Travel Writing: From a Bloggin' Byline to a Payin' Byline

by Roy A. Barnes

Access one of the countless travel blogging sites that have overrun the internet. Type out a personal globe-trotting recollection. And presto: you can tell the world that you are a travel writer! Yet to be someone who can honestly proclaim, "I've been paid to write about my journeys," is a totally different ballgame.

When publications pay you for your writing, it means that your work stands out amongst the zillions of submissions that converge upon editors' desks. Money isn't something publications part with automatically. It's quite unlike the blogging community creed, where the license to call yourself a writer generally means the license not to see a wooden nickel for your efforts.

Becoming a travel writer who can make enough money to pay the bills is a gradual process. These tips will help you get started in this rewarding quest:

1. Travel writing is not a get rich quick scheme. How much time are you willing to devote to the monotonous researching of paying markets, the tedious drafting and redrafting of articles and queries, while honing your craft so that it meets the specific needs of mediums who will put some dead presidents in your pocket? Your financial and family situation will certainly be a factor in determining this.

2. Thoroughly study the writer guidelines of travel publications. They often give you a good idea of what the mediums are looking for, helping you to target your completed articles or works-in-progress in the right direction. Keep the words "cross-over market" in mind when writing an article. Your feature on club hopping in London could be marketable to young adult and/or music publications. An article about volunteering abroad could also be sold to an educational-based magazine or Web site.

3. Subscribe to online market, contest, and writing tips newsletters. Many of them are free or charge a nominal subscription fee. Use the Google and Yahoo! search engines for starters. The links they provide will lead to many sources. Many of the advertisements at writing e-publications are for other online writer newsletters that feature paying travel market sources, which in turn lead to even more travel-themed resources.

4. Look for travel publications at libraries. Order free trial issues of travel magazines; and thus, you can study first hand the feel and scope of many travel publications without depleting your wallet.

5. While traveling, get as many free brochures and booklets as you can about the venues you visit to add to your reference library. Keep a diary of your trekking experiences, which can be the foundation for personal experience essays to submit to contests, literary journals, and anthologies that focus on travelers' tales.

6. If you don't already own one, purchase a decent digital or 35mm camera for use in your travels. Available photos increase your odds of getting published. When developing your film, it's best to order double prints and a CD copy of your pictures, especially if your camera isn't a digital model. This way, you will be prepared to submit via email and/or post.

7. Before submitting your work to an editor, revisit the online sites of the specific places you've written about to recheck their times of operation, admission prices, new exhibitions, etc. Make sure your article is as up-to-date as possible. Keep in mind that it might take weeks or months for an accepted article to appear online or in print. If you want to write a seasonal article, it's best to research editorial calendars and lead times so you can make a timely submission.

Getting that first pay check as a travel writer takes more than casual dedication. It means being persistent in the face of rejection. It means being willing to diligently seek out the appropriate markets. And most of all, it means being willing to write with more discipline and focus.

(This article originally appeared in a different form at The Fabulist Flash, March 24, 2005 online issue).

Roy A. Barnes is a freelance writer who resides in Cheyenne, Wyoming. During his lifetime, he has traveled on four continents, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. His past employment has included stints in the travel agent and airline industries. His travel-themed articles for pay have been featured at such print and online mediums as Transitions Abroad and Gonomad.com.