How to Become a Travel Writer: 5 Essential Tips to Know
When asked what you’re dream job is do you say, travel writer? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Being a travel writer is two great activities combined. If you like writing and you like to travel, then becoming a travel writer could be high on your to-do list.
Keep reading for five essential tips on what you should know if you plan to become a travel writer.
1. Travel and Write
The first tip might seem a bit obvious but if you’re going to be a travel writer, then you need to travel and write. Being a travel writer means that you go to an iconic location and then write about it.
You can go on an around the world tour or even check out a tourist attraction near your house if you can’t afford to go far yet. Another option would be to think of one of your past trips if you haven’t been able to travel in a while.
Wherever you go or whatever you do you need to write about it. Writing about all your experiences will help to make you an even better travel writer. You could write about your experience of a restaurant that you went to.
No matter how far along you are on being a travel writer the number one tip is to always be writing. Writing anything and everything can help to eliminate writer’s block especially when you need to write the most.
2. Start Small
Getting started in travel writing is definitely not easy and you need to find a place to start. You will want to start by creating a portfolio, which could essentially be your own blog or just something that you can advertise yourself to the world. You will want to include your biography, past and present travels, social media feeds and then space where you can post your articles, photos, and videos.
You may be thinking to yourself that you have none of these things which is why you need to start small. Going to a local tourist attraction can be a great start for your travel writing. Just because it may be familiar to you does not mean that it is familiar to the people who will be reading your blog.
It also can help you write a better article because you already are close to the subject. Having a portfolio is a great way to show off your work and see if people will be interested in you and what you have to offer.
3. Know What Point You’re Trying to Make
When it comes to writing a travel article you need to know what point you’re trying to convey to your audience. You want to keep your audience interested so when it comes to writing a piece what are you trying to teach them?
Just going on a trip isn’t enough, but instead, you will need a clear storyline when it comes to travel writing. Good ways to convey your story to your reader is to use dialogue, use the show, don’t tell method of writing, use vivid langue, and lastly, aim to entertain your audience not just impress them.
It isn’t always easy to create the most entertaining and thought-provoking piece but to be a good travel writer you want to show your audience the goal of your article. When it comes to traveling you will meet so many interesting and unique people who can become characters in your travel writing. These characters can stand out and help to narrate what you’re trying to show to your audience.
You will also need to know what is important when trying to make your point. Most travel pieces are going to be about 1,000 to 2,000 words so you may have to scrape some of the elements of your piece that don’t fit.
4. Make Sure You Can Perfect Your Work
You won’t want to just write as much about your trip as you possibly can but rather construct a great story and every story needs an end. You may want to take some extra time to reflect on your trip before publishing your article right away.
Think about your conclusion. Think about where you started, and reflect on your entire journey in your conclusion. Your conclusion needs to be more than just telling your audience you want to go back to a certain location.
Giving yourself some extra time to perfect your work can also help to free it from any mistakes. Read through your piece very carefully before submitting it. You will want to make sure there aren’t any spelling mistakes, or incorrect phone numbers or web address. When producing your work you want to be able to show quality and not just quantity.
5. Getting Published and Rejection
When you’ve finished an article and made sure it is free from errors and conveys a good message, then start sending it everywhere. You want to make sure that your article ends up in the right person’s hands. Send your articles to local newspapers, national newspapers, travel magazines, lifestyle magazines, etc.
Call and ask for the travel section or travel desk so you know your piece is going to the right place. If you don’t hear anything back, then follow up with them!
Not everyone will love what you write and you shouldn’t be discouraged by that. Sometimes you may submit something and it may just not be the right time and place for the piece but that doesn’t mean you should stop writing. Just because they say no doesn’t mean it is a bad thing but you have created a new contact in the industry.
When it comes to travel writing there could be a lot of trial and error, especially when trying to get published.
Don’t Give Up on Becoming a Travel Writer
The most essential tip on becoming a travel writer is to never give up. Keep writing and experiencing new things because you may be able to convey a lesson to readers that no one else can.
Now that you’ve learned how to become a travel writer, you can read even more articles on our blog about lifestyle and travel.