Getting Started as a Freelance Travel Journalist
Career Helps and Support for Aspiring Travel Writers
Becoming a travel writer takes a bit more than the ability to string sentences together. It also requires a fair amount of chutzpah and a strong ego to support the notion that there is room for one more point of view in an already crowded market.
For a writer breaking into this arena, it might seem already full to capacity of folks who have been writing about their travels since long before airlines stopped serving complimentary hot meals in domestic coach. The times are changing, however, with the advent of Web 2.0 social networks and newly accessible self-publishing options. Web forums, bulletin boards, and other web sites are first stops for writers seeking peer support and publication leads.
What follows is by no means an exhaustive catalog of resources for travel writers. Most, however, offer extensive help for novices who are willing to read and do their homework.
Online Communities for Travel Journalists: Fresh Advice, Market Research, Access to Sources
- TravelWriters.com offers a bulletin board and networking opportunities for travel journalists. A modest yearly subscription fee adds access to Travel Publications Update, a database of outlets for travel stories with editorial contacts. Other features include syndication opportunities on a related site, TravelRoads.com, a tracking database for keeping tabs on queries, and profile pages for writers complete with links to writing samples and clips.
- WritersMarketPlace.com requires a paid subscription for access to its online forum. Subscribers also gain access to notices of upcoming press trips. A special feature of Writers Market Place is its weekly contest showcasing travel photographs.
Learn Travel Journalism by Following Blogs, Paid Newsletters, E-Zines, and Online Courses
- TheRenegadeWriter.com is the popular blog of widely published magazine writers Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell, who co-authored The Renegade Writer and Query Letters that Rock. In addition to Linda's online seminar "Writing for Magazines," the site sponsors several other online course of special interest to travel writers.
- TravelwriterML.com, is the home of Travelwriter Market Letter, a paid-subscription newsletter with story leads and press trip announcements.
- MoneyTheWriteWay.com, the site of veteran travel writer Carmel Mooney, offers free newsletter archives going back to 2002, nonetheless valuable for beginners. Carmel's book for beginning travel writers, Been There, Comped That, is available for purchase as a download or through print-on-demand technology.
Live Seminars: Expert Mentoring for Travel Writers and Photojournalists in Supportive Surroundings
Limited to 60 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, the SATW Institute for Travel Writing & Photography, held each January in Orlando, Florida, is always a sell out. Unlike other SATW events, the institute welcomes members of the general public.
Another highly respected seminar for aspiring travel journalists is the yearly Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference in Corte Madera, California, just across the bay from San Francisco. Chaired by Don George, the August 2008 conference features distinguished faculty members including Isabel Allende, Pauline Frommer, Georgia Hesse, and other leading writers and photographers.
Professional Organizations for Travel Media
As writers begin to publish and establish a professional identity, professional organizations provide continuing education, recognition, and face-to-face networking opportunities. Each organization has its own culture, membership requirements, and fee structure. Worth considering are
- SATW, Society of American Travel Writers
- NATJA, North American Travel Journalists Association
- BATW, Bay Area Travel Writers
- MTWA, Midwest Travel Writers Association
- IFWTWA, International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association
