as a travel writer i've been

What no one ever tells you about being a travel writer

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

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.

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

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.

There is a black list (this is how to stay off it)

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.

Writing on the road doesn’t always work

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!).”

Travel writing can “seem like a time-sucking burden”

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.”

Think you just need to be able to travel and write to be a travel writer? Think again.

“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.”

The unglamorous side of travel writing helps make ends meet

“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]  

Travel writing is not a 9 – 5pm job

“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.

The things non-travel writers don’t see

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.”

Travel writing can cost you money

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?

Doors to Write Earn Thrive are opening soon. Join the wait list HERE to get exclusive bonuses.

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Jul 12, 2023

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

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 freelance writing . 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. 

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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.

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Travel Babbo

A Family Travel Blog

My Journey to Becoming a Successful Travel Writer

By Eric Stoen on April 21, 2020 • Last Updated February 10, 2024 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Disclosure here .

Frequent Questions

I get a lot of emails and DMs every day, and most of them fall into two categories: travel and blogging/travel writing. The travel-related questions are easy. I’m always happy to give my opinion on places we’ve been or point people to posts I’ve written.

The blogging questions are always one of four things:

What Camera Do You Use?

I wrote up this post years ago that talks about cameras and lenses, and I update it fairly frequently.

Can You Give Me Advice on Starting a Travel Blog?

I have all of my advice in this post , and I keep it updated. I also list every conference I’ve been to at the bottom of my About Me page, in case you want conference/event ideas, or want to see where I’ll be.

How Do You Make Money Travel Writing?

I’ve never written about how travel bloggers make money just because so many others have already written about it. The World Pursuit does a good job of going through the various income opportunities in this post . I do almost everything they talk about, with the exception of Display Ads – I dislike ads on websites, so I can’t bring myself to have them here. Most of my revenue comes from Destination Marketing, Social Media Campaigns and Brand Ambassadorships.

And a quick note on finance: I talk a little about revenue in the below timeline, but it takes several years to make solid money in travel writing – at least on the path I took. I highly recommend not quitting your day job and jumping into travel writing unless you have enough savings to support you and your travels for 2-3 years.

How Did You Get to Where You Are?

Other than including a few elements of this in my life story on my About Me page, I really haven’t ever written about this. I’ve simply written about travel instead! So here you go – my entire blogging history in chronological order! And a note: this is NOT a ‘How To Be A Travel Blogger post’. This is simply my story.

In 2012 I traveled to Cuba for a photography workshop and entered one of my photos in Conde Nast Traveler’s Dream Trip contest. I won! I write about the photo and the contest here . In 2013 I traveled to New York and toured Conde Nast’s offices with Wendy Perrin, and then in June we headed to Florence and spent $25,000 of Conde Nast’s money. It was a great trip, but I liked meeting Wendy and seeing behind the curtain of my favorite travel magazine just as much.

In April 2014 I quit my healthcare job of 18 years. It was time. Could have been a midlife crisis? But I never had a passion for healthcare, so maybe seeing Conde Nast Traveler’s offices and meeting their writers made me think I’d be happier doing something travel-related. I had no idea what I was going to do next, but at one point I called Wendy at CNT and she pointed me to some family travel blogs she liked.

I started blogging for fun while I was still helping my old company transition and thinking about a new career. In August I started my website. In October I traveled to Mexico City with AFAR Magazine on one of their AFAR Experiences and met the magazine’s founders and editors. I think that confirmed for me that I wanted to be involved with travel writing in some way. Meanwhile I kept blogging about our past travels on my website and I wrote several posts for Wendy for her website . I also started social media accounts over the course of the year.

• Facebook Followers: 8,500
• Instagram Followers: 1,700
• Twitter Followers: 1,200
• Pinterest Followers: 500

I continued traveling with my kids and blogging about it, and companies started offering me free things in exchange for promotion on social media – Instagram mainly. I accepted a pair of hiking shoes and documented them and then realized that it was a decent amount of work for $0 and a pair of shoes I didn’t really need. So I said no to everything after that. If a brand wanted promotion, it could pay me for it.

In March I attended ITB Berlin, the largest travel trade show in the world, met a few other bloggers and networked with destinations and hotels around the world. Then at the end of April I flew to Spain for TBEX where I met a lot of bloggers, and I found the sessions invaluable. I came out of TBEX understanding blogging and how people made money, and I decided to only pursue the travel marketing side – e.g. campaigns where I got paid to travel. The ad/affiliate side didn’t interest me. I didn’t want to sit at my computer figuring out what people were searching for and then crafting blog posts around those searches when I could be traveling.

At the end of TBEX there was a 3-day fam trip around northern Spain. It was a good trip, but it was unpaid and it required deliverables (social and blog promotion). I made the decision then to say no to future unpaid group trips. While traveling for free sounds fun, it’s not really free since there’s work involved, and I’d rather be with my kids. Plus I knew that a lot of destinations and brands had promotional budgets, so why would I do something for free that I could be getting paid for?

I attended another AFAR Experience in June, in Montreal, and two more TBEXes, in Florida and Bangkok, but really I spent the year building up content – primarily from new travels. I found that the more I traveled, the more of the world I could talk about from personal experience, and the more authority I had, so that’s where I chose to invest. And it worked – people started finding and following me. I also discovered that with my growing social media accounts I could reach out to hotels, especially high-end hotels, and receive complimentary or discounted stays in exchange for coverage. I really enjoyed (and still enjoy) these partnerships – we get to stay somewhere without breaking our budget and I can legitimately bring future bookings to them. Hotel campaigns have to be mutually beneficial though. If I don’t think that I’ll be able to deliver a positive ROI over 12 months or so, I’ll decline to work with the property.

• Facebook Followers: 51,000
• Instagram Followers: 32,000
• Twitter Followers: 6,800
• Pinterest Followers: 15,300

In 2016 I kept going on the same path. I traveled as much as I could and documented it on my blog and on social media. I attended ITB Berlin and TBEX again and also went to the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) annual conference in California, TBC Asia in Sri Lanka, the Family Travel Association Summit in Arizona and the Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) in Alaska. I loved ATWS, TBEX was good and the others were ok. I should note here that virtually all travel events and conferences are fun, and you can meet other travel writers/bloggers at all of them, but I judge conferences on the opportunities for brand/destination networking and on how many revenue-producing contracts I eventually sign through being there. If it’s productive/profitable, I’ll return. At this point (2020), TBEX, ATWS and ITB are the only events I’ll try to attend consistently.

Mid-2016 I was offered three brand ambassadorships all within a month of each other – with AFAR, Universal Orlando and Travelocity. Each one came about because of in-person networking at multiple conferences/events.

I participated in a lot of interviews over the year (all are linked from About Me as long as they’re still posted), and I entered a travel writing competition for the first time, winning a Bronze award for family travel writing from NATJA. I think awards can be useful for building authenticity, especially early on in a blogging career.

And after $0 in revenue in 2015, I started making money! In August Mastercard paid me to take the kids to Hawaii, plus I had consistent revenue from Travelocity and Universal Orlando.

• Facebook Followers: 54,000
• Instagram Followers: 50,000
• Twitter Followers: 15,000
• Pinterest Followers: 30,000

In 2017 everything came together and started to justify my investment in travel and networking. My ongoing campaigns for Travelocity and Universal Orlando were a lot of fun, and nicely profitable. At Universal I was literally paid to play at a theme park! I started a new ambassadorship with Thomson Family Adventures as well, and I booked as many paid travel campaigns as I could fit into our schedule without my kids hating me.

In June, Forbes Magazine named me the World’s #4 Most Influential Traveler. I have no idea how they found me or what made them rank me that highly, but it was a nice honor. And then I won a Gold Medal from NATJA for family travel writing.

I continued my breakneck networking throughout the year. I skipped ITB, but attended two TBEXes, the New York Times Travel Show, ATWS, the Social Travel Summit in Austria and the Study Abroad Summit in New York. I truly believe that all networking is cumulative.

• Facebook Followers: 63,000
• Instagram Followers: 63,000
• Twitter Followers: 26,000
• Pinterest Followers: 32,000

2018 was the peak of blogging for me – at least so far. I flew 220,000 miles over the course of the year, for family travel, campaigns and conferences, and earned more than I was making in healthcare.

My Travelocity and Universal Orlando relationships continued, and I loved meeting up with their other influencers periodically. I also started working with Capital One, and did four separate campaigns for the Venture card.

I attended ITB, ATWS and TBEX again, and added in the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) annual summit in Barbados. And I won another Gold award for family travel writing from NATJA. I also attended The Points Guy’s annual awards celebration in New York.

My non-Capital One campaigns included Oahu with IHG, Wisconsin, Houston, Trentino (Italy) and Celebrity Cruises.

All revenue came from these campaigns and ambassadorships – I still hadn’t added any affiliate links to my website. It was the way I wanted to earn a living, except…it was taking me away from my wife and kids too much. So although it was perfect on paper, I made the decision to travel less going forward, even if it meant less revenue.

• Instagram Followers: 87,000
• Twitter Followers: 30,000
• Pinterest Followers: 38,000

2019 started with two of my favorite campaigns to date. I flew to Qatar with Qatar Airways to promote its new Business Class, and then I headed to New Orleans to photograph for Capital One campaigns in Conde Nast Traveler and Bon Appetit. I loved shooting for Conde Nast Traveler especially, given that I started my career after winning its contest.

After that, though, I kept my promise to my family to travel less. I cut back to three conferences – ATWS, SATW and the Social Travel Summit – and I said no to most paid travel campaign offers, only agreeing to kid-oriented campaigns in Utah, Manitoba and San Diego, and then one at the end of the year with FIFA to Qatar (my second trip to Qatar that year, but it was too fun an opportunity to pass up). Unfortunately in 2019 both Travelocity and Universal Orlando ended their blogger programs.

But I started getting more non-travel social campaigns, so it was nice to be able to make money while not traveling. I had several rental car campaigns, did a lot of posts for a very cool garage door opener, and began a new ambassadorship, with Mizzen+Main shirts. And I finally started adding affiliate links to my blog posts. I felt like I had developed my authority, and I still didn’t plan on writing about anywhere we hadn’t been, so if hotels.com wanted to pay me for referring business to them, why not? Except that adding links is time-consuming and it takes a while for the revenue from that to start coming in.

• Instagram Followers: 151,000
• Pinterest Followers: 54,000
• TripAdvisor Followers: 25,000

I headed to the New York Times Travel Show at the beginning of 2020, and for the first time started accepting freelance writing assignments – simply because it’s fun to be able to stay home and get paid for writing about places we’ve been. I wrote articles for AAA Travel, Lonely Planet and DK Books, and signed several contracts for campaigns throughout the year – mainly things that didn’t require separate trips but that I could promote during our family travels.

And then COVID-19 hit. I immediately cancelled my plans to attend ITB and TBEX Sicily (both of which were subsequently cancelled), and we cancelled a family trip to Nicaragua for spring break and our Greece/Germany summer plans. I spent the year at home or (safely) road-tripping between California and Colorado. It was actually a good chance to slow down and to see all of these amazing places near us.

My revenue for the year was roughly equal to 2019. Instead of doing travel campaigns, I partnered with Ecolab to highlight hotel cleanliness, with LL Bean on a fun clothing campaign, with Briggs & Riley to integrate their luggage into our travels and with several other brands and destinations on smaller campaigns. Not that I’m omniscient (I figured if travel ever shut down for a year, it would be because of a huge volcanic eruption), but I was happy about two things:

• I had a lot of travel content from past years that I could re-use.
• I had built a brand that was still in demand for marketing campaigns, even in a strange year. The major downturns in affiliate sales and ad revenue didn’t affect me.

I also grew to love Instagram again, even with its always-smaller organic engagement. I posted to highlight small businesses that we loved around the world, hopefully bringing them new customers once travel resumes, and I did a countdown of our favorite countries.

• Instagram Followers: 193,000
• Pinterest Followers: 56,000
• TripAdvisor Followers: 26,000

2021 was one of my best years ever financially. Revenue came from new ambassadorships with GoDaddy and Unbound Merino , destination campaigns with Discover Vail and Visit Saudi, a continuing partnership with Ecolab, and smaller campaigns with OluKai, Drops Language App, Norton, Qatar Airways, Book Depository and a few others.

I only took three international trips and a few domestic trips, but I integrated brand campaigns as much as possible. I hired photographers in Florence and Paris to photograph me for continuing Unbound Merino posts, and I used Parisian (and airplane lounge) settings for my content for 1Password. I also unsuccessfully pitched a few other brands for inclusion on my trips. I never mind hearing no – it’s always worth reaching out when products fit perfectly, since sometimes I’ll be told yes.

• Facebook Followers: 62,000
• Instagram Followers: 320,000
• Twitter Followers: 29,000

Things 100% returned to normal in 2022. Except that my new normal is that I want to do fewer product campaigns, and fewer (but bigger) travel campaigns, so I declined a lot of partnership invitations. Those that I accepted were fun: Argentina and Antarctica with Adventures By Disney; Southern Colorado with Colorado Tourism; Mexico with Velas Resorts; and Napa with Chase and Southwest Airlines. I also continued in my ambassador role with Unbound Merino, added an ambassadorship with G1G Insurance , and did product campaigns for Tracfone, Vail Resorts, the National Traffic Safety Board, Duration Health and myQ. I attended TravelCon in Memphis and ATWS in Lugano, Switzerland. So nice to go to conferences again! Revenue was on par with 2021.

• Instagram Followers: 340,000
• Twitter Followers (Dormant): 29,000
• Pinterest Followers: 57,000

2023-Beyond

This will be my last update to this post! 2023 continued my path of accepting fewer campaigns, and getting back to enjoying travel without deliverables. I had several great partnerships with Chase and Southwest again, including trips to Sundance and Napa, and continued my ambassadorships with Unbound Merino and G1G. I also worked with Adventures By Disney, OluKai, BUILT, NHTSA, AAA and Expedia.

Going forward, I may accept 2-3 partnerships a year. That’s it. I’m traveling frequently and not posting about it, and I’m enjoying the last few years with my kids before they head to college. Then I will travel with my wife with zero documentation! I’ve loved 10 years in the travel field, but anytime you combine your passion and your job, your passion all of a sudden becomes less fun. I want travel to be fun again.

More from Travel Babbo

July 11, 2022 at 4:23 am

So great to read about your journey! I am soaking it all up. I wonder though, how did you finance your travels in the beginning when you quit your job? You have to have some income to plan all those travels right?

July 11, 2022 at 8:14 am

I wouldn’t have quit my job in healthcare if I didn’t have savings built up to cover our living and travel expenses for a few years.

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How to become a travel writer

Ever wanted to travel, write and be paid for it? Travel writer Phoebe Smith shares some tips on how you can make it happen…

Travel writing certainly is a fantastic way to make a living. It can be rewarding, fulfilling and take you to corners of the globe that you might otherwise never have seen. You can meet some fascinating characters, learn about the local culture and have days when you truly have no idea what will happen next.

But, and it’s a big but, it’s not always like that. And it’s certainly not as glamorous as many believe. It takes hard work, determination and – honestly – a great deal of luck to make it. But while success is certainly not guaranteed for everyone, someone’s got to do it and there’s no reason why it can’t be you. Every journey starts with a single step, so let’s talk basics on how you can get a head start.

Idea is key

Just got back from a round the world trip? Been on an amazing backpacking adventure through Europe? Had a life-changing two weeks volunteering in Africa? Well, join the queue. As truly unique and exciting as your experience has undoubtedly been for you, it’s unlikely that you’re the only one who has ever done it. And if someone’s already done it then chances are the magazine editor will have been pitched it before too. So you’ve got to think of a way to present your trip in a way that will grab their attention. This means a great idea beyond just stating the particulars of your trip.

Woman writing in notebook (Dreamstime)

Pitch perfect

So where to start? Well first off it’s thinking in terms of an angle. Every story needs one. So ‘two weeks exploring Portugal’ is not a story but ‘walking its newly opened coastal path’ is.

A pitch about you spending two weeks on safari in Kruger National Park is unlikely to secure any commissions, but ‘seeking out a South African reserve that even the locals don’t know about’ might. A piece on luxury resorts in Oman might not peak an editor’s interest, but a promise of discovering the adventurous side of the desert should at least get them to open the email.

Think carefully about what you’re offering and who you’re offering it to, then write a sentence that can sum it up. It should be sharp, simple and to the point, requiring very little explanation. Editors are busy and get hundreds of pitches every day. If yours requires a lot of thought or re-reading to understand, then it is unlikely to hold their attention.

When you do pitch your idea it’s a good idea to point out why you should be the one to write it – and it can’t just be because you want to.

Perhaps it’s because you have some expertise in the subject. Maybe you managed to get an exclusive insight into a place or culture that normally isn’t allowed. Or possibly you managed to get a once in a lifetime photograph that will make your words come alive. Whatever the reason, spell it out in your pitch.

Start small, think big

There’s no getting away from the fact that travel writing is very competitive so you need to be realistic about who might take your article – at least in the beginning.

If you’ve never had any work published before then it’s unlikely you’ll get given a 12-page destination feature to write in a national magazine. You need to think of other ways to build up a portfolio of work. That way you’ll have samples to show editors so that they can get a sense of your style. Thanks to the internet, there’s now a whole host of ways to get your writing seen by people. So consider one of these options to kick-start your career.

A woman writing in a notepad (Dreamstime)

How to develop as a travel writer

Contribute to websites:.

Travel magazines such as Wanderlust often have an online community where you can post pictures, share stories and talk about your trips. And the best thing is that editors often keep an eye on what is posted there, so it’s a place you can really make an impact.

Start a blog:

Free and easy to set up, blogs are a good way of getting into the habit of writing regularly and concisely, sharpening your skills and showing off your ‘voice’ and style. People can follow yours and comment on it so – if you do it right – you can build up a good reputation for knowing your subject.

Join a writing club:

There’s so much you can learn from asking other people’s opinion – and that applies doubly if you ask them in the right place. In a writer’s group you not only get feedback from passionate people on how to improve, but you will also pick up tips by reading and commenting on their work too.

Think beyond travel magazines:

Everyone will be pitching to the national dedicated travel mags – including established writers – so chances there are definitely more limited, especially if you’re starting out. So think a little smaller. Look for specialist magazines with travel sections, or local newspapers who often carry small overseas articles. Also consider entering travel writing competitions. Every piece you get published, no matter how small, will be another bit of proof that you’re worth commissioning.

Join a travel writing workshop:

A relatively inexpensive way to pick up tips, have your work critiqued and learn from those in the business. There’s a number of organisations that who hold one-day and weekend courses to teach you the tips of the trade, including pitching ideas and the nitty-gritty of actually writing an article.

A group of young adults exchanging ideas (Dreamstime)

Meet the travel writers

William gray.

With over 20 years’ experience both travel writing and editing William Gray is one of Wanderlust’s contributing editors. But cracking his way into the industry started with a small step…

“I’d always been passionate about wildlife and wild places. When I was given a copy of David Attenborough’s Life on Earth for my 10th birthday I dreamed of being able to travel around the world in the great man’s footsteps! But it wasn’t all daydreaming about exotic destinations, though. I love writing. Using words to transport readers into the heart of the Amazon or make them accomplices to a tiger tracking safari seemed like a great job description. And if it could inspire empathy for those places and creatures – well, that would be the most rewarding job of all.

“When I married in 1990 we took a long honeymoon (a month backpacking across Borneo, six weeks trekking to Everest and back). Returning home I pitched an article about our trek to Trailfinders’ free magazine. To my amazement they published it – the fee was a princely £75 for words and pics. It was the first all-important tear sheet for my portfolio.”

Success: “I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world and write for publications ranging from National Geographic and The Sun to Condé Nast and The Times . I’ve written guidebooks on wildlife and adventure travel, plus a series of family travel guides. I was delighted (and surprised) to be voted 4th in the UK’s top 50 travel journalists and I’ve also received various writing and photography awards, including AITO Travel Writer of the Year and 12 awards from the British Guild of Travel Writers. In recent years, my work has diversified to include magazine editing, design and website work.”

No.1 top tip: “Get used to spinning lots of plates and not flinching when the odd one crashes to the floor! Times are changing and you need to keep up with new media and the opportunities they offer. In addition to my traditional writing and photography work , I self-publish my own mini travel e-guides.”

Rosie Casburn

After signing up for a travel writing course in Seville, run by Jonathan Lorie’s Travellers’ Tales and Wanderlust, Rosie had her piece chosen to feature in our magazine. Since then, she hasn’t looked back…

“While having dinner with the group on the first night, sat in a warm, jasmine-scented courtyard in Seville, I just knew this was what I was meant to be doing. To finally be surrounded by fellow enthusiasts was so stimulating and exciting. On our first ‘assignment’, we were sent off to find ‘the essence’ of Seville, to leave our comfort zone and poke our noses into shops and bars.

“I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I spent the next few hours scurrying around the warren of cobbled streets, looking for something interesting to write about. When the time came to read out our first attempts I was amazed at the variety of writing that came from us all doing the same thing on that first morning. Our writing was gently discussed and suggestions made for improvements – no-one was given lines or made to sit on the naughty chair. I had the most wonderful few days, and at the end of course, submitted my work to Wanderlust. It was the first thing I’d ever submitted and I was amazed to be told that my entry had been chosen and it was to be published, along with some of my travel photographs!

“This success had me jumping up and down in excitement, and most certainly gave me the impetus to send out more work. Most importantly, it gave me some much needed self-belief.”

Success: “I’ve since had my writing featured in numerous publications. I’ve written a monthly travel series about Andalucia, Spain, and had articles in newspapers, travel supplements and magazines in the UK, Spain, USA and New Zealand.

“My biggest triumph was winning a travel writing competition, this time the prize, as well as publication, was two Round the World Tickets with Air New Zealand. During my 50-day trip around the world, I was contacted out of the blue by the editor of a health magazine in Canada, who had somehow heard that I was going to Hong Kong and she commissioned me to write an article while I was there. I think that’s when I really began to think of myself as a true travel writer.”

No.1 top tip: “Keep your camera glued to your hip wherever you go – I went on a photography course too, which taught me the skills needed to become a travel photographer; I’ve found it to be advantage if you can offer both words and pics to editors.”

Liz attended a creative writing group and learned the value of peer feedback. While living on a boat in Turkey she dreamt up the idea of a “virtual” travel association. She now posts on followtheboat.com – a travelogue run by herself, photographer Jamie Furlong, and rescue cat Millie.

“Being in a writing group helps you learn the discipline of writing a piece to a deadline while having a maximum word count concentrates the mind. The feedback is almost more important than the monthly assignment. We each critique all the other essays (which can be time consuming, but once immersed is always illuminating). You learn a lot from analysing another piece of writing, trying to work out why it works/doesn’t work, looking at the nuts and bolts of grammar and punctuation, spotting clichés and over-used words. We try to be encouraging, honest and constructive, never rude or hurtful.

“In 2014, I set our monthly assignment as answering the Writers Abroad call for entries. Out of 231 submissions for their annual anthology, Writers Abroad selected 95, of which five came from the Itinerant Writers Club. All proceeds from the book, which can be bought online from Lulu.com , will be going to Books Abroad, the charity that helps educate children worldwide.”

Success: “Winning the Telegraph weekly prize twice; coming second in the Walkopedia writing competition; being short-listed in the Bradt 2012 Travel Writing competition; winning the monthly My World First competition; regularly appearing in Readers’ Tips in The Guardian newspaper; winning the myWanderlust ‘Best Experience, 2011’ award. I’ve also been approached by a couple of publishers to write a book… but haven’t had time yet!”

No.1 top tip: “Keep a notebook with you at all times. Practice your writing every day – you don’t have to write about exotic destinations, a walk in the countryside, a visit to a park, local sight-seeing, a train or bus journey, all are material for writing. Then enter travel writing competitions, as many as you can. Also add your tips, experiences and views to on-line travel forums (but only choose those established, like Wanderlust or the national newspapers). Build up a name for yourself; start your own blog. With all this behind you, editors may be prepared to open your email… and if there is no local group, join mine!”

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So You Want To Be A Travel Writer? Here’s What You Need To Know

What is travel writing.

Let me paint you a picture: imagine yourself travelling for the sheer joy of seeing the world, staying in the best five star hotels, eating the best food… and it’s free. Sounds too good to be true, right?

Enter the world of travel writing! In this industry, you can travel the world and develop your career at the same time. You could be exploring every café in Paris in search of the best hot chocolate, or travelling through Europe in search of the country that offers the best scuba diving, or how about hitting up pub after pub in Ireland to determine which one serves the cheapest pint of beer? Sounds like a blast, right? That’s what being a travel writer can offer you; the key is getting enough exposure and experience to reach that dream.

I don’t know about you, but it sounds like sipping champagne at Hotel de Paris is just a few well-crafted writing samples away.

What You Need to Know to Be a Travel Writer

There’s no doubt about it: travel writers have the ultimate dream job. Getting paid to travel and write about your experience is most people’s idea of ultimate career #goals. While any kind of career in publishing is competitive, the travel industry is booming right now, meaning that there are opportunities for you to try your hand at travel writing. So, what does it take to be a travel writer?

You don’t need to be a bestselling author to be a travel writer; all you need to do is be able to craft a good story, have a flair for writing about adventure, and be able to analyze the best trip advice for readers. To start, you’ll want to find a good pitch, such as the search for the perfect hot chocolate in Paris, and then start approaching publications.

Your five-step guide to getting started as a travel writer:

• Enjoy travelling
• Practice writing about your travel experiences
• Discover your pitch
• Send in query letters
• Start your own blog about your travel experiences

Adventures in Travel Writing

Many people have chosen to retire as travel writers, leaving their desk jobs to see the world and getting paid to do so. You get to see the best places and if you’re on contract with a publication, you may not even have to shell out a cent of your own. You can choose to write part-time and disappear from the stresses of life, or you can eventually make it your full-time career once you have enough experience under your belt. Whatever you choose, travel writing can be an exciting new career option for you. There is nothing better than to do something you love and get paid for it.

How to Become a Travel Writer

So now that you’ve decided that travel writing is something you want to try, the next question on your mind is probably: “How on earth do I accomplish such a feat?” Firstly, don’t quit your day job quite yet. You can’t be a travel writer tomorrow without some serious research and a portfolio of publications under your belt. A great way to get your feet wet would be to write about something in your own home town, or in an area close by that you can explore on a day trip. This gives you a chance to see what being a travel writer is like without any risk, and you can start practicing your craft so that you have writing samples to send to publications.

Once you have several article samples written, you can then approach magazines such as Outpost Magazine and Bold Magazine, as well as countless travel blogs and websites, with your work and ideas for future articles. If a magazine likes your article and hires you, then chances are they will continue hiring you for future work. At that point you can pitch all of your interesting ideas to the magazine, and if they like them, they may give you the opportunity to travel on a funded trip. Research is one of the hardest parts of being a travel writer, because you will need to find the publications that you want to write for and would suit your content. However, there are some very real pitfalls to being a travel writer as well, and it might require some thick skin. 

Is Travel Writing for You?

You may think that travel writing is the perfect career for you, but there are a few things to consider first. Firstly, do you have the time to be a travel writer? You may have family obligations or responsibilities that don’t allow you to travel a great deal. That’s okay – it just may mean you can only take a couple of projects a year instead of using it as a career choice.

Dealing with Rejection

No matter what, as a writer, you will face rejection and that’s where the thick skin comes in. It may take some time before your first article is accepted and it may not have any bearing at all on your writing ability; maybe the topic you chose to write on has been covered recently, or maybe the publications you’re approaching already have travel writers on staff. Rejection is just part of what being a writer is all about. It’s important to look at the rejection process as a chance to learn, and it’s certainly not a reason to give up. Don’t take rejection letters to heart, but learn from the criticism and be inspired to change your travel writing strategy.

Publications with Small Budgets

Not all publications have large budgets to pay you the big bucks and send you travelling all over the world. One thing to consider when writing for magazines is that they usually pay after the article has been published. If they are a small publication, they may need to wait to get paid before they can pay their writers. If writing is your full-time job, that can put you in a bind if you are on a budget. Just keep in mind that payment may not come as soon as you would expect when you are sending queries to publications.

Deadlines Are Very Important

Procrastination is a true weakness for me, especially with all the tantalizing social media outlets out there, but when it comes to writing for a magazine or newspaper, time management is crucial to surviving in the industry. As a writer, it can be easy to get lost in your thoughts and become distracted, so you need to be self-motivated in order to meet your editor’s deadlines.

These things can make or break a writer and it’s important to understand that having a career as a travel writer is not for the faint of heart. Decide if this is something that you really strive for and if it is, then go for it by starting your own travel blog. Write about trips you’ve taken and what you’ve learned, trends in the tourism industry, or thought-provoking pieces on the cultural, political, and social aspects of travel in different areas.

Travel writing can be a fun and rewarding career; it’s just a matter of putting in the time it takes to research appropriate publications and write stellar pieces. Once you have a few articles under your belt, it will be easier to approach publications. After establishing a good relationship with a magazine or newspaper, the chances of them continuing to hire you grow. From there, the jobs may even start coming to you and then you will find yourself turning jobs down because your travel schedule just can’t take anymore! That’s a great problem to have.

Heed the words of Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Contributed by:

Kim Love TalentEgg.ca is Canada’s leading job board and online career resource for college and university students and recent graduates.

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Discussion 12 comments.

How did your begin your travel writing career? Which publications do you send your work to? This career is very interesting to me! Thank you!

What is the post price. https://www.studyandgoabroad.com

Thanks for the interesting blog. I also love literature and read different genres. I am thinking of starting to travel and share my thoughts, perhaps in the future, I will write a book. Recently I read a story about Freedom writers Andre Bryant ,and how art and culture affect a person.

To be a travel writer, you don’t need to be a top-selling novelist; all you need is the ability to tell a good narrative cookie clicker , a passion for writing about adventure, and the ability to assess the finest trip recommendations for readers. To begin, come up with a compelling pitch, such as the hunt for the ideal hot chocolate in Paris, and then approach magazines.

Your article is very good and useful, thank you for sharing, bk8 hopes that next time you will have more good articles to send to all readers.

Deadlines are very important for me as a Best Wikipedia Page Creation Service Mumbai provider as well as for others, However thanks for sharing this information. Very informative articles.

Fantastic article. This is, in my opinion, one of the best posts ever written. Your work is excellent and inspiring. Thank you very much.

Thanks to reading this article, I have gained new knowledge, thank you very much

Good article! The article successfully expressed the news the reader wanted

I agree with you!

Once more time, I read the article cookie clicker

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To get the most value out of this important event, you should prepare for it in advance if possible, and follow up afterwards. Here are some tips on how to make the best use of your time at the Study and Go Abroad university fairs:

Before the fair:

• See which institutions are attending by viewing the  exhibitor list
• Read the profiles of the institutions that are of direct interest to you; also have a look at the other profiles as well – you may be surprised which university or college offers what you are looking for
• If you are not sure of what study topic you want to pursue, start with the countries you want to study in; you can sort by country on the  exhibitor listing  (use arrow toggle over ‘country’) and see which schools are located in which countries and explore from there
• Visit  www.studyandgoabroad.com and find out more about the various countries – you will find country facts and figures under the ‘Study Overseas’ drop down menu – and read up on some articles about student experiences, fields of study, etc.
• If you already know what you are looking for, bring along your transcripts, portfolio, résumé – whatever you have already on hand to present to the representatives. If you don’t have them, that is okay as well – you will find out what you need once you discuss your plans

During the fair:

• Use the Fair Guide you will get when you enter to navigate your way around the room
• Attend the free  seminars : These information sessions are for you to learn in depth about the presentation topics and to ask questions; visit the presenters afterwards at their stands for more details
• Ask as many questions as you need to; the fair is for you to research and learn about the many institutions in attendance
• Collect information resource materials from the schools that are of interest to you and from the other service providers
• Don’t rush through: It is not often that you will have the chance to visit with so many representatives in your city, so take your time!

After the fair:

• Follow up with representatives you met and keep in touch with questions and planning
• Read through the materials you collected during the fair
• Make up a comparison chart of important issues that you extract from the various brochures and websites of different schools of interest to you, to help you with your decisions
• Discuss your ideas and plans with friends and family; this often helps to clarify issues
• Study in UK/British Council: www.britishcouncil.ca  and  study-uk.britishcouncil.org
• Study in the USA:  educationusacanada.ca
• Study in Germany/German Academic Exchange: www.daad-canada.ca/en/
• Universities Canada:  www.univcan.ca
• Colleges and Institutes Canada: www.collegesinstitutes.ca
• Study in Australia:  www.studyaustralia.gov.au
• Study in France/Campus France: www.canada.campusfrance.org and www.campusfrance.org/en  and francecanadaculture.org/ higher-education/student/ campus-france/
• Study in Holland:  www.studyinholland.nl and www.netherlandsandyou.nl
• Study in Hungary –  http://studyinhungary.hu
• Education Ireland:  www.educationireland.com
• Study in Korea –  www. studyinkorea.go.kr
• Study in New Zealand: www.studyinnewzealand.com
• Study in Norway: www.studyinnorway.no
• Study in Scotland: www.scotland.org/study/
• Study in Spain:  www.studying-in-spain.com
• Study in Sweden: www.studyinsweden.se

The upcoming Study and Go Abroad / SchoolFinder fairs are for everyone interested in looking for undergraduate or post-graduate programs in Canada overseas, or in taking a volunteer program, working or taking an internship abroad, considering a gap year or career break, or adventure travel.

The event is focused on post-secondary education, hosting top-ranking university and college recruiters from Canada and around the world. As well, there are several vocational, work experience and Gap Year/Career Break program providers.

You should attend if you are:

• Looking for undergraduate programs in Canada or overseas
• Looking for masters/doctoral programs in Canada or overseas
• Considering a gap year or a career break
• Wanting to upgrade your education or skills, or change career path
• Looking to take advantage of Working Holiday Visas to work abroad – changed
• Researching universities for exchange programs
• Wanting to travel and experience the world
• Inspired to broaden your horizons!

and we'll send you a reminder for the next Study and Go Abroad Fair as well.

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14 Tips on How to Become a Travel Writer

Last Updated on June 4, 2023

My name is Scott Kendall, and I am a Travel Writer.

I like the way that sounds and feels. I couldn’t always say that. But after jumping in with both feet back in September of 2016, I can now say that honestly and with pride.

I have traveled thousands of miles, written hundreds of articles, taken thousands of photos and videos, and met hundreds of interesting, fascinating new friends. I have even started my own travel website, PlayStayEat . See this VIDEO for a sampling of my adventures as a travel writer.

I love the hard work, the research, the adventures, the perks, new friends, new places, and the challenges offered by being a Travel Writer. While everyone’s situation, path, and progress are different, I am going to share 14 Tips on How to Become a Travel Writer. Pick and choose the ones you like best.

1. Call Yourself a Travel Writer – and See How it Feels

Seriously. Imagine talking to someone, telling them you are a Travel Writer. How does it make you feel? What are you telling this person about your life as a travel writer? What experiences and travels do you see yourself involved with in the upcoming years? What is your next great adventure?

2. Evaluate Your Personal Situation and Goals

When I was nearing retirement from teaching Special Education and coaching tennis at our local high school, I contemplated what I wanted to do during my Golden Years. I had been a Navy Officer, management consultant, and a strategic planner before my teaching and coaching career, and knew I wanted a stimulating lifestyle after I retired.

I knew I wasn’t the type to sit at home, watch television, do crossword puzzles, and do a whole lot of nothing. I was in good physical shape, was young in mind and spirit, and still wanted to enjoy new places, people, and challenges. I asked myself, “Scott, what do you really enjoy doing? How do you want to spend the rest of your life?”

Since I know myself pretty well, I answered my own questions this way.

“Well, Scott. You enjoy traveling to new places, meeting new people, experiencing new challenges. You enjoy researching and learning about all kinds of places, history, people, and events. You have always been a good writer, and enjoy putting your thoughts and observations on paper (or on computer!). You love taking photos and making videos of anything and everything. And you enjoy sharing your knowledge, experiences, and skills with others, including family, friends, and strangers (who may likely become new friends).”

I already knew I wanted to travel extensively when I retired. My wonderful wife of 33 years and I had always traveled a good bit, and with more time on our hands during retirement, we wanted to increase the frequency and quality of our travels. The more I thought about it and the more I researched, the more I came to the realization that being a travel writer would check all of those important boxes for me.

3. Make sure you analyze and consider your financial situation

In my particular situation, I did not need to make lot of money as a travel writer. My teacher’s pension, along with savings and my wife’s income covered our basic bills. We had enough money to do some traveling, but not to the extent of what we wanted.

What if there was a way to have my travel budget supplemented by writing articles about the destinations I visited? What if some of my expenses could be reduced by having hotels comped, or by paying a reduced media rate? What if I could get free meals in exchange for writing reviews about the restaurants? Or complimentary tickets to top attractions at my destinations?

All of these financial goals proved to be doable, and we are now able to travel more and better, stretching our travel dollar further than before. For example, on a recent trip to Europe, we saved about $3,500 with perks I earned from being a travel writer. Imagine adding $3,500 to your vacation budget for two weeks to stay in nicer hotels, eat better food, and take part in pricey activities you might have skipped before.

I wrote many articles on these trips and was paid for each one. I still had to pay some expenses, like transportation, lodging and meals that were not covered, and other personal expenses. But because I received substantial savings since some of my lodging, meals, and attractions were comped, we were able to enjoy longer and better vacations.

4. Be willing to work for it

I discovered that all of these scenarios are possible by being a travel writer. I also discovered that being a good travel writer is hard work, can be frustrating at times and is not all glitz and glamour. You do have to get in the trenches. You do have to put in the time. You do have to keep learning and improving and trying new things. To do it right to garner the benefits of being a successful Travel Writer is hard work. But it is so worth it!

5. Learn to Effectively Describe Various Types of Lodging

On previous trips to Europe in the last few years, I spent two weeks in France, Germany, Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia. During that time, I received free hotel stays in Germany in Munich and  Baden-Baden; in Italy in Venice, Rome, San Gimignano, Bologna, Ferrero, Cortina, and Ortisei; in Slovenia at Lake Bled, and in Croatia in Rijeka.

In exchange for these complimentary stays, I wrote several paragraphs, and even whole articles, describing some of these wonderful places we were fortunate to stay in. You can’t just say, “It was nice and the beds were comfortable.” You need a bit more, and you need to say it in a way that makes the reader think, “What a remarkable hotel. I would love to stay there!”

6. Sharpen your Culinary Writing Skills

I have been hosted by some of the best restaurants in the world, including Lili at the Peninsula Hotel in Paris; Ristorante Miky in Monterosso, Italy; Le Logge del Vignola in Montepulciano, Italy; Ristorante Riviera in Venice; Lake Bled Castle Restaurant in Slovenia; Restaurant Gostilna Na Gradu in the Ljubljana Castle; Gabriel Kreuther in New York City; Alexander’s in Fish Creek, Door County, Wisconsin; and so many more.

Again, you can’t just say the food was really good and filling. Learn how to describe the food, the ambiance, the history, and the smiles on the faces of the personable chefs and service folks. Practice taking photos that bring out the artistry, colors, and flavors of the food. Talk to the chef and the waitstaff, and learn the real story that makes that place special.

7. Write About Wonders of Nature

I have always been drawn to the wonders of nature – mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans, rocky trails, green forests, canyons, beaches, and more. I have received complimentary tickets for many attractions, including personal guided tours in Cortina in the Dolomites, Postojna Caves, cable rides up to Falzarego Pass and Alpe di Siusi, a cruise around the NYC harbor, admission to magical Plitvice Lakes, and so many more.

As a travel writer, I’ve gained a renewed curiosity and admiration of our beautiful planet and the many wonders that await us.

8. Try New Things

Get out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself. Push yourself. I’ve always liked to try new things, but sometimes I would balk because of the expense or because I wanted to stay comfortable. As a travel writer, I’ve been able to go ziplining in Bovec and San Vigilio; went on a private water taxi ride through Venice and on to Murano; and went white-water rafting on the Soca River in Slovenia and in the Royal Gorge in Colorado. After each of these adventures, I was so glad I tried something new, and knew I would cherish the memories for a lifetime.

9. Write About Historical Sites

I love history, and being a travel writer combines that love with the research as well as the actual trips. I have gone to museums and on personal tours in Heidelberg, Rome, Bologna, Cortina, Breckenridge, Sacile, Postojna, Ljubljana, Kobarid, and other wonderful places, learning about the intriguing history. I find that my readers are also interested in many of the same things that I find fascinating, and often sprinkle my articles with bits and pieces of history.

10. Be a Kid Again

Sometimes, it’s great to be a kid again. Do something just for the fun of it – don’t always be the practical, boring adult. Eat Beef Tongue and Octopus. Grab that gelato in San Gimignano and savor it sitting by the cistern in the central piazza without worrying about the calories. Climb those stairs in Orvieto for a better view, even though you don’t know where they go. Ride a train into the darkness of Postojna Caves and look for baby dragons. Take your picture next to the largest wine barrel in the world at Heidelberg Castle, or jump into the freezing cold waters of the Soca River in Slovenia. Just do it, have fun, and enjoy it!

11. Practice Your Photography and Video Skills

As a travel writer, it is always a big advantage to be able to add photos and videos to your arsenal. Editors love writers who can deliver top quality narratives along with top-notch photos and videos that enhance their stories. Plus, it’s loads of fun.

12. Always Be Learning

If you are like me, and always like to be learning something, you might make a good travel writer. My Bachelors degree at Texas A&M in Management and Marketing was just the beginning of higher education for me. I got my MBA, and then another Masters in Education. To enhance my computer skills, I earned CP3 Certification and Certification in Digital Graphics, Desktop Publishing, Multimedia, Web Mastering, and Video Technology.

And when I decided to be a Travel Writer, I attended the Great Escape Publishing Travel Writers’ Workshop to learn the basics. I belong to several professional writer groups, like International Food Wine Travel Writers Association IFWTWA), Society of Travel Writers (SATW), and the Travel Writers Café. Never stop learning.

13. Network, Network, Network – and then Network some more

No man is an island. In travel writing, none of us do it alone. It takes editors, publishers, public relation reps, CVB personnel, business owners, hotel managers, restaurant owners, chefs, and others to be successful in this business. Everyone you come in contact with is a potential future connection that can help you achieve your goals.

Make good connections in the present, and continue to build those relationships. Go out of your way to compliment the achievement of others, and be personal and genuine with your praise. Offer to help others, and you will find many others will offer their help in return. Keep expanding that network.

14. Provide Value for Value

A lot of my previous tips focus on the value you can receive as a travel writer. However, none of the perks and benefits of being a travel writer come your way unless you provide value. You owe it to the editors, CVBs, DMOs, hotels, restaurants, and attractions you work with to provide value in return for the perks. Well written articles, high quality photos, engaging social media posts, and quality videos that promote and highlight the destinations are at the heart of what we do. Will the reader be entertained, informed, and more likely to want to visit the place you are writing about?

If you are doing it right and you are providing value, the answer is a resounding YES!

So, these are 14 tips to help you become a travel writer. It is not complete, and you may find some tips more helpful to your personal situation than others. However, I can guarantee you that, if you really do want to be a travel writer, at least some of these tips can help propel you to your travel writing goals.

Scott Kendall is a freelance travel writer, photographer, and videographer based in The Woodlands, Texas. He has traveled extensively throughout the US and Europe. Scott has written for EuropeUpClose, Epicurean Traveler, International Living, Miles Geek, Touring Bird, Airguides, Travel and Talk, and other publications.

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

Wondering how to become a travel writer?

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. And, more importantly, what it isn’t.

One one hand, travel writing is the art of sharing stories about people, places and things that are not in your own backyard. 

That said, there are  writers  in the travel vertical that specialize in places where they live. If you live in a unique destination that sees visitors, then penning in-depth insider content or local guidebooks could be a great path for you.

Professionally speaking, most travel writers make the bulk of their income penning pieces that are more focused on the  hows, whats  and  wheres  of travel. That is, they write travel advice content.

This is the travel space I primarily write in.

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.

Trying to land more clients and projects? You need the Essential Pitch Pack! YES PLEASE »

But travel writing is NOT…

Look, 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. That’s not what’s going to happen.

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.

Before you get too far into planning your dream travel writing career, you need to know that travel writing is not…

• Getting paid to travel —While some BIG travel writers legitimately do make money traveling, most of us merely sell our experiences. That means no one hands me a check and says book a flight to Turkey, but I do get paid for telling stories about my travel experiences and can expense some parts of my trips. It might not be the full dream, but it still counts.
• 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.
• A huge paycheck —I personally don’t know any writers that ONLY work on travel content. Most operate like I do where one of our verticals or niches is travel but it certainly doesn’t make up our whole income.
• Easy to get into —From what I’ve gathered my experience of getting into the industry with no travel articles to my name and limited familiarity was a fluke. Most people rack up a whole blog’s worth of content or start in a different vertical and make a lateral move before they make money selling travel work.
• 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 really want it and you’re willing to work for it, chances are 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 a little money. But first, you’re going to need to do a few things…

1. Start writing clips

My story aside, you do actually need some past examples if you want to become a travel writer.

In fact, I left a little out of my story at the beginning. While I truly don’t recall applying for my first gig, I do actually know why I got it and I didn’t have NO experience at all, just none in travel specifically.

I’ve actually been a writer my entire career. I took my bachelor’s majoring in journalism, then my master’s and wrote in-house for government agencies and professional services firms all well-before I started freelancing.

And, while I didn’t have anything travel-specific, why I did have was a solid, demonstrable knowledge of search engine optimization . The original gig that I got was updating 50-something articles from an SEO perspective, after that was done I was moved to their regular pool of freelancers.

In fact, though I do take the odd piece that’s more pure travel, I’ve stuck it out on the marketing content side of travel writing because that’s what I love doing.

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. 

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

In most cases, you’ll want these clips to be published on someone else’s site—the bigger the better. But when you’re starting out, that’s less likely to be an option. With that in mind, there are two places I recommend testing out your skills:

• A shared revenue site where you can possibly earn a little side cash like Medium or Vocal
• Your own blog

To be honest, I recommend doing both. Though, long-term I think having your own blog is more important because you can  monetize it .

There are some REALLY important things to keep in mind if you want to make money with your pen (AKA keyboard since it’s 2022). 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.

While this is slightly (but only slightly) less important, you’ll also want to start building an online presence, including opening a social media profile or two. Photos and videos are both big in this area, so an Instagram account is a good start. If you have your own blog, Pinterest is also something too look at.

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’s 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 and asking for work.

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 ice right now.

Eventually, people are going to pour over your work. They’ll slash 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 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. So, you should absolutely speak to one if you have real questions, I highly recommend looking into 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

For all of these things, I use Bonsai (which has a free trial so you can test it out). I really LOVE it and after ditching it and trying pretty much all of the recommended software out there, I eventually went back to Bonsai.

Finally, writers should have insurance. 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.

And, honestly, it’s not that expensive. I pay less than $350 a year for ALL of the insurance that covers my business which includes errors and omissions. If you have questions about insurance and what you should have, reach out to a lawyer or insurance broker. They’ll know what you need.

4. Create a pitching 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 verticals. 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 : I do not write for or have any association with any of the above places at this time. I’ve never tried pitching them, so I don’t know their processes, how easy or hard they are or what they pay.

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 started on.

You’ll make mistakes when you pitch—seriously, I STILL do. So, write your pitch. Double-check it. Run it by someone if you have a confidant 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 where 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 probably 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 then in a while, then you can move onto 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.

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 says yes.

What other verticals go well with travel writing?

I said right at the beginning that relying on travel content only to make what you need to live is a mistake that most of us find out sooner rather than later. But if all you want is to become a travel writer, 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 more of a lifestyle topics. 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 vertical. Examples could include:

• Relationships and dating
• Product reviews
• Personal finance

Writing in other verticals 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 verticals 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 vertical (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 possible 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 guested 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 vertical. 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 vertical 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.

Travel writing FAQs

What is the average travel writer salary.

Unless you’re a staff writer for a big publication, getting a “salary” as a travel writer is not likely something that will happen. In most cases, you’ll set a rate by project (or piece) or by word (submitted or published, depending on the publication). Payment of $200-$400 per article isn’t uncommon for a seasoned travel writer but newer writers can make closer to $50-$100 per article.

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.

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!

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Do You Want to Be a Travel Writer? FAQ and Answers

• December 11, 2020

How do you become a travel writer? What is bad vs. good travel writing? Professional freelance travel writers and guidebook authors answer your most frequently asked questions about becoming a travel writer. I’m the Adventurous Writer – an experienced freelance magazine writer, blogger and published author – but I’m not a “travel writer.” I’m a writer who travels and writes. 

There’s a surprisingly big difference between being a travel writer or journalist versus a blogger who writes about traveling. It took me over 10 years of freelance writing and professional blogging to figure out that difference — which is why I waited until now to start my newest blog, Travel in Faith: Tips and Tools for Travel That Transforms You . 

As you read through these frequently asked questions (FAQ) about travel writing you’ll quickly see the difference between professional travel writers or journalists versus bloggers who travel and write. Hobby travel bloggers are in a different category altogether! Which are you? Even better: what type of writer do you aspire to be? There are benefits and drawbacks to all types of travel writing.

“The drawback of travel writing comes when the traveling seems part of a job — something to get done rather than something to do — and one cannot embark on it with the freshness and excitement of a possibly life-changing adventure,” says bestselling writer Pico Iyer, author of A Beginner’s Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations . “Then, often, it’s time to stay home or write about something closer to home…Traveling is about freshness and going out into the unknown; if it starts to become known, if you begin to have too clear a sense of where you’re going, or if it even begins to resemble a routine, then you have to rethink what you mean by ‘traveling.’” 

10 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Travel Writing

If you have a question about being a travel writer or blogger that isn’t answered in this list of frequently asked questions, ask in the comments section below. If I don’t have the answer, I’ll find it and bring it to your house with a cup of tea. Or I’ll just share it here. 🙂 

• Are writer’s conferences worthwhile?
• What is good travel writing?
• How do you write good travel writing?
• What is bad travel writing?
• How do you become a travel writer?
• What are the most common mistakes travel writers make?
• What is the downside of travel writing?
• What is your best advice for getting a travel book published?
• Do travel writers need literary agents to get published?
• How much does a travel writer get paid?

The first blog I started — over a decade ago — was this one! Writing Blossoms, originally Quips and Tips for Successful Writers. This was my favorite blog until I started Travel in Faith; I’ve written hundreds of articles about freelance writing and making money blogging. This list of Frequently Asked Questions about travel writing is by far the longest article I’ve written on this blog, although 11 Most Popular Types of Magazine Articles – Print & Online is close. 

Travel blogging is new to me. I’ve been researching and learning a lot about writing and traveling lately, and decided not to hoard all the tips! These are the best answers to the most common or frequently asked questions (FAQs) about becoming a travel writer, journalist or blogger.

So You Want to Be a Travel Writer

When I first started freelance writing, my most pressing question was about writers conferences. Should I invest in a conference? What was the point, since I could read books and blogs about the business of being a writer? Traveling to Maui or New Orleans or even Surrey, BC (which is relatively close to where I live in Vancouver, Canada) is expensive! Writing conferences typically cost hundreds of dollars. Add airfare or gas, hotel expenses, food, and extras such as pre-conference workshops or professional editorial help for a book manuscript, post or pre-conference tours or side trips…and you could easily spend over $1,500. 

Which leads me to my first FAQ about travel writing…

1. Are writers conferences worthwhile?

Yes — but it depends on what you expect to get out of the writer’s conference. It’s important to find a conference that matches your needs and plans for your writing career. Look at the list of speakers, editors, writers, publishers and travel bloggers attending the conference. Do they align with your writing goals? If you want to be a “lone wolf” travel writer (not the most effective way to build or sustain a travel writing career), you wouldn’t enjoy a writing conference. But if you want to network and build relationships with other travel writers and bloggers, you’ll find conferences valuable. 

If you want to get more bang for your buck — and have more fun — from a writer’s conference, talk to and interact with with magazine editors, book publishers, literary agents, and travel bloggers.  It can be intimidating for new writers (and introverts) to talk to professionals in the publishing industry, but it is the most important thing you can do at a conference. I especially enjoy the meals; in fact, the first time I met my literary agent was in the buffet line at a writer’s conference!

I met my literary agent at the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference in California. My first book — Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back — was published by Bethany House because my agent sent the editors my book proposal. But the value of writing conferences is that writers can meet publishers and editors, pitch their book proposals, and even get published without an agent as the intermediary.

There is a downside to going to writer’s conferences, though. Sometimes writers leave feeling physically exhausted, socially depleted, and professionally overwhelmed by all the people and information. Especially introverted writers! Before you attend a conference, read 4 Tips for Dealing With Discouragement After a Writing Conference .

Speaking of travel writing conferences — I’ll be at TravelCon 2020 in New Orleans this year! I’ve been to six or seven conferences for writers, but this is my first travel-specific one. TravelCon is “the place to learn the business of travel media.” Writers will improve in the four major areas of travel: video, photography, writing, and blogging. Maybe I’ll see you there?

2. What is good travel writing?

“Good writing is fresh, with observations that are clearly personal,” says Andrew Bain, author of the Lonely Planet A Year of Adventures and Lonely Planet Experience Spain . “Every place on earth has now been written about, so what is it we are trying to achieve by adding to the pool? It can only be our own insight.”

“Much of the best travel writing is offered by Graham Greene and D.H. Lawrence and, these days, John le Carre or David Mitchell in their novels just because they are driven by a curiosity about the world — other cultures and other people — and because they have refined and developed that curiosity so that they can seize other places and people quickly; they have trained their instincts,” says Pico Iyer, author of The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto .

“These are travelers who are consistently eloquent and perceptive on place, as opposed to those like Heinrich Harrer in Seven Years in Tibet , who stumble into an experience so transcendent and moving that they give voice to what they know is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.”

“I think one should write, as nearly as possible, as if he were the first person on earth and was humbly and sincerely putting on paper that which he saw and experienced and loved and lost…with careful avoidance of hackneyed words and the like.” – Neal Cassady (travel mate of Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road ).

3. How do you write good travel writing?

“Travel writing should emulate the best techniques of fiction: character, action, plot, foreshadowing, dialogue and payoff,” says Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel . “Character and dialogue are especially important, since they bring the story to life. Think about it: do we enjoy Seinfeld or Cannery Row or American Pie for the setting and descriptions? Of course not — we are drawn to their characters and what the characters do and say. Thus, be an extrovert as you travel, and color your story with the people you meet. Provide action and dialogue, setup and payoff. Draw the reader into the story with these elements. ”

“Learn another language,” says Daisann McLane, who wrote the ‘Frugal Traveler’ column for the New York Times travel section. “Two would be even better! Learning a foreign language is the best way to break through the wall between you and the place you are writing about. There’s a quantum difference between a piece that is written by a writer fluent in the language and culture, and a piece written by someone who’s just dropped in.”

“Good travel writing is done by good writers who travel,” says Stanley Stewart, author of In the Empire of Genghis Khan: An Amazing Odyssey Through the Lands of the Most Feared Conquerors in History . “It is not enough to have swum through piranha-infested waters to the source of the Amazon. You must be able to write well to convey that experience. When you have learned the craft of writing, you can take a stroll through your own suburban neighborhood interesting, even exciting. Good travel writing needs much the same ingredients as any good story — narrative drive, characters, dialogue, atmosphere, revelation. Make it personal. Let the reader know how the place and the experience are affecting you. ” 

“Travel writing, more than any other kind of writing, has to transport you, has to teach you about the world, has to inform you, and, ideally, has to take you into deeper and deeper questions about yourself and the world,” says Pico Iyer, author of The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere . “The writer’s job, as Milan Kundera once told Philip Roth, I think, is to get the reader to see the world as a question. And travel writing has to hold your attention, first, and then take you into a dialogue between yourself and the world that tells you something new about both and grips you more powerfully than any other dialogue around.”

4. What is bad travel writing?

“A chronological recounting of events is usually not good,” says Tim Cahill, author of several travel books, including Lost in My Own Backyard: A Walk in Yellowstone National Park . “There are exceptions, of course. People who can’t find the story and hope description will carry them.”

“Guidebooks that send me down the wrong street, looking for a restaurant that closed five years ago!” says Paul Clammer, author of several travel guidebooks including Haiti (Bradt Travel Guides). 

“Bad travel writing is done by travelers who mistakenly believe they can write,” says Stanley Stewart, two-time winner of the Thomas Cook Travel Book of the Year Award. “ Bad travel writing is littered with cliches, inept narrative timing, and clumsily portrayed characters. Too many travel writers seem to believe that the journey ‘makes’ the story. It doesn’t. In the end, anyone can travel to Timbuktu but only a few people will write about the journey well. Bad travel writing is just bad writing. ”

The most important tip for good travel writing is to write . Do you write in your journal every day? If struggle with writer’s block, give yourself the gift of motivation! Read Travel Gift Idea: 10 Best Travel Journals for Solo or Group Treks .

5. How do you become a travel writer?

“Win a prize,” says Rory MacLean, author of Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to India . “I’m not being flippant. There are dozens of travel writing competitions run by newspapers and magazines. Researching and writing a travel article forces you to focus. Winning a competition opens the door to literary agents and publishers. Alternatively, marry the son or daughter of a newspaper baron.”

“There’s no substitute for writing, if you want to be a writer,” says Pico Iyer, author of The Global Soul: Jet Lag, Shopping Malls, and the Search for Home . “ In travel writing the main thing you have to address is what you can say — how you can approach Kyoto or the Pyramids or Machu Picchu — as no one has ever done before, and as few could do today. What do you bring to the dialogue you conduct with these immortal places? But the main [way to become a travel writer] is just writing — for your friend’s blog, for the non-paying alternative newspaper in town, for magazines that may never dream of hiring you, or even just for friends and family. ”

“Develop an area of expertise, so you can really sell your skill set to editors,” says Clammer. “My foot in the door was Afghanistan (a Lonely Planet travel guidebook), but it could equally be something like trekking or regional food. You need something on your resume to help you stand out against the competition.” 

“If I was starting out today, I’d try to write for a year or two,” says Tim Cahill, author of several travel books, including Lost in My Own Backyard: A Walk in Yellowstone National Park . “I’d check out such magazines as Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing for appropriate writer’s conferences. These are meetings where professional editors lecture and look at your work, and where you will meet publishers and agents. Book Passage, a bookstore in Corte Madera, north of San Francisco, hosts a travel writers’ conference. I attend almost every year.”

Blog . You become a travel writer by starting a blog, traveling, and writing. Every. Single. Day. And if you’re lucky (because you travel, work hard, and write every day), you will start making money. You might even learn how to make money writing travel articles for your own blog! I’ve written for big and little magazines, newspapers, churches, hospitals, websites like MSN and Yahoo, and even book publishers. Nothing compares to making money from my own blogs.

6. What are the most common mistakes travel writers make?

“Writing first-person journals rather than travel stories,” says Canadian travel writer Margo Pfeiff. “Stories are best told through the writer’s eyes; the writer’s perspective and personality should come through in the telling, but the writer should not be the focus of the article.” 

“ The biggest travel writing mistakes are to do with accuracy,” says Paul Clammer, author of several travel guidebooks including Haiti (Bradt Travel Guides). “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your prose is, no reader will forgive you if you write that the train station is on the opposite side of town. Everything else flows from the accuracy of those facts you collect in the field. ”

“First, writers assume readers will be as interested in their travels as they are,” says Rolf Potts, author of Marco Polo Didn’t Go There: Stories and Revelations from One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer . “Second, they stick too hard to chronology instead of telling a story. All the worst stories are just a bland recounting of events.”

7. What is the downside of travel writing?

“Travel writing is rewarding in so many ways, but it’s not a job that really has a career ladder,” says Clammer. “You’re always hustling, so if you get in, make sure you enjoy the hustle. Oh, and never try to buy a house when you’re in the middle of a research trip in the Indian Himalaya.” 

“Poor pay, a little too much travel early on that wasn’t good for my social life or my love life,” says Cahill.

“Distance from family and friends,” says freelance writer George Dunford. “I was working in Singapore when my aunt died and missed her funeral, which is impossible to replace. You spend a lot of time away and it can be hard to stay in touch with people as their lives change.”

“There’s no security in a freelance travel writing career, and that can be really scary,” says Daisann McLane, who writes regularly for the National Geographic Traveler magazine. “On the other hand, when you travel to so many different places and you see how people live outside of your little bubble, you realize how ridiculous the very idea of security is, from a global perspective…When I catch myself freaking out about my lack of a 401(k) plan, I slap myself back with a reality check: most people in the world don’t have anything to catch them if they fall except their will and determination to press on.”

8. What is your best advice for getting a travel book published?

“Take every opportunity to travel and be sure to write about it along the way,” says Mara Vorhees, author of various guidebooks such as Lonely Planet Pocket Moscow & St Petersburg . “Stay abreast of the latest technology. There are always new tools that make your job a little easier. Use technology to develop your brand as a travel writer. Becoming known as an expert in your field can open doors for bigger and better writing opportunities for writing travel guidebooks.”

“Publish with the local newspaper, in the weekly travel section,” says Cahill. “This allows you to travel, to write, to work with professional editors and understand, from the get-go, that travel isn’t a high-paying career. Lately, with newspapers laying off journalists right and left, this is a wide-open market for freelance writers. ”

9. Do travel writers need literary agents to get published?

I’ve only had one literary agent and one traditionally published book, but I think it depends on the match between writer and agent. If you’re kindred publishing spirits, it’s heaven! If you and your agent aren’t on the same page, it’s hell. Or just a black hole. After my first book was published, I sent my literary agent a book proposal for a second book. She forwarded it to the editor of the publishing house. They loved the title ( Your Heart Changes Everything ) but wanted to see how my first book sold. It didn’t sell well because I didn’t promote or market it; I didn’t want to dwell in loss. I wanted to move forward into travel and faith! I never heard back from the literary agent, the editor, or the publishing house. I was disappointed because I thought I’d have more of a relationship with a literary agent.

Most published authors say having a literary agent is vital.

“ I have an agent,” says Cahill. “They are important for books. You can get one by submitting a query letter and/or manuscript to the list of agents who accept manuscripts found in the back of Writer’s Market: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published . A literary agent is familiar with contracts (which are, in my case, 80 pages single spaced). In the contract, the publisher takes everything. An agent knows what can be crossed out without a fight, how much of a fight a deletion will entail, and what clauses the publisher will not delete under any circumstances. You need this expertise. Otherwise, believe it or not, a publisher will screw you. ”

“I think [a literary agent] is invaluable,”  says Andrew Bain, author of the Lonely Planet A Year of Adventures and Lonely Planet Experience Spain . “Publishers receive so many manuscripts, and the endorsement of an agent may be the only way to get your manuscript read. It tells the publisher that the manuscript has already been considered by someone whose opinion they hopefully respect.”

“An agent is vital,” says Rory MacLean, author of more than 10 travel books. “To find one scan the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook or look up the name of your favorite travel writer’s agent and approach him or her. Books submitted directly to big publishers often go unread.

Are you trying to get your book published? Read 17 Reasons Book Manuscripts Get Rejected by Publishers .

10. How much does a travel writer get paid?

“I [make money as a travel writer] by diversifying,” says freelance writer George Dunford. “I teach travel writing and writing for the web, which is a great way to get out of the office. I write journalism and reviews for newspapers and magazines. I try not to get tagged as the ‘travel writing guy.’ These days I work more in content strategy — looking at how websites can get better at talking to their audience.”  

“To be honest, for the first [travel] book the numbers rarely add up in terms of an income,” says Rory MacLean, author of Pravda Ha Ha: True Travels to the End of Europe . “ But if you’re serious about writing, you just have to take the risk. I was lucky. My first book, Stalin’s Nose: Across the Face of Europe , made the UK top 10. It meant that the advances paid for my second and subsequent books have been enough to survive on.” 

“I sell stories before deciding on a trip so that I know I will make a reasonable return for my time spent on the road,” says Margo Pfeiff, a Canadian writer and winner of various travel media writing awards. “I syndicate my travel stories to a number of newspapers and magazines that do not have overlapping circulations. My photos increase the size of my pay checks and I also write for non-travel publications that pay higher word rates than most newspaper and magazine travel sections .”

Freelance Writing Pay Rates for Newspaper and Magazine Articles is one of my most popular articles on my Writing Blossoms blog. The pay rates — which haven’t changed for decades — are for a variety of media outlets. As a freelance writer for magazines, I earn anywhere from 50 cents to one dollar per word. I generally don’t write for less than 50 cents a word, but it depends on the magazine or organization.

One last thing you need to know about travel writing pay rates

How to be a Travel Writer (Lonely Planet) was the source of the travel writers and authors’ answers to my frequently asked questions (FAQ) about writing. If you’re serious about becoming a travel writer, don’t just rely on travel blogs or writers’ websites for tips and inspiration. 

Buy a book about freelance writing and make challenge yourself: you will earn back the cost of the book before the year is out. This will give you motivation to learn as much as you can about travel writing, keep sending query letters, and take risks you might not otherwise take.

Here’s what the Lonely Planet guidebook says about freelance writing pay rates for writers: “Very few US-based freelance writers make more than $100,000 per year; the vast majority earn in the vicinity of $15,000 to $40,000 a year. A very good scenario would see you being lucky enough to receive six assignments from major magazines in one year. If each assignment was for an article of 3,000 words, and the magazines paid an average of $1.50 per word, that would come to $4,500 per story and a grand total of $27,000.”

And, to be realistic, few new freelance travel writers would earn $1.50 a word. A top magazine such as National Geographic Traveler or Conde Naste might pay a new freelancer $1 per word; smaller magazines with lower budgets might pay .10 cents a word. 

But wait, there’s good news! Travel writers aren’t limited to writing for travel magazines. Reader’s Digest , for example, has a lively travel section. Read 10 Things You Need to Know About Writing for Reader’s Digest .

Your thoughts, big and little, are welcome below. If you have any tips or tools for travel writing, please share. We love tips and tools 🙂 

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3 thoughts on “Do You Want to Be a Travel Writer? FAQ and Answers”

How do I resurrect my travel blog? While living abroad, I nurtured a blog for five years describing my experiences as an American expat living in Greece. I really didn’t know how to promote my blog (I was just doing it for fun and to archive my travel memories). When it was featured as Freshly Pressed (twice) my readership skyrocketed and my blog even went to the top of Google search. Now I have returned to the States but would like to rejuvenate my blog and try to earn some money on it. Any suggestions for keeping it going with a different angle since I don’t live there anymore? I just hate to see my blog die because I think the stories I tell are timeless.

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness.  One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” ~ George Orwell, Why I Write.

Many people aspire to start a travel blog, but simply fail to get the ball rolling due to a ‘lack of time.’ Certainly, blogging about traveling is a time-consuming process that can end up taking its toll on you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Not to mention financially because you have to travel!! But avoiding your dream to start a travel blog is more exhausting than just biting the bullet and blogging about traveling.

©iStock/Preto_perola

By Jen Stephens

My friends — many of whom work in offices, cubicles, courthouses, newsrooms, and under-funded non-profits — wonder aloud whether travel writing really is a job or simply an excuse I use to get out of town. I would argue that it is indeed a job — albeit a supremely enjoyable one.

Don’t get me wrong, as a travel writer you will spend some hours with your bum in a chair and your hands on a keyboard. But in my book, of all the kinds of writing you can do — fiction writing, academic writing, marketing writing, technical writing, and so on — travel writing is the most fun… and the most rewarding in terms of the quality of life it helps provide.

Here are a few reasons why…

An Excuse to Travel… and to Justify Your Travel

Perhaps you already took a long vacation this year. You might find it hard to explain to that voice in your head — the one that monitors your bank account — that you’re going to take another. But if you can make enough money selling a story about your trip to cover its cost… or at least defray, say, the cost of the airfare… well, then, that is not such a bad arrangement.

Take my freelancing friend Susan Doub: She and her husband spent a week on a boat in the waters off Belize, diving twice a day, sunning on the deck, eating meals prepared by the boat’s gourmet chef, and enjoying the company of a handful of fellow scuba diving enthusiasts. Before she booked the trip, she approached the company that runs the program and was able — as a travel writer — to arrange a discounted rate for the all- inclusive vacation. And then, when she returned home, she sold an article about it and made a few hundred dollars to help cover her costs.

Once you have some track record as a travel writer — a few published stories to your name — you’ll be able to do the same sort of thing. Plus you may be able to take deductions on your taxes for the “business expenses” associated with your travel and writing.

Hospitality, VIP Treatment and Complimentary Trips (Here’s How the System Works)

Let me take a minute here to discuss why — and how — travel writers are able to take advantage of complimentary trips… meals… accommodation… tickets to shows… invitations to museum openings, and more.

It works, because one of the ways travel-related businesses advertise is by inviting travel writers to experience (for free) what they have to offer — maybe a tour, cruise, special event, or resort package — in hopes that you’ll have positive experiences and write favorable articles in magazines, newspapers, newsletters, or online.

The more articles written about a place, the rationale goes, the more tourists will go there.

And more tourists mean more money.

As you begin to get articles published and your name becomes known in the business, you’ll start to receive offers of hospitality. What’s more, as I mentioned earlier, you’ll be in a strong position to arrange your own, reduced-rate or complimentary stays and tailor what you do and see to an itinerary that suits your article ideas perfectly.

Traveling Becomes a Richer, More Interesting Experience

Travel writing is, after all, about more than just the freebies. It’s also about seeing the world in a new way. Travel writing demands you pay greater attention to where you are than you might if you were just passing through as a tourist. You must train yourself to notice the smells, the sounds, the tastes, the cultural differences… what people are wearing and what they’re talking about.

To me, it’s this meeting people and this uncovering of the universal truths and fundamental differences about destinations the world over that gives life its greatest texture and interest.

An Expressive Outlet for Your Thoughts, Interests and Opinions

You may dream about doing another kind of writing — of penning a novel or of writing a screenplay. Do it… but understand that kind of project requires a long-term investment in time and creative energy.

Travel writing is a way to begin writing, a way to get into the habit of writing.

And it — like fiction-writing and other genres — requires your thoughtful analysis, your opinions, your creativity. And so by writing travel articles you’re helping to make a habit of the same kinds of skills you’ll employ in those other kinds of writing, too.

But travel writing, unlike those other kinds of writing, is more immediately rewarding. You begin a project, you write your article, you sell your article, and there, in your hands, is a published piece of your work with your name on it.

And that, as any published writer will tell you, is greatly satisfying. A friend of mine writes user-manuals for Microsoft. Another writes project proposals for a company that runs lotteries for states and countries. I have many friends who write marketing copy (and I, too, spend many hours a week doing this kind of writing).

But I can tell you that in terms of gaining that feeling of satisfaction, of success, of a job well done… travel writing wins. And, as I’ve said, the perks like free travel, seeing the world in a richer way and working for yourself come with their own set of rewards…

In Fact, You Don’t Actually Have to Travel at All

As a travel writer, you don’t even have to travel. You might argue that this is not a benefit…

but I think it is. Travel writing is something you can do from home… because your home is a destination for other people.

Just as travel writing allows you to discover new places you wouldn’t find as a tourist, it can also allow you to discover your own hometown and places nearby in a way you don’t habitually do as a local. You go out in search of activities travelers would enjoy. You make a point of going to see that visiting exhibit at your local museum.

And just as coming to understand faraway places makes your life that much richer, having that same insider’s understanding of your own home environment makes your everyday life more interesting and more satisfying as well.

©iStock/ra2studio

By now, you know all about the romantic appeal of travel writing. You understand the benefits it offers — the VIP travel, the opportunity to meet new people, the chance to see the world in a whole new way… and the pleasure in doing all of that and getting paid for it, too.

Perhaps there’s one question nagging at you, though: Do you really have what it takes to make a go of it in this business? If that’s your worry, you’re in good company. It’s what most readers ask at this point.

My answer: I’m willing to bet you do.

You see, over the years, I’ve enjoyed a fair margin of success as a travel writer and editor, and I’ve worked personally with hundreds of writers — lots of them new to the job. I’ve developed a pretty good idea — based on practical experience — about what it takes to “make it” in this field.

Many of the most successful writers I’ve worked with never had any formal training as “writers” per se. They didn’t have degrees in journalism or in English, nor did they write in some other field in their day-to-day lives. They simply enjoyed a passion for travel, had a good eye for detail, and had learned how to deliver a story just the way an editor would want it.

A couple of years back, I surveyed the attendees at one of Great Escape’s live travel writer workshops to find out what the participants did in their “other” lives, when they weren’t learning to be travel writers. Their backgrounds ran the gamut: travel agent… financial consultant… freelance photographer… television executive… stay-at-home mom… architect… accounting professor… retired elementary-school teacher… newspaper columnist… painter… retired surgeon… real estate developer… acupuncturist… even a college president…

The list goes on. But my point is this: Just as they’ve become successful, so can you.

Requirement 1: You Need a Desire to Succeed

This desire — coupled with a willingness to do some work (though it’s hardly back-breaking labor) — is the main ingredient you need if you want to be a successful, moneymaking travel writer.

Requirement 2: You Need an Interest in Seeing New Places and Meeting New People

To be a successful travel writer, you have to be curious about the world — both near and far — and the people who inhabit it. You have to dream of walking the back streets of Yokohama in search of the world’s best sashimi… or of playing darts with the local champion in some little pub in Limerick… maybe of riding a camel to see, first-hand, the tomb of Tutankhamen…

And certainly now as you’re starting out, you should be curious about what’s around you at home. Strike up a conversation with the local merchants in your town’s farmers’ market… or knock on the door at that new B&B in town and introduce yourself…

You have to enjoy meeting new people — might be dignitaries, might be flower-sellers on the street — and speaking with them about their view of the world, what interests them, what they think of the place where they live. (I should say, by way of caveat: You don’t have to be the most outgoing person on earth to do this. You’d be surprised at how liberating that little reporter’s notebook can be.)

Requirement 3: You Have to Be Opinionated

Now, don’t take this the wrong way. Often “being opinionated” carries a negative connotation. Who wants to be around somebody who always has something to say about this or that?

But in the context of travel writing — or just about any writing, for that matter — being “opinionated” is a strength. You need to make judgment calls about all sorts of things — which hotel is better, how one beach compares to another, why this place would make a good destination for a family of travelers or why it would not. And you can’t do that without opinions.

Your job as a travel writer is, in large part, to persuade people to believe in your point of view. If you visit Madagascar and love it, you want that love to shine through in your writing. You want to persuade your readers that they’d love it as well. If, on the other hand, you visit some tourist trap that’s not worth going to, you want to use the power of your words to get that message across to your readers.

To do that, you simply can’t operate without opinions.

The fact is: When you write a travel article, you’re “selling” your ideas, convincing the reader that your opinions are valid and worth acting on. Now, you may resist this idea that travel writing is about “selling” anything. Perhaps you have no interest in being a “salesperson.” But before you close this text with a scowl, ask yourself a few questions:

• Do you like to convince people that your point of view is right? (Doesn’t everybody?)
• Do you like to have your own way? (Of course you do.)
• Have you ever convinced your spouse (or a friend) to go to a movie you wanted to see? (Surely you have.)
• Have you ever gotten anyone to do you a favor? (Don’t try to deny it.)

If you answered those questions as I suspect you did, then you’re both opinionated enough and enough of a salesperson to serve our purposes here.

Requirement 4: You Must Be Observant

So far, we’ve been talking about traits you almost certainly already have — your interest in meeting new people, seeing new places, traveling well… your desire to succeed and willingness to work for that success… and so on. Now we’re talking about a skill you may have to learn to develop: You need to be observant.

The good news for you is that this skill is easily learned and practiced. It’s really a matter of looking, listening, feeling, tasting, and smelling in a new way. And once you train yourself to be observant, you’ll find yourself doing these things as a matter of course, without even thinking about it. (In fact, in some instances, you’ll have to remind yourself to “turn off” your writer’s “eye”… to stop being so observant to more fully be a part of what’s going on around you.)

Requirement 5: You Need to Be Willing to Read and Do Research

If you want to persuade somebody to do something — even if it’s something as fun as visiting Cancun or going on a ski trip to the Swiss Alps — you need to know what you’re talking about. That’s because there’s nothing that makes you seem better informed or more persuasive than detailed knowledge.

This means that as a travel writer you have to do some research before you leave home, while you’re on the road and possibly, too, when you come home. I’m not talking about painfully hard work — not the kind of research you might have done for a college paper. But beforehand, for instance, you need to be willing to spend some time online or at your local library learning a bit about this place you’re going to visit… even if it’s right there in the city you’ve been living in for years.

Requirement 6: You Must Make a Commitment to Put Words on Paper

The best way to become a writer is to write.

That sounds like a cliché — but it’s true. It’s also true that many would-be travel writers never get out of the starting gate. They go on trips, they do research, and they may even get assignments. But they never actually get around to writing. In fact, a certain percentage of members enrolled in The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program never bother to do their assignments.

These people never realize their full potential — either because they don’t have the commitment to write as much as they might, or because they don’t have the discipline it takes to write when they need to meet their deadlines.

Writing… it can be challenging, certainly, but it’s hardly arduous labor. Coal mining, logging, doing construction… now that’s hard work. In truth, writing can be a wholly satisfying exercise. So sit down every day — even if only for 20 minutes — turn your computer on, put your hands on the keyboard and write something — anything. The blank page becomes less intimidating the more times you stare it down.

©iStock/apichon_tee

I suggest you begin by writing about someplace near you. When you write about things and places you know in your hometown — attractions, events, galleries, parks, hotels, restaurants, travel-related services — you can be sure that you’re picking places worth writing about. (Sometimes it can be hard to tell when you’re visiting a place for the first time.)

That makes your hometown a smart place to start when you’re gearing up to sell travel articles, because you don’t have to second-guess yourself. After all, you’re going to know your own backyard better than a visitor who merely spent a few hours poking around.

Writing about what’s around you can give you an edge when you’re approaching publications because it allows you to position yourself as an expert of sorts. Editors appreciate that. And they like to print stories from locals who are “in the know.”

It can have its perks locally, too…

Make sure you’ve introduced yourself to the public relations folks at your local tourist board, chamber of commerce, zoo, museum, and so on. And be sure your name is on their press-release lists (just ask to be added — they’ll do so gladly). Establish yourself as a writer in town, and these folks will keep you in mind when they’re getting ready to promote something new. You may even get invited to the opening. Nice perk.

But beyond that, when you’re a local writer, these folks will think of you as a resource. Editors at magazines regularly call tourist boards to ask, “Do you know a good local writer?” And you just might be the one whose name gets passed along. You can’t underestimate the power of a recommendation like that.

It happened to me recently. An airline that hasn’t flown here before is starting service to and from my local airport. The editor of that airline’s inflight magazine called my local tourist board to ask if anyone there knew a local writer. They did. Me. And I got the assignment. No work required.

The same thing happens when you write for local publications. Editors call editors. Say you wrote a piece for your hometown paper. Not long after, an editor at a publication one state over decides he wants to cover your town. He doesn’t have a staff writer to do it, so he gets on the phone with the editor who bought your story and says, “Hey, do you know a reliable freelancer who writes well?” That person could be you.

Don’t assume you have to get on a plane to write a travel piece. Your best subject matter might be sitting five minutes from your front door.

Now, how to begin? It’s easy. You begin exactly the same way you’d begin any writing project.

1. Find a subject. The best ideas are unique, specific, and targeted to a particular audience (more on this later). So don’t set out today to write the definitive article about your hometown. Instead, think smaller. Is there a museum you might focus on? Or a nature center? Or a B&B? Or a festival?

2. Plan to write a short piece. By that, I mean a manageable article of 100-500 words.

3. Keep a particular audience in mind as you research and write. Keep asking yourself, “Who would be interested in this? And what would she want and need to know?” Let the answers to those questions decide what you put in — and what you leave out of — your story.

4. Plan to write more than one story about your visit. Gather lots of information. Find out if anything special is taking place during your visit or at another time. Any good fairs or festivals? You might not use the information for the piece you’re working on, but it may be useful for another article about it.

5. Do some research ahead of time about where to go and what to see. Of course, you don’t have to stick rigidly to your plan, but nothing beats good preparation.

6. Look beyond the obvious. Are there interesting snippets of history associated with your topic? Does a member of the staff have an unusual story to share? Looking beyond the “surface” will often make for the most interesting stories.

Here are a couple stories from our members making this work for them...

From full-time nurse to full-time travel writer.

By Noreen Kompanik in San Diego, CA

A nurse for 34 years, I put my heart and soul into my career.

But as I neared retirement, I was searching for something I could do for the rest of my life — something fun, less stressful and still rewarding. To be honest, it was time to start thinking about ME. I’d saved a lot of lives, now I needed to save mine!

Travel writing seemed the perfect fit. I love to travel, love to write, so, why not marry those and get paid to travel for the rest of my life?

But how to make the successful transition happen?

I took action.

Still working full-time, I couldn’t afford to spend inordinate amounts of time writing stories and researching publications.

So, I used breaks at work, a few hours on my days off or on weekends to write, research, send queries and submit stories.

By the end of my first year, I’d had 47 stories published. I was getting paid for my articles, and I’d landed my very first press trip.

When the opportunity came to cut my hours at work, I jumped on it. That provided more time to travel and write.

But, there were lessons learned along the way.

I had to overcome my fear of sending that first query. But, I did it. And that action landed me two stories in well-paying print publications.

I set goals. Daily goals. And I wrote them down. These became weekly goals as I became busier.

I networked. There’s so much information out there that if shared, we all know so much more.

I applied for more press trips. These all-inclusive trips were something I’d once dreamed about, but now they were happening for me.

I’m proof the system works. With my 300th article soon to be published and my 12th press trip already scheduled, I’m hanging up my stethoscope for good!

Shanghaied into the World of Travel Writing

By Mark Andrews in Shanghai, China

My journey into travel writing and photography began shortly after obtaining a degree in business administration, with a focus on international marketing.

Upon graduation, I accepted an English teaching position in Japan. Adventurous? Yes. But, I’ve always loved to travel.

The thought of relaying my stories through words and pictures really appealed to me.

Working overseas and sharing a passion for writing made travel writing a natural fit. I kept thinking “I can do this”, and so I did.

My very first two articles were published while I was in Japan. And this proved to be a great way to help finance my travel.

Fortune smiled, and I landed a three-year university teaching assignment that only required me to work two days a week. It was enough money to live on yet still give me long holidays and blocks of time I could devote to writing.

I moved to Shanghai where there were many English-speaking publications aimed at the local expat market. These publications were open to freelance contributions — and they paid. It was the perfect way to build my writing portfolio.

Looking back, I’ve accomplished many things in my travel writing career, and I’ve been proud of them all — though nothing will ever match the thrill of seeing my first article and pictures in print! That moment was really special.

I don’t write for free unless there’s a crystal-clear benefit. I learned quickly that if I don’t value my work, no one else will either.

I also think globally, not just pitching to U.S. markets. It’s a big world out there, and much of my success has been in publications not considered traditional ‘English speaking.’

Photography has also grown in importance to me. This was a weak area early in my writing career. But a few photography workshops and getting the right equipment has made all the difference in the world.

Believing in me has been important in my journey. But, ultimately, you really have to just go for it!

Tim Cotroneo experienced a travel writing perk when he got to stay for a night in an incredible five-bedroom villa looking out onto the Caribbean Sea. He also received an on-the-house golf press trip to Spain and a private cooking demonstration led by a chef at a five-star restaurant on the island of Antigua.

Candi Licence got named Principal Writer and Editor of Grenada's Carnival Souvenir magazine. This meant that she got free and VIP access to every event (over 12 in total), was paid for some of her time attending the events, plus got paid by the hour for writing up each event.

Terri Marshall was a tax accountant looking for a life change. She used travel writing to position herself as an expert at something she loves – chocolate! She landed invitations and press trips to places like Belize, where she got to harvest cacao and try her hand at making chocolate bars. Paris, where she took a class from a world-famous chocolatier... an invitation by Lindt Chocolate to preview its new float before it debuted in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade... and an invitation to visit the headquarters of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Vermont, including a meeting with Ben and Jerry themselves.

About the Author

Jennifer Stevens spent the balance of many years gallivanting through Latin America and the Caribbean — to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Belize, and beyond writing about the best locales for overseas travel, retirement, and investment. She is the Executive Editor of International Living and prior to her position at IL, was a writer and editor at Trade & Culture magazine, a bi-monthly about international trade issues.

In an earlier incarnation, she taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer on an island in the Indian Ocean. Jennifer is the author of The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program published by Great Escape Publishing. For more information about it and the live workshops she leads, visit: www.greatescapepublishing.com .

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How To Be A Travel Writer When You’re Not Traveling?

• By: Riyanka
• May 20, 2021
• (0) Comments

If a travel writer isn’t traveling, that doesn’t mean they can’t be writing stories about travel. We merely need to think outside the typical 'I went here' tales and dig into stories that we can tell while we're at home - stories that we haven't shared before, reflecting on past travel experiences that often open up fresh opportunities for us, or maybe interviewing people virtually, to see the world from their viewpoint.

“How do you even write about travel/create travel content when you’re not traveling?”

That’s a question many people have on their minds when they see others sharing travel photos on Instagram, or probably working as a travel writer while we’re living in a lockdown, struggling through the second wave of the pandemic. And then there are people I know, who are writing the most beautiful & inspiring travel stories, keeping the wanderlust alive in them as well as their readers.

The fact is, work (creating travel content) for us doesn’t stop even though we’re staying indoors, with our wings clipped.

If you’ve been contemplating about getting started as a travel content creator or looking forward to starting your own travel blog amidst the pandemic and wondering how to curate enough content to write while you’re mostly indoors, then it’s time to think differently!  Truth be told, it’s not always necessary to be on the roads or live a nomadic life to create amazing travel content. Especially when the world is still waging a war against the Coronavirus, the best move, for now, would be to stay at home. And while you do so, here are some ideas that I would love to share with you, hoping that you can let the words weave breathtaking tales to delight the hodophile in you!

1) Write more about the place that’s close to your heart.

There’s nothing more satisfying than writing about home – the place where you’ve been born & brought up, or the place where you’re living currently. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are – because to someone, that place is an interesting & exotic destination. As your journeys are now restricted, it’s the best time to shift your focus from only writing about places that you’ve traveled to and start writing about the destination that’s close to your heart. There are so many things that you probably know about the city you’re living in – from the hidden gems to the hole-in-the-wall eateries, from the best souvenir shops to local hideouts – pour your emotions into writing articles that describe the place from where you belong.

2) Unearth a new story from previous journeys.

One trip can give birth to various stories! You just need to make sure that you get more posts out of your previous journeys, rather than concentrating on writing just one piece. Reflecting on past travel experiences can open up fresh opportunities – and you can break up your experiences into smaller posts that would be easy to read as well as engaging. You can focus on writing an article about the best places to eat; another one on the accommodations you opted for; and another one sharing some of the most popular spots that one can visit in that particular destination. For example: When I decided to write about our trip to Cambodia , I essentially wrote separate articles about the itinerary we followed, the things to do in Siem Reap other than exploring Angkor Wat, and some of our personal experiences as well.

From my personal experience, I’ve realized that readers often don’t like to be overwhelmed with information but if you’ve broken down your experiences into smaller articles, then people won’t feel like they are getting too much at once. It entirely depends on you, and how you want to narrate your stories and perhaps, there’s a story you haven’t told earlier & it’s relevant now more than ever!

3)Interview people virtually and write their stories.

What can be better than talking to other travelers during this pandemic, and getting to know more about them & their journeys? Interviewing people virtually will let you shift your focus and look at the world from their perspective.

Recently, I interviewed an American couple – Annette & Daniel – who got stuck in Thailand last year , and gave birth to a baby amidst the Corona chaos! Well yeah, I couldn’t have asked for a better conversation with folks who utilized their entire lockdown to make YouTube videos from their previous explorations, sharing their day-to-day lives and also about the trips they took once domestic traveling was allowed in the country. Although I’ve been to Thailand before, it felt like I was rediscovering each place while talking to them – and maybe, someday I’d wanna go back and do things that I’ve missed out in Thailand.

I also wrote about a friend, Sharada,  who was born and brought up in Goa – a popular tourist destination in India, often considered to be the Hippies’ Paradise! Through her words, she took me for a walk along the beaches, made me taste the local cuisine, and told me tales of the encounters she had with tourists since childhood. For me, it wasn’t just a charming rendezvous with Goa, but I did get to know my friend a little more closely.

4) Find a unique spin & write about that.

A travel writer needs to find a unique spin and work on that! Concentrating on curating niche articles will surely open up more topics to write about and encourage you to research things that are of interest. For example, if you are someone who’s absolutely in love with the mountains (like me!) and enjoys going on treks, then you can write about the best treks that one can do, what to pack for a trek, advice for first-time trekkers, so on and so forth. And if you’re someone who’s an absolute foodie – go ahead and write about the various cuisines across the world, or the best places to eat in a particular city, or maybe about a traditional dish of a region, or a forgotten recipe of an unknown land! Once you find your niche and have a clear voice, there will be no dearth of topics and you’ll be amazed by the knowledge you’d gather while you’re at home!

While I’ve been working as a travel writer for almost a couple of years now, I’ve realized that my niche is volunteering trips, sustainable journeys, eco-tourism, and responsible tourism. Needless to say, it gives me enough joy and a sense of satisfaction to meet people from across the globe, who are keen to set out for meaningful journeys, to make this world a better place to live.

5) Go looking for your inspiration.

I know that it’s not always easy to curate travel-related topics, especially at a time when all your plans have either been canceled or are at a halt. But I’d suggest you go looking for inspiration – whether it’s reading a book where the author takes you through the dense forests of the Amazon Basin or watching a movie that leaves you dreaming about the cobbled streets of Bruges!

As I was struggling to dig out fresh themes for my articles and look beyond my clichéd vocabulary, I attended a Travel Writing Workshop hosted by Saumia Bhatnagar – and she helped me to go back to the basics, brushed up the old lessons of figurative language, and encouraged me to scroll through old photographs, amidst which I found new stories.

Over the years , I’ve realized that travel writing isn’t just about telling people ‘I went here’ and ‘I did this’ – but it’s more about sharing our encounters with various places, people, culture, heritage, history, and dispelling stereotypes about the world.  It’s about portraying our journey through our words, in order to let the readers experience the same.

And now that we’re all at a pause, maybe this is the time to look deep within ourselves and go inward, write about our personal take on why we want to travel the world or what traveling really means to us, or maybe about the lessons that traveling has taught us or probably how our journeys have changed us. 

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An absolute foodie and a die-hard ‘mountain-aholic’, I love to read and write! (Give me a book and I’ll love you all the more!) Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to travel to a lot of places across India and abroad, and I escaped to the mountains often – blame it on my ardent love for the quaint Himalayan towns and Lemon-Honey-Ginger tea!

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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
• 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

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Travel Writers are also known as: Travel Journalist

Travel Journaling Guide: How to Write the Ultimate Travel Diary

Travel journaling allows you to preserve your travel memories for life. It’s a fact of life that memories fade over time. Some may disappear within seconds, while others can stay clear for hours, days or weeks. Travel memories that are written down, however, are there for life.

If you’ve been tracking down waterfalls in the Cuban jungle, it’s only a matter of time until you forget the blood-red feathers of the Cuban trogon you stumbled upon. What about the name of that man you met on the Paris Metro? The ins and outs of your journey on a night bus in Vietnam? The accidental shortcut you found in Switzerland?

As a travel writer, I’ve been travel journaling in one shape or form for my whole life. However, you don’t have to be a writer to start a travel journal. It can be as simple, as short or as complex as you like, with the following travel journaling guide.

Whether you bullet-point everything or smash out several pages of prose per day, your travel journal doesn’t just preserve precious travel memories. It’s a place to self-reflect on your journey, record facts and quotes, and creatively display your travels so far. The best part? All you need to start travel journaling is a notebook, a pen and a travel plan.

Table of Contents

What is travel journaling?

Travel journaling is the act of keeping a written record of your travels. While this typically refers to keeping a chronological (hour-by-hour and day-by-day) travel diary, some travel journalers might also sketch, create collages or draw infographics to tell a story.

Travel journaling is unique to each storyteller, but at its core, it’s about relaying your experiences for an imaginary or real reader and recording your adventures for your future self to look back on.

The only piece of equipment you need to begin travel journaling is a notebook. This could be as simple as a basic lined or unlined notebook. However, some notebooks are designed specifically as travel diaries and aim to prompt the author, such as the  Travel Listography Diary  and the  You Are Here Mindful Travel Journal .

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Book your hotel or hostel on Booking.com or Hostelworld .

Protect against accidents and emergencies with insurance from Staysure or SafetyWing .

Find a tour or experience on Get Your Guide .

Travel the world for free with TrustedHousesitters .

Travel Journaling: Should I keep a travel journal?

Anyone can keep a travel journal, whether you’re creating a travel journal to share memories with family and friends when you return home, or just for yourself. It’s a souvenir of sorts, but one that has a personal meaning to you and captures your exact thoughts and feelings at a specific time and place in your journey.

You might want to keep a travel journal if…

1. You want your memories to become sharper and more meaningful.

At school, teachers often advise students to write down facts to remember them. The same goes for memories. Writing about a memory stimulates your brain to recall and remember specific details from that moment.

When you revisit a memory like that, it sends your brain a signal that that particular memory is important. It is prioritised above other, more insignificant memories from the day, the week or the year. As a result, you’re more likely to be able to recall it in the future.

At the same time, revisiting a memory allows you to add meaning to your experience. By exploring the thoughts and feelings that came along with the physical sensations, you’re able to bring a unique, personal meaning to what happened.

2. You’d like to relive a memory a second time.

When I urged a friend I met on my travels to try recording his memories on paper, one of the most significant things he said was, “It’s like I get to experience it all over a second time.”

That’s one of the best parts about travel journaling. In your own, unique way, you get to experience something in detail for a second time. You might feel the same rush of adrenaline, the same apprehension or the same ‘lightbulb moment’.

3. You want to jot down contact details of new friends.

Sometimes you meet people on the road and they have a huge impact on you in some way or another: a blasé comment that stuck with you, a new perspective on a topic you thought you’d already figured out, or an unexpected friend in a moment where you really needed it. Just as often, you forget to ask for their contact information or you lose it in the mayhem.

Anything can happen to your phone when you’re travelling: loss, theft, damage, or unexpected memory wipes. Jotting down important contact details in your travel journal creates a second, permanent copy of their details. You never know, you might want to share some of the entries they starred in as a way to reflect on your fleeting time together.

4. You want to work through complex thoughts and feelings.

There’s a reason why many therapists and life coaches suggest writing down how you’re feeling. It’s a very effective way of processing complex or difficult emotions.

You might have had a travel experience that has shook you up slightly – an illness or a missed flight, perhaps – and want to get your immediate frustrations out on paper. Maybe you’ve come to a big realisation about the way you handle stress or adversity. Either way, your travel journal is a great way to work through the feelings.

Bottling up emotions isn’t good for anyone, so this is a particularly handy use for a travel diary if you’re a solo traveller who doesn’t have anyone to vent to immediately. This can all boost your self awareness, protect yourself from future mishaps, and generate a greater understanding of yourself.

5. You want to reflect on your travels so far and what you’d like out of the rest of your trip.

Travel can be a whirlwind. However, by reflecting on your travels so far, you can assess what have been the most meaningful experiences in your trip so far, and seek out similar experiences in the future.

Similarly, it can help you to realise if you’ve been focusing on one particular experience so far – for example, hiking or visiting historical sites. It might influence you to try something new, like attending a cultural festival, going on a village walk or engaging in some  offbeat travel  experiences.

6. You want to save ideas for an online travel diary or social media posts.

Whether you’re a content creator, a digital nomad, or simply someone who likes to share your travels with friends and family, travel journaling can be a great way to fine-tune ideas for future stories, whether written or visual.

You might be planning to create your own blog or post photos on Instagram with in-depth captions. Setting up your own website is relatively inexpensive to do nowadays with websites such as  Bluehost  offering cheap, affordable domains and hosting plans – this is the site I used to set up my own blog.

Draft ideas for stories and captions in your travel journal, and use a highlighter to pick out your best ideas.

7. You want to improve your writing skills

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or a complete beginner, the simple act of travel journaling every day (or every other day) will give you more practice in the art of the written word.

This will carry over into your studies, essay-writing, creative writing, email-writing, or general communication skills. It also boosts your confidence as a writer.

8. You want something tangible to share with family or friends.

Unless you’re planning on keeping your travel journal to yourself, a travel diary is a great hand-me-down that will give your ancestors a taste of your travels and personality. It’s also an excellent way to connect with friends and families back home, and give them the run-down on what you got up to. If you travelled with a partner or a friend, it’s also an excellent shared keepsake.

Travel Journaling: What should a travel journal include?

When it comes to the question of ‘what should a travel journal include?’, I use the word ‘should’ lightly. Your travel journal is uniquely yours. It doesn’t  have  to include anything you don’t want it to.

However, there are many things that you might want to include in your travel journal, so the following list should provide some inspiration.

Pick and choose the ideas you like and  experiment  to see what works for you. What works for you will be different than what works for other travel journalers.

1. Brainstorming

You don’t need to wait until your departure date to begin travel journaling. It can also be used to plan your trip. Before anything else, you might want to dedicate a page (or a few) to brainstorming.

Do you want a budget or a luxury trip? Do you want to see the beaches, mountains, jungle, lakes, rivers, or deserts? Which countries match your non-negotiables? Who might you invite, or who can you connect with out there? This sort of brainstorming can streamline the planning process and help you to get the most out of your trip.

2. Trip research

After brainstorming comes the more nitty-gritty trip research. Your travel notebook is ideal for this too. It’s easy to open up a dozen or more tabs on your laptop or mobile device, so you can use the physical notebook to jot down key destinations and activities that have captured your attention. This will help you to narrow down your itinerary once and for all.

3. A trip plan

You can take this a step further and write a complete plan for your trip. If you don’t want your notebook to get too messy, you can simply add your finalised itinerary. This will be very helpful when you’re actually travelling, because you can store all of your booking information and your travel timeline in one place.

This is what I do, and it keeps my mind clear and my travel plan organised. I also include back-up ideas for activities and alternative transport options should anything go awry.

4. A travel diary

When you start to gather first-hand travel experiences, you can begin to record a diary of the events. You might want to write in prose, which is the best way to let your thoughts flow freely onto the page.

An alternative option is to take bullet points, which help you to get down information quickly before you forget it. You might also want to alternate between the two, writing in bullet points when you’re short on time and writing in prose when you feel particularly inspired.

5. Other travel memorabilia

Your travel journal doesn’t just have to be a written diary. You can collect – and glue down – other travel memorabilia such as ticket stubs, receipts or dried flowers.

Just remember to pack a small glue stick or double-sided tape and scissors (in your checked bag, not your carry-on bag).

Some travel memorabilia that you might want to stick into your travel diary include:

• Ticket stubs.
• Foreign bank notes.
• Newspaper clippings.
• Dried flowers.
• Food wrappers.
• Luggage tag labels.

6. Sketches

If you’re particularly artistic, sketching the scenery, wildlife, or people you see on your journey is a great way to bring your diary to life. If you’re not artistically inclined, a small caricature might be more accessible and just as fun.

Others might prefer to paint in watercolour; there are a number of  watercolour travel journals  available.

Travel journaling: How do you write a travel journal entry?

When you start recording your first travel journal entry, my first piece of advice is simply to start writing.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to make sense to anyone but you. If you work better with an outline, the following prompts should get you started.

1. Write down the date.

The most important thing to do, and perhaps the only rule of travel journaling, is that you should start by writing down the date of your entry. If you can, include the day of the week too, as this can often give extra context – for example, if it’s the weekend, it might explain why the crowds in your destination were so lively or the public transport delayed.

I recommend using the format: Thursday, 21st July, 2022. You want to be able to look back on the date of the entry and see how much time has passed since it took place.

2. Write down your location.

The second most important thing to write down is your location. It’s a good idea to be as specific as possible. Include the town, the village or even the hotel or hostel you’re staying at.

This makes it easier to re-imagine the scenario when you’re reading your diary back. It also makes the entry more accurate and places the event somewhere tangible.

3. Decide whether you’re going to write in prose or use bullet points.

As a rule of thumb, it’s best to get your memories down on paper when they are still fresh. If you’re pressed on time, you might want to take bullet points rather than write in prose. If more than a couple of days have passed, you’ll start losing some of the sharper details.

4. Start writing chronologically.

It might be tempting to jump right into the drama that happened in your evening. However, writing your travel diary chronologically is the easiest way to keep it understandable.

The version of events can get confusing if the narrator is constantly skipping from 7pm to 10am, then to 3pm and back to 10am again.

Begin by writing about your morning. What time did you wake up? What did you eat for breakfast? Who did you talk to? Where did you go from there? It’s also easier to recall memories this way and follow a clear train of thought.

5. Be specific.

As a rule of thumb, the more specific your writing is, the better. This is because the smaller details such as street names or direct quotes are some of the first things that will fade from your memory.

If you really want to bring the memory back to life, focus on the details:  location, names, times, dates, quotes, and specific thoughts.

The following prompts might come in handy:

• What did you eat? Where did you dine? How did it taste? What was the texture of the food?
• Who did you speak to? What were their names?
• Did you discover anything new today? Are there any facts you can recall? Did your destination meet your expectations?
• What was your favourite part of the day?
• What was your least favourite part of the day?
• Did you have any realisations throughout the day? What did you learn about yourself?
• How did you feel mentally? Were you energised, homesick, nervous, excited, or content?
• How did you feel physically? Were you in full health, hungry, full, sore, sleepy, or hormonal?

6. Be truthful.

Not every day is all roses and butterflies. At the same time, not every day is packed with drama and turbulence. It can be tempting to over-exaggerate your version of events, for a number of reasons.

You might want to make your trip sound more positive, add drama to your diary, or impress your real (or imagined) readers.

Remember, journaling isn’t just about creating a story. It’s about gaining self-awareness, improving your understanding of the world and working through the feelings that arise as a result of your travels. You can’t do that if you’re trying to paint your journey in a specific light the entire time.

Travel insurance is essential for any trip abroad. If you’re in an accident or experience an emergency, you need adequate cover. I recommend  Staysure  for single or multiple trips per year and SafetyWing for digital nomads.

Travel journaling tips

1. decide whether you want to use a dated diary or a general notebook..

There are pros and cons to purchasing a dated diary over a general notebook. The problem with a notebook is that it’s just a notebook.

A general notebook:

+ There are no restrictions on how long your entries are.

+ It’s more space-efficient for those travelling long-term, as you don’t have to start a new entry at the top of a page.

+ More freedom to doodle.

– Less incentive to make an entry.

– It can get scruffy quickly.

Purchasing a dated diary can make you feel more motivated to write your entries on a regular basis. They often include prompts, which can help you to get started. Many tailored travel journals also have additional pages dedicated for jotting down thoughts and notes, whereas a general notebook can quickly get messy.

A dated diary:

+ Looks more aesthetic.

+ Acts as a reminder not to miss a day.

+ Looks like a traditional diary.

+ May motivate you to write more often.

+ Often includes helpful prompts to spark your creativity.

– Can waste line space.

– May limit the space you have to write about each day.

At the same time, a general notebook might be the best option for long-term travellers who are short on space, because you don’t need to start a new entry at the top of a page. Starting a new entry mid-page saves precious line space. Unless your dated diary has blank spaces where you can insert the exact date, you’re also limited on the amount of space you have to write about each day.

2. Put aside 15 minutes every day to journal.

If one thing is for sure, it’s that travel can get hectic. As a result, it’s easy to get out of the routine of travel journaling every day. Since you want your memories to be as fresh as possible when you’re writing an entry, one of the best ways of keeping on track is by putting aside a specific time slot every day to journal.

You might decide to journal for 15 minutes each morning while you wait for breakfast to be served or for the 15 minutes before you go to bed.

If you have a daily commute – to the beach, to your temporary job, or to your friend’s hotel, for example – take your journal with you and utilise the spare time.

3. Journal while you’re in transit.

If you’re constantly travelling, it’s probably not going to be long until you have a lengthy train, bus or flight ahead of you. As long as the road (or airspace) isn’t too bumpy and you’re not prone to motion sickness, I’ve found that this is the perfect time to get some travel journaling done.

Having a good chunk of time to dedicate to writing is excellent. Plus, if you do get preoccupied on your travels and go off track with your journaling, the plane ride or boat ride back home is a good stretch of time to pick up where you left off and get down everything you can remember in chronological order.

4. Try to write within at least two days of the events.

The sooner you write about a memory, the better chance you have at remembering the niche details. The ideal situation would be to write about your day at the end of the day before you sleep, but that’s not always realistic.

Instead, try to set yourself a goal of writing about a day or an event 48 hours after it happens. If you still fall off track, write about your travels within a week of the date they happened.

5. Don’t feel the pressure to be perfect.

The pressure to get something perfect is often the first obstacle in getting started. Life is messy – and so is writing a travel journal. It’s not going to be perfect the first try. Besides, what is perfect anyway?

Your travel journal is for you. It doesn’t matter how many spelling or grammar mistakes there are, as long as it’s legible. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the motivation to write.

Bullet points or a few short paragraphs are better than a blank page. Otherwise, you won’t have anything to look back on at all.

6. Get creative with it.

Harnessing your creativity goes hand-in-hand with letting go of the need for perfection. You could draw caricatures of the interesting people you meet on the road. You could sketch a bird you spotted this morning. You could even make a chart or a diagram of your spendings so far.

Here are some ideas:

• Dedicate a few pages to creating caricatures of people you meet along the road.
• Create a ‘quotes’ section and jot down the most meaningful things people have said to you.
• Make a chart or a diagram of your spendings.
• Put together a recipes section where you write down your favourite meals and their key ingredients (don’t be shy about asking).
• A ‘rant’ section dedicated to unedited writing.
• Glue ticket stubs to the relevant pages.
• Make a collage out of ticket stubs, photographs and other memorabilia.

7. Keep your travel journal safe.

While a journal might not look that attractive to potential thieves, it’s probably invaluable to you. Therefore, it’s very important to take measures to stop it from getting stolen, lost or damaged.

Prevent water damage

Whether it causes smudged ink or crinkled pages, water damage can have a catastrophic effect on your journal. It’s also one of the most common ways that travel journals get damaged, as they’re prone to rainwater and liquid leakages in your luggage.

Some travel journals have waterproof covers, which add some extra protection, but this isn’t a foolproof solution.

Storing your travel journal in a waterproof pouch or pocket is the most effective way to prevent water damage.

A plastic bag is effective too. However, it’s more prone to getting punctured by sharp objects and it’s less durable (and less eco-friendly) than a permanent waterproof pouch.

The following waterproof bags and pouches will protect your travel journal:

• Syncwire Waterproof Pouch Bag
• Eono Waterproof Waist Bag
• Waterproof Dry Bag Set

Keep it in a safe or a locked locker

If you’re not planning on travel journaling while you’re on the go, it’s probably best to leave it locked securely in your accommodation. Many hotels provide safes; it will usually be listed on the list of features on booking websites such as  Booking.com  or  Hostelworld.com .

Some hostels and homestays may provide a locker instead. For this, you will often need to bring your own padlock. I’d recommend bringing a set of  TSA-approved combination padlocks .

Carry an anti-theft backpack

It’s unlikely your travel journal will get swiped from your backpack. Thieves are far more likely to target a mobile phone.

Still, you should carry your valuables (journal included) in an anti-theft backpack. They come with features such as secret pockets, durable zippers, and designs that make it hard for thieves to gain access.

Anti-theft backpacks:

• Della Gao Anti-Theft Laptop
• TcIFE Ladies Backpack
• Oscaurt Theft Proof Travel Backpack
• Waterfly Anti-Theft Backpack

8. Don’t forget a pen (and back-ups).

A pen is one of the easiest things to forget on your trip. While they should be easy to get a hold of, there are some locations where you might find it tricker (Cuba, the middle of the jungle, or a small town, for example).

I’d recommend using a clickable pen, because this is less prone to leaking ink than a regular ballpoint. Bring spares if you can, because the ink might run out mid-journey or just when inspiration strikes.

Travel journaling examples

As someone who preaches about travel journaling, I’ve decided to share a few entries from my own travel diary so that you can get an idea for the sheer variety of what you can write about and how you can record the details.

Entry 1: Havana, Cuba (Saturday 22nd January, 2022)

Anisah and I arrived in Cuba late, around 7pm. It was already dark outside and thunder-storming – lightning, heavy rain that soaked through my papers.

The airport was very basic and very stringent with Covid (masks, stalls and many checks) but we cleared security swiftly and had only our backpacks as a carry-on.

Outside, there were taxi drivers holding names, and, surprisingly, they weren’t at all pushy. Our hostel was supposed to arrange a driver to take us directly there, but upon ringing twice (and spending a daunting £3 per minute on the calls), it appeared the driver was stuck in his house due to the storm.

We ended up in a yellow, licensed cab (which cost 25 euros – but down to 20 when the lady hosting us paid on our behalf).

I felt a little unnerved in the taxi, probably because I was exhausted, and because without maps, the driver relied on memory and locals in Havana for directions – and there weren’t many outside due to the torrential rain.

Entry 2: Ubud, Bali (Thursday 20th June, 2019)

Woke at 1am for the Mount Batur sunrise trek.

• Mount Agun nearby “coughed” up lava three weeks ago, according to our guide.
• 1,700-metre climb – our time was 1h35 but it felt way longer.
• Very steep, gravelly, and one of the toughest climbs I’ve done in my life. At one point, I told Jess, “Go on without me”.
• I ate a boiled egg and a banana at the top. I was still starving.
• Monkeys and dogs were fighting on the mountaintop.
• Monkeys almost stole my bag. They successfully stole a purse from another lady.
• We lost Pablo (Goncalo’s cousin) at the top of the mountain. The guide (jeans and sandals) was going to leave him behind, but we refused.

Entry 3: Havana, Cuba (Monday 31st January, 2022)

Our host gave us the cheque. We were short by 700 pesos. We went to hunt down an ATM. The ATM declined my card, as did the second ATM… and then the third ATM.

We started to panic, so we went to the Kempinski Hotel in Plaza Mayor to use their WiFi to contact my bank. It quickly emerged that the WiFi had completely cut out city-wide. At this point, we really started to panic. We had to leave for the airport in one hour.

We’d used up all of our options, so I told Anisah we’d have to ask someone for money. She was very dubious. We were walking down my favourite street when I spotted an older man and a younger woman, both blonde, looking lost and carrying cameras and bags.

I took off my mask and asked ‘Ingles?’. Nope, they spoke Spanish. In broken Spanish/English, I started to explain ‘plane’ (hand motion), ‘Londres’ (London), ‘desperate’, ‘taxi to airport’, and ‘short by 700’.

They replied, ‘No, a taxi should be 20’. They thought I meant euros! I said, ‘No, no. 700 pesos’. He nodded, ‘Oh, good price!’. To my disbelief, he pulled out a fat wallet filled with US dollars and pesos, and handed me a 500 and a 200. I nearly cried, but settled for tapping the lady’s arms and doing a prayer hand motion. People are truly good at heart.

Travel journaling: How do you make a memorable trip?

There are two halves to creating a travel journal. The first half is the part where you  explore, observe and investigate .

The second half is the part where you  write or create .

If one half of the formula is missing, you won’t have a travel journal at all.

Similarly, a travel notebook that documents seven days spent beside a swimming pool, tanning and reading a book, is unlikely to be as riveting as a travel journal that documents a journey into Dubrovnik’s old town, a bus ride through central  Vietnam , wild swimming through waterfalls in  Cuba  or a cruise over the backwaters in  Kerala , for example.

• Guide to the Parque Guanayara Waterfalls in Cuba
• Things to do at Alleppey and its backwaters

1. Research your trip.

A great motto, and one I live by, is ‘plan to travel without a plan’. If you want to make your trip memorable, it’s just as important not to over-plan as it is to dive in headfirst without a scooby of what you are doing.

Research enough so that you have a huge backlist of itinerary and destination ideas. Make a list of local accommodations that you like the sound of. Book essential, long-distance travel only.

You don’t know what will happen on the trip: delays, unexpected new acquaintances, weather events, romances, and so on.

Sometimes, the most interesting stories form from following your heart or your intuition, so if you’ve planned every single detail, you’ll end up boxed in.

Here are some ideas for your research:

• Research blogs to get practical advice from those who have visited a destination or attraction previously.
• Confirm the main modes of transport, currencies, and WiFi accessibility in your chosen destination. Practical details matter.
• Create a list of destinations and activities you’d like to engage in.
• Highlight your non-negotiable activities, desirable itineraries, and nice-to-have experiences. That way, you know which activities are the most important to you.
• Try to avoid tourist traps and opt for more authentic, local or offbeat travel experiences. These are often the most interesting experiences to write about.

2. Book your flights.

After your research is complete, the first thing you need to do is to book your flights.  Skyscanner  should be your go-to tool to search for flights. It scans the internet for the cheapest deals, routes and even the most eco-friendly transport options.  Google Flights  is another useful tool, which you can use to confirm that you’ve found the best deal.

3. Book interesting accommodation.

The accommodation you book has a direct impact on your travel journal entries. It can create drama, it can spice things up a little, or it can act as a relaxing backdrop.

Unique accommodation might liven up your entries: search for things like treehouses, camping tents, shepherd’s huts, and themed resorts.

The following sites are my go-to websites for booking accommodation that will jazz up my travel journal entries:

Booking.com : Booking.com has a wide selection of accommodation, including eclectic stays. I also find that it generally has the best price, compared to other booking websites advertising the same hotel or accommodation.

Hostelworld : Staying in a hostel is one of the best ways to introduce new, wise and quirky characters into your diary. As most hostels have communal spaces, it’s very easy to delve into a deep conversation with a stranger, which is often one of the most interesting parts of travel journeys.

The act of staying in a dorm room or shared accommodation is eventful in itself; you don’t know what sorts of stories you might get out of one night spent in a dorm room. Was there a fight for a particular bed? A sleep talker? Late-night card games and conversations?

Homestay :  Homestay specialises in accommodation where you stay in the home of a local. This is a brilliant option for those who are writing a travel diary, because it enables you to connect with the community, learn about local customs and have a more authentic travel experience.

4. Engage in more offbeat travel experiences.

Generally speaking, you won’t get as much of a story out of a tourist trap as you will out of a more unusual or hands-on travel experience. After six years of travelling, this is the biggest lesson I have learnt, and exactly why my blog specialises in offbeat travel experiences.

So, how do you find offbeat travel experiences for your travel journal?

• Ask at your hotel or hostel for local-led activities. Questions such as ‘where do you eat?’ or ‘where do you go to party?’ are also great ways to find local spots over tourist traps.
• Search for unique travel experiences on  GetYourGuide . They list local-led travel experiences, which are a great way to meet fellow interesting travellers and get an insight into the offbeat sides of a destination.
• Use tour organisations that label themselves as ‘local-led’, ‘experiential’, ‘offbeat’ and ‘immersive’. These are tailored towards giving travellers unique, hands-on experiences, and not taking you on the usual tourist trails.

Travel journaling: How do you write a travel journal that is worth reading?

Not everyone wants to share their travel journal. However, if you do want to write your travel diary for an audience – whether that’s family, friends, an online following or a potential future publisher – it’s going to need to be worth reading.

1. Make your first draft in a physical travel journal.

Writing in chronological order and as soon as possible after the events happen, make your first draft in a physical travel journal.

Remember, that you’re going to edit your travel journal when you’re back home, so the most important thing isn’t writing perfectly. It’s about being consistent with your writing schedule and getting the details down on paper.

2. Be as specific as possible.

Specificity is even more important if you’re going to share your travel journal in one form or another.

Use exact times, exact dates, full names, ages, and detailed physical descriptions. This will bring your story to life, especially for those who weren’t there to watch it unfold in person.

3. Feature specific characters.

Just as a novel would be incomplete without a series of in-depth and interesting characters, your travel diary should also feature characters.

It doesn’t matter if they’re fleeting and disappear after an entry or two. The important thing is that your reader can envision and relate to your character.

That might mean describing them physically, disclosing their name (or pseudonym) and age, as well as describing their little quirks and mannerisms.

You should try to quote them directly when possible, and explore their mindset and their backstory.

4. Write up your travel journal.

When you arrive back home, write up your travel journal into a digital format, correcting spelling and grammar mistakes as you go. This will create a second copy of your journal, just in case anything happens to the physical copy.

5. Edit your travel journal.

If you’re going to be sharing your travel journal, the most important part is the editing process. Your journal may only need a light edit, which corrects any spelling or grammar mistakes and makes it more legible.

However, it may need a deeper edit if you’re truly going to post it online or send it to a publisher. The execution, plot, and characters will be more important in this case.

Traveling journaling: Types of travel journals

There are several types of travel notebooks, and they all have their specific advantages and disadvantages.

There are also some clear criteria you should be looking for out of a high-quality travel notebook:

Number of pages:  The number of pages you’ll need will depend upon the length of your trip. If you’re travelling long-term, it’s better to have a notebook with a large number of pages rather than several, smaller notebooks which will take up more space overall.

Paperback or hardback:  While a hardback notebook is more durable, a paperback journal is more lightweight. If you’re limited by space or weight limits, opt for a paperback. Size:  Notebooks come in a variety of sizes, such as A4, A5, or A6. In general, an A5 notebook is ideal for a travel diary because it’s compact enough to carry in your packed or day luggage, but not so small that you’ll run out of space quickly.

Line size:  Unless you have large handwriting, a journal with fairly narrow line sizes is ideal, because you can fit more writing onto one page, and therefore into one notebook. You could also choose a notebook without lines at all, which gives you more freedom over the size of your handwriting, but can end up with messy, undulating lines.

Paper thickness:  Thinner paper is usually ideal, unless you are planning on painting, colouring-in or using heavy ink. Still, bear in mind that ink can bleed through the paper if it’s too thin, ruining other pages in your diary.

Binding:  The binding of your notebook is important too. Ideally, you want a notebook that can spread out flat while you write and one where you don’t need to hold the edges of the pages down. A spiral-bound notebook is ideal over a smaller, tightly-bound notebook, in this case.

Traveling journaling: A6 travel diaries

Best for: weekend trips.

• Sovereign-Gear Antique Brown Refillable Travellers Notebook : This A6 notebook has a leather case and a refillable design, which includes three packs of paper (one unlined, one lined and one made from kraft paper). Even better, it has a PVC water-resistant zipper pocket for your valuables.
• Avocado and Spice Hardback A6 Notebook : With a hardback cover and 200 pages, this A6 notebook is an aesthetic travel diary that comes with its own protective velvet bag. It comes with the option of dotted, lined or blank pages, and has a built-in pen holder and a bookmark.
• Antony Olivier Leather Journal : With unlined paper and vintage brown leather, the Antony Olivier Leather Journal is a premium A6 notebook. There are 200 pages, all unlined.
• Newestor Pocket Notebook : The Newestor Pocket Notebook is small enough that you can tuck it into your back pocket. It’s probably not ideal for those who are going to be writing in long prose, but those who are planning on documenting their travels with bullet points or short paragraphs will have 144 pages at their disposal.

Travel journaling: A5 travel dairies

Best for: longer trips.

• EMSHOI A5 Notebook : With the option of lined, dotted or squared pages, the spiral-bound EMSHOI notebook has 640 A5-sized pages. It also has a water-resistant PVC cover.
• Antony Olivier Leather A5 Notebook : This is an A5-sized version of the high-quality, leather Antony Olivier notebook. It includes unlined 200 pages and a journal enamel pen.
• Silvine A5 Executive Soft Feel Notebook : The Silvine 15 Executive Notebook has 160 pages with a sewn case, inside pocket and ivory paper.

Travel journaling: Watercolour travel journals

Best for: artists.

• Seawhite A5 Travel Journal : This notebook has 60 pages and a back pocket. It’s also completely vegan.
• Hahnemuhle Watercolour Book A5 : This sturdy hardback book has 30 sheets of natural white fine-grain paper, ideal for panoramic paintings.
• Tumuarta Watercolour Journal : Designed as a travel watercolour notebook, this journal has 48 pages, made of 25% cotton. The pages can tolerate light washes and they’re micro-perforated, so you can tear out a page if you need to.

A travel journal is a great place to jot down travel affirmations if you experience anxiety or nerves before or during a trip or to write down packing lists and other plans. See where I’ve been to start planning your next trip.

Katie Treharne

I’m Katie, the owner of Escape Artist Katie. I have been travel writing since 2018, including writing for luxury travel magazines and publications such as Wanderlust.

As well as being a digital nomad who works and lives abroad permanently, I’m a big advocate for  offbeat travel  and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

I hope you found my article useful – find out more  about  me here or keep up with my travels on  Instagram .

Why Writers Should Travel: The Best Cities for Writers to Travel To

by Joe Bunting | 0 comments

How do you become a better creative writer? That was the question I was facing in my own life more than ten years ago. I wanted to be a writer, was even writing part-time for a local magazine, but I didn’t know how to make my dreams of becoming a professional writer happen.

Five years later, I had finally made it, and now, five years after that, I’m earning over $100k from my writing.

How did I do it? It took so many things, but one of the first, and most important, was travel.

In fact, I believe every writer should travel. In this post, I’ll explain why. But I don’t want you to just take my word for it. No, I actually want to send you on a trip to Paris, one of my favorite writing destinations, on me.

Read on for how to enter to win a flight to Paris!

How I Discovered Travel Would Help My Writing

I think the first time I considered traveling the world for a year was while reading the blog of someone who was in South Africa. She was volunteering at an orphanage for children who had been infected by HIV/AIDs. It was heartbreaking, and opened my eyes to a side of life and of the world that I rarely considered.

And for a writer, growing your worldview is essential.

Benjamin Franklin, my country’s literary founding father, said, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”

As I began to think of my favorite writers, I realized that they often did both . Ernest Hemingway lived in Paris, East Africa, Spain, and Cuba. John Steinbeck traveled around Cape Horn as a young man, then worked as a migrant laborer in Baja Mexico. Oscar Wilde, a Brit, spent years traveling around France and then America (although Wilde’s travel was forced exile ). Jack Kerouac hitchhiked across the U.S. And even Mark Twain sailed up and down the Mississippi on a steamship for several years.

And that’s just what I did .

I've travelled to over fifty cities, some of which were tremendously helpful for my writing. And others which… well, weren't.

Below I'm going to share all ten of the best cities for writers (plus a brief account of all the cities I've been to as a writer), but here's a quick sneak peak at my top five.

The 5 Best Cities to Travel for Writers

• Paris, France
• Los Angeles, United States
• Portland, United States
• Pula, Croatia
• Phnom Penh, Cambodia

BONUS: Antigua, Guatemala

Note: I’m only including cities I’ve actually been to. As I travel more (Japan 2024?), I’ll update this list.

A Brief Journal of the Places and Cities I’ve Traveled to as a Writer

For me, travel has been incredibly rewarding for my writing. Here is a brief list of the places I’ve gotten to travel to, with an occasional note about my experience while there:

• France: Paris (where I lived the adventures that would become Crowdsourcing Paris ), Bordeaux
• The U.K.: London (in college, was able to see thirty-two plays in thirty days), Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s birthplace), Canterbury
• India: Delhi
• Pakistan: Islamabad
• Ireland: Dublin, Wicklow Mountains (where Braveheart was filmed)
• Romania: Târgu Mureș in Transylvania (where Count Dracula’s castle is)
• Hungary: Budapest
• Croatia: Pula (one of the most amazing cities I’ve ever written in)
• Turkey: Istanbul (amazing rooftops overlooking the Bosphorus for writing), Diyarbakir (100 miles from the Syrian border, don’t ask), plus all the way across the Black Sea ( crazy 2,000 mile road trip )
• Israel: Jerusalem (the shuk!), Tel Aviv, Arad (where I hiked eighteen miles into the Dead Sea Basin—amazing)
• Egypt: Cairo
• Kenya: Nairobi, Eldoret, Nakuru (tried to bike from Eldoret to Nakuru, failed and hitchhiked instead)
• Uganda: Kampala, Jinja (rafted the Nile and thought I was going to drown), Soroti
• Thailand: Bangkok, a small town in the jungle on the border of Myanmar (see my story in Crowdsourcing Paris of my terrible birthday there), Chanthaburi
• Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City (one of the best/worst places I traveled to), Kon Tum (caught very bony fish in a man-made pond)
• Cambodia: Phnom Penh (my favorite city in SE Asia), Siem Reap
• Spain: Malaga, Mijas (a small town in the hills overlooking the Mediterranean where I was paid to travel to while cowriting a book), Rhonda (where Hemingway would watch the bullfights as an older man)
• Germany: Frankfurt
• Italy: Rome, Florence
• Guatemala : I stayed in one of the most beautiful houses in Lake Atitlan I've ever seen. It was like a museum! And Antiguag
• The U.S.: New York (met Steven Pressfield at a writer’s workshop), Washington D.C., Santa Barbara (I’m from here, so it’s cheating, but still there are a lot of writers who live here), Los Angeles, San Diego (didn’t get much writing done), Portland (some of the best cafés in the U.S. to write in), Atlanta (the capital of the south, where I live now), Nashville, Austin, and more

Now that I’ve shared my history of whereas a writer I’ve traveled, what are the best places for a writer to travel to?

Note: Travel Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive for Writers

How can writers living on a budget still travel? Travel doesn’t have to be expensive if you follow a few rules.

I have taken my family of five to Europe and even lived there for two months without spending a fortune. When I was single and traveling the world for a year, I frequently took trips for just a few hundred dollars, ate for less than $5 a day, and had amazing experiences.

By the way, if you want a worksheet to help you plan out your next trip, I’ve created a Workation Adventure worksheet for writers that will help. Download the trip planner for writers here.

Here are some rules that I follow to travel cheaply.

• If possible, travel in the offseason. For example, a flight to Paris that can cost $1,500 in June is just $609 in May. See screenshots below. I use Kayak to find the best times to travel and search with flexible dates. Kayak’s calendar tool is especially helpful, since you can see in green the best days to fly. Then, I book the flights via the airline’s own website to get the best price (use incognito mode for best results).

YES, it is possible to fly to Paris for less than $1,000. See below. (Read on to enter to win a flight!)

• Stay in an Airbnb or rented apartment and cook most of your own meals. One of the major costs, especially in Europe, is the price of eating out. But you can save money and have an amazing, authentic experience by cooking your own meals when you stay at an Airbnb.
• Save miles. I’m not a points guru, but when my family and I went to Paris and Bordeaux last summer we paid for all of our flights with airline points that we mostly earned from our credit cards. It can make a too-expensive trip actually work out!
• Rent out your house/car. If you own a home or have a lease that allows it, you can rent out your house on Airbnb while you travel, dramatically lowering the cost of lodging. You can even rent out your car through Turo.
• Choose inexpensive destinations. Europe is almost always very expensive to travel to, but choosing less expensive cities like Bordeaux or Pula (rather than London and Paris) has helped save money. Even better, traveling to South East Asia or Africa, where the conversion rate benefits most westerners and the cost of living is relatively inexpensive, can help too.

These tips won’t make travel free, but they may make it possible with some careful planning.

Obviously, I say all of this from the perspective of a privileged man from the U.S., where a strong dollar and high earning potential make travel much more possible. Not everyone can travel internationally, and I get that I have had experiences few people in the world can have. I’m so grateful to have had them!

At the same time, I believe travel for anyone who wants to be a writer is important, whether you’re taking a train to a new city or flying to a new continent. Go on an adventure somewhere , even if it’s relatively close.

10 Best Cities For Writers to Travel To

The best places for writers to travel to combine history, culture, great food and drink, and are, hopefully, affordable. In my list below, I share my personal list of best cities to travel to.

Again, I’m only including cities I’ve actually been to. As I travel more (Japan 2020?), I’ll update this list.

 1. Paris, France

Paris is number one on this list for one reason: 10,000 cafés. Paris has more cafés—and those amazing places to write—per resident than any other major city.

This has been the temporary home of many of the best writers of the 20th century, including Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Baldwin, and more.

While it’s fairly expensive, making it impractical for full-time living, it’s a perfect pilgrimage spot for writers.

If you want to get the most out of Paris as a writer, read my memoir Crowdsourcing Paris .

And if you want to win a flight to Paris, on me, read on for how to enter.

2. Los Angeles, California, United States

The capital of the global film industry, there are cafés in Silverlake and other central L.A. neighborhoods where you have the sense if you could just hang out there for long enough, you could talk your way into the movie business.

I grew up not far from L.A. and get bored by the tourist things (Star Walk, Hollywood sign, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, etc.), but just hanging out in the coffee shops and bistros where producers are holding meetings and screenwriters are working on scripts is invigorating.

3. Portland, Oregon, United States

Portland has the best café culture of any U.S. city, in my opinion, and it’s hard to go to one without bumping into amazing writers.

Some of my favorite U.S. writers live in Portland, and if you’re looking for a city to write in and connect with other writers, you can’t go wrong here.

4. Pula, Croatia

I liken Pula (and, by association, other coastal Croatian cities like Split and Dubrovnik, although I’ve never been) to a cheaper version of Italy. You still have amazing streetside cafés overlooking wide plazas where you can sip bijela kava while looking at ancient Roman ruins. You just can do that for half the price and a quarter of the tourists.

5. Phnom Penh, Cambodia

What I love about Phnom Penh is that it’s the most quiet of the three Southeast Asian capital cities I went to. If you’re looking for something more kinetic or more developed, then Ho Chi Minh City or Bangkok respectively might be better.

Cambodia experienced a huge amount of trauma in the 1970s as Pol Pot committed genocide on nearly all of the educated members of his country. Forty years later, the culture is still rebuilding, but that gives it a youthful energy and enthusiasm that I found exciting to be around.

You can’t get much better food or much kinder people than in Cambodia, and the cost of living is so inexpensive for Westerners that it makes it perfect for long stays.

If I had no family or other responsibilities, I would move to Phnom Penh to write.

6. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Like Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh City is filled with amazing food, has an inexpensive cost of living, and, with the French and American influences, has unique cultural experiences you can’t find anywhere else.

I accidentally stayed in a rough part of town when I lived here, so that colored my experience, but stumbling into a dance hall where the most amazing swing dancers were performing, eating the best pho, and driving all night into the mountains where I caught very bony fish in a man-made pond, all made for memorable things to write about.

7. Santa Barbara, California, United States

I grew up and went to college in Santa Barbara, so I’m biased, but even when visiting, I’ve always found this medium-sized, coastal city north of Los Angeles to be a creatively invigorating place. I’ve done some of my best writing here, sitting at cafés like the French Press and Lucky Llama, looking out at the foothills, the ocean close enough to walk to.

Some of the world’s best-known celebrities and writers have lived here, including Julia Child, Sue Grafton, Thomas Steinbeck (John Steinbeck’s son), and even Katy Perry.

8. Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Nashville is secretly one of the world’s hotspots for writers. While it’s best known as the home of the Country Music industry, I personally know dozens of well-known writers who live here, plus more that I don’t know.

With great, hipster coffee shops, lots of local events for writers, and a supportive artistic community, this would be a great place for any writer to visit.

9. Nairobi, Kenya

I actually did most of my best writing in Kenya in Eldoret, hopped up on Nicotine tea (seriously), but since I doubt you’ll ever go to Eldoret (or find my perfect writing spot), I’m putting Nairobi. Some of my best months traveling were spent in Kenya. The kindness of the people, the affordability, the beautiful scenery, and the rich, East African literary tradition all make for a perfect place to write. If you’re looking for a place to contradict your existing lens and expand your worldview, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Bonus: most Kenyans speak English. Also, if you’re white, as I am, it’s kind of strange and exciting (and sometimes awkward) be treated as a minor celebrity everywhere you go ( mzungu, mzungu! ).

10. New York City, New York, United States

You have to include New York, the capital of the world publishing industry, in any list of cities for writers to travel to.

But I included this last on the list because I honestly think New York is overrated as a travel destination for writers. It’s just too expensive! Even though there are hundreds of great writers who live or have lived there, most inevitably move outside of the city where rents and mortgages are cheaper. On top of that, it’s so crowded and frantic, it’s hard to get much writing done.

The last time I tried to write in New York, I was jammed at a community table between a web developer and a group of models loudly talking about their fashion week gigs. It was an interesting place to eavesdrop, but not a great place to write!

You should go, but honestly, if I could, I would have included a city in Spain on this list of best cities for writers instead!

Antigua is one of the coolest cities in central America, a short flight away for most U.S. travelers, and the perfect place for a writer to hole up while working on a book, especially considering the amazing food and relatively low cost of travel.

Antigua is a city in central Guatemala about two hours outside of the capital of Guatemala city. Nestled in the highlands between three volcanoes (and near several more, including Pacaya which is currently active), it's filled with Spanish colonial and baroque style architecture, the ruins of many of the oldest churches and monasteries in the Americas, and a thriving food scene with both local and international restaurants. 

Antigua is cool because you're walking on these cobblestone streets next to whitewashed buildings that are hundreds of years old, and then you dip into one of them only to realize you're not inside but in a beautiful courtyard filled with fountains and sometimes restaurants or cafés. Each building is like a book—simple on the outside but full of secrets on the inside.

How about you? What city would you like to travel to as a writer? And when you’ve traveled, what has been your best city as a writer to go to? Let me know in the comments .

In every chapter of my memoir Crowdsourcing Paris , there is a challenge directed at the reader to do some kind of adventure. For this post, I think it would be appropriate to include the very first challenge:

Book a trip somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. It might be short, perhaps to a national park nearby or a local museum you’ve always planned on going or to a fancy restaurant. Or it could be a long trip, perhaps to Buenos Aires, Tokyo, or yes, even Paris.

What it must be is somewhere new . Why? Because mostly we go to the same places: our office, our house, our normal restaurants. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it rarely makes for a good story.

Instead, take a risk on a new destination. Look at your budget (travel can be inexpensive if you plan well), look at your calendar, and commit.

Where will you have your next adventure?

Once you choose your travel adventure destination, let us know where you’re going in the comments .

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

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I'm a Travel Writer, and I Won't Get in a Car Without This $10 Safety Device

You should have it handy before getting into any vehicle.

After Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge tragically collapsed on March 26, car safety has rightfully become top of mind for many travelers. A cargo ship struck the bridge, sending several cars into the water; they were later found using sonar 50 feet below the surface by the Baltimore Fire Department. Situations like this, though relatively rare, are a sobering reminder to always have an emergency action plan in case an accident should ever happen.

As a travel writer, my job requires that I'm on the road a lot, both in my own car and other vehicles. So while I hope I'll never need to use it, to give me better peace of mind, I've been carrying the Resqme Emergency Car Escape Tool any time that I'm driving in my own vehicle or traveling in someone else's. Designed as a keychain, this personal safety device can be a literal lifesaver if you're ever involved in an auto accident because it can both cut your seatbelt and break a window if you're trapped. And, it's only a budget-friendly $10 at Amazon. 

Resqme Car Escape Tool

Buy on Amazon

The Resqme Emergency Car Escape Tool was initially produced to aid emergency workers like police officers, EMTs, and firefighters ( one police officer actually said: "I legit saved the lives of two people on separate occasions with this thing)." In fact, a representative from the brand shared that people are regularly sending in testimonials via emails, social media DMs, and noted that the product saves an average of one life every two weeks.

But on a lighter note, I first became aware of this two-in-one lifesaving device when it was featured on a morning news segment. After watching the real-time demonstration, I was convinced that I needed it, and before they cut to commercial break, I had already ordered the affordable device from Amazon. 

When it arrived a few days later, I immediately noticed its small size, which is about 3 inches in length. But let me tell you, what it lacks in size, it makes up for with its impressively useful design that will help you if you are ever in an accident or need to try to help someone else who has been in an accident. On one side of Resqme's emergency tool is a small spring-loaded, stainless-steel spike-hammer that's used to break car window glass; so if you're ever trapped by a jammed door or another object that makes a window exit your only option, this device will be your best defense. 

To break the window, the brand advises users to push the black head, or black cylindrical part, firmly into the bottom corner ( not the center) of your side window until a spike releases and breaks the glass. I must say, it's hard to fathom how the small spike can do all of this, and when I first bought the product, I was skeptical that it could puncture glass the way it was intended.

It's also important to note that the Resqme Escape Tool will only break tempered glass and not your windshield glass, which is generally a laminated glass. In fact, it won’t work on laminated glass at all, so before you purchase, it's best to understand the type of glass your vehicle has accordingly. But for the types of windows it’s intended on, the brand claims that the Escape Tool can be used in a "rollover, electrical system failure, car fire, flood, [or a] sinking car accident." 

On the other side of the resqme tool, there is a separate but just-as-crucial life-saving tool: a curved, stainless steel razor blade designed to cut a jammed-up seatbelt in an emergency. It works by acting like a knife that quickly and easily severs the belt so you can get free and bring yourself to safety. Since the blade is on the inside of the device, you might assume that there's a chance you could accidentally cut yourself, but the Resqme device features a protective cap over the blade to prevent such injuries. 

Since any automobile accident can cause items to fly and shift around a vehicle, in doing my research on the product, I’ve found keeping the Resqme Escape Tool attached to your car keys is recommended if you place your physical car key into the ignition of your vehicle. If you're like me and your car has a push-start button, there are other options to keep the Resqme in close contact should you need it in a hurry — like hanging it on your rearview mirror, attaching it to your seat headrests, or attaching it to a gear stick. 

Related: I’ve Been Traveling Solo for 20 Years, and These Are the 15 Safety Devices That You Should Always Pack

And while you'd hope to never have to use the Resqme device more than once, it does boast a reusable design; the spring-loaded spike will reset itself and the blade is sharp enough for multiple seat belt cuts. So whether you’re skittish to cruise down local highways or feel confident enough to drive on Bolivia’s famed “route of death," Carretera a los Yungas , you can see how having the Resqme Emergency Car Escape Tool clipped to your keychain or even belt loop as you travel might be a good idea. 

Luckily, I've never had to use the device. So, how do I know it works? Apart from first-hand testimonials and 6,000-plus five-star reviews at Amazon, there are plenty of video demonstrations out there that any potential buyer can watch on their own. 

Let this be your sign to add the Resqme Emergency Car Escape Tool to your travel gear repertoire. It's also available in a two-pack should you want to purchase one for you and a loved one. While you're at it, explore the other top-rated personal safety devices that you can get at Amazon. 

More Personal Safety Devices at Amazon: 

She’s birdie personal safety alarm, ge personal security window and door alarm burglar alert, calltou wireless caregiver pager smart call system, snowbigdeal bca tracker 3 avalanche beacon + probe.

At the time of purchasing, the price started at $10. 

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Writing a Memoir Won’t Solve All of Your Problems

Why we should be mindful of how much we self-reference..

Years ago, when people learned I was a financial analyst, they nodded and feigned interest, saying, “Oh, well isn’t that interesting. ” Then they’d move on to my much more fascinating spouse, who is an archaeologist, and full of endlessly interesting stories. Now, after becoming a writer, their reactions have changed completely.

Just last night, I was at an event, watching one of Laura’s presentations on cultural heritage, which was then followed by a dinner. The man next to me, who was two decades my senior, learned I was a writer and lit up with excitement, which is always flattering.

Then the usual questions followed, “How do you stay disciplined enough to write?” Then, “How do you come up with ideas?”

And, finally, the phrase I’ve heard so many times now, “You know, I’ve been thinking about writing a memoir!”

It’s great that people daydream about this endeavor and telling their story. But there’s an underside to memoirs that reflects our need to excessively discuss ourselves, and it comes with a social and psychological cost.

The dopamine problem

In a study led by Harvard psychologist, Dr. Diana Tamir, researchers found that 30–40% of our speech is about ourselves, and when we do talk about ourselves, it engages the reward centers of our brains. On social media, the frequency of self-referencing goes up to 80%, with people finding ways to announce every minor achievement, and even shoehorn posts about themselves into political commentaries.

Specifically, scientists call this “self-disclosure”, where we voluntarily share things about ourselves without invite — which is well and good to some extent. We should share and be vulnerable rather than stand silently, nodding our head.

Interestingly, we are the only primates to self-disclose, and it begins when we are nine-months old. Theories vary as to why we do this, but some postulate that it’s a means of getting people to align with our world view, feel connected, and build a sense of community.

The challenge is that talking about ourselves can be addictive, and hurt our relationships with others. People who talk about themselves can actually be showing signs of depression without knowing it. Self-disclosure becomes a maladaptation, a coping mechanism to help them feel better. It’s maladaptive because it often leads to the very opposite of what someone is trying to accomplish: social rejection. After all, nothing is more frustrating than a person who crowbars every subject back to themselves.

Per a study in the famed academic publication , Nature , this reflects an underlying trend with depressed people, who have more self-focus than the average person. They get caught in the swirl of negative ruminations, judging themselves, and suffering from harsh self-talk.

During a study that surveyed 4,754 people, Dr. Allison M. Tackman and her team found a direct correlation between the frequency of someone using first person singular nouns (me, myself, mine, I) in conversations and them suffering from depressive symptoms. So perhaps remember this the next time someone is irritating you by talking about themselves, rather than judging them harshly.

The issue with a memoir

As a writer and teacher, I’ve always encouraged people to pursue writing as a hobby. It’s great and far surpasses many other uses of our time.

But I would warn you that, if you are interested in writing a memoir to fill a void, impress someone or get people to like you, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. As an exercise, I want you to imagine that none of those things will be fulfilled by writing this book — no matter what. Now, does writing the memoir still appeal to you? If so, great! I encourage you to keep going.

And look — all writers seek validation on some level. We want our work to be seen, read, and liked, which is totally normal and healthy. We all have egos to some extent. And writing can certainly feel like a form of therapy, a catharsis that connects us with others. It can make us feel seen in an indifferent world.

But writing is not the magic pill to deal with mental illness or therapy. There are many counselors and professionals who can help with this .

I bring this forward because, more and more people are writing memoirs than ever before. The trend is an extension of social media, and people being conditioned by algorithms to put their lives on display, and it’s creating higher levels of self-involvement, and one can easily be misled by feedback loops.

The business question to validate it

When someone tells me they’re thinking of writing a memoir, one of the first things I ask is, “Is your goal personal or business related?”

And even though they’ll initially say, “Personal.” I’ll soon hear them say some version of, “But I really want it to be a best seller. It would be awesome if it could bring in some big bucks.”

This is well and good — but one should think carefully about these prospects. We often view our world and life through an egocentric viewpoint, and romanticize how interesting our lives are to outsiders.

When I first began writing, I had to take a hard and sober look at some of the stories I was writing that weren’t resonating (and still don’t resonate at times). It brought me to the grim conclusion that the world didn’t find every facet of my life as fascinating as my mother did. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have stories worth sharing, as is the case with you. I just needed to think through and validate the ones that were or weren’t ready to face an audience.

If you aren’t an established celebrity, with an organic following and interest in your life, there needs to be something inherently different or interesting to help the book sell if that’s your goal. But that doesn’t mean your life can’t become more interesting. It really can. Sometimes, the act of practicing writing teaches you how to view your life through different lenses, and allows the vividness of so many subtle experiences to come to life. You just need to give it time to marinate.

The upside to think of

I actually look forward to a world where more people write. It’s an amazing craft that has given me so much satisfaction. But I just want people to get in it for the right reasons, because if they don’t, they’ll be hit by an early wave of disappointment and never have a chance to truly develop.

I’ve been writing for nearly a decade now and the happiest writers I’ve seen do this because the keyboard summons them. They have a story to tell, a voice they want to add to a conversation.

And beyond that, perhaps this is a reminder to us all—that it’s OK to talk and write about yourself, but take time to show interest in others. Ask questions and learn about their lives. Resist the urge to turn every conversation into a play-by-play of your lived experience.

Quite often, those people are the ones who bring you the best stories, the ones that are truly worthy of filling a page in your memoir someday. And even better, they’ll really grow to like you in the process.

I'm a former financial analyst turned writer out of Tampa, Florida. I write story-driven content to help us live better and maximize our potential.

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I’ve Been Visiting Disney Parks With My Kids For a Decade—Here’s What We Always Pack, From $4

These 15 essentials keep my family of four cool, dry, and charged up at Disney World.

As a travel writer and mom of two living in Orlando, it’s probably no surprise to you that my family visits Disney World a lot. Since my teens were toddlers, we’ve visited theme parks at least twice a month, so I’ve learned a lot about what you really need to bring on your family Disney trip—and what you don’t. 

Over the past decade, I’ve found my favorite hands-free belt bag for my park supplies, an affordable neck fan that keeps us all cool, the best easy SPFs for all ages, and much more. So, if you’re wondering what to pack for your next trip to the House of Mouse, my family’s Disney packing list is below. We never visit the parks without these 15 essentials, starting at just $4.

Vrurc Portable Phone Charger

Between taking family photos and using the theme park’s app to check ride wait times, phones quickly lose battery on a day at Disney. This portable charger can power up to four devices on a single charge and has various built-in charging cords for various phone and earbud models. It’s loved by hundreds of five-star Amazon reviewers, with some saying it “ charges super quickly ” and is “ the perfect size for traveling .”

Sun Bum Kids SPF 50 Face Stick

This may be a kids’ sunscreen, but it’s always in my park bag for my entire family to use. I love swiping this stick sunscreen onto all the places that get hit hard by the sun while walking through a theme park, like noses to shoulders. The sunscreen stick has over 1,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, as well: “Applying the face stick is a breeze and we love how convenient it is to use, especially when we're on the go,” shared one shopper .

HandFan Portable Neck Fan

I love these inexpensive, wearable fans so much that I wrote all about them last summer. These rechargeable fans are worn around the neck, have adjustable speeds, and work wonders to break up the humidity and cool you off on hot summer days. Everyone in my family owns one and wears it at Disney and beyond, and nearly 4,500 Amazon shoppers love it, too.

"It worked like a charm,” said one reviewer who took the fan on a summer trip to Disney World . “Battery lasted all day on medium to high speeds.” 

SportsNew Large Belt Bag

This oversized belt bag is my go-to theme park bag. It has lots of pockets to hold my family’s gear and a special buckle for my sunglasses, so I don’t lose them on rides. It can be worn as a fanny pack, crossbody, backpack, or shoulder bag, and it comes in nearly 10 neutral and bright colors.

“I used this for my recent two-day trip to Disney,” said an Amazon shopper , who reported that “It held up great, held a ton of stuff, and for fellow plus-size girls, the extension is awesome!!” It’s also useful for new parents , noted another reviewer who took this belt bag “everywhere” during their maternity leave.

Stanley IceFlow Stainless Steel Tumbler

It’s important to stay hydrated during your Disney trip. There are water bottle refilling stations scattered across the parks for guests who bring their own bottles from home, which is a big money saver. I like to bring this leakproof Stanley tumbler since it won’t spill in my bag.

Plus, its vacuum insulation “keeps my beverages icy cold for hours on end, even on hot summer days,” wrote one of over 21,000 Amazon shoppers who gave this tumbler a five-star rating. “I love the handle and that the bottle itself isn’t too heavy,” added another fan .

Sukeen Cooling Towels

When soaked with cold water, these cooling towels take on a chilly temperature guaranteed to bring down the heat on your longest Disney day. The four-pack comes with four differently colored towels, meaning family members won’t get theirs mixed up, and four individual bags and clips to keep you organized. Inside the parks, these towels sell for much more, so they’re worth stocking up on before your trip.

“This kept the family nice and cool during the hot days walking around Disneyland,” praised one Amazon shopper . “Everyone had their own color and it clipped nicely to each bag we were carrying.”

Sun Bum SPF 30 Lip Balm

There’s nothing more miserable than returning to your hotel after a long day in the parks to discover you’ve gotten a lip sunburn. Spending the rest of your vacation struggling to eat and drink because of blistered lips is a bad situation, so I always pack (and frequently reapply) this Sun Bum lip sunscreen. It’s great for everyone in your travel party since it doesn’t have a glossy shine, and it’s gotten nearly 20,000 five-star ratings on Amazon.

Lume Acidified Deodorant Wipes

These Lume deodorant wipes are my favorite hack for staying stink-free in the high Florida temperatures. They can be used everywhere from underarms to foreheads to private areas and make for a great mid-day refresh during a day at a theme park. “I keep my wipes in a bag and use them to freshen up my armpits on hot days when my deodorant is starting to fail,” said one fan . “They leave me fresh-feeling and I notice it calms the moisture down a little.” Plus, I can fit the pack of wipes in my go-to belt bag.

Dr. Frederick’s Original Better Blister Bandages

While there are plenty of comfortable shoes out there for your long days at the park, blisters do still happen sometimes. I always bring some blister bandages in my park bag, as they cover and cushion blisters and make walking with a blister painless. They’re a  “lifesaver for Disney World,” said one Amazon shopper who gave the package of bandages a five-star rating. “We walked over 20,000 steps a day and that wouldn't have been possible without these.”

Purell Sanitizing Hand Wipes

These Purell hand sanitizing wipes have become my go-to hand sanitizer for my theme park bag because they’re individually wrapped and stay moist for when you need them. I use them to wipe off tables before we sit down to eat, clean our hands after gripping a roller coaster bar, and more. The handy multi-pack is “convenient for quick wipe downs,” reported another family who used them on a Disney World trip.

If you prefer a spray hand sanitizer, I’m also a fan of the best-selling Touchland Power Mist Hydrating Hand Sanitizer .

Welly First Aid Kit

This cute first aid kit from Welly comes in a colorful tin and contains things like bandages, wound-cleaning wipes, and antibacterial ointment. I carry this portable kit in my park bag at all times, since you never know when skinned knees or scratches will occur, and having to find the park’s first aid station can be a real pain.

“I love the bright colors and the joyful designs” of the bandages, said one Amazon shopper , while another added that they like to keep one of these first aid kits in their diaper bag . 

Supergoop Lip Screen Shine SPF 40

As a mom who likes a bit of sparkle in my life, this moisturizing Supergoop lip gloss is my personal go-to SPF lip balm. I’m always happy with the sheen it puts on my lips and the sun protection it provides. The product has hundreds of five-star ratings on Amazon and gets high praise for being “ easy to apply ” with “ great shine and minimal SPF taste .”

HumanGear Go Pouch

Reaching into your park bag to find that your sunscreen has leaked or your lip balm has melted can put a damper on a theme park day. I keep things that may leak in these quick-sealing, reusable pouches that help me stay organized and spill-free throughout the day. The silicone bags are easy to wipe down and come in two sizes.

Neutrogena Sport Active Defense SPF 30 Sunscreen

Applying sunscreen at a theme park, where bodies are usually sweat-soaked and overheated, can be a challenge. This Neutrogena spray sunscreen is my absolute favorite because it goes on clear and provides great coverage. Amazon shoppers reported that it’s “ non-greasy ” and “ easier to apply than creams ,” and both the formula and spray bottle are lightweight, too. This lets you toss it into your bag without getting weighed down.

Kitsch Recycled Nylon Hair Elastics

I always toss a few extra hair ties into my theme park bag in case my kids lose one or my ponytail flies loose on a roller coaster. My preferred hair ties are these extra-soft elastics from Kitsch, which don’t pull or tug my hair and are super comfortable for hours at a time.

More than 1,700 Amazon shoppers have given these ties five-star reviews : “I have been looking for a better hair tie and thought they didn't exist,” said one Amazon shopper . “These Kitsch elastic hair ties are so soft and stretchy but have such great hold. They do not damage your hair and are easy to get out when it's time to remove them," they continued.

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I’ve Visited Over 50 Countries, and This Is the One Thing I Never Travel Without

The colorful, one-of-a-kind packing cubes make packing a total breeze.

Travel + Leisure / Madison Woiten

As a frequent traveler who has visited more than 50 destinations (and counting!) around the world, it’s safe to say I have my fair share of tips and tricks for traveling with ease. My friends always ask what my biggest travel secret is, and whether I’m flying long-haul from Europe to Australia, jumping on a train and moving from East to West across Asia, or simply going on a weekend staycation with my girlfriends in Paris, it’s always the same: packing cubes . No matter the trip, I always organize my clothes, accessories, and underwear in neat little color-coded compartments. And my packing cubes of choice? The Cubo Packing Cubes by Cotopaxi.

Cotopaxi Cubos Del Dia Packing Cube Bundle

My mom was the one who told me to pack all my little bits and pieces into separate containers, pouches, and bags — that was two decades ago, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I categorize all of my items according to purpose and use: Thinner jackets stick together in large packing cubes with thermal and active gear, undergarments and bras are rolled neatly in medium packing cubes, and toiletries sit together with other cosmetics. 

Even the most experienced travelers among us can have a tendency to overpack, which can get messy and chaotic. You’re always bound to throw in an extra pair of pants, dress, or jacket in fear of hitting roadblocks and unpredictable weather on your trip. Maybe it will rain in Melbourne in the summer, or there will be snow in April in the Alps, or perhaps Paris will be unseasonably windy — oui, tres possible ! That’s where packing cubes come in.

The Cubo packing cubes come in a range of sizes, and each individual cube is one of a kind, so the colors you get will be a surprise. But rest assured, that’s the only gamble you take when purchasing them. Like all of my favorite Cotopaxi products — from the 35L Allpa Travel pack to the highly resilient Uyuni 46L Duffel bag — the Cubo packing cubes stand up to pulling, stretching, and even over-stuffing. 

The beauty of the surprise Cubo packing cubes by Cotopaxi is that they come in a range of sizes (10L, 3L, and 2L) and colors, which makes it easy to organize everything in your luggage. Trust me, when you’re traveling around Australia and jumping from Melbourne’s tallest hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, to going on balloon rides in the Yarra Valley and visiting new boutique hotels like Re’em Hotel and The Osborne House in one big trip, color-coding your travel items is important. Rather than rummaging through an entire suitcase of accessories, jackets, and travel gear each night, I would simply remember that my lightweight jackets were in the purple bag, dresses in the lime green cube, and bras in the sky-blue pouch — easy! Especially considering I packed more than a dozen outfits for my three-week trip.

The packing cubes each have a handle, so they’re easy to grab when you need them. My advice? Hang the cubes on the hooks in your hotel bathroom so you can easily access your accessories at all times (and save yourself bench space in tiny hotel rooms). They’re made from an incredibly lightweight nylon material that’s not only sustainable (it’s 100 percent repurposed!), but also easy to clean, too. A quick wipe-down with a damp towel will do the trick to remove any grime. The internal mesh lining also allows for ventilation to keep smells from dirty laundry at bay. (Although I have to admit — I love my Cotopaxi cubes so much that I have only really used them for clean and unworn clothing just in case.)

I’m not the only one who loves the Cubo packing cubes. One reviewer said   that they worked beautifully for an immense amount of field gear, “[I] purchased these to use with a Cotopaxi backpack and they are perfect. Fit a whole week's worth of field gear. Will work just as well with any other luggage.”

Another shopper confirmed my feelings on just how useful and durable the cubes really are.“The cubes hold a lot more clothes or things than you’d expect just by looking at them. The fabric was durable so I didn’t worry about ripping anything while stuffing them.”

Cotopaxi Cubos Del Dia Travel Cube, Small 

You can easily buy one Cotopaxi packing cube individually, but the better deal is to go for all three in the surprise bundle , which comes in at just 50 dollars for the trio. As useful as they are, I also feel good about buying another set of them when I need to because Cotopaxi is eco-conscious, too. What more could you want in a travel brand?

More Packing Cubes to Shop Now:

Bagail set of 8 packing cubes, adwaita set of 6 packing cubes, pfeyrpk lightweight compression packing cubes set of 7, kingdalux set of 8 packing cubes, tripped set of 6 national park compression packing cubes.

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I retired at 48 and decided to travel for six months with my husband. Two decades later, we are still traveling.

• At 48, my husband and I decided to take a six month trip, but it turned into almost two years.
• We decided to not go back to our consulting jobs and retired.
• Two decades later, we are still traveling the world and have three homes.

Not long after my 48th birthday, in August 1999, my husband Barry invited me out for a margarita at Compadre's, a Mexican restaurant near our home in Palo Alto. It turned out he had an agenda.

During our drink, he suggested we rent our house and travel for six months. We were consultants in Silicon Valley , so we didn't have to quit traditional jobs.

Absolutely, I was up for it. Renting our Palo Alto home wasn't that simple; this was before the era of Airbnb and digital nomads. But we eventually did, and in November, we flew to Mexico, where we spent six weeks in the vibrant UNESCO World Heritage city of Guanajuato.

Six months turned into 20. Our home was still rented when we returned to Palo Alto after ending our period abroad. So we bought a 1984 Westfalia camper van , wandered up the California coast, and rented an apartment in the "Victorian seaport" of Eureka.

We never returned to our consulting jobs , so we essentially retired — though I started management training and coaching again part-time.

Twenty-five years later, we're still in that same apartment. It's the axis that has remained stable throughout while everything else changed: We sold our Palo Alto home, bought a 150-year-old adobe house in Guanajuato, and upgraded to a Eurovan camper.

Related stories

Today, we're retirees traveling the world together.

The world is our home now

One base is our home in Eureka, where we spend spring and summer. When we're not in town, we roam around Northern California and southern Oregon in our van, which we consider one of our homes. We pack our bicycles, kayak, standup paddleboard, and astronomical telescope into the vehicle. We then head off on outings on the coast or inland to mountains and hot springs.

We spend part of the fall and winter in our home in Guanajuato. We don't own a car there because houses in Guanajuato's centro, where our home is located, don't have driveways or garages, and everything is within walking distance.

Every year, we visit a new part of Mexico. This year, we took Primera Plus — one of Mexico's plush long-distance buses — three hours to another UNESCO World Heritage city, San Luis Potosí.

Because Barry is British, we visit his family once a year, and while we're over there we usually tag on a trip to the continent. One year we spent from May to September in Scotland, Catalonia, France's Hautes Alpes, and in the northern Italian towns below my favorite mountain range, the Dolomites.

We also belong to a home exchange site where we swap our Mexican home for other houses worldwide. We've exchanged homes with owners in Brittany, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Colombia, and Portland, OR. In October, we'll stay at a house a couple of hours from Denver to experience fall foliage. Next spring, we'll visit Cuenca, Ecuador. Our retired life never stops.

We've mastered a system to make our retirement life easy

For a lifestyle like ours, we need to be organized. We rent our home in Mexico when we're not there, so we've hired someone to handle the renters. Our house cleaner in Guanajuato keeps our plants watered. In Eureka, a friend who works nearby checks on our apartment regularly, and while we're in Mexico, we keep our van on another friend's property.

Strictly speaking, we have enough income to maintain our lifestyle and don't need to generate more. But Barry and I both enjoy writing, and I, in particular, love to earn. Happily, we can write in Eureka, Guanajuato, in our camper van, or wherever in the world we happen to be.

I remember that August afternoon 25 years ago, and I'm grateful I said yes. I had no idea when Barry asked me out how much a simple margarita would transform our lives.

Watch: This Mexican entrepreneur builds houses out of bricks made from invasive seaweed. Then he gives them away.

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What’s in Our Queue? ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ and More

By Katrina Miller May 29, 2024

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I just wrapped up a reporting fellowship at The Times, covering space, physics and the intersection of science and society. It’s a job that immerses me in all things science, so in my free time, I like to escape into other realms.

Here are five things I’ve been indulging in lately →

People doubted that Donald Glover could pull off “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” a new Prime Video series inspired by the 2005 film. But I’m a big fan of his genre-bending work, and this show did not disappoint. He and Maya Erskine have so much unexpected chemistry!

Aaron Kamm and the One Drops were performing in southern Illinois when I was there in April covering the total solar eclipse. I immediately fell in love with their sound, which is a blend of reggae, soul and blues. I’m still exploring their discography, and my favorite song so far is “Make It Better.”

This Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Auburn is about the daughter of a mathematical genius and weaves together themes of family, gender, elitism and the fine line between intelligence and insanity. I caught a production by Bluebird Arts, a Chicago theater company, and found it poignant and profound.

Find tickets here.

This might just be the best book on productivity I’ve ever read. Oliver Burkeman argues that efficiency is a trap, and because our life spans are only, on average, 4,000 weeks, we should embrace the fact that we will never get everything done. Only then can we cut out the noise and enjoy what really matters.

The live-action remake of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which came out on Netflix earlier this year, reminded me how much I loved the original animated series. It’s about a boy who has to master control over the four elements so he can save the world, and I’ve been slowly reworking my way through it.

Here are some more favorites:

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