How To Become A Freelance Travel Writer

You may be known for your quirky sense of humor, or perhaps you’ve always had a way with words and storytelling.

Maybe you’re the person your friends count on to help them craft the perfect text message when they want to ask someone out on a date.

You might even be that person who’s always posting awesome travel photos and telling great stories online. If any of this describes you, then perhaps you should consider becoming a freelance travel writer!

Freelance writing can be one of the most fulfilling jobs out there, especially if it combines two things that you love: traveling and writing!

But landing work as a freelance writer isn’t for everyone, and being paid for your work is certainly not easy money.

It takes hard work to get published in magazines, start earning a regular income from your writing and become well-known in the industry.

This guide will take you through some of the steps that can help make your dream career possible

How To Be a Freelance Writer While Traveling the World

Takeaways
Building a portfolio is crucial for aspiring freelance travel writers.
Networking with industry professionals can lead to valuable opportunities.
Developing strong writing and storytelling skills is essential for success.
Researching and pitching to travel publications can help gain exposure.
Embracing social media and online presence can enhance visibility.
Determining competitive rates and negotiating contracts are important aspects.
Continuous learning and staying updated with industry trends is beneficial.
Building a personal brand and showcasing unique perspectives can attract clients.
Balancing creativity with professionalism is key in the freelance travel writing industry.
Patience, perseverance, and adaptability are necessary traits for long-term success.

Table of Contents

Start By Taking A Class

If you’re looking to become a freelance travel writer, the first step is to take a class. There are many classes out there that cover various aspects of being a freelance writer.

You can take classes in writing, marketing, SEO, and social media. Some even touch on photography or copywriting.

It doesn’t matter which ones you choose all of them will contribute to your overall knowledge of how to be a successful freelancer.

If you aspire to become a freelance travel writer, exploring the tourism industry can be a great starting point. Discover how to break into this exciting field by reading our comprehensive guide on how to become a freelance writer in the tourism industry.

Find A Mentor

Mentors can be found in many places. The best mentors are ones who have been working for a long time, have a lot of experience, and are very good at what they do.

Even if you’re just starting and don’t know much about travel writing yet, find someone who fits this description and ask them if they will mentor you.

One way to find mentors is by taking classes on freelance writing or finding local workshops on the topic.

If there isn’t an event happening near where you live at the moment then visit websites like Meetup or Eventbrite where professionals in your town might host events related to freelance travel writing.

Do Some Online Research

Now that you know what a travel writer is, it’s time to find out how to become one. So, first things first: do some online research.

Search for travel blogs and magazines on Google.

This will give you a good idea of what the industry looks like, who the players are and what kinds of content they publish (and if there are any opportunities for freelancers).

Search for “travel writing contests” on Google or other search engines.

Many companies host writing contests throughout the year and they’re great places to get your name out there before applying for jobs or internships later on in your career as a travel writer!

Make sure not to limit yourself just to contests sponsored by large media companies though; smaller publications often run their contests with much lower entry fees than larger ones. And lastly…

Attend Conferences And Workshops

Attending conferences and workshops is the best way to meet editors, writers, and other people involved in the industry.

You can also learn about the latest trends in travel writing a skill that’s useful for any freelance writer looking to break into a new field or market.

The best part is that these conferences are usually free of charge (or at least very inexpensive). So if you’re on a tight budget like most freelancers out there, don’t worry! You’ll be able to afford them.

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Take Some Courses In Travel Writing And Blogging

You don’t need to be an expert in travel writing and blogging, but you do need to learn the basics.

If you’re interested in freelancing as a travel writer, you’ll want to take some courses in this field.

You can do this online or through a college course at your local community college or university (or even if you’re not enrolled in school).

You can also learn from a mentor:

If there’s someone who knows how to write about travel and is willing to teach you, take him/her up on it!

It would be an amazing opportunity for both of you, after all, each party has something that they want from the relationship.

A mentor will help guide your career while receiving guidance through teaching others.

Join Professional Networks

Once you’ve identified the types of writing you want to do and the publications that publish them, it’s time to start networking.

While networking can be intimidating for some people, it’s an important part of the freelance process. Think of it as a two-way street:

You’ll benefit from new connections and opportunities, but they will also benefit from what you have to offer.

As with any type of business relationship, building relationships takes time and effort but if you aren’t willing or able to invest in your development as a writer, then this is not something that will work well for you (or anyone else).

Here are some tips for establishing professional connections:

Join local organizations that focus on travel writing, for example, the Society Of American Travel Writers or the International Travel Writers Association (ITWA).

These groups hold regular meetings where members can share ideas about writing techniques and get published by offering support during stressful situations such as rejection letters;

In addition, many members already have strong connections within the industry who may be able to give helpful advice on how best to get started freelancing full-time as well!\

Set Up A Blog Of Your Own And Learn About Affiliate Marketing

Setting up a blog is a big step, but you need to make sure that you do it right. The first thing you need to do is choose a platform for your blog.

WordPress has been the favorite among freelancers and other web professionals for years now, so if you’re new to this game, I suggest starting there.

Once your site is live and ready for action, take some time out of your schedule (or set aside some extra funds) and learn how affiliate marketing works.

Just like any other form of online advertising (Google AdWords comes to mind), affiliate links are used as part of an online ad campaign to generate revenue from clicks on those ads or sales made through them.

This means that every click on one will earn the person who created it money and this can be done without having any prior knowledge or experience in web development or design!

But wait there’s more! Affiliate linking doesn’t just apply to blogs; it also works well with social media profiles as well as websites.

So, by learning about this type of advertising strategy now instead of later when you’re already established in your career path. This will save time because all these platforms have plenty of features built into them which makes creating ads easy enough even though they weren’t designed specifically from scratch just yet.”

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Have A Solid Portfolio Ready

As a travel writer, you have the opportunity to show off your writing chops. You can use whatever style of writing suits you.

Make sure that your portfolio showcases what you’re capable of doing, whether it’s personal essays or fiction stories based on real experiences.

You’ll want to showcase a variety of genres and topics so that potential clients will get an idea of just how versatile your skills are.

Don’t just stick with one type of genre when building out your portfolio make sure you’ve got both narrative-driven pieces and informational ones if possible;

Since different clients need different types of writing skillsets to find what they’re looking for (as well as having many different audiences).

Read magazines and see what editors are looking for

The best way to learn how to write travel stories is by reading and studying the writing of other travel writers.

Read magazines like Travel & Leisure, National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, Outside Magazine, and others that interest you.

Look for articles that stand out as particularly well-written you want to try to emulate their style while still bringing your voice into it and pay attention to what it is they’re doing that makes them so good!

Do they have a certain structure or formula? Are any particular sections used repeatedly? How long are their paragraphs and sentences?

These are all things worth noting as you read through each article to improve your writing skills you find something in one of these magazines that retches your eye (for example: “Best Places To Swim With Dolphins”), make notes on what made this piece so compelling.

You could create a checklist if it helps keep track of what aspects were most important (i.e., great photos).

Once finished reading an issue from start to finish, go back through all of your notes and pick out specific things like strong quotes from interviews that might inspire ideas for future pieces of writing

Check Out The Job Boards On Sites Like Awai, Problogger, Bloggingpro, Writeraccess And Blogmutt

Job boards are a great place to find freelance writing jobs, especially if you’re just starting. This s can be very competitive and you need to be persistent.

However, they are also a good way to find jobs that aren’t advertised anywhere else.

Here are some of the best sites:

AWAI – American Writers & Artists Inc. is an association of professional writers and artists who help their members find work as freelancers in their fields by posting job opportunities on its website and mailing them updates about available positions all over the world!

ProBlogger – Blogger James Schramko has published several about how he got his start as a travel blogger as well as advice for others looking for work in this field (e.g., How To Make Money With Your Website).

BloggingPro – This site was created by Mike Wendland, who specializes in helping bloggers make money from their blogs via sponsorships and other types of revenue streams

(e.g., Making Money From Your Guide To Blogging). He also runs several other sites such as The Ultimate WSO Course For Beginners And Advanced Writers And Marketers:

Learn How To Write Sales Copy That Converts Without Being A Copywriter Or Copywriter!

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Learn How To Pitch Yourself To Editors When You’re Ready To Submit Your Work For Publication

There are two ways you can pitch yourself to editors. One is by submitting an article idea or query letter, and the other is by submitting an actual piece of writing.

If you’re not sure how to come up with ideas for articles, see this article on how to generate story ideas: [insert link here].

The best way to send your idea is via email (or even better a well-written introductory paragraph in the body of an email).

The worst way? Via text message or Facebook Messenger (if you don’t want a headache from reading all their replies).

To learn more about what makes a good email pitch, check out this post on how I started pitching freelance travel writing jobs last year after moving overseas: [insert link here.]

Keep Records Of Everything You Write Or Publish Along With The Dates, Titles, And Where You’ve Submitted Each Piece Of Work

Keeping records of your work is important in case you need to show a potential client that you have the experience and qualifications for their job.

It also helps to keep track of the different publications you have written for so that you can send out samples of your work at a later date.

Keep all copies of the articles you write, as well as any correspondence related to them (which should be kept on file). You may need these documents when applying for jobs or requesting payment from an editor in the future.

Get Samples Published In Print Or Online Magazines, Newspapers, Blogs, And Other Websites With High Traffic If They Relate To Your Niche As A Travel Writer

Having samples published in print or online magazines, newspapers, blogs, and other websites with high traffic, if they relate to your niche as a travel writer, will help you build your portfolio.

It is also important to have samples of your work published on websites that don’t require you to pay for advertising space.

If you can get some of your work published for free then it will help boost your reputation and network as well as increase confidence levels in the future when negotiating fees from clients.

The more samples you can put out there the better chance there is of getting paid projects down the line so make sure that every piece of writing is really good quality!

Freelance Writing Can Be Rewarding But It Isn’t Easy Money

The world of freelance writing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It can take years to make a decent living from writing alone.

The good news is that you’ll be rewarded for your hard work with the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing something you love and helping people along the way.

The first step toward becoming a successful freelance writer is understanding how the industry works and what you need to do to break into it. The best thing about freelancing? It’s all up to you!

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Conclusion

There’s no better time to get started than the present! If you take action and do the things we talked about in this article, you are bound to succeed. You’ll find your flow once you start doing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Do I Start?

The first step is to get your name in front of as many people as possible.

That means getting on social media and building up your follower base, publishing content on your website and other online outlets, and getting involved with the travel industry in any way you can.

Make sure that when you do this, you’re putting yourself forward as a writer who can write for travel websites and magazines don’t just call yourself a blogger or vlogger.

What’s The Best Way To Get Paid?

The best way to make money as a freelancer is to get paid by the word which means that rather than charging per hour or project, you charge based on how many words you write.

This will ensure that clients only pay for what they need, which is great for both parties involved because it makes sure you’re not being taken advantage of (and it also ensures that clients don’t end up paying for more than they need).

What Do I Need To Become A Freelance Travel Writer?

To be a successful freelance travel writer, you need to have a passion for travel and an open mind.

A good travel writer can write about all kinds of experiences from camping under the stars to dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

You should be willing to try new things, even if they’re outside your comfort zone.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Successful Freelance Travel Writer?

It takes time! It’s not easy being your boss and getting paid for it, but if you work hard and stay focused on your goals, then eventually you’ll find success.

It took me 3 years before I started making enough money as a freelance travel writer to make ends meet, but now I’m able to support myself with just my writing income alone!

What Is A Freelance Travel Writer?

A freelance travel writer is a professional writer who works remotely, either from home or while traveling. They write articles, blog posts, and other content for websites, magazines, and newspapers.

How Much Do Freelance Travel Writers Make?

Freelance travel writers can make anywhere from $20 per article to $1,000+ per article depending on the publication they’re writing for and their level of experience.

How Do I Become A Freelance Travel Writer?

It’s not as easy as just deciding you want to be one it takes time, training, and experience to become a successful freelance travel writer.

The best way to learn is by doing: start by writing about your travels so you can get comfortable with the style required for this type of work.

Then start looking for opportunities in your area (or even abroad) that will pay you for your work!

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.