Being a travel writer sounds exciting and fun till you understand what it takes to be established in the industry. It’s not all about free trips and glamorous accommodation – it takes a lot of hustling, writing and researching!
If you are pursuing travel writing for a big fat first paycheck, it isn’t for you! Your first job probably won’t pay you well though it might earn you some good experience.
However, if you are passionate about it, you will grow to love it and work on improving yourself every day.
Given below are a few exclusive writing tips for amateurs!
Make Sure You Love It
Travel is definitely a popular niche in the blogging world so you need to have a unique voice in order to stand out.
If you are planning to write about your travel adventures for a living you should also enjoy doing it.
Don’t do it just because a random site on the internet told you that travel writers make a ton of money or get to travel around for free.
If you are just in it for the money, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Most writers who start out don’t make any money at all – they do it cause they love it.
So remember to be passionate about every article you put out there.
Find Unexplored Travel Destinations
Writing about popular travel destinations won’t get you noticed.
Thre are quite a few good articles telling us how magical Disneyland is or how luxurious Santorini is. There are a ton of articles about these places and it is hard to put out an original piece when the travel destination is popular.
What you can do is find unexplored travel destinations which have hardly been talked about.
As a travel writer you should be willing to take risks and put in effort to find new places you can write about.
Next time you venture out, don’t simply follow the instructions given in the travel guide but embark on an unexplored trail!
Have A Portfolio
If you want to be hired by a travel publication, magazine or company, it is important to have a portfolio of your own work.
You can use popular platforms like LinkedIn or UnderPinned to find work and brand yourself in your niche.
Start pitching to as many travel editors as you can.
Your pitch should have a proper intro, and description of your piece and should be backed up with proper research.
Get On Social Media
Having a social media account is invaluable these days considering the connections you can make and the opportunities you get access to.
Focus on making meaningful connections that can benefit you in your travel writing career.
But keep in mind that social media shouldn’t be your primary platform to find work. There are editors who use it to find new writers but the majority use traditional methods.
Review Other Travel Writers’ Work
Reviewing the work of other travel writers will give you an idea of how to present your experience and ideas in a candid, clean and concise manner.
It will also help you learn how to piece and structure your article.
Another thing you can try is giving a writing project to a professional and see how they do it.
For example, you can hire writing services like Writers Per Hour to draft a professional travel article for you.
Polish Your Grammar And Spelling
Having creativity and ideas are all well and good but if you want to make it as a writer, your grammar and spelling must be above average at least.
Reading is a great way to improve both of them and you can do this in your free time and even before bed!
Try going through articles written by professional and reputed travel writers and pay attention to the tenses and conversational structure they use.
Conclusion
Even if you manage to land a good writing gig it is important to find ways to constantly improve and challenge yourself.
Travel writing can definitely be a rewarding career and you might even get to visit some cool destinations on your journey!
