What Does Travel Writing Pay?
Making a Living as a Travel Writer Is Demanding
The main hard-print outlets for travel writing are: newspapers, magazines and guide books. Below, are numbers and expert opinions for each, as making a living as a writer partially depends on the type of publication.
What Travel Writing for Newspapers and Magazines Pays
Tim Leffel, renowned travel writer, and editor of PerceptiveTravel.com, attests to modest paychecks in the field of travel journalism. He has contributed his frank, experience-based insights in The Seven Myths of Being a Travel Writer, an article published at TransitionsAbroad.com.
Leffel says, “Pay at travel magazines has stayed stagnant for the past decade and many great magazines for independent travelers have gone belly-up (Big World, trips, Modern Nomad, and Escape to name just a few.) Rates for a 500-word article range from $10 to $1,000, the latter being for a seasoned writer doing a story for a Travel + Leisure-type publication. Even with a dozen years of experience, the bulk of my freelance pieces earn me between $25 and $300.”
Also, in this journalist's experience, small newspapers, such as a weekly or twice-weekly in a sizeable urban area, typically pay $25-40 (USD) per article. That often requires a story that is several hundred words in length and includes usage of a few photographs.
The demands for travel writing for smaller newspapers is less than for larger daily ones, such as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch or San Antonio Express-News.
Each writer must decide for him- or herself if the lower pay balances out the lesser amounts of time required by a smaller publication, or if the higher dollars that come from more-difficult-to-get opportunities are worth the extra research and writing efforts.
Large daily newspapers with travel sections typically pay $100-250 per travel package. Depending on the newspaper, that likely will include a main story (several hundred words), a side story (a few hundred words) and an information box that will give readers the how-to details of where to stay, what to see, where to eat. Travel writers are often expected to provide solid photography that complements all text.
What Does Travel Guide Book Writing Pay?
Writing a travel guide book can provide months of traveling and writing experience in a city, country or world region. It requires a lot of hard work for the pay, and affords little free time to see a destination in a relaxing, fun-filled way.
Tom Brosnahan lays out the budgetary planning of a travel guide book publisher and its writers on his Web site, WritersWebsitePlanner.com. In his article titled “Is Guidebook Writing Worth the Money?” he uses an example that pays a writer a $30,000 advance for a project.
Brosnahan describes the work involved:
“A guidebook writer with some experience may be able to crank out an average of one book page per calendar day during the period from contract signing to deadline; an experienced writer working under very favorable conditions (deep knowledge of the destination, few distractions, saintly spouse, etc) may average two book pages per day.
Brosnahan goes on to point out that the work is not done when the traveling and first draft of writing is. There are revisions to make, back-and-forths with editors, matters of maps and photography to tend to.
He says, in simple terms, to consider a 350-page book a 350-day effort from the point of signing the book contract.
That would mean $30,000 (USD) for one year’s worth of work – seemingly with very few weekends or holidays – minus business expenses, including costs of travel. Brosnahan figures after all deductions, including income taxes, the writer will have earned approximately $6 per hour for the year.
Leffel, in his Seven Myths article, suggests that number is three times too high if talking about a beginner in the business. He says a $10,000 advance is more realistic to expect, as a first-time guidebook writer.
Related stories: Two Types of Travel Writing, Travel Writing for Beginners
