Have you ever dreamed of getting paid to do something you truly love? If travel is your passion, you can seek a career that allows you to combine work and pleasure, as it were – travel writing. You’ll need to take a number of steps to secure your travel writing career. First, you will need to build good writing skills and gain experience in the industry. You will also need to learn how to format a resume that is well-suited to the travel writing industry. Entering a competitive field like travel writing and be a daunting task, but it is possible. Consider the following tips to help you get started.
What Is Travel Writing?
Travel writing has been defined as “a form of creative nonfiction in which the narrator’s encounters with foreign places serve as the dominant subject.” From that rather bland description, you can find travel literature ranging from the excitement of international espionage to the mundane, day-to-day tasks of recipes and cooking styles.
Travel writing allows “armchair travellers” to experience the world vicariously through the pages of a book, magazine, or website. It provides prospective vacationers with information about regions, accommodations, restaurants, or attractions.
Top 3 Steps to Starting as a Travel Writer
If you would like to enter the travel writing industry, concentrate on each of the following steps.
Step 1: Read Good Travel Writing
Travel writing involves more than just keeping a journal of your trips. In order to get a feel for the types of articles readers (and publishers) are looking for, find some travel blogs or magazines that interest you and regularly read the material they publish.
Some travel websites are highly specific or “niche” – for example, they may cover a specific region, like this travel and lifestyle blog for Singapore’s business professionals. Others, like National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, and Afar are much more general in scope.
Step 2: Gain Experience as a Travel Writer
Next, you’ll want to put what you’ve learned to use. After all, most companies want to see a measure of experience before hiring you on as their newest correspondent. One way to do this is to start your own travel blog. This will get you in the habit of writing about places you visit, the food you eat, and the people you meet. Ask for feedback from your readers, and make adjustments as necessary. Alternatively, you can share your content on social media.
You can also gain experience by writing for other blogs or websites. Contact bloggers in your niche and ask if you can write for them. You may also find paid work in writing for other websites. For example, the freelance content platform Textbroker can connect you with websites in need of travel-related content, and you will get paid a few cents per word. This is encouraging and helpful in building your portfolio, as discussed in the next step.
Step 3: Build Your Resume and Portfolio
Work your travel and writing experience into your resume even if these have not been included in your employment experience. For example, you may create a “hobbies” or “personal interests” section to cite “travel,” “international travel,” “eco-tourism,” or other keywords. Highlight communication, writing, editing, or proofreading skills where possible. You may also wish to list your published writings.
Build a strong portfolio to accompany your resume. You may wish to use a personal website or professional networking tool like LinkedIn to create a digital portfolio. This will enable you to link directly to the web pages on which your work appears.
What if you wrote in a non-attribution style, without a by-line? Don’t worry, you can still link to these articles as part of your portfolio. But be mindful that once you’ve transferred publication rights, you cannot re-publish the material on your own website or blog.
Finally, be on the lookout for jobs in the industry. You may need to apply to related positions to “get your foot in the door” at a particular company.
In Conclusion
Travel writing is a rewarding occupation that can allow you to experience new places and cultures while sharing these adventures with others through storytelling. It can be difficult to break into the travel writing industry, but it is not impossible. Reading good travel writing, gaining experience through blogging, and building a solid resume and portfolio are the first steps. You may enjoy other benefits along the way, from media passes to the joy of seeing your work in print.
