There’s no denying that working as a professional travel writer is the ultimate dream job. Most people’s ideal job goals include getting paid to travel and write about their experiences. While any publishing career is difficult, the travel sector is now booming, so there are prospects for you to try your hand at travel writing. So, how do you become a travel writer?
To be a travel writer, you don’t need to be a top-selling novelist; all you need is the ability to tell a good narrative, a passion for writing about adventure, and the ability to assess the finest trip recommendations for readers.
What is Professional Travel Writing?
When compared to merely informing relatives and friends about your travels, travel writing provides much more in-depth information about the sites and voyage. It is about going to different places and writing about them.
It could take the shape of a newspaper article educating readers about a certain location. It can also be a book-length work of literary non-fiction that tells a lengthier story about a trip or location. The writing is more thorough and less informal than that of a travel blog.
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Future of Professional Travel Writer
Travel writers are in high demand in the online, print, and electronic media. As a professional travel writer, you can also participate in other forms of media such as radio, blogs, and books.
- They can use networks such as YouTube and Instagram, as well as create their own blog.
- Travel writers are typically self-employed, giving them the freedom to write about a variety of topics related to the travel business.
- They might also work as freelancers for various travel companies.
- To collect firsthand information, travel writers must visit cities, states, and countries.
- In this way, they assist people in planning their journeys, keeping track of spending, and avoiding roadblocks.
Travel authors’ pay varies depending on the media they work with and the brands they represent. A job as a professional travel writer might be personally fulfilling, but it does not usually pay well, and it can be tough to break into.
Bachelor’s degrees in communications, journalism or a similar discipline are common among travel writers. Working as a freelancer or writing for online travel sites or in-flight magazines are both options. You may even try your hand at writing travel novels, which could turn into a gold mine if successful.
Types of Professional Travel Writing
How-to Manuals–
A how-to guide essentially supplies its readers with valuable information that can only be offered after some experience. It assists readers in anticipating and resolving obstacles in order to make the entire journey as smooth as possible.
Essays on Personal Travel
Every editor’s ideal is a well-written, insightful personal travel essay, but they’re not always in demand or easy to create. Great travel personal essays have a distinct voice, a rich past, a universal theme and/or lesson, and the ability to tell a travel-related story rich in analogies and comparisons that reach the reader.
As the work develops, personal travel essays become more like a journey of discovery, rich in perspective and a well-balanced trip narrative. The trip part of your personal essay should not be hidden; instead, it should be integrated into the tale.
‘Best of’ Articles
These articles highlight the best aspects of a location that should not be overlooked. Top ten places to visit in Iceland, for example. These travel writers are in high demand these days and can draw in a large readership.
Food and Travel
Without a question, this is the ideal niche for all foodies out there. It includes visiting various locations and sampling their food, as well as various cuisines and restaurant styles. These articles do not provide a review, but rather actual feedback about a restaurant that they visited. It can discuss some of the best dishes in a city or anything else; the options are limitless.
Itineraries
People use itineraries to arrange their entire journey ahead of time. It is a comprehensive itinerary that details everything that must be accomplished during a trip. It begins with arriving at the destination using a pre-planned means of transportation, and the activities that must be completed, as well as the cities that must be visited. So, if you think you have some managerial skills, you should give this a shot.
Blogging about Travel and Lifestyle
Because there are no editors, deadlines, or templates in travel blogging, writers can decide the tone and speed. It’s just you and your readers. In terms of lifestyle blogging, it’s ideal for a variety of types of trip writing because you, too, determine the terms.
Longform stories, roundups, destinations, weekend warriors angles, and itineraries are all possible. Longform pieces are more narrative in nature, with characters and vivid details, whereas itineraries can take the form of where to eat, stay, and play.
Bloggers capture readers’ interest by being humorous, imaginative, and engaging, even intimate; they are active, providing readers reasons to come back again and again.
Salary of Professional Travel Writer
The starting wage is approximately 30,000 rupees per month. After three to four years, your compensation can rise to 50,000 rupees, depending on your talents and the organization for which you work.
How to Become a Professional Travel Writer?
Check out these suggestions for becoming a professional travel writer and landing that dream job-
• Travel
It may appear to be an odd first recommendation, but if you don’t travel, you can’t write. This does not imply that you must embark on round-the-world travels or interrailing trips around Europe to get ideas for your articles. You may visit a nearby tourist attraction and write about it. If you haven’t been away in a while, simply write about previous trips.
• Write
Read through your work thoroughly before sending it to sites. This entails double-checking for spelling errors and ensuring that all information, such as phone numbers and website addresses, is right.
You will be remembered for your punctuation and/or spelling errors, not the quality of your writing; if you send material that isn’t exact or has errors in punctuation and/or spelling.
• Make Your Own Website
If any publication appreciates your work, it’s a good idea to let them know where they may view more of it. As online portfolios, this is where your own website enters. Register your own domain name and host your work there. It doesn’t cost much and it looks professional. Create social media accounts, and make it clear in your profile that you’re a professional travel writer.
• Take High-Resolution Photos
Take high-resolution photos with you everywhere you go. To be 300dpi or print quality, they must be high-resolution. In layman’s terms, images recorded at 2 megapixels or higher will suffice because if you pitch an article to a travel editor and they say they love it and want to run it, they will almost certainly want a picture (or pictures) to accompany it.
• Create an Account on Travel Writer Websites.
There are various professional travel writer websites that you should register with and check on a daily basis to aid you in your goal to become a travel writer.
These are some of them:
www.writtenroad.com
www.travelwriters.com
www.thetravelwriterslife.com
ww.freelancetravelwriter.com
Also, Lonely Planet’s Travel Writing is a fantastic book to read.
• Keep up with the Latest Developments in the Travel Business
If you’re serious about pursuing a career in travel writing, you should be aware of current events in the sector. To do so, subscribe to various industry newsletters that will keep you informed.
You should subscribe to the following newsletters:
www.hotelmarketing.com
www.eyefortravel.com etc.
Skills Required to become Professional Travel Writer
Professional travel writer must have all of the same talents as other writers, but the key difference is that they are also tuned in to one or more sports and continue to feel strongly about them.
As a result, professional travel writers demand a different set of talents than copywriters or novelists. If you want to work as a sports journalist, you’ll need to master a variety of abilities. Some examples are:
• Writing Abilities
Content writers must be able to change their style and tone depending on the project. Depending on the aim of the material, writers may need to format their piece to focus on giving the readers precise information or providing a call to action.
If the goal is to promote sales, the content will differ from what they would write for a scientific research blog. Adaptability allows writers to learn and master a variety of writing styles, which ultimately provides value.
• Research Abilities
Using research in content writing boosts the article’s credibility while providing value to the reader. Use government, educational, and news sources to improve the quality of the information in your work. The greatest method to maintain credibility as a writer is to provide readers with relevant and accurate content.
• Content Development
A content developer is someone who generates information for websites and online marketing. Job responsibilities include writing and editing articles, blogs, ad content, and social media posts. A content developer may also design graphics, use photographs, and assist with web page layout.
• Optimization for Search Engines (SEO)
Understanding SEO as a writer is critical to ensuring that your material is easily found. Content writers must be able to stay current with SEO trends and modify approaches as needed to ensure that their articles rank high in search engines.
Aligning your content with the top search results may boost its visibility to the target demographic of your organization. To increase the value of your material, look at the rich snippet and other high-ranking articles on search engines.
• Photography Abilities
Most aspiring travel photographers discover early on in their careers that travel photography is not the same as taking images while traveling. As a vacation photographer, your primary concentration must be on taking photographs, and nothing else should take precedence.
Landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, sports, food, close-ups, and so on… the list is endless. As a travel photographer, you must be willing to seek hours for your next photo opportunity while also having the patience to wait once you’ve discovered it.
It’s extremely rare to arrive at a location with everything in place for the perfect shot, so be prepared to wait the rest of the time. That could take minutes, hours, or even days, which means you’ll have to come back several times before you get the right shot.
You must have a fundamental understanding of how to photograph anything and be confident in your ability to do so. That doesn’t imply you have to be an expert, but you do need certain talents to shoot a diverse selection of photographs that best represent a destination.
• Consistency
As a writer, maintaining consistency is difficult. It necessitates a great deal of self-confidence, patience, perseverance, and resolve. You must know exactly what you want to accomplish and take continuous steps in that direction. It’s also crucial to create a calm area where you can write without distractions, and rituals can help you do so.
Get advice and support from other writers, particularly those who share your ambitions but are further along the path. Return the favor by providing assistance and inspiration. Allow yourself to let go of the notion of reaching rapid or speedy success. Instead, think about how you’ll feel and how your life will change once you’ve accomplished your long-term goals.
• Observing with Vigilance
Active observation is the process of intentionally looking for connections between what is seen in someone (their expressions, clothing, and what they’re doing) and what is invisible (their histories, upbringing, dreams, desires).
This is important because the deepest, most trustworthy, and most engaging stories are typically located in the space between what’s apparent and what’s invisible.
• Establishing Scenes
The ability to create compelling scenes is essential for writing strong narrative essays. The most straightforward technique to generate scenes is to choose a single, simple occurrence to serve as a narrative framework.
This is the ongoing “storyline” to which you will contribute facts, ideas, and information. Climbing a mountain or going on a date are two obvious experiences that already have a dramatic framework built-in.
Alternatively, following the hours, the position of the sun/moon, and other environmental aspects can be an easy and natural approach to construct scenes, especially for novice authors, by simply following the chronology of a day (“a day in the life”) or night.
• Creativity
You’ll need a creative edge to set yourself apart from the numerous travel writers and bloggers out there. The idea is to find your own niche, one that has the potential to attract a large number of readers while also being devoid of much competition.
Copying the writing styles and techniques of other travel bloggers may work in the short term, but in order to keep your readers’ attention, you’ll need to have your own distinct perspective that sets your writing different.
You can show off your originality not just in your travel writing style, but also in the destinations you choose to write about and the photographs you take to complement your pieces.
• Networking
Networking with other travel bloggers, travel firms, and tourism centers is also necessary to become a successful travel blogger. You may have established a fantastic blog with excellent articles and photographs, but you still need to know how to market it.
When you network with other bloggers, you may share each other’s audiences and grow your readership enormously. To acquire traction on your own blog, you may need to start by guest blogging on other well-known travel blogs.
You can get your name out there through networking with tourist centers and other travel-related networks, as well as attending travel events where industry professionals will be present.
You may get your name out there and have it distributed throughout the business through networking with tourist centers and other travel-related networks, as well as attending travel events where industry professionals will be present. The more relationships you create, the more opportunities you’ll have to write about travel or go on paid press trips.
• Having a Good Understanding of Business is a Plus
If you don’t have a sound business strategy and financial skills, you’ll never be able to make a reasonable living from travel writing. You need to be able to send effective emails in addition to creating outstanding travel articles, whether you’re pitching stories, looking for partnerships, or chasing payments.
As a travel blogger who runs your own business, you’ll need to learn bookkeeping, business administration, and potentially even managerial abilities. Even if you don’t have to follow a conventional 9 to 5 schedule, knowing how to set and stick to a timetable will help you stay on top of your workload.
You must budget your money and learn how to manage it. You must plan your finances and understand how to market your blog or writing skills in the most efficient way possible.
When dealing with other bloggers and possible clients, you must maintain a professional demeanor in order to acquire their trust and maintain your working relationship. If you don’t know how to communicate successfully with clients or firms, you’ll have a hard time finding work.
Online Courses for Professional Travel Writing
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned travel writer, it’s occasionally important to take a class or two to “polish” your talents or simply acquire some new ideas and strategies.
Check out this list of the top 8 online professional travel writing courses no matter where you are in your travel writing career!
- Travel Writing and Marketing Master Class
- The Writers Workshop
- Productivity Power for Writers
- Travel Writing Overdrive
- Gotham Writers’ Workshop
- Writers.com
- Online Certification Course In Professional Travel Writing
- Travel Writing: Explore the World & Publish Your Stories!
Cameras used by Professional Travel Writer
Professional photographers can use a wide range of pro cameras with astonishing outcomes in a world when smartphones can generate feature-length films. Professional photographers, on the other hand, continue to favor certain still cameras and accessories.
Check out these courses offered by IIM SKILLS
Technical Writing Course
GST Course
SEO Course
Content Writing Course
Digital Marketing Course
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which travel writer is the best?
Some of the greatest travel writers are Colin Thubron, William Dalrymple, Sara Wheeler, and Paul Theroux.
2. To be a travel writer, what skills do you need?
A good observer, marketing abilities, and the ability to narrate a narrative or depict a location that appeals to readers are all required.
3. Who was the first author of a travel book?
Herodotus, an ancient Greek author, was the first true “travel writer” as we understand the term today.
4. What is the difference between the many genres of travel writing?
Novels, memoirs, articles, poems, journals and diaries, journalism, personal essays, travelogues, op-eds, blog entries, and social media posts are all examples of travel writing.
5. Is there a genre for trip writing?
Many additional genres, such as personal narratives, exploration, and so on, are related to travel writing.
Conclusion:
So, these are some of the tips and tricks to follow to build a successful career in the industry of professional travel writing. Hope you have found some helpful insights to move forward in your journey as a travel writer.
