Traveling – this is the word that excites us. Right? Almost each one of us loves to travel to new destinations, explore them, and write about them! What if we say you can make a career out of it? Seems interesting? Well, that’s what travel writing is!
A travel writer is a specialist who traverses faraway places and develops images and stories out of them. Traveling the world might be a dream for many people. So, why not make it a career?
Travel writing is one of the most exciting professions, wherein you get paid for following your passion and living your dream. We are sure you are now exhilarated to know more about it. So, without further ado, let’s dive deep into the critical aspects of this amazing career and understand how you can become a travel writer.
Who is a Travel Writer?
A travel writer extensively researches a destination & writes about their travel experiences in different cities and countries. Travel writers may work on a freelance basis or work in-house for a company that requires regular travel writing.
A travel writer also writes informative articles, creates tourist guides, reviews famous destinations, and much more. By taking up this profession, you will be able to travel around the world and capture some amazing visual moments into words, thereby making them everlasting.
This profession will offer you numerous opportunities to reach out to different people across borders, bond with them, and write everything you learnt throughout the process.
What is Travel Writing?
As the name suggests, travel writing is penning down the experiences of a writer to the places he/ she has visited.
While more traditional travel writing follows a narrative of a person’s travel, modern travel writing is more about writing in a blog-style format, focussing on advice, tips, and must-see places in a specific city/ country.
Modern travel writing has more voices than ever before, along with being more inclusive, which is a vital factor.
How to become a Travel Writer?
If you enjoy writing and visiting different locales, you may want to know how to become a travel writer. Many people have a passion for traveling, and this is why travel writing is a highly competitive field.
Below are the steps to becoming a travel writer. Take a look!
- Sign Up For A Course/ Degree
Although this isn’t an official requirement, completing a relevant course or degree related to travel writing will help you strengthen your written communication and journalism skills.
For instance, essay-based courses may help individuals who are considering travel writing as a career. Here are the courses that are relevant to this field:
- Journalism
- English literature
- Travel and tourism
- History
- Begin Writing
As paid travel writing opportunities may not be readily available; it is best to begin writing independently. For instance, you can begin a blog series of the locations you have recently been to.
Writing independently often gives you a sense of freedom to experiment with different types of travel writing formats and styles. You may also attach a link or print a physical copy of your writing while applying for a job as well. This way, you will have a strong portfolio, which will definitely impress the hiring manager.
- Apply For Open Positions
Use online platforms to find vacant job positions in this field. For this, tailoring your CV and cover letter for each job you apply for will prove to be beneficial. This will represent that you have ample job experience, making you a viable candidate.
If there are no suitable travel writing opportunities available at present, consider applying to different writing positions, such as a blog writer, copywriter, content writer, etc. This will also help you build your portfolio, resulting in better job opportunities in future.
- Freelance
Freelancing is an excellent option if you don’t wish to work for in-house positions. Online job boards can offer numerous freelancing opportunities, which can benefit you in the long run.
You can create your own freelancing website or online profile to advertise your writing services. Thus, go for freelancing if you enjoy the freedom of working on your terms!
- Connect With Other Writers
As a travel writer, you must try to build connections with other writers by attending various industry events. This will help you create a network of connections and allow writers to find some amazing work opportunities.
In addition, as a writer, you can also utilize online networking sites to connect with professionals in different industries as well. Thus, connecting with other writers will definitely benefit you in the long run.
- Read Persistently
There is no better way to hone your writing skills than to read the works of different travel writers. Reading is a really good habit that improves concentration, literacy, and sleep. Inculcating this habit can yield many benefits in the long run.
Reading is essential for writers. For instance, you can subscribe to different magazines or browse top travel blogs to know how to begin writing.
Moreover, read things that aren’t about travel as well. This will help you get acquainted with different genres and writing styles and determine what makes their writing so captivating.
So, you can fuse some of their techniques with your creative abilities and create even better stories!
List of Travel Writing Jobs
While looking for jobs, you might often think, ‘How will I travel and get paid for it?’ Well, look no further! Here is the list of jobs that might interest you!
- Tour Guides
Tour guides primarily interact with travelers and share historical and cultural information about the place they are touring. In addition, tour operators may serve on numerous cruise liners at theaters, galleries, and other tourist destinations.
- Translators
Translators operate in various situations, translating one language to another for people who can’t understand the language. In addition, such experts often operate in other countries and serve as interpreters for tourists to different regions. Thus, being a translator can offer you opportunities of working worldwide. Does that thought excite you!?
- Magazine Writer
As a travel writer, you can write articles and review different places for a magazine. You can pitch your ideas to various editors and have a strong understanding of the kind of content popular among readers. Likewise, you can select places to travel to and write about them.
- Blogger
Blogging is a new trend that doesn’t seem to slow down its pace. It is popular among people working in creative fields. So, as a travel writer, you can also try out blogging.
As a blogger, you will be responsible for coming up with innovative ideas, taking nice pictures, and promoting your blog to help it grow. You can also partner with different brands and companies for sponsored posts to enhance the reachability of your blog.
For instance, a new resort/ hotel might pay you to stay there and review its new location and hospitality services. But for this, you have to have a high readership. Only then you can receive paid blogging opportunities.
Thus, blogging is a fascinating field; you must try it at least once!
It’s Time To Follow Your Passion!
A travel writer wears many hats. Ranging from being on social media platforms to being editors and proofreaders – they do it all! These individuals have many skills that a travel writer needs to turn their dreams into reality.
If this field interests you, make sure you apply for a course and gain experience, as this will help you get better job opportunities. Remember that this job requires self-discipline, motivation, and willingness to put yourself out there by stepping out of your comfort zone.
Think you have what it takes to be a travel writer? If yes, then take the leap!
Invest in yourself and gain as much knowledge as possible about the travel industry. So, keep that curious and creative spark alive, and begin your travel journey today!
