So you want to be a freelance travel writer? You should know this first
Here’s an unvarnished look at my life as a travel writer
When people ask me what I do for a job, I cringe a little bit.
“I’m a writer,” I usually say.
The follow up question is usually “What kind of books?” To which I have to explain that no, actually I write marketing content for brands and travel articles for publications.
From afar, it might look like a dream job — I get to travel and write about it. It’s not as glamorous as writing books, but I still get to tap into my creative side each work day.
If you love creativity and words, you might also want to be a travel writer, particularly if you love new experiences.
The old saying “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” applies to travel writing. It can be a hard slog at times, but, motivated by a passion for both writing and travel, you’ll always love what you do.
If you want to become a travel writer though, you should know a few important things.
Travel writing would be more accurately described as travel marketing
A lot of travel writing is an awkward collision of genuinely interesting stories of people doing cool things, and stories that conveniently promote things readers have to pay to experience. The split does not fall evenly.
That’s because as a travel writer, your job is to market destinations.
I love writing about travel, but many of the topics I most enjoy aren’t popular with my editors.
Editors are in the business of promoting hotels, cruises, travel packages, and tourism operators. They aren’t interested in hearing about my 10-day hikes across Arctic regions, freedom camping in New Zealand, or the best beaches to visit for free.
Most travel writers are at the whims of PR representatives and the companies they work with. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — I don’t know anyone who would turn down a stay at a luxury hotel, or an all-expenses paid press trip.
It does mean that a lot of travel writing is sponsored in some way or another, though. It also means that less visited destinations get less coverage (and are therefore harder to pitch). Editors want stories from places they can sell to readers. Cue the stories on places to go in Spain, despite rampant tourism making life miserable for Spanish people in some places.
Hotels, tours, and retreats get priority over stories like my long-distance hikes (no editor was interested in my solo hike across Greenland).
This is one of the reasons I started publishing my writing on my own website. I’m now my own editor. I’m free to write about my favourite hikes and camping spots, even if they are free.
If you want to be a travel writer, you need to be comfortable being part of this marketing machine. And you will need to find a way to reconcile your ethics with the gas guzzling, community destroying, machine of international travel.
Freelance writers could almost never afford to do the experiences they promote
One of the great ironies of travel writing is that many writers write about luxury hotels, glamourous adventures like safaris, and cruises to Antarctica.
These trips are typically sponsored, usually by the company the writer is giving press coverage to.
Unless travel writers come from wealthy families, we are almost never rich enough to afford 3-week cruises to the ends of the earth.
I myself have spent nights sleeping in my car while researching a guide book, because the fee was so small it would be used up within days of paying for my own accommodation. Sure, on nights I wasn’t dossed down next to my backpack in my tiny sedan I was sleeping in luxury lodges, but it wasn’t comfort all the way.
If I had one piece of advice for aspiring travel writers, it would be; Don’t do it for the money.
You can make a living as a travel writer, but you won’t be getting rich anytime soon.
As a freelance travel writer, I can work from anywhere, on my own time schedule
So if travel writing is morally questionable and pays terribly, why do it?
For me, the biggest advantage is the flexibility.
For travel writers, one of the greatest benefits of going freelance is that you can work from anywhere there is an internet connection. This means you can work and travel simultaneously, seeing the world while you establish your career.
As a freelance travel writer, you can escape the nine to five grind. No commute, no wilted office lunches, no watching the clock tick down to 17:00. I really, truly never want to go back.
You get to choose your own hours and work whenever suits you. Choosing your own hours means you can strike a better work-life balance.
Sometimes, working and travelling at the same time can mean you don’t do either well. Working hard on your writing jobs can mean missing out on sightseeing time, while moving around frequently can make it hard to settle into a work mode. Being on the road is constant fuel for procrastination.
To help you stay motivated and nail your deadlines, while still enjoying your travels, you might want to embrace slow travel.
Or, work toward establishing a schedule for yourself, ideally around working in your most productive periods of the day. Set yourself break times as well, just as you would if you were working in an office environment.
For example, you could rise early to get in two hours of work, before going out for coffee, then returning to finish off a few articles before taking the rest of the afternoon off to explore.
Finding freelance travel writing opportunities can be tough — but it’s not impossible
I started out as a freelance travel writer with next to no experience.
I didn’t train as a journalist, didn’t work in house as a travel writer, and don’t have any strong network connections.
What I do have is patience and persistence.
Being a freelance travel writer is a dream job for many people, so there is stiff competition for most writing gigs. You could end up sending dozens of pitches without getting a single reply.
I started pitching and just didn’t stop until I started getting some traction.
I must have sent hundreds of pitches to dozens of editors before getting a few breaks.
My first pitches were terrible, but the more I did it, the better I got. Over time, I started to build up a portfolio that includes some of the biggest names in travel publishing.
Because finding freelance travel writing jobs can be difficult, it can take a while to build a portfolio. It’s a “chicken and egg” situation, where having a portfolio can help you land jobs, but you won’t build a portfolio unless you land jobs.
One way to work around this is to build your own travel blog. It’s a much lower barrier to entry, and while it will be unpaid initially, a blog can develop into a separate income stream over time.
Plus, if you know how to put SEO into practice, you can show up in search — that’s one way for editors to find you and send commissions your way.
I’m pretty visible for any searches relating to New Zealand travel writer, for example, and I have had a range of different projects come to me because editors found my site and can see that I am an authority on Aotearoa.
You do need to be able to actually write. Or at least be able to take feedback
In order to stand out from the crowd, you need to have sharp writing skills and real-life travel experience in the destinations you write about.
I definitely didn’t have great writing skills at first. I’m still not confident I have great writing skills.
What I have had is a series of fantastic editors — take it from me that the best thing that can happen to your travel writing is a good editor.
For one story, an editor made me completely rewrite a draft. But she was patient enough to explain to me everything that was wrong with it. She taught me what a but graf is; how a lede should work; and how to actually write a story. Believe it or not, I did not know those things beforehand.
It’s worth studying the craft of writing as well as everything else related to travel writing (pitching, how PR works, rates, and so on). I know it’s a lot, but you’re in it for the love, right?
Travel writing jobs can be lonely
If you want to be a writer, especially a freelance travel writer, you should enjoy your own company.
Travelling abroad and working while on the road can be lonely. Not only are you far from your family and friends, but your writing commitments mean you often have to dedicate time to working when other travellers might be going out to do fun activities.
Spending time with your laptop alone can feel isolating and frustrating.
Plus, when you’re moving around a lot it can be hard to build meaningful relationships. You’ll meet amazing people from all around the world, but within a short space of time, you’ll need to say goodbye. After a while, these goodbyes can wear you down.
Slow travel and having a set routine can help with feeling more secure.
Glossy magazine articles make up a tiny percentage of my freelance writing work
Writing for big, famous publications like National Geographic Traveler and Conde Nast Traveler is fun — but it’s not something I do all the time.
The majority of my travel writing is distinctly less exciting work, like crafting blog posts for brands.
I still love this kind of travel writing, but it doesn’t come with the prestige that being published in a world famous magazine brings.
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