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A Wooden Eiffel Tower and Self-Built Amusement Park: Entering a Strange New...

The night train to nukus, the camino for the rest of us: interview with tim mathis, a night walk in kathmandu, the slums of serbia: an accidental walk through deponija, belgrade, ode to the osiedle, welcome to travel writing with heart.

Since 2014, Intrepid Times has been the online home for narrative, non-fiction travel writing. Our hundreds of contributors come from around the world. Some are award-winning journalists, while others are novice writers putting pen to paper for the first time. What they share is a passion for discovering the world and the relentless drive to share travel experiences for those with inquiring minds and a sense of wanderlust. We publish a new story every week and also run courses to help writers find their footing and get their stories published.

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The Travel Writing Podcast

The countries are not enough: interview with nomadmania founder, harry..., the new tourist: interview with paige mcclanahan, traveling to the dark side of literature: a conversation with..., a nuanced look at sustainable tourism: a conversation with jeremy..., writing your story is important…so is editing it, on the edges of europe, a wooden eiffel tower and self-built amusement park: entering a..., finding wisdom in the footsteps of philosophers in athens, greece, superyachts and sailors: the shifting seafaring culture of kotor, montenegro, cancelled — coming to terms with the chaos of the..., the recovering backpacker, where to now for lonely planet, what’s the point of travel, anyway, forced conversations and fleeting friendships, no one cares how many countries you’ve been to, terms/policies.

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The Travel Writing Experts

Quality from start to end.

Our team of hand-picked travel writers and editors have vast experience and proven track records as journalists and copywriters, so everything we write is truly inspired.

A real passion for travel

We love to travel, and we know our onions. From budget snorkelling in Borneo to deluxe wine tasting in Chile, our copious travel experience means we’ve lived our words.

Originality that’s tailored

We know every client, and each project, is one-of-a-kind. So we tailor our approach to your individual needs, while ensuring our content is consistently fresh and innovative.

Local expertise worldwide

Our hugely talented travel writers live in cities, countries and continents around the globe, so we can offer expert local knowledge of more destinations than anyone else.

Exceeding all expectations

Our painstaking research and persnickety writing means top quality content every time. We aren’t happy until you are, so all amends in line with briefing are free of charge.

Delivery without the drama

Simply tell us what you need and when, and we will write your ideal travel project that’s bang on brief, on time and on budget. No fuss, no stress; just superb travel content.

Our Services

Absorbing articles & blogs.

Whether you require a first-person travelogue feature for your magazine, an in-depth interview profile for your site, or a top 10 listicle for your blog page, we’re here to help.

Well-Informed Website Copy

Tourist board, booking agent, airline or resort: Whatever your travel specialty, we can compose perfectly-pitched SEO’d web copy, guaranteed to brighten your business.

Gripping Guides & Itineraries

We believe the greatest travel guides and itineraries mix practicality and poetry, so our content is jam-packed with in-depth, up-to-date insight and is exquisitely written too.

Tailored Travel Marketing

Looking for help with your social media? Want to create a monthly email newsletter? In need of a press release? Our words can add clout to all kinds of digital marketing.

Precision Proofing & Editing

As well as our vast array of writing services, we are able to help polish and perfect your existing content. We can proofread and edit web copy, articles, guides and more.

And Everything Else You Need

We have a select group of trusted content partners, from SEO gurus to expert translators to website designers, so we’ll find the right people for the rest of your project too.

Our Clients

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Council of Europe (European Union)

Fodor’s

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Oliver’s Travels

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Thai Airways

Greene King

The View From The Shard

Singapore airlines.

• City Wonders

Travelocity

• Vila Vita Parc

Hotel Villa Franca

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Our Expert Travel Writing Team

Joe is the editor-in-chief of World Words. Originally from the UK, he has lived in six countries and travelled to more than 85. He’s now based in Prague. With a content marketing background and as a writer for the likes of National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Forbes and USA Today, Joe works with his team to deliver travel content that works for the client and the reader alike.

Nicole’s a long-standing lifestyle journalist, copywriter and editor. She calls Australia’s Gold Coast home, but frequently lives as a digital nomad across Southeast Asia, and loves to roam everywhere from Sweden to Mexico. A travel writer for Wanderlust and TripSavvy, as well as a fiction writer, Nicole works with the World Words team to ensure consistent, quality travel copy.

Eilidh is an accomplished writer and editor currently based in Glasgow, though she’s previously resided in China and Germany. She still loves exploring Europe, Asia and beyond. Eilidh has years of experience as a writer for travel publications like Fodor’s and digital brands like TravelSupermarket. Whether as a writer or as an editor, she is committed to crafting unbeatable content.

Samantha is a seasoned travel writer who specialises in luxury. She’s lived in the UK, Spain, China, Israel and Honduras and has also explored far and wide, from Alaska to Palau. Her biggest passion (and main area of expertise) is South America. A regular writer for Princess Cruises, Thomas Cook and Bradt Guides, Samantha works on all kinds of content projects for World Words.

As a copywriter and journalist living in the wilds of Yorkshire, Ruth is drawn to the outdoors – she’s hiked massifs in Malawi, climbed volcanoes in New Zealand and trekked the 800km width of Spain. She is especially well-travelled in Europe. Ruth’s created campaigns for the likes of Airbnb and Historic England, and regularly writes travel guides and blogs for World Words.

A travel writer and editor, Nana has lived in the United States, Zimbabwe, Australia, France and Ghana and travelled all over the world – particularly in Africa. She has written guidebooks for Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, as well as travel content for the BBC, the Independent, Time Out and others. Nana works on destination guides and web content for World Words.

Jacqui is a travel journalist, content writer and editor based near Brighton. She has chased the northern lights in Iceland, skated icy forest trails in Canada and sailed the backwaters in India, but has a particular passion for the United States. A writer for brands like DK Eyewitness, The Independent and Rough Guides, Jacqui works on travel guides for World Words.

A digital content guru and travel journalist with a focus on food and wine, Eleanor is based in a sleepy little corner of Paris, but travels every year across the US, Canada, and Central America. Her work appears in The Telegraph, Culture Trip, AFAR, Time Out and Rough Guides, and her first book came out in 2019. Eleanor writes articles, guides and website copy for World Words.

Nathanael is a content writer, blogger and editor with a strong passion for travel and film. He’s visited everywhere from Kenya to Tajikistan, but is most commonly found in Edinburgh. As well as a writer for travel brands like Expedia and Cottages4you, he is often heard on BBC Radio’s Culture Studio. Nathanael works on website copy and other content briefs for World Words.

Travel journalist and digital content expert Lottie lives in Oxfordshire – but is always far happier in Spain, East Africa or India, where she has collectively spent months working on guidebooks and travel stories. A writer for The Times, DK Eyewitness and the BBC, plus brands Booking.com and MoneySupermarket, Lottie works on travel articles and guides for World Words.

Jemima took her first flight at two weeks old, and she has never stopped travelling. She’s lived in the Cayman Islands, China, Seychelles and New Zealand – but feels most at home in the Caribbean. A writer of travel content (often with a foodie twist) to publications such as Lonely Planet and Culture Trip, Jemima writes articles, blogs and destination guides for World Words.

At World Words, we believe no two clients and no two projects are the same, so we offer quotes tailored to your specific needs. For a look at the kind of rates we can offer, complete the short form below, or for a fully bespoke proposal simply click Get a More Accurate Quote . For other enquiries, please email us at [email protected] .

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50+ Travel Websites and Magazines That Pay for Articles

Are you looking for the best freelance gigs for travel writers? If you have travel stories to tell and want to add additional income to your travel blogging bank, there are a lot of markets that pay. If you want to share your stories about the places you have traveled, travel tips, and your experiences on the road check out these websites and magazines that pay for articles about travel.

When you dream about your travel writing career, do you imagine yourself hiking Machu Picchu, on safari in Africa, or sipping a Mai Tai in the Caribbean? Maybe wandering the streets of Paris with your favorite camera , where you stop at a cafe for a coffee and draft an article about your world travels?

Ads are how we pay our bills and keep our blog free for you to enjoy. We also use affiliate links; if you make a purchase through them, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Get published and paid for your travel writing

Before we get to the list. You might be asking yourself why you should write for other publications if you already have a website or blog.

• Reason #1: There are many print publications that pay. If you haven’t monetized your website or want to add additional income to your travel writing account, writing for print will help.
• Reason #2: Writing for print or other online websites that pay help to diversify your income streams. What if your big affiliate closes it’s doors tomorrow and that stream of income dried up?
• Reason #3: For 90% of us, adding additional outlets in addition to your website or blog will land you more media trips.
• Reason #4: It’s a great way to build backlinks to your personal website.

52 Magazines and Websites That Pay for Travel Writing

All of the links below are clickable, so check out all the options! I try to keep this as updated as possible, but we all know magazines are sadly continuing to close down. So if you find a publication listed below that is no longer around or accepting submissions, let me know in the comments.

As you scroll through the list below, you’ll see I have added the contact email for many of the outlets. But, please do yourself a favor and read the submission guidelines before pitching.

• 101 Holidays Contact: [email protected]
• 21st Century Adventures
• Afar , a bi-monthly magazine that shares reported features, personal essays, opinion pieces, and inspiring lifestyle travel stories. Their focus is on capturing the essence of a location and its inhabitants through storytelling.
• Budget Travel Contact: [email protected]
• Canadian Geographic Magazine Contact: [email protected]
• Condé Nast Traveler
• Cruising World Magazine
• Emirates Airline Open Sky Magazine Contact: [email protected]
• enRoute Magazine for Air Canada
• Escapees Magazine Contact: [email protected]
• Fodors Contact: [email protected]
• GoNomad – Contact: [email protected]
• Hawaiian Airlines Hana Hou! Magazine Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]
• Go World Travel
• Hit the Road
• In the Know Contact: [email protected]
• International Living  
• Intrepid Travel
• Journey Woman Contact: [email protected]
• Kansas Magazine
• Literary Traveler Contact: [email protected]
• Loaded Landscapes Contact: [email protected]
• Los Angeles Times Contact: [email protected]
• Matador Network Contact: [email protected]
• My Itchy Travel Feet
• National Geographic Traveler Magazine
• Oregon Coast Magazine Contact: [email protected]
• Outpost Magazine Contact: [email protected]
• Outside Magazine Read their guidelines here .
• Perceptive Travel
• Practical Wanderlust Send your pitch directly to [email protected]
• Road and Travel Magazine
• Rova road tripping
• She Buys Travel Contact: [email protected]
• Sunset Magazine Contact: [email protected]
• Tales of Asia
• The Culture Trip Contact: [email protected]
• The Expeditioner Contact: [email protected]
• Transitions Abroad  Contact: [email protected]
•   Travel and Leisure  
• Travel Belles Contact: [email protected]
• Verge Magazine Contact: [email protected]
• Uncommon Path from REI
• United Airlines Hemispheres Magazine Contact: [email protected]
• Wings Magazine  Editor contact: Jon Robinson| [email protected]
• World Hum Contact: [email protected] & full guidelines here .
• Vice Contact: [email protected]

Since publications go in and out of business quickly these days, please leave a comment below if you find that any of the links above don’t work or don’t lead you to the writer’s guidelines.

Bottom Line

Ask yourself why you’re doing this. Some publications pay well enough to live on… others, not so much.

Some give great exposure. Others provide valuable links for SEO (and traffic).

What do you look for when writing for travel publications? What advice can you provide?

If you find any of the above links aren’t current please let me know in the comments and I’ll update the list. Also, please leave any additional publications you know of that are currently paying.

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Alexa Meisler is the editorial director of 52 Perfect Days. Born in Paris, France she has since lived in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. She currently resides in San Diego with her husband and son where they enjoy exploring California and Mexico.

Travel has always been a part of her life; traveling to such places as Morocco, Tangiers and Spain as a young child as well as taking many road trips to Mexico with her grandparents as a young girl. Since then, she has traveled abroad to locations such as Russia, Taiwan and throughout Europe.

Prior to working at 52 Perfect Days she was a freelance travel writer; focusing on family and women’s adventure experiences.

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How To Get Travel Writing Jobs + 17 Websites To Find Them

Lydia Zhigmitova

Lydia Zhigmitova is a marketing strategist at Wordnetic. She helps individuals explore and embrace healthy remote work culture. Lydia takes an interest in everything concerning AI-powered marketing, educational psychology and baroque music. Learn more »

What are travel writing jobs?

Best places who offer travel writing jobs, how to get travel writing jobs, ready to get started.

BIG NEWS! We just released The Freelance Files , a collection of professional done-for-you email scripts, contracts, invoices, and more for smarter freelancing. The first 50 customers, save 50% with this link .

Are you an avid traveler who always can tell a fascinating vacation story? Is your inbox filled with emails from hotels and airlines offering promotions?

Do your friends know who they can ask for advice on which places in France they should visit this summer? If you are a travel geek willing to share your personal experience with a wider audience, it’s time to bag your dream job as a travel writer.

We’ve combed many travel resources and websites to find travel writing jobs so you don’t have to

Before diving into travel writing jobs, lets start with what travel writing is. Travel writing is the creation of content about traveling, cities and countries, cuisines, hotels, attractions, etc.

Living in a modern world challenges people to read, analyze and consume content faster thus the demand for travel writers who can provide readers with actionable tips is growing. People want to get valuable information in a shorter time, and your advice helps them do so.

There are also travel writing jobs whose target audience is people who just love to read about journeys and different experiences. In this sense, travel writing is close to journalism revealing the topic through the prism of geography, culture, history, and religion.

Travel journalism is not a new format. Road journals have been a long-established genre that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries. Whether you are an ardent culinary nomad, travel guide author or just looking to find a place to publish your long-form adventure story, check out these websites offering travel writing jobs.

Trip101 is a network of travel experts around the world. The website publishes guides, to-do lists, and articles about specific destinations.

They cover not only popular cities but also off-the-beaten-track destinations like Mongolia and Tibet. If you specialize in one-stop travel guides and have a soft spot for non-standard accommodation booking platforms, drop them a line.

2. Infatuation & Zagat

Infatuation & Zagat is a restaurant recommendation website where you can find reviews about the best food and drink spots.

They are always looking for talented writers who would bring a fresh perspective to the industry by demonstrating a good knowledge of restaurants around the globe. Freelance positions are open in top destinations in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

3. Growth Machine

Growth Machine is a team of content marketers that help businesses drive more traffic to their websites. They are on the lookout for freelance writers in any niche, from health and wellness to travel topics.

4. Gaijinpot Travel

Gaijinpot Travel provides English-speaking foreigners with info about relocation, staying and living in Japan. Their guides help expats seamlessly immerse themselves in the local culture along with the tips on job searching, accommodation and shopping.

If you lived in Japan for over a year, you can submit short destination reports and listicles and get paid upon publication.

5. Wanderful

Wanderful is dedicated to supporting women in their travel experiences. Do you want to positively transform the way women travel?

They are interested in stories from women of different identities and value unique insights into local history through the lives of women who shaped it. Payments range between $50 and $150 per article. Read the guidelines here.

6. World Nomads

World Nomads connects locals and travelers who are eager for new fascinating places and cross-cultural encounters.

The publication accepts personal stories about adventures that taught you something meaningful or changed your perspective on life. They offer .50 USD per word for written stories.

7. Hostelgeeks

Hostelgeeks specializes in hostels guides and travel tips provided by locals and expats. If you can tell captivating stories about local fun things to do in these destinations, submit your article!

8. To Do Canada

To Do Canada features the best things to do, places to go and events in Canada. Are you an expert on local tourist attractions? Feel free to send them your resume and a topic summary.

9. Tropikaia

Tropikaiais a gateway to the world’s beautiful islands and tropical beaches. Have you ever spent a week on Maui? Share your experience with a new audience and get paid.

10. AngelList

AngelList is a platform for tech startups, angel investors and job seekers. You can find job listings from travel startups as well.

11. Online Writing Jobs

Online Writing Jobsis a content agency helping brands create content in various fields, including the travel industry. They offer staff freelance positions for US residents.

12. Big 7 Travel

Big 7 Travel is a global travel website that provides its audience of 2.5 million users with inspiring ideas on what to see and do in every city. Join their content team and create guides to your city.

13.  Destination360

Are you geographically savvy but lack travel experience? Don’t fret, since Destination360 are looking for people to work with the website team. Knowledge of Search Engines, Keywords, and an understanding of search engine marketing is preferred.

14. Scripted

Scripted connects freelance writers with brands of all shapes and sizes. Freelance writers’ profiles are sorted and listed in such categories as software and technology, cars, health, business, travel and lifestyle.

15. Tripoto

Tripoto is a social travel platform where travelers share their stories, itineraries and other helpful information. Work as a freelance travel expert and earn some money by answering their travel-related questions!

16. Thrifty Nomads

Thrifty Nomads’ mission is to inspire affordable travel. They are interested in practical articles and travel hacks and pay for good content.

17. TravMedia

TravMedia is a global media network that connects travel journalists with PR professionals. Once you register, you get access to the industry’s press releases, trends, PR events etc.

On TravMedia, writers can land assignments from editors or announce their travel plans to get more assignments from media outlets. Having a polished profile allows you to pitch yourself to travel industry organizations and develop connections with long-term clients.

For many aspiring writers, working in the travel industry may seem like a dream job. However, to succeed as a travel writer, having the sole ability to travel is not enough.

Travel writers should be able to craft interesting stories, take good photographs and edit them, write engaging social media posts, and market themselves as authors and publishers.

This is a competitive field as there are many travel bloggers, influencers and crowdsourced websites allowing everyone to contribute images and reviews.

If you run a personal travel blog and look for a way to turn it into full-time travel writing jobs , check out these tips.

1. Learn from industry experts

First of all before landing travel writing jobs, you need to study the industry thoroughly.

It’s crucial to identify what major publications exist in this area, the difference between them, what topics editors are interested in. Study other writers’ work and analyze what their readers like in those stories.

2. Define your niche

What do you want to write about? There are countless categories of travel writing jobs and content, e.g. blogs, itineraries, essays, travelogues, guidebooks, round-ups. Since the market is crowded, differentiating one’s style has become extremely hard.

The key to success has always been the same – you need to become a source of useful information that would inspire your readers and motivate them to go and see new places themselves. Readers love comprehensive content due to a lack of time to study all available resources.

Secondly, a professional approach is always highly estimated. Write your guides as if you were working for National Geographic. That doesn’t mean adhering to a specific style but maintaining a professional attitude to what you are doing.

Doing research, collecting historical facts, increasing your knowledge of geography and anthropology will lend authority to any article. If you have a degree not related to media, your education can give you an edge in bringing a fresh perspective to the field.

3. Pitch publications

As soon as you return from your next trip, make sure you have several travel story ideas. The common mistake among beginners is pitching destinations, not stories.

While there are millions of tourists visiting India annually, your article should highlight specific angles of your journey. What did your journey teach you? What’s so special about your experience that you need to share it?

After you have been featured as a guest writer on popular niche websites (the more leading publications you score, the more chances you get to land well-paid travel writing jobs) you can move up to press trips.

It’s quite rare that freelance writers get invitations to press trips from travel agencies or tourism boards unless they’ve got an assignment from an editor. An assignment is proof that a magazine included the article in the editorial calendar.

Are you a travel blogger? Contact local hotels, restaurants, tourist bureaus before going on a trip and offer to write about their services. If you have a solid portfolio and run a popular travel blog, you may end up with profitable collaboration and cover some expenses.

Search for conferences, PR events, travel exhibitions in your city to get acquainted with PR reps and get in front of new brands. You can send follow-up emails after the events to remind of the service you offer. This will increase your chance of getting dream travel writing jobs.

Even though travel writing jobs may not be lucrative, it takes a lot of time and effort before you start making a living as a writer. Travel bloggers and journalists are given the rare opportunity to navigate their life in the way they want and create their own adventure story.

Most who earn a full-time income from freelancing are generating it from various streams, writing and selling books, digital products, podcasts, working on paid campaigns. Along with that, they formed long-term relationships with editors and businesses hence get steady assignments.

Another key challenge many professionals are likely to face in the field is that travel writing jobs can be physically demanding. Sometimes you have to write and send a travel report after rushing through a bunch of locations in one day if you are on a press trip.

To create interesting texts, you also need to read travel articles as much as possible and follow the latest trends. Consider exercising a journalist approach with its principles of truthfulness and public accountability.

Since modern travel content is mostly a business activity, its subject gravitates either to advertising or entertainment. Being a good travel writer implies understanding what your readers need, without trying to make an instant profit but minding readers’ cultural enrichment.

Stay true to yourself and keep up the good work!

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Posted on Jun 21, 2017

12 Types of Travel Writing Every Writer Should Know

So, you want to be a travel writer?

There are plenty of reality doses out there already, so we’re going to focus on the positives, and what you can do to maximize your chances of travel writing professionally. One of the first steps: you should absolutely know your markets, and what types of travel writing are popular in them. In today’s competitive market, this knowledge can both help you structure your article  and target the right audience.

In this post, we break down modern travel writing into three distinct categories: freelance journalism , blogging, and book writing. Then we identify the prevalent types of travel writing each category is known for, to give you an initial sort of compass in the industry.

Freelance Travel Journalism

The truth is this: the travel sections in major publications (New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal) are slimmer now, so competition will be tall. But there are other outlets. Local newspapers are sometimes open to travel pitches from freelancers. Certain websites pay for travel articles, while magazines can be great for targeting niche audiences.

So what are the common types of freelance travel journalism?

Destination articles

Here, the game’s in the name: destination articles tell readers about a place they might want to travel one day. One of the most standard type of travel stories, these pieces act as the armchair reader’s bird-eye view of a place. Useful or interesting facts pepper the writing. History, points of interest, natural scenery, trendy spots: a destination article can touch upon them all within the framework of a broad narrative.

Where the average article gives readers a sense of the destination, the best of the best convinces readers that this is a destination they want, nay, need to visit. As such, though some destination articles are written in first person, the focus is rarely on the writer. Instead, the destination is the star of the show.

For examples of destination articles, check out:

• Besalú, the most interesting Spanish village you probably don’t know (LA Times)
• In Indonesia (Washington Post)
• 36 Hours In The Finger Lakes Region of New York (New York Times)

Special-interest articles

Special-interest articles are offshoots of destination articles. Instead of taking the reader on a tour of an entire country or city, these pieces cover one particular aspect of the destination. This kind of writing can cover anything from art in Colombia, ghost towns in the U.S., trekking in Patagonia, alpaca farms in Australia, motorbiking in Brazil, railroads in France, volunteering in Tanzania — you get the gist.

Since special-interest articles are narrower in topic, many writers tailor them for niche magazines or websites. Before you start pitching, we recommend flipping through the Writer’s Handbook , one of the most useful guides to the freelance publishing market, to see which publications fit your target audience.

For a taste of some special-interest articles, see:

• Exploring Portugal — From Pork To Port (epicurious.com)
• This Unsung Corner of Spain is Home to Fabulous Food (Washington Post)
• Karsts of China's Getu River region attract rock climbers, other travelers (CNN Travel)

Holiday and special events

Holiday and special events travel articles ask writers to write about a destination before the event takes place. The biggest global events are magnets for this type of travel writing, such as the World Cup, the Olympics, the World Expo, fashion weeks, and film festivals. Depending on the publication, regional events work just as well.

Want to see what special events pieces look like? Have a read through these:

• This summer’s solar eclipse is southern Illinois’ chance to shine (Chicago Tribune)
• How To Plan A Trip To The 2016 Rio Olympics (Travel & Leisure)

You’ll recognize a round-up article when you see one, as it’ll go, “40 best beaches in West Europe,” or, perhaps, “20 of the greatest walks in the world!” It’s a classic tool in any magazine or newspaper writer’s toolbox, taking a bunch of destinations and grouping them all under one common thread.

Ultimately, a clear motif makes this type of article a breeze to read, as they’re a play on the ubiquitous List Format. But, OK, before you jump at this excuse to sacrifice your belly at 99 food trucks in New York City, remember that your premise should be original, not to mention practical. What’s tough is coming up with X ways to do Y in the first place, as that demands you put in the travel and research to produce a thorough write-up.

Want even more examples of round-up articles? Here you go:

• 12 new art exhibits to see this summer (Smithsonian)
• 21 ways to see America for cheap (Huffington Post)
• 41 places to go in 2011 (New York Times)

Personal essays

Publishers are experiencing something of a personal essay fatigue , so the market for more might be scarce these days. However, quality trumps all, and a good personal travel essay is just plain good writing in disguise: something that possesses a strong voice while showing insight, growth, and backstory.

Just don’t make it a diary entry. In an interview with The Atlantic , travel writer Paul Theroux said: “The main shortcut is to leave out boring things. People write about getting sick, they write about tummy trouble. They write about waiting. They write three pages about how long it took them to get a visa. I’m not interested in the boring parts. Everyone has tummy trouble. Everyone waits in line. I don’t want to hear about it.”

Here’s a jumping-off point for personal travel essays:

• Taking the Great American Roadtrip (Smithsonian)

Have a burning opinion to share? Sometimes publications end up giving op-eds to staff, but there are always open calls for opinion pieces.

Travel op-eds are much rarer than political opinion pieces, but there’s a pattern to the ones that make the cut: good persuasive writing. If you can come at a topic from a unique angle (and argue your case clearly) then you may be able to publish your opinion.

If you’re in the mood for travel op-ed articles, see:

• The West Coast Is The Best Coast For Food In America (Food & Wine)
• Why Climate Change Is Actually Relevant To Travel (Conde Nast)

Travel Blogging

When typing “travel blog” into Google returns 295 million results, we can guess it’s a fairly competitive market.

Here’s the plus side: bloggers get to write what they want and go where they please. When it comes to blog posts, there are no editors, no gatekeepers. Only you and the “PUBLISH” button.

We won’t go revisit the types of travel writing we covered earlier (such as the roundup format). Instead, we’ll explore some of the other formats bloggers use to tell their travel stories. Since the rules of travel blogging are next to non-existent, our tally below is by no means definitive. And, again, our best advice is to note what your favorite bloggers do on their blogs.

Already running a successful travel blog? You might consider turning it into a full-length book !

How-to articles are already fairly popular in magazines, but they’re positively omnipresent in the travel blogging world. Blogs provide a direct communication platform, allowing trust to build up quicker with the readers. As a result, for the search query, “How to travel Europe on a budget,” six out of the top ten results are posts from trusted independent blogs.

A How-To article is the most standard form of advice column a travel blogger can produce. It’s intrinsically useful, promising that it’ll teach something by article’s end. A blogger’s challenge is delivering fully on that promise.

How to read more How-To articles? We got you covered:

• How To Start A Travel Blog (Nomadic Matt)
• How To Travel Solo To A Party Destination (Adventurous Kate)
• How to Visit Penang’s Kek Lok Si Temple (Migrationology)

Itineraries

Itineraries reveal the schedule that the writer took at a given destination, city-by-city or sight-by-sight. They’re meant for the traveler who’s embarking on a similar trip and needs a template. Typically, you’ll find that an itinerary post is an easy place for you to slip in recommendations, anything from the accommodation you used or the restaurants you tried.

You can use itinerary posts to reinforce your blog’s brand. For instance, an itinerary posted on a blog focused around budget travel will probably maximize cost-saving chances.

For more itineraries, see:

• My Trip To Japan (A Complete Japan Itinerary)
• Backpacking Vietnam on a budget: 2-3 Weeks Itinerary + Tips

Longform posts

Longform travel blogging tells a travel story through extended narrative content, as it takes a week’s worth of adventure and shapes it into a story. Longform blog posts about travel often end up being creative nonfiction : a way to present nonfiction — factually accurate prose about real people and events — in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner.

Photography can add another dimension to the form, as Emmanuel Nataf (our co-founder!) shows on his travel blog . And Reedsy's very own Arielle provides a glimpse into why she prefers longform travel writing on her blog, Steps, a Travel Journal :

My favourite kinds of stories are the ones that give you a real sense of place. That’s why I enjoy longform travel blogging: I get to describe the character of a place through the experiences I encountered there.

If you want to dip your toe into the sea of longform posts, you can also read:

• The Cow Head Taco Philosopher King of Oaxaca (Legal Nomads)
• The Best Worst Museum In The World

When it comes to writing a book, you can take all the challenges about travel writing from above and magnify it times 2,000. If you’re asking readers to commit to you for more than 100 pages, you’d best make sure that your book is worth their while.

As far as examples go, travel writing’s boomed in the mainstream book market recently. But there’s much more to it than Eat, Pray, Love and its descendants.

Travelogues

In travelogues, authors record their adventures in a way that illustrates or sheds insight upon the place itself. Travelogues possess a storied past, from Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s Turkish Embassy Letters in 1763 to Mark Twain’s 1867 The Innocents Abroad , which paved the way for the sort of comic travelogues that Bill Bryson’s perfected today.

Up for some travelogues? Check out:

• Notes From A Small Island , by Bill Bryson
• In Patagonia , by Bruce Chatwin
• Travels with Charley In Search of America , by John Steinbeck

Travel memoirs

Nowadays, travel memoirs are practically synonymous with Elizabeth Gilbert’s wildly popular Eat, Pray, Love and Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling Wild , both of which were recently adapted into Hollywood blockbusters.

That said, be aware that you’ll need a pretty exceptional personal story for your memoir to compete in today’s market . If you’re still set on writing or self-publishing a travel memoir, it’s tricky to balance personal backstory and travel for 400 pages, so think about taking on a professional for a second pair of eyes.

Did you know? You can find Nicki Richesin , a top Bloomsbury editor who’s edited for Cheryl Strayed, on our marketplace.

In addition to Eat, Pray, Love and Wild , you can read:

• Under the Tuscan Sun , by Frances Mayes
• Coasting , by Jonathan Raban
• Wind, Sand, and Stars , by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

As Oscar Wilde said, “I never travel without my diary. One should always keep something sensational to read in the train.” But these days, people are replacing diaries with travel guides — the ubiquitous Lonely Planet becoming one of the more common sights on transit.

Travel writing in guidebooks is straightforward, informative, and fact-filled. In addition, a certain amount of responsibility comes with the job. Lonely Planet alone is read by millions of travelers worldwide.

General Tips and Guidelines

As we mentioned before, the trick to producing great travel writing is ultimately simply writing well . To that extent, you should make sure to follow all the guidelines of good writing — not least, spell-checking your article before submitting or publishing it anywhere. You don’t want an editor or reader to see it while it stilll reads lik edis.

Also, keep in mind the tone, style, and vibe of the publication and platform (and by extension, your audience). A story about a moon-rock could go into a kid's magazine or it could go into Scientific America .

Finally, some category-specific tips:

• If you’re freelance writing, always check submission guidelines. Publications may accept only pitches or they may welcome articles “on spec” (pre-written articles). Some sources only take travel articles that were written within 6 months of the trip.
• If you’re blogging, brand your website (same advice if you’re an author who’s building a homepage ).
• If you’re writing a book, get a professional editor! An unedited book is an unwieldy thing, and professional eyes provide direction, continuity, and assonance. ( Layout designers can be important if you’re publishing a travel photography book, in the meanwhile.)

Travel writing isn't a cinch. In fact, it's a long and often hard grind. But by figuring out what type of travel writing you want to try your hand at, you're taking the crucial first step.

7 responses

Amanda Turner says:

20/03/2018 – 16:20

Thank you, this was very helpful. Here's one of mine: http://vagabondingwithkids.com/every-mothers-guide-to-piranha-fishing-in-the-amazon/

Travalerie says:

24/05/2018 – 18:42

I landed on this page Googling for one thing and coming up with another. Haha! But what I found instead was helpful as I'm devouring as much as I can on travel writing. A few months ago, I started a new travel business, revamped my website including a new blog, and am in the process of writing, writing, writing. I took 2 trips this year so far and wrote what seemed like a mini-novella. Burning out in the process. I know I can do better. But I had no idea what I was writing could be re-worked to fit a certain category of travel writing -- which is what I found helpful in this post above. Thanks https://www.travalerie.com/blog

Surya Thakur says:

04/03/2019 – 12:39

Very good information. Lucky me I discovered your blog by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve saved as a favorite for later! KuLLuHuLLs

David Bishop says:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

Thanks for this good article. I'm in my third year on the road and recently started my senior solo adventure travel website. I think my site has some pretty good stuff, of course. Take a look and tell me what you think. www.davidhunterbishop.com

Iris C. Permuy says:

23/05/2019 – 18:03

Thank you very much for all of these useful pieces of advice. I will make sure to implement them all on my travel blog, which is a combination of travel and gastronomy and uses the memoir and itinerary types, apart from recipes. Come check it out if you feel like it! I am more than open, eager for some professional feedback :)

Serissa says:

26/10/2019 – 14:53

This post is the perfect diving board for aspiring travel writers. I plan to link to this page from my travel blog if that is alright! ?? The link on my website will appear as "[title of this post] by Reedsy Blog". I assume this is alright, but if not, please email me directly to let me know! Thanks so much!

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

29/10/2019 – 10:11

We'd be absolutely delighted if you shared this article on your blog :)

Comments are currently closed.

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• Best websites for travel writers

Best Websites for Travel Writers

By Roy Stevenson

You can find numerous websites on travel writing.  But finding the best websites  can be a daunting and time consuming task. First, you want websites that will advance your knowledge of freelance travel writing.  You want to discover fresh ideas and master new skills.  And you want travel writing websites that offer sound advice to freelancers around the world. You also want websites that help you find magazine leads for paid travel assignments. And finally, you’re looking for websites that tell you where press trips are happening.  Here are seven hand-picked, highly recommended travel writer’s websites.  Our selection criteria included:  fresh and interesting information to help you get more writing assignments, earn more money, improve your writing, and connect with DMOs and other people in the travel writing community. I’ve implemented advice from a couple of these websites and made thousands of dollars, almost immediately! You’ll find a brief introduction of each and a link to the websites below:

Pitch Travel Write

I’m obviously biased about this website because I’m the author!

PitchTravelWrite is all about marketing and selling your travel stories to print publications. You’ll find plenty of travel writer’s websites that show you how to improve your travel writing. 

PitchTravelWrite shows you how to sell your stories, because if you can’t sell your articles, you don’t get to write them. When you’re starting out in travel writing you’ll spend most of your time marketing your ideas to editors. This happens to be what I’m really good at.  So I share my ideas with you so you can be successful, too. This is the essence of PitchTravelWrite.


You’ll learn about the sales pitch - also known as your query letter. But marketing your ideas to publications is about more than just query letters - and you’ll learn about my process that will help you get published more easily and more often. PitchTravelWrite has plenty of information about increasing your bylines on travel websites.  And you’ll find advice on how to use your travel writing assignments to land press trips and complimentary travel perks.

Travel Writers Exchange

Curated by Trish Miller, Travel-Writers-Exchange is a community of travel writers, bloggers, and journalists.  “We exchange tools, tips, and resources, and provide a forum to help our community expand their online reach and find new opportunities.”

It makes the best websites list because it “serves as a resource for all travel writers – a place to find information, inspiration, education, encouragement, advice, networking, and possibly even travel writing opportunities.”

“We offer a Forum for increased interaction with other travel writers, and we’ll regularly invite guest bloggers to share their experiences in this exciting and growing field.”

TravMedia is a social media site for travel writers and is one of the best websites because its as close to one-stop shopping for connections you’ll find.  Here’s how it can help you ...

• Travel writers can list their upcoming trips and destinations for potential match-ups with magazine editors.
• You can list your biography
• You can list places you’ve traveled to
• You can place links to your latest travel stories to show them off
• You can follow other travel writers, and have them follow you
• You can correspond with other writers and TravMedia.com members
• You can access a calendar of events around the world
• You can receive Editor Alerts for article assignments
• You can receive listings and updates about all aspects of tourism from hotels & resorts to international tourism boards
• Plus a few other things!

I’ve landed several on-board assignments with numerous cruise line magazines through TravMedia.com and scored a few press trips from TravMedia.com announcements.

The Writers Workshop

Want to improve your travel writing?  Take some courses through travel writing instructor, Nick O’Connell’s, private online school. Seattle travel writer and instructor, Nick O’Connell’s list of bylines is enough to make even the pros drool.  He is the author a five books, and his magazine bylines include: Newsweek, Gourmet, Condé Nast Traveler, Saveur, Food and Wine, The Wine Spectator, Outside, GO, National Geographic Adventure, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Commonweal, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Westways, Sierra , and others.  These are top shelf glossies, and you’ve got to be an outstanding writer to get published in them.  So you’ll be learning from the best. Nick also does a one-day workshop on the essential elements of travel writing alongside our Travel Writing & Marketing Master Class .  I sat through Nick’s workshop last April, and it was excellent!  Even though I’ve got a long list of bylines and have been published in more than 1000 magazines, I learned some things in Nick’s class.  And his advice has rubbed off  - I’ve made some fundamental changes to my writing style. Here’s what Nick says about travel writing on his website, TheWritersWorkshop : “Travel writing, Food writing and Wine writing are some of the most appealing genres of nonfiction, calling on all of an author’s skills - dramatic scenes, character sketches, concrete detail, point of view, scene by scene construction - to compose compelling, engaging travel narratives.”  It makes the best websites list because it links to high quality writing courses.

Travel Writing 2

Produced by Terri Marshall and Tim Leffel, “This travel writing blog site aims to be the most definitive, detailed guide to success in the digital age.  It achieves that through the stories and advice from working writers, authors, and bloggers who travel.”

It's on my best websites list because you can learn a lot browsing through TravelWriting2 .

Travel Write Earn

Former CNN Travel Editor and freelancer, James Durston, has a pithy blog for travel writers & bloggers trying to make their way in the travel writing arena.  The articles on TravelWriteEarn are excellent.

Articles related to best websites for travel writers that will interest you:

Getting Published Why Travel Writers Need a Professional Website Finding Travel Magazine Leads on Vendor Websites Where to Find Magazine Leads

Roy Stevenson is a professional travel writer and the author of www.PitchTravelWrite.com.  Over the past ten years, he’s had more than 1000 articles published in 200 magazines, trade and specialty journals, in-flights, on-boards, blogs and websites and has traveled on assignment around the U.S. and to dozens of international destinations.

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Travel Writing Blogs & Websites to Follow in 2024

The last few years haven’t been the best for the travel writing industry. The pandemic shut down travel and turned off the tap of income for many travel writers and bloggers.

At the same time, books about travel continued to sell (albeit in smaller numbers) as people daydreamed about taking trips and lived vicariously through the works of great travel writers.

Travel blogs, on the other hand, the type that focuses on the “best 10 x in y” articles, saw website visitor numbers nosedive. These are purely utilitarian websites and have limited appeal when people can’t travel.

Now, of course, travel is back with a vengeance. The type of blog that focuses on basic question and answer content is also back on the top of Google. I never read these websites unless it’s to find out where not to go in order to avoid crowds.

ChatGPT and Google’s imminent AI chatbot have their sights on this kind of commoditized, same-same, derivative content, and the future looks grim for content without personality.

My hope is that travel writers who share their unique voice on the internet will rise above the click-bait SEO content that plagues every Google search. Once artificial intelligence algorithms eat ‘listicle’ travel blogs for lunch, there should be more room for authentic travel journalism and writing.

But let’s get back to my own listicle – yes, sometimes to beat ’em, you’ve gotta join ’em.

I look for travel blogs that have strong writing, design, and content. These are the ones I visit even when I’m not able to travel myself. These sites offer an authentic connection to their country or subject matter. The following is a list of the best travel blogs based on these qualities.

A note on “the best travel blogs”

It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy: the best travel blogs are recommended because they appear on the first page of Google. And by linking to these blogs and sharing the content, this idea of “best” is reinforced. Google rewards them by placing them higher in the results. Best for Google usually just means the one that conforms to the norm.

People don’t type “the best travel blogs with interesting topics that nobody else knows about” in Google. And even if they did, it probably won’t really deliver the desired result.

With that rant over, here’s the list.

I used the following criteria.

Blogs (or Substacks) on this list must:

• Be original and refreshing – in contrast to what Google seems to think, being different is good.
• offer more than just listicle posts – top 10 of this, best 5 of that, same of this, same of that. Stories that resonate with readers on an emotional level are way more interesting.
• have a unique voice – does the blogger shun SEO in favor of a unique angle? Does the writer offer a fresh perspective on topics not widely covered by mainstream sources? Does the blogger have an unconvential style or are they interested in inspiring readers beyond clicks or views?
• provide engaging content and a strong connection with the reader. The content should be good enough to make you subscribe to their email list.

Roads & Kingdoms

Travel, Food, and Politics are the topics discussed on Roads & Kingdoms. It’s all about storytelling about the good things in life. Local journalists and subject matter experts discuss food and drink, as well as music and whatever else they find interesting (and you will, too).

This is longform travel writing at its finest. In a world where people are sick of the unstoppable flood of content, Roads & Kingdoms is one of the best slow travel blogs to use as a tonic.

Articles with titles like “Lebanon’s rave revolution” will not surface on any listicle about the best things to do in Lebanon, but if you’re interested in culture, there’s plenty of insights here. Enjoy guides to cities that offer practical advice without being spammy. And check out “In Transit: getting around Lisbon” or “Walking Tour: Hunting Art and Food in Chapinero, Bogotá”.

While the site also touches on politics and food, everything seems connected to travel and world culture. And that’s fine with me. After all, what’s travel without food and a bit of politics?

Listen to The Trip podcast that accompanies the blog. Ex-foreign correspondent for TIME magazine Nathan Thornburgh steers the boat while a crew of talented writers creates thoughtful content for readers that want more than checklists of things to do in faraway places.

Culinary Backstreets

They say (or at least I say) that you can’t understand a culture until you know the language and have tasted the food. Learning a language might not be the most practical way to know a culture if you’re only visiting briefly. But there’s no excuse for not tasting the local cuisine.

Culinary Backstreets is one of my favorite blogs on any topic. The focus is food, but you will also learn about regions, cities, the people that live and work in the places profiled. A truly remarkable travel writing blog that foodies and non-foodie travelers will find delicious.

CulinaryBackstreets.com

The Calvert Journal

The Calvert Journal is a digital magazine with a wonderful travel section featuring the countries and cultures of the New East (Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia).

The magazine also examines art, film, architecture, design, fashion, and avant-garde culture in 29 countries in the New East region. The Calvert Journal stands apart for its wealth of original content, deep research, incredible photography, and sharp focus on the most interesting places in the post-communist world.

It is an area that is ignored by the mainstream media and travel blogging communities, but it is rich in stories and ancient cultures. Read stories about traveling the Silk Roads, walking in the Caucasus, taking 7500km train rides in Kazakhstan, and how the residents of a Georgian Ski Field are fighting to keep their traditional village life intact.

Enjoy stunning photography from Tirana, the historical location of the Russian Gulags, and of Soviet Monumentalism in Chechnya.

calvertjournal.com

The author of the seminal Vagabonding book, writer for National Geographic, adventurer, and creative writing teacher, is one of the best travel writers in the internet age.

Couchfish / Travelfish

The Couchfish travel blog focuses on high-quality travel writing that captures a sense of place beyond the usual travel blogger or influencer stereotypes that exist in the travel blogging world. It’s a sharp and witty look at travel in Southeast Asia.

Issues of Couchfish come out on an almost daily schedule and, according to Stuart, should be around 400 words in length. In reality, posts are longer than that; Stuart’s writing is engaging and captivating, so I’ve no complaints about reading longform. This blog is generally formatted like a diary of a specific place, town, or region in Southeast Asia. Stuart also includes comments on other blogs and links to interesting material from around the web.

The newsletter/blog has no ads or sponsored content, something that I think we can all appreciate.

Couchfish is penned by Stuart McDonald, who also writes Travelfish , a weekly newsletter that is closely associated with a travel advice website of the same name. A typical issue of Travelfish might include a featured story on why bucket lists are ruining vacations, recommendations for books to read, and news from all of Southeast Asia.

Where does he find time?

Perceptive Travel

Just one of the blogs by prolific travel writer Tim Leffel . This is his narrative-focused writing, which naturally gets a lot less traffic than his other sites. But the content is about unique experiences and culture-related topics.

Meet Me Here Tbilisi

Writer Paul Rimple has contributed to Roads & Kingdoms, The Daily Beast, The Moscow Times, Foreign Policy, the BBC, and Culinary Backstreets, among others. As the founder of his own culinary travel venture, Meet Me Here Tbilisi , he has become an authority on Georgia’s dynamic food and wine scene. Rimple’s multifaceted journey exemplifies the power of curiosity, the magic of a well-crafted sentence, and the joy of a simple but well-seasoned dish.

Rimple’s writings cover everything from Georgian wine and the breakaway territory of Abkhazia, to the intricate relationship between Georgia and Russia. He offers historical and social contexts to help readers grasp the complexities of the Georgian people and their relationships with their neighbors.

In between gigs with Tbilisi’s only blues band, and leading guiding tours of his adopted city, Rimple pens articles for various magazines and publications. His blog, part of the Meet Me Here Tbilisi website, blends travelogue and cultural exploration. As a Tbilisi resident for two decades, Rimple’s intimate knowledge of the city and its inhabitants is evident.

Never skimping on details, Paul describes the people, food, and atmosphere in vivid detail; you can imagine the sights, sounds, and tastes of his adopted city. For those intrigued by Georgian culture and gastronomy, and weary of generic “top ten” lists, Meet Me Here Tbilisi serves as a good first destination.

Meetmeheretbilisi.com

Financial Times Travel Section

If you’re tired of cookie-cutter travel blogs filled with boring top ten lists, FT.com/travel is one of the first places you should look. Lovers of good travel writing will find it a haven in the modern age. It’s one of my go-to corners of the internet for meticulously crafted and carefully researched travel narratives.

Writers at the Financial Times are, in my opinion, among the most talented in the business (and, I’m sure, among the best paid).

Listicles take a backseat here, as the stories dive deep into the landscapes, cultures, and histories of both the exotic and familiar. Stories such as “Tigers, turtles, and tea: a boat trip down the Brahmaputra” and “Northern Ireland: from the Troubles to a Tourism Hotspot” introduce you to the people and stories that make each region unique. These stories are accompanied by stunning photos and videos that capture the essence of destinations we’d all love to visit.

The FT never disappoints, serving a fascinating read without resorting to fluffy content-for-clicks filler. The topics are wide-ranging: from the resurgence of night trains as eco-friendly and romantic alternatives to air travel, to the architectural wonders of the world’s great train stations. Alongside these narratives, FT articles offers practical travel advice and tips, curating valuable insights into exceptional accommodations (albeit often beyond my budget) and unique dining experiences.

Channeling the spirit of Bourdain, the FT’s travel section embraces the spirit of exploration, prioritizing thoughtful storytelling and journalistic excellence.

FT.com/travel

Uncornered Market

Continuing the theme of sustainable travel, Uncornered Market is more of a marketing channel for the husband and wife team that runs the site for helping travel brands and tourism organizations develop sustainable tourism products and services. The blog, however, is full of good content like “How Social Media Influencers Can Use Their Power to Combat Overtourism” and ”Kyrgyzstan: An Experiential Travel Guide”.

Uncorneredmarket.com

Dan Flying Solo

With stunning photography and a focus on experiences and off-beat destinations, Dan’s blog is a breath of fresh air. The professional videos that accompany many of the blog posts help complement the writing. Check out the production level on some videos on Dan Flying Solo’s YouTube channel .

Dan describes his travel style as “a bit of everything”. It’s not backpacker style, and it’s not luxury. But something in between. 

DanyFlyingSolo.com

Brent And Michael Are Going Places

Winning the award for the longest domain name, Brent And Michael Are Going Places is a blog about the travels of a gay couple from the United States, who sold everything and began a new life as digital nomads 

Their blog post “How Two Gay Guys Sold Everything, Left Home to Travel the World … and Lived Happily Ever After” is a great read for anyone that thinks it’s too late or too difficult to start a nomadic life.

Both Brent and Michael are authors, so the writing quality hits the top side of the scale. With great insights into the world of LGBT travel, this is a blog for anyone that feels like they don’t fit the profile of a digital nomad or travel blogger. 

brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com

Notes from the Road

If you’re looking for a travel blog with a focus on photography and design, this might be just what you’re looking for. Notes From The Road not only has a great name, it has beautiful photography, incredible illustrations, and killer writing on quirky topics that interest owner Eric Gauger.

Blog posts with names like, “Notes on traveling to the Coyote Buttes during surreal winter weather”, and “Puffin Rally to the Látrabjarg Cliffs” give you an idea of the content on this blog. You won’t find many “10 best pubs in Prague” but you will find super long-form content with stunning supporting photographs. 

Notesfromtheroad.com

Expert Vagabond

It’s been mentioned on hundreds of other blogs, but there are a few reasons why Matthew Karsten’s blog is popular. Expert Vagabond is one of the longest-running and most consistently helpful travel blogs on the internet. Matt’s also a great guy with a cool story. He hasn’t been to that many countries, relatively speaking, but he makes the most of his time in each of the places he visits. Preferring slow travel over faster-paced tourism, Matt started his travels at the tender age of 29 and is in no rush to see everywhere. As he says, “I often hang out in a country for as long as it feels right and I move on to the next when I’m ready”. He also doesn’t consider himself an expert, but we think he is. Check out the awesome photography on the website too. Matt has one of the better travel photography portfolios on the list.

Hike & Dine

A newish blog from a Swiss couple who focus on hiking and eating (two of my favorite things) in their home country of Switzerland, probably the greatest place in the world to combine these passions.

This blog is all about details. Great photography combined with detailed guides on hiking trails and the places to dine nearby. It’s a bilingual blog (bravo) in English and Swiss German that doesn’t skimp on quality imagery or research. All I can say is that it must have been hard work eating their way around Switzerland.

Travel Lemming

A blog about emerging destinations should satisfy the demand for sustainable tourism in 2020. People are no longer happy to visit overcrowded cities and add to the massive pollution of some of the world’s most beautiful spaces. Travel Lemming aims to promote the less-visited locations of the world and creator Nate Hake’s love of emerging and off-track travel destinations means he has plenty to write about. So many of the world’s great cities and places are ignored because the tourism industry has not matured or the location is not on the Instagram trail. This blog helps educate people about places that are relatively free from the ills of over-tourism and places that would benefit greatly from your tourism dollar.

TravelLemming.com

I just had to add my blog to the list. Why not? With an eclectic mix of posts about solo travel, digital nomadism, wine, food, and culture, Nomad Flag is a personal journey through the world. The aim of the blog is to help people learn more about places and cultures, especially with long-term or slow travel in mind. Check out this guide to living in Argentina , for example.

Other topics include a Guide to Georgian wine , a listicle of Inspiring Non-fiction Travel Writing , a rant about Begpackers , or this sharp take on Travel Writing, SEO & Boring Blogs .

This post is a work-in-progress. I intend to update it regularly. If you have any suggestions, please send them to me.

If you like what you're reading and would like to see more, fuel my writing with some caffeine! Cheers

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6 thoughts on “Travel Writing Blogs & Websites to Follow in 2024”

So glad to see my friends, Brent and Michael, on here and to see some blogs and vlogs I have not stumbled upon. Thanks a gazil for not only the list, but for the commentary.

I humbly suggest my Substack newsletter Common Sense & Whiskey, which publishes a travel column every Tuesday: https://csandw.substack.com/

Thanks, Bill Murray Common Sense & Whiskey

Great list Keith, and so thrilled you included Meet Me Here Tbilisi—Paul Rimple is one of the best travel writers working today, you fall into his stories as soon as you open them. And also I don’t blame you for giving yourself a shout-out on this list too, no law against drinking your own champagne, as they say! Next time you’re in the mood for an update, I wonder if you’d consider Intrepid Times – We publish one travel story a week from passionate travel writers experienced and otherwise, and have been plugging away since 2014. Keep up the awesome work!

I can attest to this! One of my favorite travel blogs in the list. National geographic worthy articles.

I’m all in for travel bloggers who paint pictures with their words, transport me to faraway lands, and make me feel like I’m sipping chai in Mumbai or exploring hidden alleys in Prague, even when I’m just on my couch with a cup of joe.

Being into the travel niche myself, I’m familiar with a few of these websites, like Expert Vagabond, Travel Lemming, and of course, Nomad Flag. And hey, you might want to check out A Little Adrift, Man Vs Globe, and The Professional Hobo. Oh, and don’t miss Travelccessories.com – it’s got some really useful articles that address practical questions travelers often have, moving beyond the usual listicles.

While Google might crown its favorites, it’s readers like us who crown the real travel gems. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers, Femi.

Storytelling is still the best way to inspire travel but a listicle here and there is fun if it’s unique, right? I hope you have a moment to look at my travel writing website. One of my favorite recent stories involves a trip to Antarctica with my 78 year old stepdad and a humpback whale.

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Feel like you don't know who will buy the story of your chance meeting with Bob Dylan on a rural bus or intimate family dinner in war-torn Syria? You’ll find detailed breakdowns of exactly which sections are open to freelancers, what they're looking for, and which editors you need to reach out to for hundreds of print magazines listed here that accept travel articles. Tour the Database

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10 Publications That Will Pay You for Travel Writing

Get paid for your travel writing! Fund your adventure, literally, writing about what you love doing the most. If you are already a travel blogger, you’ll be used to writing just for the fun of it. We do it because we love blogging, creating content, and every blog post we write can support a career we believe in.

So, why not do all of that, and get paid for it? Unless an article is perfectly aligned for your blog, like this one, it’s worth checking with a small collection of editors in case they want to publish your work for cash-money.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dave Weatherall (@thattravelblog) on Jan 13, 2020 at 6:38am PST

Here are 10 publications that will pay you for your travel writing:

All email addresses have been edited to protect the editors’ privacy from spam bots!

1. Great Escape Publishing

Great Escape Publishing focus on working while you travel, so if you like my blog, you’ll probably like these guys. Sign up to their newsletter to familiarise yourself with the style they publish.

They also have a host of previous articles you can read for inspiration surrounding the topics of import/export, travel blogging, photography, creating tours and many more.

Payment: $50-$75 for a request to the website. $100-$150 for interviews and personal stories. $150-$200 for specific income advice.

Instructions: Email lori(@)greatescapepublishing(dot)com and make sure to include your full name, address and telephone number. Submissions should be in a .doc or .docx format. You can find more instructions here.

2. Verge Magazine

Verge magazine is a small, Canadian digital-only publication.

Verge specifically looks for articles “with purpose”. This can be in the form of working, volunteering, studying or any other purposeful reasons for travelling.

Their audience consists mainly of socially aware individuals who want to make a difference. They are not looking for people focussed on one particular organisation or self-promotion, but more about a general issue or theme.

Payment: A small flat fee for contributions

Instructions: You can send all submissions and enquiries to contributing(at)vergemagazine(dot)com. Verge has a few themes you can write for, or you can try to submit your work as a featured article.

3. Horizon Guides

Horizon Guides is a publisher of special interest travel guides, covering niche subjects from fishing in Ontario to photography in Burma, and pretty much everything in between.

For destination experts to create in-depth downloadable travel guides. You’re credited as the author with a bio, links to your social media and your website.

Payment: They pay competitive rates for researchers and contributors, with a starting rate of £400 per assignment.

Instructions: Join their contributor network to receive details of relevant assignments.

4. Go World Travel

Go World Travel consider writers from all ends of the spectrum, as long as you write well and set yourself apart from the standard “how to get there” articles. The style of writing should be around a destination or place. They are looking for descriptive, straightforward writers who encourage people to go and see the place for themselves.

Anecdotes, curiosity about the place and a detailed insight into your personal feelings towards it, are all things they are after.

Payment: $30-$40 per article (up to 1600 words)

Instructions: Submit your articles to submissions(at)goworldtravel(dot)com. Include the story title and destination in the subject line. More instructions here.

5. Tales to Go

You can write for one of the Tales to Go issues that are available on their website or as a subscription service. Read some of their previous issues to get an idea of the style of writing and types of stories they are after.

Payment: $50 per submission (1000-3000 words submissions have a better chance of being accepted)

Instructions: Previously published stories are welcome, as long as you retain the copyright! They also consider material for books so have a look at their guidelines for more information.

6. Matador Network

Matador Network work with thousands of writers, photographers, and filmmakers. “From industry-leading voices to young creatives published for the first time.”

Matador’s ‘Creators Community’ is one of the best resources out there for beginner travel writers. MatadorU allows you to hunt for opportunities with specific calls for submissions and market leads posted regularly by their editorial team.

Payment: $40+ for short commissioned articles

Instructions: Sign up to their Creators Community on MatadorU and set up a profile. After completing your profile, click the “U” logo to access the user dashboard and market leads.

Here’s one of my articles published by the Matador Network; “Stop waiting to be picked, choose yourself” .

7. Listverse

Listverse are looking for writers who can write a distinctive and interesting listicle (list-articles). They want authors to think outside of the box with an alternative perspective, hidden knowledge or some unique facts on a given subject area.

The list should be no shorter than 10 items and be all of your own work, no copying someone else’s ideas. Sound simple? Give it a go!

Payment: $100 per submission. You must have (or be able to create) a PayPal account.

Instructions: Lists should be 1 or 2 paragraphs per point with a minimum of 10 items in a list. Submissions can be filled in here .

8. Fund Your Life Overseas & Incomes Abroad

Similar to Great Escape Publishing, Find Your Life Overseas & Incomes Abroad focusses on making money while you travel or expats living abroad. They want stories about somebody you know or if you yourself are living on a portable income.

They are always looking for new and unique stories of people earning a living abroad. If you have a story to tell, then get in touch!

Payment: $75 per article for Fund Your Life Overseas e-newsletter. $400 for your story in Incomes Abroad.

Instructions: Email submissions to sormond(at)internationalliving(dot)com for Fund Your Life Overseas. Or email submissions to Cleomurphy(at)internationalliving(dot)com for Incomes Abroad. Read their instructions and examples here .

9. Viator Blog

If you have expertise or insights into specific destinations, then Viator could be looking for you! They ideally want individuals with a lot of experience and knowledge of numerous destinations or an entire region.

Authors should know the ins and the outs of a few destinations and can confidently write short articles, frequently. These can be 300-400 words about navigating the area, things to do, popular festivals or even hidden gems.

Payment: $45 for writing and publishing each post. This will be created ‘in WordPress, including sourcing photos, and adding links, tags, and categories.’

10. Wanderlust Travel Magazine

Wanderlust Travel Magazine writes just 10 issues are year, so getting published is tough! If you are a first-time writer they suggest you try and aim for the shorter slots.

Overall, they are looking for individuals with a talent for writing in a professional manner. They really want the “crème de la crème” for writing, photography and ‘the most authoritative facts.’ It is definitely one to aim for if you are hoping to develop your travel writing skills.

Payment: It would be best to contact Wanderlust directly regarding rates as they vary from type of post, to length of article. Generally they offer £220 per 1,000 published words and £90 for fact pages (approx. 750 words).

Instructions: For the print magazine, email submissions(at)wanderlust(dot)co(dot)uk. For the website, email website(at)wanderlust(dot)co(dot)uk.

BONUS TIP: Most publications will ask you for photography to accompany your words. This can bring in some extra dollar, or at the very least, win over a few editors. Invest in a DSLR or the latest smartphone and brush up on your photography skillz.

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Dave Weatherall

On the road since 2014. Living and working from 40+ countries, mostly in Asia. Blogging, building websites, and marketing management. My mission is to show other people, like me, the possibilities of an alternative lifestyle outside of the typical 9-5.

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18 thoughts on “10 publications that will pay you for travel writing”.

Thank you for sharing these resources.

Thanks for reading, I hope they help!

Wow how cool. I am going to start scoping some of these out. I will be traveling soon and having to take time off from bartending, so I definitely need to make more writing.

Good luck, and please let me know if they help!

Great post, a lot of useful information, I’ve pinned it for later since I still need to build up some courage to start approaching sites since I am only at the beginning and in the “learning” phase 🙂

Go for it Ingrid! 😀 Matador Network is a nice one for beginners. It’s interesting to read the editor’s calls for submissions. Also, many of these sites have contributor guidelines which are a great way to learn the ropes. Good luck 🙂

Great list! I wrote a few blog posts for Verge Magazine while I studied abroad.

Thank you for compiling this, it’s a great place to start and shows you that you can make money off of travel writing.

Thanks Robert, I hope this post will help you!

I am failing to understand why people keep publishing lists that include publications that pay literally nothing (a huge insult to anyone spending the time to research and write an article and far below even minimum wage no matter how short a piece is). $30. $40. $50 is NOT an acceptable rate for an article. It would be less insulting for these publications to simply say ‘we don’t pay writers but if you are new and haven’t been published anywhere better we’d be happy to work with you and include links back to your site in the article, in place of pay’. C’mon people, please do better than publishing lists of places that have such deplorably low rates and presenting them as if these are good opportunities. If someone asked you to come work at their business for five-ten hours and they’d pay you $30-$50 and call you and email you for the next to weeks with questions and small tasks you’d need to do for no additional money, would you do it? No.

I appreciate your concern. There’s opportunities here from $30 to £400 per assignment. It’s up to you to decide which one is relevant to you. More than likely, the $30 commissions require a great deal less effort and the editors expect a much lower bar in quality. For example, I wrote a ~500 word opinion piece for Matador Network when I was young and starting out. It took me maybe 1-2 hours to write and they published the article without any requested edits.

I wouldn’t consider this now as my hourly rate is higher, I am more experienced and quality articles take much longer to write. However, as much as I’d love for these rates to be higher, I wouldn’t want to take away that opportunity from new writers starting out like I was.

Excellent points 30 to 50 dollar rates are insult to writers. The publicaions want it for nothing

Thank you for being detailed and providing links to apply. It’s very helpful.

This is great information! Do you need to copywrite your articles before submitting them to these publishing companies? My articles are just on my website right now.

Copyright not copywrite

Fabulous advice for seasoned journalists just dipping their toe in travel writing!

Very useful, though few of them do not allow submission from India. Will definitely try. Thanks

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The Ultimate Travel Writing Resources List

Beginning and advanced travel writers have it good these days with the abundance of online resources. In fact, they can use a wide variety of online resources to help them not only develop their craft, but pitch articles, get assignments, and connect with others in the field. You will find the web’s best travel writing resources below.

As you can imagine, it is difficult to keep lists of this nature updated. So, if you find a dead link, or know of an online resource that should be included on this list, please reach out to us or leave a comment below.

General Travel Writing Websites

There are a number of great travel writing websites that publish articles on how to be a better travel writer, how to pitch editors, and how to cultivate the right mindset. Some specialize in interviews with travel writers, offer book reviews, and much more. Here are some of the best travel writing resources.

TravelWriting2.com – Tim Leffel is the editor behind the Travel Writing 2.0 Blog, which publishes articles on travel writing, broadly defined. This is a good place to start. He also teaches a good online course (see below).

Rolf Potts – Travel Writer Rolf Potts rose to prominence following the success of his well-known book Vagabonding . On his website, he has articles on travel writing and profiles various travel writers. It also has articles that deviate from travel writing, including cinema and cultural commentary.

Travel Writing World – This is the website you’re currently on. It features articles on travel writing news, interviews with travel writers on its award-winning podcast , book reviews, and much more.

Freelance Travel Writing Websites

These online resources publish articles and offer services that are designed to help freelancers get more paid work or help with advice specific to freelance writing. Some post calls for submissions, leads, etc.

Travel Magazine Database – The title says it all. This premium service breaks down the various departments and sections of magazines and gives you a sense of what editors typically publish. It also includes the names and email addresses of magazine editors.

Pitchwhiz – This website is all about helping freelance writers connect with editors seeking submissions. You can see articles sought after by editors and even send them pitches through the platform. It is good practice to check once a week to see what editors are looking for.

Online Courses

There are a number of online courses that will help beginners learn more about travel writing. To be sure, there are more expensive face-to-face courses that some individuals may prefer, like the ones held in Paris and Santa Fe by Rolf Potts and David Farley respectively, but this is a list of some of the best self-paced online courses available today.

Travel Writing Overdrive – This self-paced course will teach you about breaking into the space from the perspective of blogging, building authority and presence online, and creating multiple streams of income.

Responsible Travel Writing – This premium course confronts travel writers, travel journalists, travel bloggers, and travel influencers with the industry’s ethical questions around topics like press trips, bias, interviewing, colonialism, and sustainability to name a few.

Conferences & Festivals

We previously published an article that goes into more detail about the various professional travel writing conferences in the United States, but here is a quick list of some of the major players:

• Book Passage Travel Writer’s Conference
• NATJA Conference
• SATW Convention
• Stanford’s Travel Writing Festival at Destinations Holiday and Travel Show
• TBEX Conference
• Vicarious Festival

Travel Writing Awards

Many of the professional associations hold their own yearly awards competitions. For journalists, the Lowell Thomas Awards and the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Awards are two of the most active award competitions in the United States.

For travel books, the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards are among the most prestigious.

Travel Writing Associations

Many travel writing associations exist around the world. Most of them, however, have barriers to entry including membership dues and being able to demonstrate that you are active and a professional writer. That being said, they all offer their members perks like online webinars, networking opportunities, and the ability to attend conferences.

• British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW)
• The International Travel Writers Alliance
• North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA)
• Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)
• Travel Writers UK

University Programs & Academic Journals

Travel writing as a field of academic study is small but strong. Several institutions, primarily in Europe, have centers that specialize in the study of travel writing. The most prominent in the English-speaking world is perhaps the Centre for Travel Writing Studies (Nottingham Trent University) , which also is affiliated with the academic journal Studies in Travel Writing .

Another English-language journal on travel writing studies is Journeys: The International Journal of Travel and Travel Writing , which is published twice a year. In the Francophone world, you’ll find the Centre de Recherche sur la Littérature des Voyages , whose faculty and researchers are affiliated with the online journal Astrolabe .

We hope you found value in this list of travel writing resources. If you think we’re overlooking an important resource, please leave us a comment below or send us an email.

Happy writing!

Last Updated on 23 May 2021 by Travel Writing World

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Travel Writing World

With an emphasis on travel books and long-form travel literature, host Jeremy Bassetti talks with the world’s most inspiring travel writers about their work and about the business and craft of travel writing in this award-winning podcast and website. In addition to the podcast, the site also features travel writer profiles, book reviews, and articles.

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30 Best Travel Writing Blogs and Websites in 2024

• Clark Norton
• The Incidental Tourist
• Travel Writing 2.0 Blog
• Joshua Berman | Travel Writing
• Intrepid Times
• Macy Sees The World | Macy Lu | Substack
• Coffee And Mascara Blog
• Tamlyn Amber Wanderlust Travel Writing and Photography
• An English Travel Writer
• Dustedoff | Travel Writing
• MANI JUNCTION
• I am Lost and Found
• Travel Writing World
• Rick Steves' Travel Blog
• Dream of Travel Writing | The Six Figure Travel Writer Blog
• World Words Blog | The Travel Writing Experts
• BC Association of Travel Writers
• A Dangerous Business Travel Blog | Travel Writing
• #TravelTruth
• XpatMatt.com Blog
• Go World Travel Magazine | Travel Writing Blog: Tips and Advice for Travel Writers
• Break Into Travel Writing
• Chiyako Travel | Travel Agency
• Brian Cray | Adventure Travel
• Leamigo Blogs
• Mannedup | Travel Writing
• One Point Five Billion Inches …. by Abhishek
• Sophisticated Cruising Blog
• mattswain.co.uk

Travel Writing Bloggers

• Travel Writing Newsletter

Travel Writing Blogs

Here are 30 Best Travel Writing Blogs you should follow in 2024

1. Clark Norton

2. The Incidental Tourist

3. Travel Writing 2.0 Blog

4. Joshua Berman | Travel Writing

5. Intrepid Times

6. Macy Sees The World | Macy Lu | Substack

7. Coffee And Mascara Blog

8. Tamlyn Amber Wanderlust Travel Writing and Photography

9. An English Travel Writer

10. Dustedoff | Travel Writing

11. MANI JUNCTION

12. I am Lost and Found

13. Travel Writing World

14. Rick Steves' Travel Blog

15. Dream of Travel Writing | The Six Figure Travel Writer Blog

16. World Words Blog | The Travel Writing Experts

17. BC Association of Travel Writers

18. A Dangerous Business Travel Blog | Travel Writing

19. #TravelTruth

20. XpatMatt.com Blog

21. Go World Travel Magazine | Travel Writing Blog: Tips and Advice for Travel Writers

22. Break Into Travel Writing

23. Nomads RTW

24. Chiyako Travel | Travel Agency

25. Brian Cray | Adventure Travel

26. Leamigo Blogs

27. Mannedup | Travel Writing

28. One Point Five Billion Inches …. by Abhishek

29. Sophisticated Cruising Blog

30. mattswain.co.uk

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A Guide to Content Writing for Travel Websites in 2023

David kovacs.

• January 3, 2022
• 17 Comments

1. Do your research

Create an outline

Before you even start doing your research, it is extremely important to always make an outline for the entire article. Making a list of ideas or topics is necessary if you want your content to have a good flow and without clutter.

Doing research as an expert

You can write your content as an expert in the travel niche. However, if you present yourself as an expert, you have to prove yourself and explain why you know all those information you’re providing. You have to include data and statistics in your content to prove your point.

Using data and statistics throughout your content has a dual-purpose.

First, you are providing information from reliable sources. You will gain the trust of your readers because you are presenting a piece of content that is accurate.

Second, when you are using data and statistics from other sources, you are of course ‘linking out’ to those sources. This will have a positive impact on your content in terms of SEO in the long run.

Doing research as someone looking for answers

Another way to approach your research is to come off as a regular person looking for a solution to a problem. You could think of yourself as someone who wants to help a friend finds the best hotels in Hawaii or Budapest. Doing research this way is quick and simple. Answers are usually spread across the internet through forum posts and YouTube videos.

2. Write an amazing headline

Why do you need headlines that grab peoples attention?

A headline that turns heads or sparks someone’s interest is as important as the content itself. If no one clicks on your headline, then your just wasting time creating content.

Cosmopolitan magazine uses sexy headlines that entice people to read their content. If you’re an email marketer, the phrase you use in the subject line makes a big difference as to whether people will open your emails or not.

Likewise, you need to write catchy headlines so people will click on your webpage on Google’s search results. The point here is to get people to take that next step and read your content.

So how do you write headlines that are so appealing that people not only want to click through but read the rest of your content?

Tips on writing amazing headlines 

1. Headlines with 6 to 7 words perform better

According to Neil Patel , blog post titles that are too short or too long won’t do justice to your precious content.

Titles that are too short won’t be able to tell your readers upfront what your content is all about. On the same note, titles that are too long tend to be overwhelming to your readers. No one wants to click on a headline that looks like a long sentence.

2. Use adjectives within your headline

Adjectives can make your headline more attractive to your readers. Some of the adjectives you can use are “unbelievable”, “incredible”, “top”, “best”, etc. With adjectives, there’s a huge chance more people will want to click on your headline.

3. Add the current year within your headline

Although this may not be applicable to all of your posts, adding the current year within your headline will tell your readers that your content is updated or “fresh.” This strategy works better if your content is about “guides” or if it’s a “how to” article.

Surely you have read some of these in the search results, “updated 2020” or “best travel sites in 2020”. People will most likely click on a headline because it’s fresh. Who would want to read on outdated content?

4. Get to know your readers

You can start on getting to know your readers at the comments section on your post. There would always be someone who will leave a comment after reading a post. You can start on getting connections from there.

Once you get to know who your readers are, you’ll have an idea on how to create headlines that relates to them. You’ll have an idea of finding the best travel topics for your content.

If you’re a travel writer , you can ask your readers about the problems they encounter when they are traveling.

Content that provides a solution to a problem especially on a specific niche tends to get more clicks. Not only that, your readers might share your content on social media. This means more exposure for your content and more leads for your business.

3. Focus on the topic only 

When writing content for your travel business, it is best to focus on one topic or message. Considering that you already have the topic, the next step is to write the first sentence and your ‘answer paragraph’.

The first sentence

Your first sentence should contain the keywords that you want to rank for. You should cleverly insert those keywords in your first sentence where it fits naturally. Don’t insert keywords just for the sake of putting them in the first sentence.

Your first sentence should be either a single message or a question that needs an answer.

Answer paragraph

The ‘answer paragraph’ is just a quick summary that answers the question raised from your first sentence. Or it could be the solution to a specific problem. You only need three to four sentences for your ‘answer paragraph’ when you’re 

From there, you need to create a list of subheadings or subtopics to further expand your content while focusing on one single topic.

4. Grab reader’s attention

First impressions last

As the saying goes, “you only have one opportunity to make a great first impression.” Well, this is also true when it comes to writing content. Your introduction is that one opportunity.

If your introduction doesn’t capture all of your reader’s attention, then this will not motivate them to continue reading your content.

Luckily, there are some tactics you can use to captivate your readers using your opening sentence.

Opening sentences that grab the reader’s attention are often called ‘hooks’. There are several ways you to use this in content writing for travel websites.

One way is to ask a series of intriguing questions.

Notice the word ‘intriguing’ here. Don’t just ask random questions that don’t have a purpose. Likewise, do not ask your readers if they want to learn something. Also, don’t ask them if they want to hear a story.

Make your opening sentence so intriguing that leaves your readers wondering what in the world are you talking about.

Data and statistics

In addition, you could also share statistics involving numbers. Such as “57% of internet users talk to more people online than they do in real life.”

Other ways of creating a great ‘hook’ are using:

• a surprising fact,
• a super descriptive setting,
• some catchy dialog,
• a flashback, or
• just diving right into the action.

Diving right into the action means giving your readers a short summary of your message.

Or a short paragraph with the first sentence that raises a question. And then two succeeding sentences that directly answer that question.

Of course, no matter how direct the answers are, two sentences aren’t enough to satisfy your reader’s curiosity. They will eventually continue reading the rest of your content.

An effective strategy in content writing for travel websites is trying to grab your reader’s attention. This will keep visitors reading until the end of your post, which is good for SEO. This will tell the search engines that your website’s content is helpful to internet users.

The longer your readers will stay on your website is one of the new ranking factors in SEO.

5. Write an engaging content that people are willing to share

Here’s why engagement is also an effective strategy when it comes to content writing for travel websites.

Do you spend time on Instagram? Facebook?

Well, you might have been clicking ‘LIKE’ on those photos, right?

But you don’t just ‘like’ those photos because they look nice. It’s also because you admire the people who uploaded them. You think you have a personal connection with them. You feel as if you are involved in their lives.

‘Liking’ their photos is like sending them a message that you like what they’re doing. You feel you’re rooting for them and you wish them to do well. You want them to keep going because you think they’re doing a great job. And you can’t wait to see what they’ll upload next.

On the other hand, you may follow a couple of professional photographers on Instagram but you don’t always like their photos. No matter how stunning those photos look, you seldom hit that ‘LIKE’ button.

It’s because you don’t know who they are and where they’re from. You don’t know what they want to do with their lives. You just know that they take good photos. But you have no reason to engage. Their photos aren’t giving you any value at all. Why would you give something back?

So try to have your content writing for travel websites on a more personal level. Something that makes your readers feel they are connected with you. Tell them a little about your life, your struggles as a travel writer, and what you’re doing at this point.

Here are the travel content ideas you can use.

When writing content, always try to develop a connection with your readers.

Here’s a sample sentence.

“I’m sitting here at the airport and thinking, why do other people’s luggage gets delayed or lost?”

“I did some research and here’s what I’ve found.”

This is like telling your readers that you’re also a traveler and you’re creating this content for them. You’re looking for a solution to a problem that many travellers face every day.

Again, the idea here is that you’re not coming as generic like the rest. You’re coming instead as somebody who has wondered the same thing. Somebody who looked around the internet to find the answers. You then put those answers together into one useful post.

But how do you create content that people are willing to share?

It’s all about the headline. Great content does affect how many social shares you’re getting. But it’s the headlines that drive people to share your content.

Neil Patel did some tests about headlines. He learned that 8 out of 10 people will read your headline. But only 2 out of 10 people will read the rest of your content.

How do you write headlines that get a ton of social shares?

You already know the tips to make an amazing headline. But here’s one last tip to make your headlines go viral.

Go to forum sites like Reddit and Quora and type in the keywords related to travel. They will show you some popular articles. This will give you travel content ideas for your next post.

Look for an article that has a list such as an article that breaks down 7 ways to do X, Y, Z within the travel niche. You can take that list and expand those 7 ways or topics through research. You can make those topics as subheadings for your new content.

6. Target keywords using Google Keyword Planner

Your content must always drive traffic to your website every time people do a search. This is where your keywords come in. But be sure to base those keywords from topics that can really target them.

Secondary keywords or long-tail keywords are as important as your primary ones. They give your content an even higher chance of getting found with every search.

You can use the Google Keywords Planner not just to help you find the keywords you can target. You can also do a ‘mix-and-match’ with your keywords as well. This is another way of looking for keywords variations you can use with your topic.

7. Optimize the content

Here are some quick tips on optimizing your content.

Optimize your title

Insert your keywords not just on your headline but also in the ‘title tag’. They should always be present in the ‘meta tags’ (or meta description) and the header tags as well. Header tags are the subheadings or subtopics of your content.

Remember to always use a title that grabs the attention of your readers. The title is the first thing they will see and if it’s enticing enough — they will keep reading.

Optimize your images

The one thing that would deter your customers the most is a slow-loading webpage. There are a lot of things you can do to increase the page speed with plugins but the biggest killer are images.

So resize your images and compress them. There are online tools for compressing and re-sizing such as TinyPNG and befunky.com.

Be direct with your writing

People don’t have to read fluff content to find what they want to find. Be clear and direct. Remember to tell them why they need your product or service and how it will benefit them.

Distribute your keywords to every part of your content; from the headline to your summary.

Put your primary keywords in the:

• Headline (Heading 1)
• Heading 2 and so on…
• first paragraph

8. Use Yoast plugin for WordPress to improve SEO and readability

The readability for posts is a key factor for holistic SEO strategy. You probably already know about holistic SEO and how important it is to write quality content. Quality content needs to be original and relevant to your readers but it should also be easy to read.

What is content that is easy to read?  

A readable text is a text that is well structured. It should have an introduction, a body that conveys your message, and the conclusion. Within this bigger structure, the text needs to be divided up further into paragraphs that reflect your ideas and arguments.

These paragraphs need to precede with subheadings. That clearly states the content of each paragraph.

Furthermore, make sure to start each paragraph with a topic sentence. The topic sentence is the most important sentence of that paragraph. It will give the reader an idea of what the whole paragraph is about. The following sentences on that paragraph will then elaborate on that topic sentence.

In addition to these structural elements of your texts:

Structural elements

• Subheading 1

You also should consider stylistic elements:

Stylistic elements

• Go for short and sentences
• Use transition words
• Use simple words

Your texts should be pleasant to read. So whether it comes to your choice of words or sentence structures, go for short and clear ones, rather than long and convoluted.

Transition words

Write sentences that are not too long and that are clearly marked by transition words. Examples of transition words are “in contrast”, “In addition”, and “therefore”. Transition words give your readers direction when reading your content.

Finally, don’t go overboard with complicated terminology. Don’t stuff your sentences with long, hard-to-read words. Instead, use simpler words to achieve the same effect.

Why is readability extremely important for SEO?

Most importantly, you really want to focus on your audience, especially their reading experience. You want to write an article that is well-structured and pleasant to read. You want your readers to understand the message of your post quickly and without too much effort.

That way, you will not only entice readers to click-through from the search results to your website, but they will also be more likely to stay on your website.

Making your text more readable is not about dumbing down your content. It’s about making your posts as accessible as possible. It’s about avoiding unnecessary complexity in your writing.

You can still tackle complex issues on your post. But it’s the part of the writer’s job to breakdown complex ideas and make them clear and easy to understand.

And then there’s also Google’s ranking algorithms to consider.

Google is becoming smarter and smarter in how it evaluates websites. To determine the topic of the page, it will make use of the same factors that human readers use. For example, it will pay attention to the headings and subheadings to determine the topic of the page.

Another effective strategy in content writing for travel websites is readability. This can really help rank websites as well as provide a good reading experience. This is why Team Yoast added the readability analysis in the plugin. 

This analysis consists of various assessments that will check the structure of your content, as well as the various elements of your writing style.

Your content will get feedback with green, red, and orange bullet points. The colored bullet points will lead you to the areas of your content that still need improvement. That way, you can be sure you’ve got all the important points covered when it comes to the readability of your content.

9. Content length 

So, how long is the average length of a page or content should be?

Keep in mind that longer content always wins. The average Google first page result contains 1,890 words.

Gone are the days when we could rank for 300 words. At present, we need to have longer content. And by longer content doesn’t mean filling our them with random text.

You need to explore a topic with more depth so you can elongate that piece of content. That way you are thoroughly covering the topic at hand to make your piece of information better than your competitors.

Also, there should be no fluff. You should produce meat with a purpose so Google can say, “without a doubt, this is the best piece of content on the internet!”

10. Aim to convert

You’re working hard to get your website rank higher than your competitors. Your creating amazing content using the targeted keywords you want to rank for.

But sometimes, you’re too busy with SEO that you forgot why you’re here for in the first place — to convert visitors to become customers for your business.

What is a conversion?

Conversion can be in many forms such as call-to-action (CTA), landing pages, forms, pop-ups, and even live messaging. Your conversion process is how you can turn an anonymous visitor into a customer.

How to make your content help in conversion?

It is typically by offering something that visitors want. This offer should be something that is helpful to them.

‘Helpful’ as in helping them solve their problems. ‘Helpful’ in a way that they can better determine a solution. Usually, content offers are used for this exchange.

Your content should encourage visitors to take your offer. If someone is on your website and sees an option to download a free guide, they may be willing to give their information, like their email address. As long as they see value in it.

In conclusion, you don’t have to create content that does well in the search results. You just need to create content that teaches people to do well in their everyday lives. And this is by far — the best way to sell.

11. Edit your final content

When you think you’re done with all the research and you have put the pieces of your content in their proper arrangement, it is now time to proofread. You need to proofread and edit your content so you can be sure it is of high quality when it published.

Here are tips on proofreading:

• Try to speak out loud about what you’re reading. This is a good way to spot errors in your writing.
• Two heads are better than one. Try to have somebody read your draft. He or she might spot errors you have overlooked.
• After proofreading your draft, try to walk away for a while and then go back and look again for errors.
• When you think your draft is ready to go, run it on plagiarism checkers to make sure it doesn’t get any Copyscape hits.

Nowadays, travel websites with 500 word-content that are no longer dominating page 1 of Google’s search results.   For your content to perform better than your competitors, you need to create content that is in-depth.  Content that visitors find useful and that they are willing to share with their friends and families. That right there is the product of effective content writing for travel websites.

Do you have any other content writing tips? 

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All you need is to contact us and get started! 

17 thoughts on “A Guide to Content Writing for Travel Websites in 2023”

Amazing content writing strategy on Travel Websites. It really helped me in creating my client’s website. Thank you so much.

Thanks for the comment Amit, I am glad that you’ve found it useful. 🙂

amazing thank you for this explain ..

Very informative article. Thank you very much.

Thank you Alina!

Hey- Although this is an amazing guide, it is more focused on travel blogs. I was looking for a guide to help me write engaging tour content which include an overview, some highlights , itinerary (what you’ll do). I am a non English speaker travel agent and it’s really hard for me to write content in a foreign language since I don’t find the correct words and phrases that can flow correctly so the potential client can be interested in our activities. I also didn’t find any guide out there about this topic. Can you help me out? I will be extremely grateful Cheers!

Hello Mauricio! Thanks for your comment. Please send us an email and our team will help you with some tips and tricks ([email protected]). Cheers, David

Is this comment realy writen by you Mr. M….but you say you’re weak in your second language… I don’t think so. If you try you could achieve.

Thanks Ramzy!

Thanks for sharing the great post. Looking forward for more posts.

Really contented after reading your content. This write-up answers more than 90 percent of my questions I had regarding creating a travel-content.

Hey David, What a blog it was! It was quite useful for any travel blogger. I’m sure it will definitely goona help everyone. Thanks again

Hello Amit, thanks!

Doing SEO for a tourism industry or related website is one of the great experience. You have described well about all the points for leisure industry. Subscribed your blog.

Thank you Ravi!

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Welcome to my travel writing site

My software archaeology sites

Mark Moxon's Software Archaeology

Elite on the BBC Micro and NES

Aviator on the BBC Micro

Revs on the BBC Micro

Lander on the Acorn Archimedes

My writing sites

> Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Walking Land's End to John o'Groats

Tubewalker: The Tube, on Foot

Contact details and more

Mark Moxon's Homepage

Includes over 570 pages of travel writing and advice from 25 countries and six continents, plus over 5000 photographs and at least one good joke...

If you have an interest in travelling, enjoy the odd chuckle, or even fancy being a travel writer yourself, then I hope you'll find something here to while away a few minutes. Here's what's on offer:

Travel Writing: Take your pick from the hundreds of travel tales I've written; people seem to like them , and I hope you do too. Take the tales as they come, and if you don't enjoy one, try another. And if you don't like any of them , just be thankful you haven't had to sit next to me on a ten-hour bus journey. You'd know if you had.

Surprise Me: Don't know where to start? Then why not try a random travel tale and see where it takes you...

Photo Library: A photograph is worth 1000 words, which means my searchable photo library is worth over a million of 'em.

Free eBooks: If you want to read me on the road (or even on the way to work) you can download all my travel writing for free .

Free Audiobooks: If you'd rather listen to me reading my own stories, take your pick from my selection of free audiobooks .

Free Podcast: For those who like their audio stories delivered straight to their iPods, you can subscribe to my very own podcast .

Great Journeys: To help those of you who are planning your own trips, I've compiled a selection of my favourite journeys . I hope they will inspire you in your own travels.

Travel Tips: I've also compiled a collection of tips I picked up from my travels, and some suggestions on how to be a travel writer . Feel free to ignore them totally.

About Me: This bit's for those who are interested enough to want to know about me and my work . It's far from compulsory.

About this Site: If you're interested in how I built this site , the site's accessibility statement , or using my content on your site , then this is the section for you.

Contact Me: If you want to let me know what you think of my site, I'd be delighted if you would get in touch . Don't be shy, especially if you have money to give away...

RSS Feed: I've put together an RSS feed that sends subscribers a selection of articles on the anniversary of their creation. It's a great way to enjoy a digest of my writing all year round.

Finding Stuff: Feel free to search my site , or check out the contents of the entire site with the site map .

To navigate round my site simply use the arrows and links on the left, from where you can access the whole site. The page on using this site has more details.