![]() ![]() But travel blogs are gaining more readers each quarter. It’s no secret that traditional travel publications are struggling just to retain subscribers. These experts really hit the motherlode by running their own blog and attracting a like-minded audience. Be your own brandĪnother thing the six-figure travel writers all have in common is their own brand. Most of them pay better rates, and on time. They were for company blogs or websites run by the likes of Gore-Tex,, and Viator. But that’s changing.Įight of my last 10 freelance jobs were not for outlets run by a publishing company. So where do you find well-paid travel writing gigs these days? At one point in time, magazines were the bread and butter for travel writers. It’s also easier to get a “yes” when you send out well-written queries and letters of introduction (LOIs). They’re probably not going to search for a “travel writer.” Instead, they might search for “medical tourism writer.”įind your niche in travel writing, and you’ll also find more clients willing to pay pro rates for your expertise. Why? It’s easier to be found on Google when a client goes looking for a writer. When you’re first starting out, you might bounce around writing about different travel-related topics for clients. But travel writers with a core specialty or expertise in one area now get a lot more work with a lot less effort. Maybe it’s writing about international travel on a budget, luxury resorts, cruise-ship life, ecotourism, or adventure travel. You need to find your niche as a travel writer. In the pre-internet days, it made a lot of sense to say you could write about anything anywhere. One of the biggest changes in the travel-writing world is the decline of the generalist. Realize there are far more viable ways to earn money from a travel blog than there were just five years ago. Here are some other ways I (and many other travel writers) earn from a running a travel blog: Most travel writers I know run their own blog, along with writing for clients. Check out the resources at or do your homework and pitch some of the old standbys like BBC, Lonely Planet, or my site Perceptive Travel. If you want to make a living as a travel writer, you can. Now there are so many opportunities for travel writers, it’s impossible to keep track of all of them. It used to be easy to keep track of places to pitch with only about a dozen travel magazines on the stands and a couple dozen custom publications. There are literally hundreds of travel websites to pitch now. On the other hand, there are exponentially more outlets to pitch to because of the rise of online publishing. The print publications that have survived are thinner and leaner, which means less content and sometimes lower pay than before. Writing articles for editors is still a viable income stream of course, though the pursuit of pay in that area has changed in some fundamental ways. And I run an online travel magazine and a couple of travel blogs. For example, I write for magazines, businesses, and travel sites. I sell books. The corresponding payoff, however, is the ability to control your own destiny and generate multiple streams of income from your craft. A travel writer is seldom just writing anymore. If you want to be a successful travel writer, you have to wear more hats. They all have 10 or more income streams related to travel. ![]() The travel writers who are making $100,000 or more annually have one key thing in common. I surveyed 82 people when putting together the second edition of my book Travel Writing 2.0. If you want to build your freelance business as a travel writer, here’s a few things you need to know: So how do you make a decent living as a travel writer, and hit the six-figure mark? I’ve thought about that a lot over the years, because I’ve had to navigate the industry’s sometimes troubled waters, jet lag, and changing itinerary. It still happens, but not like it used to. But I’m not jet-setting from one exotic location to the next every week. That might be one of the biggest misconceptions about travel writing.Ī lot has changed for travel writers since I got started. At one point in time, travel writers regularly took all-expenses-paid vacations to exotic locations all over the world on assignment for a long list of magazines. I’ve written about traveling through southeast Asia on a budget, hiking the Pisco Trail in Peru, combing through the ruins of Antigua, Guatemala, and many other adventures in the form of blog posts, articles, books, and copywriting projects. I’ve been a travel writer for nearly two decades. and is a popular question people ask when they’re trying to figure out how to become a freelance writer. It’s a popular niche in the world of digital nomads, freelancers, and wannabe writers. ![]() Ever dream about earning big from travel writing? ![]()
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