Most of us have to operate on a shoestring budget, hence the need to make the most of our working trips by writing more than one story and submitting it to various publications.

But having this skill has nothing to do with writing blah numerous stories just to feed content farms and then hope and pray that you’ll earn serious moolah from ad revenues.

Rather, this skill is a matter of quality over quantity, and by learning how to write several types of stories about one destination will not only bring in more revenue but will also help you build a writing portfolio and/or drive traffic to your growing travel blog.

1.Research story ideas prior to your trip

Don’t leave home without researching as much as you can about the country that you will be visiting. You might have been invited to join a Fam Tour but this doesn’t mean that you’re confined to writing about what’s included in the organizer’s itinerary.

There are so many ways to do travel writing apart from the usual city guides or hotel reviews. If you did your research, you’ll find several facets of that country worth looking into.

These include, but are not limited to, its architecture, cuisine, religion, art scene, language, etcetera. With so much information available online and off, it’s so easy to craft at least three to five story ideas which you can develop and submit for publication.

2. Use your career expertise in crafting ideas outside of the travel niche

Writing about your travels need not be confined to travel writing per se. In fact, this is the time to use the expertise that you developed, in your day job or in your previous jobs, to craft ideas outside of the travel publication niche.

For instance, if you spent most of your career in sales and marketing, then perhaps you can write about destination marketing or profiles of famous entrepreneurs in that country. Or perhaps there will be an international marketing conference that will be held in that country you’re visiting. Figure out a way for you to get in and write about the conference agenda. You can pitch these ideas to business magazine or blogs that focus on building online businesses.

3.Get to know the publications or blogs that you want to get published in

Pitching doesn’t start with covering a story but with understanding the target audience of the magazine and/or blog that you want to write for. You may have just visited one country or one city but it’s very possible to write three or five different stories that will cater to different types of readers.

The easiest way to know more about these publications or blogs is to read them frequently – not only the content but the comments section where you’ll get the idea of what interests their readers. You should also read the About, FAQ and Submission Guidelines pages so you can tailor your pitch based on their respective editorial standards.

4. Use interviews to give more depth and variety to your stories

Stop relying on casual observation or the usual background information that you can read on any Wikipedia entry. This will not only bore your readers but will limit your capacity to write more stories. While background data can give context to the story that you’re writing, your story will fall flat without some interesting quotes.

So interview as many people – experts, fellow travelers, travel agents, business executives, artists, etc. – in fact, anyone at all who can lend more depth and color to the stories that you’re writing. This also makes your story more authoritative which will perk up the interest of an editor looking for contributions.

~ Prime

How do you find multiple story ideas from your trip? Share your tips!

Some even decide to go freelance full time when their loyal clientele has grown too huge to manage on a part-time basis.

Becoming a freelancer, however, comes with risks, including not getting paid by your client. Here are some ways you can avoid this scenario.

Choose Risk-Free Certified Freelance Sites

When you’re just starting out as a freelance writer, choose reliable sites that are risk-free and have earned a good reputation among other freelancers. You can start small on sites like fiverr.com, where all sorts of services are being offered, at the starting price of $5. If you want to flex your creative muscles more and find out if you have naming skills, pickydomains.com is a good place to start practicing.

You can also try elance.com and odesk.com for your first freelance work. A word of warning though, expect starting rates to be low since you are starting from square one and also because Elance and Odesk are sites where you bid to work on a project. The lower the bid, the better the chances that you will be chosen by the client. But when you gain experience and your reputation grows, you can gradually increase your rates and demand higher pay for your quality work.

As your client list grows, some will try to get in touch with you outside of the freelance site where you first made contact. This is a boon for you since you’ll no longer need that site to act as a middleman and take a percentage of your earnings. You can receive your full professional fee straight from your client. The only downside to this is the chance that you might not get paid for the work you do.

E-Contracts

Many a freelance friend of mine has experienced frustration at a client’s nonpayment. I often read Facebook statuses lamenting this fact. So how do you protect yourself from this scenario? Having a formal agreement or an e-contract will help clearly define the terms and conditions of the project at hand. Here are other things that you need to define in your business contract.

• Project Description
  Here, the project will be described including the coverage and duration. To be more thorough, you can present a project plan that will detail the weekly/daily actions you will take in order to finish the work in the required span of time. You may or may not include the project cost breakdown but it will help you be more transparent to the client and offer a guide on the services you provide in a particular package.
• Payment Scheme
  Your contract must contain a feasible payment scheme. The most common method which my friends–and myself included–have used is the 50-50 installment pay. Fifty percent of the agreed fee serves as down payment and triggers the beginning of the project. The remaining half will be paid once services have been finished and the goods have been delivered.

  Another popular term of payment is 50-25-25. Fifty percent will be paid upon project approval and 25% will be given after 14 working days. The remaining balance will be paid upon presentation and final approval from client.

A Few More Reminders

A contract, even if it is the electronic kind, is legally binding. Both you and the client are accountable to the terms and conditions of your agreement. If you don’t deliver on time as promised, the client will see that as a violation and can choose to pay you a lesser amount than the agreed fee. If the client fails to pay you even after you have delivered the final output, it is considered a breach of contract and you can choose to sue him or her. If you plan to file a complaint, consult legal advice on how to proceed. If you find lawyers expensive, you can avail yourself of prepaid legal plans instead, which has affordable monthly rates.

Don’t be Hasty and Jump into Conclusions

If a client’s payment is delayed, don’t panic right away and plunge headfirst into legal action. Give him or her the benefit of doubt and some time to settle his remaining balance. You can send an email to follow up on the payment. Sometimes, clients are just busy and don’t have time to check their emails all the time. Maybe they recently had a health or family emergency.

If after repeated emails, they still do not respond, then you can consider legal action. You may send an email informing them of your intention and perhaps this will merit a faster response.

~ Tiffany

How do you protect yourself? Share your advice!

You write about travel therefore, you have a niche. Unfortunately, unless you have star status as a travel writer, you’re not niche enough.

Budget-strapped editors hiring freelancers don’t get stars for the majority of their stories. All things being equal, they hire writers with the expertise their readers need. They hire adventure travelers and cruise specialists, budget travelers and destination experts. They hire the person who can really tell the story.

So whether you’re pitching them or you’ve managed to get on their radar so that they select you, your niche is important. It allows you to stand out. With a niche you can become a star. You can be the big fish in a small pond.

Five Travel Niche Success Stories

In 2011 I landed on the radar of Joe Yonan, food and travel editor of the Washington Post. I got there thanks to my niche: solo travel. When he decided that he wanted someone to share the stage with him at the Smithsonian for a discussion of solo cooking and solo travel, he contacted me. (Yes, I fell off my chair.)

By coincidence, I was also writing a book that year: The Solo Traveler’s Handbook. That connection certainly helped get the book off to a good start.

My book is just one in a series called The Traveler’s Handbooks.

Switch out “solo” for any niche name and you have another potential book in the series. Each book is written by a travel niche expert. In 2012 five books were published covering career break, food, luxury, volunteer and solo travel. More handbooks are scheduled for this year.

A travel generalist can’t break through the noise on Amazon. A travel niche expert can. These books, layered on top of all that these niche experts already do, position the authors as niche leaders and influencers.

How to Find Your Niche

Sometimes a niche finds you. After my husband passed away, I became solo traveler. Sometimes a niche is discovered over time. Jodi Ettenberg, author of The Food Traveler’s Handbook found her niche through travel. “As I traveled, my journey shifted perceptibly from a focus on places and people, to a focus on those places and people through their food.”

Find your niche by observing yourself, how you travel and what excites you. Ah, but there are already experts in the niche you want to lead. Fortunately you can also identify your niche demographically. Maybe you’re the boomer budget traveler or the Gen X adventure traveler. Layer on that a specific worldview: political, economic, social… and your niche can be honed nicely.

How to Market Yourself as a Niche Leader

As a travel writer you need a platform. This may be a blog or website. You also need to support that platform with social media whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram or Pinterest. To market yourself as a niche leader, everything you do with your platform and on social media should support your position as such.

The posts on your blog should demonstrate your knowledge. The tweets you share should show that you are on top of your niche. Your Facebook Page should encourage engagement in discussions about your niche.

Twitter is an excellent tool for getting on the radar of travel editors and content managers. It’s easy to find them and engage with them. Just be careful not to spam them. A few well-chosen tweets can go a long way.

To be a leader you need to act like one. Select your niche and do so. With time, you’ll be niche enough.

~ Janice

What’s your focus? Share your niche!

The competition is tough, especially for online freelance work. When you start at the bottom, you have little choice but to accept lower rates compared to more accomplished and veteran freelancers.

That doesn’t mean you can’t rise up to the top. If you work hard and produce quality work, your clientele is sure to grow. Creating your own distinctive brand also helps.

Here are some ways on how you can make your online presence known:

Guest Posting is a Must!

Browse through blogs and look for those that welcome guest writers. Guest posts are great for exposure and it also allows you to build up your portfolio. When you send an email pitch to a blog, make it short, sweet and straight to the point. It helps if you include links to online posts that you did before so that the admin can have an idea of how you write.

You can also pitch an idea of a topic you want to write about or choose from a set of topics given ahead by the blog admin. Once your pitched topic has been approved, you can send your article for approval. It may or may not be approved depending on the quality of your writing.

Some helpful sites that will help you look for blogs to guest post on are bloggerlinkup.com, guestr.com and myblogguest.com. Registration is free on these sites and when the tables have turned and you are the one that requires guest posts, you can also advertise that need there.

Make the Most Out of Social Media

If you have a facebook account but haven’t updated it in ages, it’s time to be active. As one of the most popular social networking sites, facebook can help you connect with not only friends but also potential clients. Utilize your contact list and ask friends for referrals. If you’re planning to make freelancing a business, create a fan page. Get a twitter account and link it with your facebook account. A google+ account is also a must when you’re doing SEO-related jobs.

To make managing all the different social media accounts easier, you can use MyLife.com, which allows you to access everything on one dashboard. When you start guest blogging, share your articles on the different social media sites. Once you start gaining followers, the more you share, the more your online presence will grow.

Create an Online Portfolio

There are a lot of free online platforms that you can use to store your online portfolio. One of the most popular mediums is WordPress because it is simple to navigate and it is easy to create the pages you want. Some of the basic pages you can include are home, about me and recent work. You can also blog on WordPress to keep your portfolio site updated. Make your “about me” page catchy so that it will capture the attention of your potential clients. There are a lot of freelance writers out there, so why should they choose you? If you can answer that in a creative way, it acts as a subtle way of marketing yourself.

Another option you can use for your online portfolio is dropr.com. The site’s tagline is “Dropr allows you to create and browse beautiful portfolios from music to art, photography to print and connects you to the worlds most creative community.” It cuts down the time and effort in creating your portfolio website through its easy drag-and-drop-based platform. What could take hours or even days will take just minutes. If you become an established freelancer, I would still encourage you to get your own domain.

Join Online Forums and Writing Communities

As a starting freelance writer, you need a mentor or established professionals who can help you through the unpredictable world of freelance writing. Joining creative writing groups online can help you keep your creative juices flowing as you share ideas and samples of your writing. You can get great advice from them and at the same time contribute new information that they may not be aware of yet. Sometimes, these groups promote writing contests or weekly challenges that will help sharpen your skills and make your online presence more known, especially when you win some of these contests.

When you participate actively in forums, don’t forget to link back to your portfolio site so that potential clients will be able to view some of your sample works. Fellow writers may also want to collaborate with you on a project when they see what you are capable of.

These 4 tips are just some of the things you can do to help promote your online presence. You can also add your own tips to this list as you learn new things on the way to becoming a more accomplished freelance writer.

~ Tiffany

How do get online attention? Share your tips!

Sitting at a bar drinking ice-cold San Miguel, a suitcase-sized screen showed lions ripping deer to pieces on National Geographic TV. I scribbled notes in a Moleskine diary and considered how I would introduce myself to my new classmates. With only ten minutes to go until my first class, my hands were shaking and stuck to the bottle. My writing was incomprehensible. Of course I had some writing experience, but I’d never been published in the travel pages. I ordered another beer and watched the tigers as a chill took over every inch of my body – what had I let myself in for?

Doing what you love most, all the time…

One of the main things that attracted me to the LSJ was its teachers. They have all made a living from the travel journalism industry and are proof that it is possible.

My group was made up of only six students, none of whom had any significant writing experience. Travel writer veteran, Paul Gogarty, taught us for the first four weeks of the six-week course. He wore bright pink shirts and rainbow-striped socks, with a pair of Woody Alan style glasses. His greying hair and weathered skin left us with no uncertainties that this man had seen it all.

Paul’s teaching style was direct and challenging, or as he put it: a taste of the editor’s wrath.

His passion for his craft was obvious but he made it perfectly clear that this career is not for everyone. “Money. Money has always been tight in the world of travel journalism, but it’s never been tighter than it is now. Yes it’s nice to travel the world at the expense of someone else, but even if you’re a well-known travel writer you’ll still struggle to make ends meet”.

Great, I thought, that’s just what I needed to hear. “But surely it’s worth the sacrifice?”

“If you’re willing to work really hard; if you really do want to dedicate your life to seeing the world, then travel writing is the best way to do it. But you have to be able to write well, and you have to be a hustler. Nobody is going commission you just for the fun of it; you’ve got to prove yourself.”

Every class started in the same way. We’d read out our stand firsts (the by-line of our intended travel stories) and Paul would say: “Thing is, that’s not a travel story. It’s been done before and it’s boring. Why you? Why now? Why should I put this in my travel pages?”

It wasn’t that he was being negative; he was just trying to teach us how a commissioning editor would respond.

It worked well and, slowly but surely, we began to come up with better angles, better ‘hooks’. “Now you’ve got it. You’re inspiring me to find out more. It’s clear why you are the best person to write this story, and it’s clear why I should include it in my travel pages.”

The last two lessons were taught by Duncan Craig and Mike Carter. Duncan was a young man who had been commissioning editor at The Express. He taught us how to pitch our ideas to the papers and more importantly, how not to pitch to them.

We left the classroom with our brains melting out of our ears like chilli con carne. Everything he said contradicted Paul’s advice. But it showed that the ‘travel journalism industry’ is made up of many people, with many different ideas of what’s good, what’s right and what sells.

Similarly, Mike Carter, a sub editor at The Observer, talked more about writing travel books and gave us some actionable writing advice. “Don’t turn into a travel writing cliché. People start using funny words when they are writing about travel. Write as you would normally talk in the real world, it’s not an ‘eatery’, it’s a cafe. Don’t start your stories with: As the plane came into land the city was lit up like a Christmas tree. You can start your story anywhere you want it doesn’t have to be right at the beginning, at the airport or on the plane.”

In effect, Mike gave us the confidence to write simply and elegantly, without relying on big words and over-the-top story lines. “I’m currently walking fourteen miles every morning to work,” he boasted, “it’s amazing the things I’ve seen in my home city that I’ve never noticed before. It’s going to make a great book!”

Reading and writing with the lions

We would be challenged to discuss ‘great travel writing’ in the class. We’d read a couple of paragraphs and then explain why it was so amazing. Paul would react: “I think it’s formulaic and boring. He’s not showing, he’s telling!” Luckily, I chose Holidays in Hell by P.J. O’Rourke – one of Paul’s favourite writers. There were also two writing assignments, a 500-word piece about a recent trip and the final 1000-word masterpiece that we would be graded on (and hope to have published). Paul seemed a little more encouraging at this point, although I did get a few ‘cut, cut, cut – less is more’ type comments.

Leaving the pack

Everything is going digital and budgets are being cut. But we also discussed how this has opened up new money-making avenues. It is still possible; you just have to think of the bigger picture. I realised that I do have what it takes to write great travel stories (I got an A- for my efforts), and was offered some actionable tips to help improve it.

In fact, for anyone interested in any kind of writing, I would totally recommend attending a writing course. It offers the chance to share your work and to hear what other writers think. In my humble opinion, constructive criticism is the only way to improve your writing, and that’s what writing courses are all about.

~ Ben

Have you attended a travel writing course? Share your experience!

Six Things You Need to Know About Travel Writing.

Although a travel writing workshop helped me jump into the field, experience and time were my best teachers.

I read other travel writers, researched outlets, sent out queries and wrote voraciously.

Some of my attempts failed; others worked. Eventually, the stack of magazines that carried my work grew taller in the corner of my office.

I’m still learning and still evolving. It’s a must when working in this field. But here are six things that I’ve learned over the years about travel writing:

1. Becoming a Travel Writer Will Change the Way You Travel

When you travel knowing that you must report on what you see, it opens your eyes to travel in a new way. You notice more detail — the way people speak, the architecture, and the local cuisine — and this brings an added dimension of travel enjoyment.

Now, even when I’m not traveling on assignment, I notice these precious details. In fact, I seek them out.

For example, one of my favorite ways to learn about a destination is to peruse a local grocery store. When I was in Kauai recently, I stopped by their only Walmart. I found half an aisle devoted to different kinds of Spam (Hawaiians love their Spam), another aisle full of surfboards, snorkel gear and boogie boards and a huge refrigerated display filled with leis. Who knew that Walmart could provide a window into the Hawaiian soul?

2. Learn from Others

One of the best ways to improve your travel writing is to read other travel writers. Go to the book store and spend time looking over the travel magazines. What are people writing about? Who is covering what? What types of articles are they running?

Personally, I love to read travel essays. Each year, I devour the “Best American Travel Writing” series, and books like “Sand in My Bra” are filled with hilarious travel essays.

Take time to dissect these travel writing pieces. How do the writers set up the story? What descriptive skills do they use? What can you learn from them that you can include in your own writing?

In addition to reading, take a travel writing workshop or class. Being a travel writing instructor, I know this sounds like a shameless plug for our travel writing workshops, but it could be a class at your local college or anywhere else. Having someone who can provide insight and detailed instruction will go a long way.

3. Be a Good Reporter

You may take an amazing trip, but if you can’t remember the details of that journey, then your piece will not reflect that experience. Keep good notes.

Some writers keep a daily journal, which is an enjoyable way to record your thoughts. Include the specifics — the sights, the smells, the sounds and even the people you meet — in your notes. These details will help your story come alive.

4. Take Photos!

As an editor at Go World Travel Magazine, I spend a lot of time wading through submissions in our slush pile. Since our site is very visual, photography is often as important as the story — and it’s one of the first things we consider when we look at a submission.

Yes, it’s true that many destinations provide free photography for press usage. Yet you shouldn’t rely on that.

At Go World Travel, we cover many unusual destinations, and stock or press photos aren’t available. If you can’t provide photos to accompany your winery tour in Bulgaria, then chances are, we can’t run your story.

You don’t have to be a professional to take nice photos. Today’s cameras and editing software can do most of the work. Take a quick class on framing and composition and you should be able to shoot basic photos that will compliment your work.

5. Don’t Quit Your Day Job — Yet

As one travel writer put it, “The pay in travel writing bites, but the perks rock and the views from your desk are always changing.”

Yes, for most travel writers, this profession will not be a sole source of income. Travel writing works better as a co-career along with a flexible but reliable profession.

Several of my travel writing friends do other writing work. One writes grants for a non-profit, another covers business pieces. Being a staff writer or editor at a travel publication is an excellent way to find stable income in the travel writing field, but this can also restrict your travel. As one of my editor friends for a AAA magazine once said, “Usually I have to assign a freelancer for our travel stories because I’m stuck in the office editing!”

One other option is to find an internationally marketable skill that can be done overseas, such as teaching skiing or scuba diving, bartending or even teaching English as a second language. Then you can live overseas, and report on that country from abroad.

6. Keep Up with the Times

Like most professions, travel writing continues to evolve with the times. While most travel writers were publishing in print five or 10 years ago, online publishing is more common today.

If you can’t keep up with the times, you’re going to be left behind. Every travel writer today should be comfortable in the online world. Editors want to see your website or at least emailed clips to your work, not mailed photocopies.

Many workshop participants are established travel writers who want to update their skills — and they are wise to do so. Having your own blog, being able to reach out to editors on Twitter or promoting your work through social media are excellent ways to stay ahead of the game.

*******

A few years ago, I ran into my old travel writing workshop teacher. She had retired from the field of travel writing, but her face lit up when I mentioned the class that I took from her more than a decade ago.

I shared how that foundation had helped me build a career as a journalist – both as a freelance travel journalist and a staff magazine editor.

She really smiled, though, when I told her that I taught travel writing workshops too. I understand now how good it feels to share this love of travel — and how to capture it in the written word — with others who share that passion.

~ Janna

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Upcoming workshops:

Visit Travel Writing On Location for more information on these workshops:
Native American & Spanish Heritage in New Mexico: Santa Fe. May 2-6, 2013
Spirit of the Old West: C Lazy U Dude Ranch in Colorado, April 26-29, 2013
Beyond Eat, Pray, Love: Sights and Culture of Bali, Indonesia, Sep 20-27, 2013

How DO You land that first travel writing assignment?

It’s an age-old question that many aspiring travel writers have asked — how do I get a writing assignment if I don’t have any writing clips yet?

It is, understandably, a frustrating conundrum, and it comes up often at the travel writing workshops I teach.

Publishers want to see writing clips before they give you an assignment. Yet it’s hard to land that first writing assignment when you don’t have any published proof that you can write.

Don’t despair, though. There are many ways to work toward your goal step-by-step.

The first step is to find a publication that might be willing to work with new writers.

When I was playing softball in college, my coach often said: “Quit trying for a grand slam, just get me a base hit.”

In that same manner, don’t try to land an assignment in National Geographic. Instead, look around for publications that might be willing to give a new writer a chance. They can provide your base hit.

Here are a few ideas:

Look at Your Local Newspaper

When I say “your local paper”, I’m not talking about The LA Times or The Chicago Tribune. I’m referring to the small local paper for your neighborhood community. These publications often run on a purse string, and they’re looking for content that has a local connection.

In my case, I did a little research on my own hometown at that time of Littleton, Colorado. Like many communities, Littleton has several “Sister Cities” across the globe. This program, started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, was designed to build friendship and global community.

I learned that one of our town’s sister cities was the town of Bega, New South Wales. Since I was going to Australia on a family trip, I looked up that town and read everything I could about it.

Then I wrote a simple letter — called a query letter — to the local editor of our Littleton paper, telling her about the connection between Littleton and Bega, NSW, and asking if I could write a short article about Bega.

A week later, she wrote back and said she liked the idea. Instead of assigning me the article, though, she asked me to write the article “on spec.”

This meant that she gave no guarantee of accepting or running the article, but that she was willing to review and consider a finished piece.

As soon as I got back from my trip, I wrote up a short 800-word article, careful to include a strong local angle. I included a few photos with captions, as I had learned to do in a travel writing workshop.

It was thrilling to get the editor’s positive response and my check for $15. My next goal was accomplished — to see my work in print or online.

When you’re looking for ideas that might appeal to your local paper, consider writing about day trips in your local area. Is there a new hiking trail nearby? Or a kids’ museum with a new exhibit?

You don’t have to go far to be a travel writer. You can write about what you know right in your own backyard.

Look for Online Opportunities

The print world, as we all know, is shrinking. Print publishing opportunities are becoming fewer and fewer. Fortunately, the Internet has opened up a huge realm of publishing possibilities.

Get online and do your research, starting with areas that interest you.

Are you a Baby Boomer? Look up online publications that focus on Baby Boomers. Sure, there are some huge publications, like AARP, that will be hard to break into. But there are smaller websites that cover Baby Boomer travel that might be willing to take a chance on a new writer.

Maybe you’re a foodie or a beer aficionado. Are there websites that cover those interests? Maybe they’re looking for content.

After you find sites of interest, look for their online writer’s guidelines. Many publications have these readily available online in the website footer. If not, email the editor and ask.

Writers guidelines detail if and how the website works with writers, as well as what they are looking for.

Study the guidelines carefully and then review the content that the site has already published. If you have an idea that might fit, send them a query via email.

Many smaller sites have little staff and small budgets. Some sites might assign a story from a query, but many will ask to see the finished piece. Some sites will pay; others will not.

If your goal is to gather some strong writing clips in order to build your career, it’s good to work with these sites.

Start a Blog

Once you have a strong collection of clips, put the title, excerpt and links to the online articles on your own blog or website.

Blogs are another topic of much discussion at our travel writing workshops. Some writers put very little effort into this online “proof point,” but an online blog or website is your best calling card for future work.

In addition to putting your clips on your blog, start writing and publishing blog “posts,” which are short pieces about a topic or idea. Blog posts are not full-length articles, but rather short pieces (generally 200-400 words) on a topic or idea. Blog posts showcase your thought process, expertise and writing ability. They are an excellent step in building your online presence.

If you don’t know how to set up a blog or website, you’re not alone. Sign up for a writing workshop, and you’ll find that a little instruction may be all you need. If technology is sometimes daunting to you, it’s much easier to have someone lead you through the process of setting up a blog or website step-by-step.

If you approach your goal of becoming a travel writer in a systematic way, with achievable steps along the way, you’ll find that the goal is not so overwhelming. In fact, you might even find that it’s a lot of fun.

I know I have.

Coming next week in Part 3 of “What Can You Learn from a Travel Writing Workshop,” we’ll discuss the six things you need to know about travel writing.

~ Janna

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Upcoming workshops:

Visit Travel Writing On Location for more information on these workshops:
Native American & Spanish Heritage in New Mexico: Santa Fe. May 2-6, 2013
Spirit of the Old West: C Lazy U Dude Ranch in Colorado, April 26-29, 2013
Beyond Eat, Pray, Love: Sights and Culture of Bali, Indonesia, Sep 20-27, 2013

It’s funny how one small decision can change your life.

Fourteen years ago, I was working as a stringer for The Chicago Tribune. Based in Colorado, I covered the usual news topics.

Then Columbine happened, and I spent the next year covering the sorrow of a high school massacre. I knew I had to write about something different.

Travel writing seemed more appealing, so I gave it a try. After all, how hard could it be? I wrote up a few pitches and sent them out with a smile. But even with my writing background, I got nowhere. My pitches were rejected or simply ignored. I just couldn’t break into the field.

Then I took a one-day workshop on travel writing. It turns out that the field of travel writing has norms, procedures and standards all its own. Having someone explain how to get assignments, work with tourism boards, illustrate my stories with strong photos and even structure my articles made all the difference.

That long ago workshop provided the foundation I needed to get started in travel writing.

Understanding the Business of Travel Writing

The first step to understanding the field of travel writing is to understand the business behind it.

Back in the good old days (as I’ve heard older travel writers tell it), travel writing was a well-paid form of journalism. Publishers needed travel content for their print and TV outlets, and hired from a small pool of highly-qualified travel journalists. The publishers paid good money (up to $1/word) and travel writers could make a decent living covering only travel.

Big advertising dollars supported these numerous travel sections and outlets, providing the dollars needed to pay travel journalists and sometimes even their travel expenses.

But then the Internet came along and everything changed.

More and more people went online for their news and information, and newspaper and magazine budgets began to shrink. Those big advertising budget began to shrink, too. Eventually, some publications cut their travel coverage. Today, there are fewer print and broadcast outlets that buy travel pieces than there were even five years ago.

But while print and TV outlets for travel coverage were shrinking, online publishing opportunities began to spring up. Unfortunately, those big advertising dollars didn’t transfer to the online world. Online advertising dollars tend to be spread thin. This means that while there are many online publishing outlets, only a handful of these outlets have large budgets.

As a result, selling travel editorial to online outlets often means lower pay. The good news is that there are more online publishing opportunities than ever. You just need to know where to find them.

Get Paid to Travel

You’ve seen the ads. They seem to promise that you can make a nice living simply by writing about travel.

Such ads are a little deceiving. Yes, you can get paid to write about travel, but these days, at least in most cases, it’s not enough money to live on. Most travel writers I know have secondary sources of income.

Still, there are many riches in this world that are not monetary. While I have not gotten rich from travel writing, I have enjoyed a very rich life and career in travel journalism.
I’ve watched thousands of birds fly above the billabong in the Outback, practiced tai chi at dawn in Hong Kong, snorkelled with beluga whales in the Arctic and had memorable experiences in almost 40 other countries.

Destination and Tourism Partners

Perhaps you’re wondering how such a rich travel life can be possible then, when travel journalism pays so little.

This is due to a strong partnership with tourism destinations, resorts and attractions.

Destinations and travel businesses rely on word of mouth and travel coverage to promote their travel brand. They can’t rely solely on advertising.

It’s one thing to say in an ad that Manitoba is an exciting destination. It’s another thing completely for a writer to detail the exhilarating experience of being surrounded by 16 beluga whales while snorkelling in the Hudson Bay, or to share what it feels like to ride an elephant through a village in Thailand.

This is why many destinations and travel businesses have a public relations budget that allows them to offer press trips or sponsor single writers and their travel.

Some press trips are provided free of charge, others are provided at a media rate. Destination marketing organizations also put a great deal of time, expertise and money into providing information and local insight to the travel writer. They are an incredible – and important – resource for travel writers.

This public relations assistance allows writers to travel and experience the destination, thereby providing the editorial coverage that destinations and travel businesses need to build tourism revenues.

Some publications won’t accept “sponsored” travel, believing that sponsored travel is not unbiased. However, the majority of editorial outlets realize the basic fact that without this assistance, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to provide coverage of far-flung destinations.

Personally, I have never had a problem with providing my true journalistic opinion in my travel coverage. I tell it like I see it – and the destinations, resort and travel businesses I write about understand that. My readers deserve the truth, and that’s what I give them.

Nothing in Life is Free

Before you think you can rush out and get a cushy travel trip for free, think again. Only travel writers who have a firm assignment from a publication or online outlet receive travel assistance. This is, after all, a partnership. The destination or travel business will provide travel assistance, but only if the travel writer provides true editorial coverage that is valuable to the destination’s bottom line.

So how do you obtain a travel writing assignment?

Tune in next week for Part Two of What You Can Learn from a Travel Writing Workshop to find out!

~ Janna

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Upcoming workshops:

Visit Travel Writing On Location for more information on these workshops:
Native American & Spanish Heritage in New Mexico: Santa Fe. May 2-6, 2013
Spirit of the Old West: C Lazy U Dude Ranch in Colorado, April 26-29, 2013
Beyond Eat, Pray, Love: Sights and Culture of Bali, Indonesia, Sep 20-27, 2013

Perhaps you fear that if you are too heavily influenced by outside sources you will lose the originality and raw talent of your own style.

Or, that your writing will become like the boring literature they made you read in school.

Here is the bad news: learning how to improve your writing will take away from your originality. However, if you want to make it in the writing world, then you have to accept the good with the bad. You will have to change your attitude if you wish to succeed as a writer.

Tip #1: Change your attitude and think of driving

When you first hop into a car, you may be fantastic at doing doughnuts in the Kmart parking lot, but before they are going to let you on the roads, you are going to have to learn how to obey the rules and drive like everybody else. The same is true when you improve your writing, but where you go from there is up to you. You can be a good driver, or a great driver. The same is true for writing. Just because your writing has improved and conforms to editorial standards, does not mean you cannot build upon it to become the world’s greatest wordsmith.

Tip #2: Learn the rules of English grammar

The rules of English/American/Canadian/Australian grammar are quite strict. While you may occasionally break them, you cannot break them as a rule. Cleaning up grammatical inaccuracy is less about abiding by the rules, and more about making sure the reader can understand what you are getting at.

Tip #3: Record yourself telling the story

Construct the written story from the voice recording, because the way you speak and tell a story will be more natural. The natural storytelling manner will come across in your written text. When you write you have to think then write, and whilst writing your thought process has to stop. If you create a narrative and then speak it, you will find that your thought process is un-interrupted and you speak a far better narrative than you would have otherwise written. All you then need to do is get it down on paper, which involves listening to yourself and writing down what you hear (leaving out the “ums” and “errs”).

Tip #4: Learn the correct spellings of words

You need to know the difference between “there” and “their”, or “has” and “have”. There are always going to be words that you spell incorrectly, and thanks to spellcheckers, they should not cause you any problems. However, many words will not be picked up as mistakes by spellcheckers, so you need to educate yourself on them before you continue.

Tip #5: Learn the rules of sentence structure

It’s important to mix impact with understanding. Words can hold a lot of power if they are placed correctly in a sentence. Sometimes the big-hitter phrase is at the beginning of a sentence, and sometimes it is at the end (like the punch line of a joke). You want to keep the impact but maintain the reader’s understanding. Learning sentence structure, known as “sentence syntax”, is essential if you want to succeed as a writer.

Tip #6: Re-read your work in a few days

Get ready to cringe, because you are going to read parts that you cannot believe you wrote. Other parts will knock your socks off. As you read the text whilst it is still fresh in your mind, the good and bad parts can become grey, lacking distinction. Read it again a few days later when you can recognize (and purge your text of) the stinky bits, leaving the good bits.

~ Meghan

What methods do you use to improve your writing? Share your tips!

Like when you realize you are in remote little village without any Internet access.

While this is great for relaxing and focusing on exploring the surroundings, you might get stressed that you’re neglecting your readers. Especially if your income depends on your writing.

Here are few tips to help:

1) Luck happens to those prepared
If you know you might be without time to write or without Internet access, you can prepare and write posts in advance. Get automatically published while you are traveling. As you can’t write about location where you are heading prior to your journey, consider some of these post ideas:

• Interview a fellow traveller
• Conduct a contest
• “How to” article (pack light, budget travel, pick a good hotel etc.)
• “10 best ways to… ” (learn a new language, plan your trip etc.)
• “5 most popular… ” (beaches, hotels etc.)
• “7 myths about…” (solo female travel, budget travel etc.)
• Spotlight your favourite posts of all times or other selection of your previous work

Don’t forget to schedule the publishing at a consistent time. If you usually publish your work on Mondays and Thursdays, publish on those days even when you are away.

2) Less is more, or how to deal with social media
First of all, you don’t have to be everywhere. It’s pointless to be present on all social media sites. Even if you didn’t travel, it would be still difficult to engage with your readers on so many platforms.

Instead, pick 2 or 3 that suit you most and focus on communication there. Or choose your platforms according to its users. Where is your target group present? Read about differences between Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

And don’t forget – quality is better than quantity.

3) Automatize, it’s the 21st Century!
So, you’ve picked 2 or 3 social media platforms and now wonder how on earth will you manage to keep in touch will all the followers while traveling? There are several tools to make a writer’s life easier.

• TweetAdder is an automated Twitter management system that thanks people who RT you, auto-responds and brings you more followers. It saves lot of time, so it’s really worth it.
• HootSuite is another great tool to manage your social media accounts. You can add 5 accounts for free and schedule Facebook statuses or Tweets, analyze your traffic or track mentions of you.
• MailChimp is one of the most popular newsletter services with pretty templates and option for scheduling. Make a custom template first and then it’s just a matter of few clicks to add posts and schedule it on date when you are gone.
• If you use Gmail, Boomerang is great tool for automatizing your email – scheduling messages and sending you back unanswered emails.

4) At least make it fun
If you decide not to be in touch with your readers while you travel, you should make it fun. Announce a month without Facebook and encourage your readers to go to ‘rehab’ with you. Or promise them something cool while they wait for your next post – like a free e-book or some other goodie. You might also send them an e-book or prepare videos/podcasts so they have something to read/watch/listen until you come back.

5) Help!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Get other people to write guest posts on your blog while you wander, or hire a virtual assistant to complete some content and post a slideshow/book/video/podcast on your blog on your behalf. For guest posts you might contact writers here on Travel Writers Exchange, and some options for finding a virtual assistant include Freelancer, eLance, or Guru.

Once you have a virtual assistant, you can write articles while on a bus or train, and send them by email to your VA to edit and publish them once you get Internet access. You can also use the smartphone voice-to-text app Dragon to dictate your notes (Editor’s Note: currently only available for Android – the Dragon app for iPhone is expected sometime in 2013). Your VA can also respond to comments on your blog for you and other minor work to save your precious time.

Remember – be honest. Being honest, being yourself is probably the main reason you have readers in the first place. Everyone loves genuine writing. So if something doesn’t go smoothly and you end up without any contact with your readers for a long period of time, don’t let them guess – explain the reason for being silent. Make it even a funny story how you got lost in Thai jungle or ended up in Peruvian hospital after breaking your leg when you tried to climb that huge rock to get a cool snap of Machu Picchu.

~ Martina

How do you communicate with your fans while traveling? Share your tips in comments below!