Barcelona, seen shows on Broadway and trekked in the jungles of Thailand.

“All alone,” she says. “Mostly, I feel grateful to have the opportunity to travel the world and share my stories. It is liberating and exciting. But, every so often, I wish I could bring a friend or partner along to share the special moments.”

Before I became a travel writer, one thing I hadn’t given much thought to was having to pay for incidentals.

I knew that while I was away on a trip I wouldn’t be able to get that much work done, but I didn’t necessarily anticipate that travel writing might cost me money.

When I travelled to India for work (hosted by the tour company), I had to pay for tips for drivers, tour guides, serving staff and so on (which totalled around $80), a visa (again, around $80), car parking at the airport, immunisations, travel insurance, malaria medication and so on.

I don’t mind paying, but I do think that these are some of the hidden costs of travel writing, and something that isn’t widely spoken about.

Making connections is important

Nancy from Luxe Travel Family says she has discovered that there’s much more to travel writing than just travel and writing.

“One of these is attending travel industry conferences like World Travel Market where I meet with destination marketing organisations, network with travel media, and participate in professional development sessions,” she says.

“While conference travel can be expensive, I’ve found it to be an excellent investment. The personal connections I’ve made over the years have been invaluable to my travel writing career.”

There are unique ways to get personalised press trips

“You can also work with tour companies on an ongoing basis and get personalised fams that way,” says Elen.

“I edit one travel magazine and website, and as well as getting paid, the company have sent me to stay at their hotel partners in exchange for copy and blog posts, as well as treks and other tours.

It has been Awesome with a capital A. This arrangement isn’t strictly the same as what most people consider a fam/press trip arrangement to be because I don’t really pitch the outcome of those trips to other publications (I’ve used bits and pieces in roundups and what not), but I use the experience to write articles and web copy for the company itself.”

Travel writing is not egalitarian

It’s also important to make the point that travel writing as a profession is not necessarily open to everyone in the same way.

“I’ve heard Filipino travel bloggers talk on a panel about how they have to focus on their own country because their visa requests for other places are frequently denied,” Elen says.

“Having a Nepali husband, I know how prohibitively hard it is to travel on anything but a strong Western passport. Even for me, now living in New Zealand, I find that the industry is not only US dominated, which is pretty inevitable, but that my access to the world about which I could write as a travel writer is very limited by cost and distance. So, whether we like it or not, travel writing as a profession is elitist.”

Wondering about the best way to break into travel writing? I wrote this post to help!

Before the pandemic, I regularly received offers of press trips and famils.

And now, these offers are starting to trickle back in.

Travel writing has been incredible for me, but it has been a steep learning curve.

I’m so grateful to all the writers who contributed to this post – thank you!

  Are you a travel writer or an aspiring travel journalist? What would you add to this list? Add your comment below

Lindy Alexander

Liked this post? Share it!

You May Also Like

How I got LinkedIn Premium for free (no credit card details required)

Last week I got a LinkedIn Premium account for free. For a year. Without giving over my credit card details.

My 6 favourite posts from The Freelancer’s Year 2019

I hope you don’t mind, but this is a bit of a lazy post from me. Come mid-late December my brain starts to dissolve in the Australian heat, and my idea well seems to run dry. So this week I’ve decided to do a similar post to one I did last year – a round-up of favourite posts. So in no particular order, I’m sharing my best posts from this year. If you haven’t read them, I hope you enjoy them, and if you have, I hope you agree 🙂

The 9 questions you need to ask yourself before 2021 starts

Well, we’ve almost made it to the end of 2020. This time last year I was feeling so weary. I’d had a huge year with

10 thoughts on “What no one ever tells you about being a travel writer”

Ahhh this post makes me so nostalgic for my travel writing days. I haven’t done any for ages (a toddler hanging off you will put the kybosh on any travel writer’s ability to take a famil) but I’ve done some amazing trips in my time. One of my all-time favourite trips was in Africa, when I swam across the black, crocodile-infested, fast-flowing Zambesi river (with 4 local boys, one who put my camera in a plastic bag which he held on his head!) and they took me to a secret pool perched right on the edge of the falls. That night, I dined on a barge under the moon with hippos all around, and the waiters brought my dinner out in a canoe while singing at the top of their voices… a true adventure.

Needless to say, I miss those days 🙂

Oh Rachel, you swam in a croc-infested river?! You are braver than I! But what an experience … I love the fact that instead of singing for your supper, it was sung for you. Beautiful. Hopefully you’ll get to dive back into travel writing at some stage.

I hope so too – my last stories were published just before I got pregnant and there hasn’t been anything since. I would love to get into travel writing for families so I could take MY little tribe along with me sometimes while I review places. Although, that can be tricky (as we’ve talked about before!)

PS. They kept telling me crocs didn’t come that far down the river (as we crossed right near the top of the falls). I swam on a wing and a prayer 🙂

Thanks for this honest article! For a while now, I’ve been working on incorporating travel into my work but had realized it’s not the glam life so many blogs and scammy courses make it out to be! I started my own website promoting my home country, Saint Lucia, focusing on the small operators who get sidelined in our mainstream PR…of course this isn’t a cash cow! But with my background in community work, I knew the challenges micro-biz people faced getting seen by your potential customers all too well and knew I was passionate about doing this. I’m following the advice to see how many income streams, or one-off payments I can coax out of each adventure and it does help that I love the non-financial rewards of the days out in the field, but "Gassah!" (Lucian expression) Dat not easy! Talk about taking organisation and discipline! (Not my best points) I also find my ordinary day’s end up transforming into a different monster- that juicy fat guava I was about to nyam down gets photographed every which way before I, long after, get round to taking a bite. My handicrafts, flowers, wild plants, walks… everything becomes a potential asset. It sounds mercenary, but I find it makes me more observant and things I took for granted are suddenly new again. Bit by bit I can see the possibility of a life that can include travelling with work.

Thanks so much for your comment and insights Fiona – it’s fascinating to read about your work. You’re right in that there are so many components involved in travel writing and that organisation and discipline are such important qualities for writers to have. Sounds like you’re embracing having fresh eyes, thinking really carefully about how to make the most of every experience, and helping small operators out along the way. Maybe I’ll see you on the road somewhere?!

Hi. I am an aspiring travel writer and was hoping to ask you a few questions. It will be a great help if you take out the time to answer my questions. Do travel writers get all-expenses-paid trips? What does it mean that- travel writers have trips coming up? Are these trips planned individually ourselves or are there companies or magazines that ask you to make trips to write about like a general travel job? Are there companies or magazines that hire travel writers on ( we can say) a regular basis? If yes, please give examples along with where these are located mainly.

Hi Maeve, Thanks for your questions. Yes, travel writers often get all-expenses-paid trips, but these aren’t vacations or holidays – they go on these trips in order to write about the destination or experiences they have while travelling.

When travel writers say they have trips coming up, it can either mean that they are planned themselves or they are part of an organised trip (often known as a ‘fam’ or ‘famil’).

There are many magazines and newspapers that commission travel writers – some are travel specific publications (like Fodor’s) and others may be women’s interest (like Vogue) that also run travel stories.

I have a training on travel writing if you’re interested in learning more – https://writeearnthrive.kartra.com/page/travel-writing-training

I am writing a reflective piece on my chosen career for University and would like to include a quote from this blog post in my piece. I would like to reference your blog correctly, would you please let me know what date this blog was posted so I can complete my reference? I cannot find the date on the post.

Kind Regards

Celeste Jones

Hi Celeste, 17 October 2021. Hope that helps!

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Join the freelancer’s year community.

A super practical, weekly newsletter helping you get published in magazines and newspapers, and earn more money by finding high-paying content clients.

By signing up you are agreeing to receive our weekly newsletter (no spam - promise!)

• Get the inside scoop

Weekly emails on what’s working right now for freelance writers who are writing for magazines, newspapers and corporate clients.

© The Freelancers Year 2024. All Rights Reserved.

• Travel writing training
• Foundations of Freelance Writing
• Write Earn Thrive

FREE RESOURCES

• Find high-paying clients on LinkedIn
• 10 successful pitches
• The 5 easiest articles to write for magazines

Courses & Resources

We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal Owners of the land we work on – the Dja Dja Wurrung. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and to the ongoing living culture of Aboriginal people. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. 💛🖤❤️

Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

Website Design by Kitsune Creative Co

• EXPLORE Random Article
• Happiness Hub

How to Be a Travel Writer

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 Approved

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 77,363 times.

A travel writer explores new destinations and shares observations with others using the written word. One of the most important requirements for this type of work is a desire to travel and experience new environments and cultures. Physical stamina, an observant mind and a talent for descriptive language are just a few of the qualities necessary for becoming a travel writer.

Understanding the Job Requirements

• Many travel writers work for themselves as freelancers and work contract by contract, story by story. This means you may not have a steady income from travel writing and it can be difficult to make a high income when you are commissioned to write for a publication. [1] X Research source
• Currently, rates for a 500-word article can range from $10 to $1,000. Often, seasoned writers with years of experience writing for big print publications will earn the higher end of the spectrum for one article. Many travel writers do not earn more than $25 - $300 an article. If you are able to land a big feature or a cover story, you will be paid more. However, it can be difficult to land the more lucrative stories and you will often have to write many articles on a regular basis to support yourself financially in this career.

• Instead, you will need to be willing to freelance as a writer as you build up your portfolio. This means you will have to pitch articles to multiple publications on a consistent basis and write many articles for very little pay, perhaps for several years. As a freelancer, you will also need to arrange your own travel accommodations, your itinerary and spend several days traveling on your own.
• To make travel writing your full time job, you will need to build up contacts and credentials in the industry. This can take several years of working from contract to contract until you make a name for yourself. Many travel writers work other, more sustainable jobs while they travel write on the side.

• It’s important that you are a curious and perceptive traveller who is comfortable roughing it when you have to. You should also be willing to pitch your ideas to an editor and be prepared to promote your work whenever possible. As a beginning travel writer, you will need to showcase writing talent and a zest for adventure, as well as an ability to sell your ideas and writing to editors.

Finding Your Niche in the Market

• Travel writer Bill Bryson: Bryson is one of the most successful travel writers in the genre and is well respected in England for his travel book on English life, Notes on a Small Island, as well as his American travel book, The Lost Continent".Bryson is known for his dry and witty writing, and often combines memoir and travel writing in his work. [4] X Research source
• Travel writer Kate Adie: Adie is a former BBC chief correspondent who covered war zones in the 1980s across the world. [5] X Research source She has written an autobiographical book about her travels in dangerous places called The Kindness of Strangers that is popular among travel writers. Adie’s writing is characterized by dry humor, a knack for finding the absurd in a situation, and a strong grasp on travelling to foreign and often dangerous destinations. [6] X Research source
• The Lazy Travelers Blog: This blog, started by two American best friends, recently won Best Travel Weblog at the 2014 Bloggies. [7] X Research source Characterized by the tagline “conquering the globe one glass of wine at a time”, the bloggers explore local and overseas destinations with a casual, playful tone and focus on the average traveller who may want to see popular sites, eat good food, and find photography worthy spots in a new city. [8] X Research source
• The EscapeArtistes Blog: This blog was a finalist for Best Travel Weblog at the 2014 Bloggies, [9] X Research source and has the tagline “Postcards from the edge.” Written by a British mother, living with her young son in Bali, the blog explores life as an ex-pat as well as travelling with a young child through Asia and Europe. The writing style is friendly and full of dry wit, appealing to readers who are looking for a unique take on the standard travel blog. [10] X Research source
• Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund: This off beat blog is immensely popular online and features the travel adventures of a Dachshund named Crusoe, with the tagline: “The wiener dog who thinks he’s more of a celebrity than he really is (for now)." [11] X Research source

• You may find a travel magazine that you enjoy and want to write for, or have a specific magazine in mind. Reading the publication before you pitch an article idea will also allow you to customize the pitch letter based on the tone and style of the publication. This could help your pitch to get noticed by the editor, as editors often pay more attention to a pitch that relates to the mandate of their publication. [13] X Research source

• Focus on three main elements: being professional, being useful, and being personal. Though your blog can have a casual, friendly tone, you should still treat it like a professional site and avoid using an ugly design.
• You should also edit every blog post for grammatical errors and spelling errors. Your blog should also serve a purpose and provide your readers with useful information about a location, an event, or a destination. Your reader will want to know what she can get from reading your blog and feel as though it is worth checking your blog on a daily basis. Finally, your blog should be personal and demonstrate your unique writing style or voice.
• Avoid formal language or complex sentence structure. Try to appeal to the average reader by using an open, accessible tone and playing to your unique perspective.

Building Your Credentials

• Your portfolio or website should have your biography, a blog documenting your past traveling experiences and any upcoming travel, with lots of detailed write ups of your experiences, as well as social media feeds where you can promote and share your articles, photos and videos. [14] X Research source
• Use your portfolio as a platform to engage readers, viewers, and editors in the industry. Linking to your website when you meet an editor or a possible writing contact will ensure someone is paying attention to your online persona and could lead to writing contracts or offers.

• As a travel writer, you will need to be able to move past superficial descriptions of a place and see a place in an authentic and interesting way. Writing about things in your area will allow you to build a strong body of work around a certain niche or location and help you practice “seeing” a place from a deeper, more engaging perspective.
• One way you can create your own local writing prompts is to google your local place + “travel”. For example, “Reno travel”. Look at what comes up first in the search results and ask yourself if you could provide a well written article with more useful information. If the answer is yes, you may have found your first travel writing story.

• Focus on introducing yourself and asking more seasoned writers who they are working for and what they are currently working on. This will help to give you a sense of the current state of the industry and what types of stories editors are looking for.

Getting Published

• If you decide to pitch an article idea, always follow the submission guidelines posted on the publication’s website or in their print publication.
• A good rule of thumb is to keep your pitch letters short, no more than two to three paragraphs, to show that you know the types of stories the publication publishes, and to have a good hook at the beginning of your letter to keep the editor engaged. You should also link to an online portfolio or website, and address the letter to the travel writing editor of the publication, not the editor-in-chief of the publication, to ensure the letter ends up in the right hands.

Expert Q&A

• If you do any amount of traveling, you're likely to soon become interested in packing light to make things simpler and easier. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/travel/travel_writing/seven_myths_of_being_a_travel_writer.shtml
• ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/careers/breaking-into-travel-journalism
• ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/14/bill-bryson-books-interview-follow-up-notes-from-a-small-island
• ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/correspondents/newsid_2625000/2625875.stm
• ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-kindness-of-strangers-by-kate-adie-139406.html
• ↑ http://2014.bloggi.es/
• ↑ http://thelazytravelers.com/
• ↑ http://www.escapeartistes.com/about/
• ↑ http://www.celebritydachshund.com/
• ↑ http://www.allyoucanread.com/top-10-travel-magazines/
• ↑ http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-and-articles/77797

About this article

To be a travel writer, start by reading articles by successful travel writers in a variety of mediums, such as blogs, online magazines, or newspapers. Additionally, look at well regarded travel magazines and note what types of articles are being published the most. Once you survey the field a bit, start a travel blog. For your first several posts, write about your hometown or home city, including local events and activities, new food crazes, or music festivals. You can also use this material as a submission to a local publication to help build your portfolio. To learn how to look for travel writing opportunities in the classifieds, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

Reader Success Stories

Vaibhav Pawar

Dec 14, 2016

Did this article help you?

Scott Tanner

Jun 11, 2017

Moinak Sarkar

Feb 11, 2017

Angelo Zomparelli

Oct 10, 2016

Patrick Cruise

Nov 23, 2017

• About wikiHow
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

• Travel Products

I’ve Been to 4 Continents With These Stretchy Travel Pants That Never Wrinkle — and They're on Sale

I already have them in two colors, and I might get a third.

Travel + Leisure / Tyler Roeland

When it comes to travel pants , we should all have the highest standards. Of course, they should be stylish enough to appear in vacation photos, but they also need to be comfortable for long days of sitting, walking, and eating. Beyond that, travel pants must be versatile enough to re-wear with various tops throughout your trip. And, I should mention that they shouldn’t be so bulky that they hog precious luggage real estate — and having a wrinkle-resistant fabric is always a plus so you can pull them from your suitcase without needing to bust out the hotel ironing board. 

If that sounds like a tall order, you’re right, it is. But it’s not an impossible feat for a single pair of trousers to check all these boxes and more. In my search for the perfect pair of travel pants, I’ve refused to settle and, therefore, have finally landed on the ultimate unicorn pair: Athleta’s Endless High-rise Pants . I’ve been to four continents with them on trips to Mexico, Chile, Germany, and Israel, and they’ve never let me down. 

Athleta Endless High-rise Pants

Currently on rare sale for 36 percent off (and selling out fast), the Athleta Endless High-Rise Pants' main appeal is that the fabric is made with recycled polyester (from post-consumer plastic bottles) and a hint of spandex for added stretch. The moisture-wicking, quick-drying material pulls sweat away from the body to the surface of the fabric so it can evaporate. This helps keep you cool and dry during city strolls and even workout classes. They’re super breathable, and I’ve worn them in 90-degree Fahrenheit temperatures without issue. 

The trousers feature a semi-fitted, straight-leg, ankle-length silhouette, which is elegant enough for the office or a fancy dinner (I’ve paired them with a polished sweater and heels for both situations). Still, they can be dressed down with sneakers and a T-shirt when you're feeling casual. While similar silhouettes have proven uncomfortable to sit in, the Athleta Endless High-rise Pants' stretch fabric and wide elastic waistband (with a faux fly) keep the bottoms supremely cozy whether I’m standing, sitting, or exercising. Another detail of note: The two side pockets have hidden zippers, which help keep pickpockets at bay. 

When I truly love an article of clothing, I buy multiple. The Endless High-rise Pants currently come in seven colors, but Athleta is constantly adding new hues into the mix. I got abalone, which is a goes-with-anything creamy beige that's on the verge of selling out. Later, I invested in a second pair in black. But don’t think I stopped at just two pairs. These pants are so damn good, I had to have a third. I picked the cargo version , which is nearly the same as the original style but they feature two snap-shut cargo pockets on both thighs. 

Soon, I'll be crossing off a fifth continent from my travel bucket list with a trip to South Africa, and you can bet that the Athleta Endless High-rise Pants are coming with me; I’ll wear them through Cape Town and on safari. Since these can be worn in virtually any situation (save, perhaps, the frigid cold) from hiking to the office to a fancy restaurant, they’d make a worthy investment for anyone’s travel wardrobe. And, I recommend grabbing a pair while they're on sale because discounts like this rarely happen. 

However, if you’re looking to stock up on even more comfy and wrinkle-proof pants for jet-setting, here are 14 other styles from across the web that fit the bill. 

More Comfortable Travel Pants to Shop:

Baleaf women's upf 50 ankle travel pants .

Golfers, hikers, and other outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate that these moisture-wicking trousers are made with a UPF 50+ nylon-spandex fabric. The ankle-length pants have an elastic waistband, mock fly, and two zippered back pockets. 

Lululemon Swift Mid-Rise Wide-leg Pants

These wrinkle-resistant bottoms are perfect for early-fall travels thanks to their lightweight fabric and breezy wide-leg silhouette. The polyester-elastane fabric is stretchy, sweat-wicking, and quick-drying, so feel free to wear them for a workout.  

Aritzia Effortless Pant Crepe Trousers

Another personal favorite of mine, these wide-leg pants are made from a special Japanese crepe fabric that has a natural textured look and is designed to resist wrinkles. Despite not having much stretch, these dressy pants are surprisingly comfortable thanks to the roomy silhouette and high-rise waistband. 

Yogipace Women's Straight-leg Yoga Dress Pants

These best-selling yoga pants are equipped with belt loops, a faux fly, and functional pockets that disguise them as dress pants. Still, the nylon-spandex fabric has all the give you’d expect from lounge pants. They come in various inseam lengths from 27 inches to 37 inches, allowing people of all heights to get the perfect fit. 

Everlane The Dream Pants

Imagine a pair of pants that feel like sweats but look like a dressy trouser. Everlane’s aptly monikered Dream Pants are exactly that. The soft, cotton-modal-elastane blend fabric is wrinkle-proof and has plenty of stretch, but a pintuck detail down the front keeps the tapered, ankle-length pants looking smart. 

Vuori Villa Trousers

Vuori’s loungewear-dress pant hybrid is crafted from recycled polyester and elastane, which gives the fabric plenty of stretch. Though the moisture-wicking wide-leg pants have a hook-and-eye closure and belt loops, the waistband has an elastic back that makes them very comfortable even for long flights. The wrinkle-resistant bottoms come in petite, regular, and tall lengths. 

Lululemon City Sleek Barrel-leg Pants Light Utilitech

With a roomy barrel-leg design and a lightweight, stretchy recycled polyester-elastane fabric, these pants offer all the comfort you’d want from a travel pant. Still, they’re sharp enough to wear to the office thanks to their front pleats and a jeans-inspired five-pocket design. 

Aday Turn It Up Pants

With a professional look and a loungewear feel, these slim-leg bottoms are some of the most versatile pants for travel. The biodegradable fabric is lightweight and breathable, and it’s perfect for packing thanks to its ability to resist wrinkles. The ankle-length, elastic-waistband pants come in 12 gorgeous hues, making it tough to pick just one. 

Promover Wide-leg Pants

Extra coverage on a travel day is always welcome, which is why travelers are flocking to the best-selling Promover Wide-leg Pants at Amazon. Their wide, high-rise waistband keeps everything in place during every step of your flight, all while ensuring things stay breezy and relaxed with their flowy, wide-leg silhouette. 

Alo Yoga High-waist Pursuit Trousers

Equal parts flattering and comfortable, these high-waisted wide-leg trousers look like workwear but feel like sleepwear. The lightweight, stretchy fabric and elastic waistband make them ideal for wearing on long-haul flights. A bonus for fur parents: Customers report that pet hair slides right off the fabric. 

Rhone Birdie UPF 50+ Stretch Crop Golf Pants

If your travel itinerary involves lots of time outdoors, consider a pair of pants equipped with a UPF 50+ fabric. These wrinkle-resistant, stretch bottoms also come with anti-odor technology. They’ve got an elegant front pleat, a zip fly with hook-and-bar closure, and a zip pocket. 

Vuori Villa Cargo Joggers

We’re longtime fans of Vuori’s lineup of travel-ready joggers . This new lightweight, cargo style is designed for adventuring thanks to its partially recycled silky soft performance stretch woven fabric that’s moisture-wicking and wrinkle-resistant. A thick elastic waistband and a roomy silhouette up the comfort even further. 

Athleta Brooklyn Heights High-rise Pleated Wide-leg Pants

Athleta’s Brooklyn Heights line is crafted from a tissue-thin recycled polyester fabric that’s breathable and perfect for wearing in climates that are still on the warmer side after summer. Still, the material is abrasion-resistant and rated UPF 50+. The high-rise wide-leg pants come in petite, regular, and tall lengths. 

Crz Yoga Womens 4-way Stretch Ankle Golf Pants

These soft and stretchy wrinkle-free pants come in a whopping 21 colors. The mid-rise pants are made from a fabric that’s thick and warm but not overly so, making them great for transitional seasons. A mid-rise elastic waistband adds even more comfort.  

Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week.

Shop More T+L-Approved Picks

Related Articles

Lie-flat Seats and Chilled Champagne: Testing Eric Adams’s Upgrade Life

The New York mayor is accused of accepting free luxury travel in exchange for political favors. How large was he living? A writer puts the experience to the test.

Supported by

• Share full article

By Sarah Lyall

Photographs and Video by Clark Hodgin

Reporting from Istanbul

• Sept. 29, 2024

Life is grand in the Bentley Suite at the St. Regis Istanbul, with its marble floors and walk-in closet, its 24-hour butler service, and its views stretching all the way to the blue waters of the Bosporus.

The light sculpture suspended above the vast bed, where New York Mayor Eric Adams slept in 2017, is said to evoke the undulations of the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany. The complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries on the coffee table are dusted with crushed pistachios and nestled on a bed of delicately crumbled cookies. The curved leather sofa has two built-in Champagne coolers that light up and open at the press of a button.

If you were to think about New York City (but why would you?) while reclining on your private balcony and gazing at the Gucci store across the street, you might be struck by the notion that the suite is roughly three times the size of your first apartment.

The Bentley, whose spectacular leather, chrome and lacquer décor was designed in concert with the luxury car manufacturer and inspired by the interior of a Bentley Continental GT , usually costs about $2,500 a night. Mr. Adams is said to have paid just $300. The rest of his tab was picked up by the hotel.

Last week, the mayor was accused in a federal indictment of corruptly accepting more than $100,000 in illegal gifts, including expensive airline seats and stays in hotels, in exchange for using his political influence to help Turkey. He pleaded not guilty to five felony counts on Friday.

In the 57-page indictment , federal prosecutors portrayed Mr. Adams as a man who, after enjoying a few travel-related upgrades early in his political career, developed a hunger for and expectation of luxury travel that grew increasingly feverish and detail-oriented over the years.

Doling out upgrades is not unusual in the travel industry, where special perks are seen as a strategic way to curry favor with influential people. What stands out, according to the indictment, is the ardor of Mr. Adams’s efforts to capitalize on his Turkish connections in order to travel in style, not only when he visited Turkey but also when he insisted on using its national airline to travel to places like Ghana, China and India. Also notable is the blatant nature of the political favors that the mayor is charged with bestowing in return.

This weekend, a photographer for The New York Times, Clark Hodgin, and I retraced one of Mr. Adams’s trips to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, long the mayor’s carrier of choice. We, too, enjoyed not thinking about our wearisome responsibilities back home and not having to use our own money while on this rarefied assignment. I also got to spend a night in the Bentley Suite.

The Times paid $9,236.90 for my round-trip ticket, tax included, and the benefits began not in the air, but in the (small, in the scheme of things) Turkish Airlines lounge in Terminal 1 at Kennedy International Airport. On Friday, it was offering typical lounge fare: a breakfast buffet of eggs and other hot entrees, as well as platters of cheese, charcuterie and tiny cakes.

None of the other customers seemed interested in discussing Mr. Adams and what he may or may not have done, perhaps because it was only 5:30 a.m. Still, the mayor’s presence seemed to shimmer invisibly in the air.

For one thing, his enormous image could be seen looming from the TV screen, illustrating a report on CBS about his legal woes and their connections to Turkish Airlines. Also, in a strange turn of events, the lounge’s Wi-Fi password turned out to be TKNYCADAMS.

That was merely an odd coincidence, according to the attendant at the front desk, who said that the lounge was operated by a company called Adams International and that its proprietor was a man named John Adams.

Flying business class on Turkish Airlines was a lovely experience, as flying business class always is. My joy at being allotted a seat in this happy area for the 10-hour flight was enhanced by my feelings of schadenfreude-infused sympathy for Clark. Though he flew on the same flight, he had bought his ticket too late and thus was stuck back in economy — the exact place Mr. Adams had not wanted to be. (Clark’s ticket cost The Times $2,289.90.) I felt sorry for him, wedged into his cramped seat with no one catering to his every whim, but not sorry enough to offer to switch places.

Up front, it was far too easy to get used to it all. The way the attendants made up our seats with special bedding, so we would be spared the burden of having to make direct contact with the actual seat fabric. The way the seats then stretched out into fully flat beds. The way dinner was preceded by a trolley full of appetizers — an eggplant mélange, hummus, boiled shrimp and falafel, among other things — mixed and matched at our seats by an attendant wearing a chef’s toque and apron.

The snack bar set up in the front of the cabin was replenished throughout the flight. Battery-operated candles were lovingly placed on our trays in tiny paper bags printed with the words “candlelight dinner high above the clouds.” The man sitting next to me was served two whiskeys before breakfast even arrived.

Let us stipulate that while all of this was pretty great, the high-end travel the mayor is said to have improperly accepted wasn’t at the highest level possible. He didn’t fly first class, for instance (possibly because Turkish Airlines doesn’t have one). Meanwhile, while the airline’s business class took the top award for its food service in the 2024 Skytrax World Airlines Awards rankings of airlines’ business classes, it came just 10th in overall quality.

And while the 1,345-square foot Bentley Suite is considered one of the most luxe accommodations at the St. Regis, it’s not as luxe as the Presidential Suite , which has two bedrooms, not one. Nor is the hotel arguably the grandest in Istanbul. Mr. Adams is said to have planned to stay in one of the city’s two Four Seasons properties for a nominal fee on another trip in 2021 that would also have included “a yacht tour, a three-day stay at a luxury beach resort, and a car and driver,” according to the indictment. (Alas, he canceled the trip at the last minute.)

Mr. Adams has not been said to have accepted free rides on anyone’s private jet (hello, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas) or convicted of amassing solid gold bars, cash and a luxury Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible in a bribery scheme benefiting Egypt, as recently happened to Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

Yet it’s hard not to read the story of Mr. Adams and his trips as a cautionary tale about the perils of accepting free luxury anything, especially if you’re a politician obliged to fill out pesky financial disclosure forms. It may indeed be better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, but not when it comes to travel. Once you’ve been in the front of a plane or stayed in one of the best rooms at a five-star hotel, it’s disproportionately painful to be sent back to economy or forced to return once again to a Studio Suite at the Residence Inn.

Cenk Öcal, who as general manager of Turkish Airlines in New York was said in the indictment to have served as the point person for Mr. Adams’s numerous seat-upgrade requests, seems to have understood this all too well, dangling business-class seats in front of the mayor as both carrot and stick. After Mr. Adams was elected mayor, Mr. Öcal began angling for a spot on his transition committee.

“It would suit me well to be lead Or Senior Advisor,” Mr. Öcal wrote in a text to an Adams staffer, according to the indictment.

“Lead Plz :),” he later texted, and then added — deploying perhaps the most horrifying generic threat imaginable to someone terrified of being relegated to the back of the plane — “Otherwise seat number 52 is empty.”

Susan Beachy contributed research.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Sarah Lyall is a writer at large for The Times, writing news, features and analysis across a wide range of sections. More about Sarah Lyall

Advertisement

How To Use Government Travel Advisories For A Safer Trip

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Government travel advisories may not be as reliable as you think. Here's how to read them.

When it comes to government travel advisories, Edd Staton doesn't believe everything he reads.

Take the country of Ecuador, for example. The U.S. government warns of civil unrest, crime, and kidnapping danger to travelers.

"The State Department says crime is a widespread problem in Ecuador," he says. "It says violent crime, such as murder, assault, kidnapping, and armed robbery, is prevalent."

Staton disagrees — and he's in a position to do so. He and his wife, Cynthia, have lived in Ecuador for the last 14 years.

"It is true that Ecuador has experienced more violence in pockets of poor neighborhoods along the Pacific coast where drug trafficking has grown significantly," says Staton, who publishes a website about retirement . "These are areas where no one goes unless they live there. What the mainstream media never reports is that the surge in violence, especially murders, is mostly bad guys killing each other."

Of course, safety is always a huge concern for travelers. A recent SAP Concur survey of business travelers found 44 percent were worried about safety at their destination. Specifically, frequent travelers were worried about political or social concerns (35 percent) and transportation safety (33 percent). Another survey of North American business travelers commissioned by World Travel Protection found that nearly three-fourths of travelers always check whether their government has issued a travel advisory before heading to any destination.

So what's wrong with government travel advisories? How do you use a travel advisory? And which ones are worth reading before you take a trip abroad?

What are the major government travel advisories?

Security-conscious American travelers often consult several government travel advisories before planning an international trip. They include:

• Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Smartraveller. Although Smartraveller is written for Australians, you can find summaries of threats relevant to all travelers. There's also a subscription service that delivers breaking developments to your email inbox.
• Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development's Travel Advice and Advisories. The Canadian Travel Advice and Advisories page separates countries by threat level ranging from Level 1: "exercise normal security precautions" to Level 4: "avoid all travel." If you're a Canadian citizen, you can also register your trip to allow the government to contact you in case of an emergency.
• New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Safetravel. New Zealand's Safetravel allows you to review destination ratings on topics like kidnappings, sexual assaults, cybercrime, and infectious diseases. There's also a registry of emergency telephone numbers you can call if you need help while you're abroad.
• UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's Travel Advice. Britain's Travel Advice site has some of the most detailed travel guidelines compiled by its diplomatic corps. Its country ratings go from "green" ("safe"), "amber" ("some risk") to "red" ("high threat"). They incorporate everything from entry requirements and local laws to healthcare facilities. Of course, you can also register your travel plans and get help if you're a U.K. citizen.
• U.S. Department of State's Travel Advisories. The U.S. government's Travel Advisories , like Canada's, rank countries on a scale from Level 1 ("exercise normal precautions") to Level 4 ("do not travel"). They take into account crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, and natural disasters, with input from American embassies and consulates. Note: To register your trip and get State Department advisories emailed to you, sign up for the STEP program.

And while it's true that consulting one or more of these resources can help, it's often not enough.

"These reports are generally trustworthy," says Raymond Yorke, a spokesman for travel insurance company Redpoint Resolutions . "But while they provide a broad overview of potential dangers, travelers should also consult local sources, recent traveler reviews, and real-time news to get a more nuanced understanding."

What's wrong with government travel advisories?

While official country reports, such as those from the U.S. State Department, CDC, and foreign governments, provide valuable information, experts say they tend to be generalized and precautionary. And, as is the case of Ecuador, it can sometimes lead to discrepancies between the official advice and the actual experience of travelers.

For instance, a country might be listed as having a high risk of crime or political instability, but travelers might report feeling safe and encountering no issues during their visit. Alex Brown recalls visiting Ecuador in 2022, just days after widespread protests blockading much of the country cleared up. The country was safe, but it took the U.K. three weeks to lift the travel warning.

"There was no sign of any unrest when I was there," he recalls.

But Brown says he's also seen it work the other way.

"It took a few days after the October 7 attacks in Israel and subsequent Gaza War for the U.K. government to advise against visiting Israel unless you have to," he says.

Country reports can also be written in a way that makes them less than helpful to the average traveler.

"They can sometimes be influenced by political or diplomatic considerations, which may lead to an overly cautious or overly optimistic portrayal of safety conditions," says Frank Harrison, regional security director of the Americas for World Travel Protection.

Bottom line: Country reports are often overly broad, slow to update and so diplomatic they are of limited use to travelers.

So should you ignore a government travel advisory? No. Instead, you have to learn how to use them.

How to use a government travel advisory

None of the experts I spoke to for this story said you should ignore a government travel advisory. Rather, it's an integral part of doing your due diligence. Here are some of the strategies they recommended:

• Never rely on just one country's travel advisory. Check the government advisories of at least two countries when you're planning your trip. Notice the differences between them. The truth about a destination often lies in between.
• Look beyond country reports for security information. There are privately generated country reports that can give you a more accurate — and perhaps less diplomatic — overview of a country's security situation. John Rose, the chief risk and security officer for ALTOUR , a global travel management company, turns to Crisis24, International SOS or Dataminr, for this type of information. "You have to subscribe to these services — or use a travel provider that has a subscription to these types of reliable resources — to secure the best possible travel intelligence on any destination," he adds.
• Consult an expert. A knowledgeable travel advisor can help you decode government travel advisories, filling in the gaps and helping you reconcile differences between two conflicting country reports. Mitch Krayton, a professional travel advisor, also likes some online resources that collect reliable information about a destination, such as Sherpa . "They also tell you what vaccines and visas you need," he says.

In other words, as the Russian proverb goes, trust but verify.

Country safety reports aren't the final word on safety

I've been a casual user of government travel advisories for years. But during the pandemic, I began to rely on them for authoritative information about pandemic travel requirements. And that's when I discovered the maddening truth about country travel reports: They're not always accurate or precise.

When it came to answering questions like "What kind of COVID test do I need?" and "When do I need it?," the country reports offered a variety of answers that I could interpret in many different ways.

And that's when I learned that there's no substitute for real research. Country safety reports are definitely not the final word on safety.

I was reminded of that when I was in Ecuador a few months ago. Like Staton, I read the State Department advisory and when I waded through a crowd of festival-goers in Quito's Plaza de la Independencia, I instinctively clutched my cell phone because I was afraid of pickpockets.

But there was no murder, assault, kidnapping, armed robbery or widespread crime. The only real danger, it turns out, was the altitude. Maybe they should put that in their report?

• Editorial Standards
• Forbes Accolades

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

Wait, 'Beetlejuice' Nearly Had a Sequel Set in Paris?

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The recent success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reminded audiences that director Tim Burton has been a gifted cinematic artist for four decades. Rather than create a page-one reboot, Burton found a natural evolution for Michael Keaton ’s troublemaking bio-exorcist and the quirky Deetz family. It took over 30 years for all the key players to agree on the right story. But at one time, a different idea for a Beetlejuice sequel would have done away with all the original characters except for the Ghost with the Most .

In 1990, original Beetlejuice co-screenwriter Warren Skaaren agreed to pen a draft for a follow-up. Instead of remaining inside Adam and Barbara Maitland’s ( Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis ) country home in Winter River, Skaaren shifted the story to Paris, where Beetlejuice would come in contact with a new couple to raise more mischief. Unfortunately, a real-life crisis prevented this version of a Beetlejuice sequel from ever getting past the first draft.

The Popularity Of The 'Beetlejuice' Animated Series Pushed WB To Make A Sequel

Warner Bros. was not prepared when 1988’s Beetlejuice won the hearts of critics and audiences. The intense visuals of the afterlife should have easily scared children. Yet, the comedic tone and Burton’s signature creature creations wowed their imaginations. Beetlejuice would go on to spawn a plethora of toys, video games, and a top-rated Saturday morning cartoon on ABC . The franchise potential in the character made Warner Bros. eager to get a sequel into production while the iron was hot.

According to " The Tim Burton Encyclopedia " by Samuel J. Umland , Skaaren jumped at the opportunity to write his take on the bio-exorcist's next chapter. The writer was responsible for bringing a lighter tone to the original movie’s screenplay, which was initially much darker and violent , much more in line with Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street . Skaaren contributed more heart to the Maitlands’ marriage and the use of popular music to fit with Burton’s gothic but lighthearted direction. His efforts established a productive relationship with Burton, who would bring him on to rewrite Batman . It appeared as though Skaaren became Burton’s go-to screenwriter because his work captured Burton’s unique vision .

What Was 'Beetlejuice In Love' About?

Beetlejuice concludes with the Maitlands stopping the bio-exorcist from marrying Lydia Deetz ( Winona Ryder ), allowing both families to live in harmony in the Winter River country home. Ideally, the original story was neatly wrapped up for all the characters with no loose threads. This is where Skaaren’s sequel screenplay, titled Beetlejuice In Love , would take on a completely new setting in Paris with Keaton’s titular character and Sylvia Sidney ’s afterlife caseworker Juno as the only returning characters. Loosely inspired by The Phantom of the Opera , the new story in Skaaren’s script follows a new couple, Leo and Julia, with the former dying in a freak accident falling off the Eiffel Tower while proposing marriage. Leo’s death summons Beetlejuice back to the living, where he pursues Julia as he did with Lydia in the original .

Does Beetlejuice Actually Love Lydia?

He'll be right here waiting... whenever she's ready.

At first, Beetlejuice In Love reads like a rehash of the original. What makes the script different, however, is the way it puts more emphasis on the afterlife sequences of its predecessor . Parts of the animated series’ popularity with kids was that the episodes were mostly set in the “Netherworld” where Beetlejuice and Lydia had whimsical adventures. Skaaren’s script expands the universe through the Leo character. He navigates the afterlife which has the dead being forced into singing “We Are The World” type songs and has to find a way back to the living to stop Beetlejuice from marrying Julia.

Warren Skaaren's Passing Stalled Development on 'Beetlejuice In Love'

Only one week after Skaaren submitted his first draft of Beetlejuice In Love to Warner Bros., the writer learned that he had been diagnosed with bone cancer. Skaaren put his career aside to get treatment until his untimely passing in December 1990 . A new screenplay was commissioned by Jonathan Gems titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian , which featured the Deetz family in more prominent roles. Gems’ script went further along in development for a few years. However, as Burton got preoccupied with Batman Returns and The Nightmare Before Christmas , the Hawaii concept ceased development entirely.

While Skaaren’s involvement would have guaranteed some level of continuity for Beetlejuice as a character, the shortcoming of his script was the sudden shift in supporting characters. Beetlejuice was never the driving protagonist of the original narrative, as it was centered around the Maitlands and Lydia. Additionally, with the growing popularity of Lydia and her parents in the animated series, audiences would have been more invested in their journey than getting acquainted with entirely new characters. Fortunately, the sequel that made it to production, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , provided just the right amount of nostalgia and character development, making for a satisfying follow-up.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The long-awaited sequel sees the mischievous ghost Beetlejuice return to cause mayhem in the living world. After being accidentally summoned by a new family, Beetlejuice must navigate the chaos of modern life and contend with the afterlife’s consequences, leading to uproarious and spooky adventures.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is now playing in theaters.

BUY TICKETS

• Movie Features

• Michael Keaton