Imagine getting paid to travel. See every corner of the globe. Become an expert on distant lands and cultures that you’ve only ever dreamed about before. Picture your life as a freelance travel writer: no alarm clocks, no stressful commutes, and definitely no cubicles.
All you need is your laptop, a pair of comfortable shoes, and the will to live out your dream. It might sound too good to be true, but it’s not! You can become a freelance travel writer, and it’s easier than you think!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Master the art of travel writing to pursue your dream career. |
| 2. Build a strong foundation of writing skills and storytelling techniques. |
| 3. Network with industry professionals and connect with potential clients. |
| 4. Embrace the freedom and excitement of a freelance travel writing career. |
| 5. Stay persistent, dedicated, and passionate about your writing journey. |
How To Become A Freelance Travel Writer & Build Your Dream Career
You can become a freelance travel writer.
You can also build your dream career. And this guide will show you how!
First, start with a passion for travel and writing. The rest will follow. As I said earlier in this post, I started with nothing more than an interest in both of these things.
But I was lucky enough to meet people who helped me take the first steps toward becoming a professional travel writer and building my own business as one today.
By starting small and learning from others along the way (and by making plenty of mistakes along the way), it’s possible for anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a full-time freelancer to make that dream come true!
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Step 1. Get Some Experience
The first step to becoming a travel writer is to get some experience. There are lots of ways to do this, many of which are free or low-cost:
Write for free. If you’re just starting, don’t feel like you need to be paid right away! You can volunteer your writing services on platforms like Volunteer Writers and ProBlogger.
Once these pieces are published online, they will give readers the impression that you know what you’re doing and that’s exactly what makes them more willing (and excited!) about hiring you for future projects down the road.
Write for other publications. While getting paid isn’t necessary in this case either (because again you’re still learning!).
It does help if it’s something that interests both parties involved like when I was asked by Budget Travel Magazine last year if I’d be interested in writing about one particular destination as part of their series called “Best Of” articles.”
The only downside here is that working with other publications might require some research beforehand so that everyone knows exactly what needs to be done before time runs out!
Write blog posts and articles. If neither option sounds appealing enough then head over here instead because there’s plenty more where those came from Just Google “travel writer #city
Step 2. Create A Portfolio
As a freelance travel writer, you need to have a portfolio that showcases your best work. To do this, start with a blog and then create a website.
You should also try to be consistent with the content that you share on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The more time spent writing (and promoting) blogs, the better readership numbers will become.
To get started with blogging, we recommend writing an outline before beginning the actual process of writing an article or blog post. This will help keep you focused so that you don’t waste time jumping around all over the place when trying to write!
Next up: find one topic per month (or every two months at most) that interests YOU as well as others within YOUR niche market(s).
This means finding out what topics are trending right now whether it be tourism trends during certain seasons such as summertime vacations or winter snowboarding excursions;
Popular destinations such as Thailand’s beach resorts where people flock from around the world each year because they offer affordable prices without sacrificing quality service… whatever catches their eye enough so that they want to check out those places for themselves!
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Step 3. Build An Online Presence
Now that you have a clear idea of what your freelance travel writing business will look like and how to launch it, it’s time to start building an online presence.
Create A Website
A website is the first thing potential clients will see when they Google you, so make sure yours is professional and well-designed. There are plenty of free tools available to help create your simple website or blog (my favorite is WordPress), or you can pay someone else to do this for you (I recommend 99Designs).
Make sure each page has its URL address so readers can visit that specific page directly from their browser if they want more information about something specific on your site.
This makes it easier for people who find your content through search engines such as Google or Bing too!
Build up an email list by offering exclusive content only through email subscriptions from both within your blog posts themselves as well as through external sources such as podcasts made specifically for this purpose (see step 4 below).
Make sure these emails contain valuable information related specifically to topics discussed on the said podcast; don’t just send out generic newsletters every month!
The best way I’ve found doing this successfully yet still having fun doing so was by creating an introductory video series called “Travel Tips” where viewers could learn more about me personally.
While also learning things like etiquette tips when traveling abroad or even how one might plan out their trip beforehand based upon certain criteria within budget constraints etc… This led up nicely to our next step – creating videos!
Step 4. Network With Other Travel Writers
Networking with other travel writers, both online and in-person, is perhaps the most important step you can take to build a freelance writing career.
It’s through connections that you’ll find new clients and grow your professional network, which means more opportunities for getting paid writing gigs and those are the two things freelancers need most!
So how do you go about networking? Here are some tips:
Attend events where travel writers gather. This might be at a meetup at a local bar or cafe where people discuss their latest stories and projects. Or it could be at a conference or trade show where there will be workshops on business practices such as pitching ideas to editors.
In addition to attending these events yourself, try talking up yourself as someone who wants work doing what they do so that others know who’s out there looking for opportunities like theirs (for example: “I’m currently doing research on underwater caves around Southeast Asia”).
Build relationships with other freelancers who have experience working in your field of expertise (and ask others for advice if necessary).
You don’t necessarily need tons of mutual friends or social media followers; all it takes is one person willing to help another out now and again when needed or even just an hour spent chatting over coffee every few weeks about potential collaboration ideas!
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Step 5. Find Publications To Pitch To
Once you’ve done your research and found publications that publish content on the topics you are interested in, it’s time to contact editors. The best way to do this is by email. The subject line should be something like, “Pitch:
Article Title” and the body of your email should include who you are and why you think they should publish your article. If possible, include a link to some of your samples so they can see what kind of quality they can expect from you.
Ask if they would be willing to look at some samples or a pitch before agreeing to work with them (this will help avoid wasting both parties’ time).
If an editor says yes, send over some samples right away! Editors are busy people who get hundreds (if not thousands) of emails every day; do not wait too long after getting their response before sending over the material.
Following up is also important if you haven’t heard back from them within 24 hours it shows that despite being busy with other projects, keeping up communication has been important enough for me that I’ve taken time out from my schedule just so I could check in again later today!
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Step 6. Stay Informed About Current Trends And Hot Topics
You can keep up with the latest news in the travel industry by following blogs and websites that provide travel-related information. You can also subscribe to newsletters about trends, new products, and services.
As a freelance writer, you need to be aware of what is happening in your niche so you can create content that will be valuable for readers.
For example, if you write about luxury travel destinations you should know what’s new at high-end hotels so you can recommend them or review them when asked.
You Can Use These Steps To Become A Freelance Travel Writer!
You don’t need to be an expert travel writer.
You can start by working for a magazine or website that needs content but doesn’t have the budget for a full-time writer. If you get lucky, they might even let you write on the topic of your choice!
You can also get experience by writing about your travels, whether it be in blog form or through social media posts (or both).
The more content you produce, the more chances there are of someone seeing it and being impressed enough to ask if they can hire you as their freelancer!
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Conclusion
Now that you know the basics of how to become a freelance travel writer and build your dream career, it’s time to take action! Start by setting goals and writing a plan, then look for opportunities in the industry.
When you find one that works for you, get started immediately so you can start making money as soon as possible. Before long, you’ll be working from home on your terms with clients who love what they do just like yourself all because taking that first step was worth it.
Further Reading
Travel Writer’s Guide: Learn essential tips and tricks to kickstart your career as a travel writer.
How to Become a Freelance Travel Writer: Explore the steps and opportunities to become a successful freelance travel writer.
Finding Travel Writing Jobs: Discover various sources and platforms to find exciting travel writing job opportunities.
FAQs
How can I become a freelance travel writer?
Learn about the essential skills, networking, and steps to start your journey as a freelance travel writer.
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How do I find travel writing assignments?
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How can I improve my travel writing style?
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Is travel writing a sustainable career choice?
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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.