Travel PRs can be some of the most important people you need to connect with (and stay connected with) if you want to become a successful travel writer.

I recently received an email from a fellow writer saying they would love to see a post about freelance travel writing. More specifically, they wondered if I could share a timeline for what goes into getting a travel story commissioned. So I thought that rather than giving you an arbitrary timeline of what it generally looks like as a freelance travel writer, I’d pick a trip that I did last year to give you a sense of the time (and level of communication with editors and PRs) it takes from pitch to published article.

When COVID first hit in early 2020, all my travel writing assignments fell over like dominos. I had a series of local, interstate and international trips lined up, commissioned and ready to go.

If you’re interested in travel writing or a career as a travel writer, I heartily recommend attending TravMedia’s international media marketplace (or IMM as it’s commonly called). 

It’s been likened to speed dating for people in the travel industry and I think that’s a pretty accurate description. It’s fast, furious and fun. And at the end of the day many writers walk away with offers of famils or press trips. So how can freelance writers get the most out of IMM?

This is an updated post from my initial article written in February 2018.

In the past couple of months I’ve spoken to a number of travel writers and editors and several of them have said a curious thing. That yes, it’s tough being in the publication game in the current climate, and yes, budgets for writers haven’t increased in years. But despite this, these high profile editors and well established writers all told me the same thing. There has never been a better time to be a travel writer. And this is why.

When you think about the dream job – being a travel writer is up there for many people..

One of the things I love most about flying is reading the in-flight magazine. They are often full of pithy, fascinating and topical stories – not only about particular destinations, but broader trends and happenings within the arts, business, fashion and society. It can be tricky to break into writing for in-flight publications, so I spoke to a number of writers and an editor of an airline magazine to get the scoop on what you need to know in order to see your by-line the next time you take to the skies.