You should make sure you want to be a travel writer for the right reasons. Even though it is great getting to travel the world for a pay check, this shouldn’t be your main reason. If you are a keen and observant traveler and a great writer (even better if you have some experience) then you can become successful.

Read some books on the subject of how to be a travel writer. The advice in these books are always spot on. Before sending proposals to publications you will need to do research on them. Make sure to send well researched and written proposals, and write about interesting subjects that you are truly interested in – it will show in your writing and make your piece more interesting as a result. Most importantly, make sure that everything you are sending is the best that it can be, and adhere to deadlines.

Remember that it will take a lot of time and effort to get yourself noticed and published. It will take a lot of proposal writing and marketing yourself in order to win writing jobs. Start off small. Take jobs for your local newspaper’s travel section writing about local travel stories. You’ll be paid next to nothing but it will give you a starting point and some experience to build off of. Remember to always ask for feedback on every article you submit so that you can continue to improve.  Don’t forget to spruce up your image as a freelancer with a professional appearance.  A nice company logo from a free logo design resource might be a good place to start.

As a travel writer you have the opportunity to write about a variety of different subjects including, adventure travel, art and architecture, b&b’s, ecotourism, dangerous places, city guides, honeymoons, food and drink, nightlife, family travel, and many more. There are hundreds of publishers for travel guide books, travel magazines, websites, and newspapers that constantly require articles. This translates into opportunities for you to get published and make money.

It can be difficult to learn how to be a travel writer, in that it can be hard to get your foot in the door and it can also prove difficult learning to be succinct. Magazines and newspapers prefer tightly written copy to rambling, long-winded descriptions. These publications are small on space and so prefer short articles. Getting all your information to fit into a small space is a special skill. You can take travel writing courses that will teach you how to write concisely to help get you published.

Writing short pieces is also the best way to get your foot in the door at large publications. The magazine or newspaper will not be taking a large risk on you if you fail the assignment and it’s a good way to prove you have talent. You have to start somewhere, and you will need to work your way up to writing for large publications where you can write lengthy well thought out features.