Learn How to Become a Travel Writer – And Make a Living Travelling the World
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Travel writing is a dream career – but how can you turn it from pipedream to reality?
There’s a lot of secrecy about how the travel media works. Travel writers jet off around the globe writing stories about their experiences, but who actually pays for these trips and how do writers persuade editors to commission them in the first place?
Maybe you’ve already sent pitches to editors and got nothing but silence back. Or perhaps you’re just dipping your toe into the idea of travel writing. You might be concerned that without a journalism degree or writing qualifications, becoming a professional writer is impossible.
Wherever you are on your travel writing journey this course will arm you with the knowledge you need to build a successful career as a travel writer.
You’ll learn from two expert freelance travel writers, Lottie Gross and Steph Dyson, about how to navigate the industry, including:
- How the travel media actually works
- The networks you need to build to secure press trips around the world
- Ways to find brilliant and easy-to-pitch story angles
- Pitching skills that’ll make editors commission you on the spot (plus pitching information for 40+ publications)
- Writing tips and tricks for turning in copy that editors will love
- How the financials of travel writing stack up and how to actually make a living in the travel media
The way the travel media works feels like a closely guarded secret
We’ll pop the lid off and show you exactly how the travel media works – and how it’s possible to become a successful travel writer
Pitching tips and pitch examples
Struggling to identify what makes the perfect pitch? Are all your pitches going unanswered? Find out what three things will make editors commission you – over and over again.
How it’s possible to make a living in the travel media
Worried that travel writing isn’t a solid career path? We reveal our income breakdowns and how we actually make a living within the travel media.
How networking will skyrocket your career
Uncover our tips for building productive, long-term relationships with editors and PRs alike – and why this is an essential strategy for success as a travel writer.
Meet your teachers
Hi, we’re Lottie Gross and Steph Dyson. We’re two travel writers who have authored guidebooks for Rough Guides and DK, penned opinion pieces for The Telegraph, written features for The Times, National Geographic Traveller, CNN and Lonely Planet and, between us, been paid to travel hundreds of thousands of miles around the world.
The thing is, for both of us, it’s been a long road to get here. Lottie found her way in after studying journalism at university, applying for an entry-level role at Rough Guides and beating 600 applicants to get the job. For Steph, the process was far less straightforward: she spent the first few years of her career absolutely baffled by the complexities of the industry and overcoming imposter syndrome because of her lack of professional journalism training.
We wanted to make the travel media a more transparent place and one where new voices, perspectives and ideas can be heard. As the authors behind a hugely popular and award-winning weekly newsletter, Talking Travel Writing, which is relied on by almost 7,000 writers, we’ve achieved just that – and established ourselves as experts in how the industry works and, most importantly, how to build a successful career as a travel writer.
What’s in this course
How does travel writing even work?
We take a deep dive into the travel industry, introducing you to the travel PR-journalist ecosystem and which publications do pay (and don’t!) for travel writing, with editor contacts and pitching guidelines for 40+ travel publications.
Finding brilliant, easy-to-pitch story angles
Coming up with original story angles is the bread and butter of any travel writer. We show you how to think up ideas about everywhere from your own backyard to far-flung destinations around the globe.
What exactly makes a ‘perfect’ pitch?
We introduce you to the three elements of a pitch that’ll make editors want to commission you and share examples of our own successful pitches, plus a pitch tracker to help keep on top of your emails to editors. You’ll finish the course with commission-ready pitches.
Turning a travel story into reality
Discover how to conduct brilliant research while on a trip and learn how to identify fascinating interview sources that’ll add colour to your pieces.
How to write travel features that sing
We reveal all our writing tips and tricks that’ll help you turn in copy that editors will love.
Why networking needs to be your #1 strategy
We show you how we’ve built longstanding relationships with PRs and other key industry figures.
How to make travel writing work financially
Read our income breakdowns to understand how to actually make a living in the travel media.
BONUS content
- A one-hour, members-only live webinar delivered by Lottie and Steph where you can ask questions about the industry and our experiences in it
- A one-year subscription to Talking Travel Writing, our award-winning travel writing newsletter relied upon by close to 7,000 new, aspiring and experienced travel writers
- Access to a members-only forum where you can interact with other students, get feedback on pitches and accountability, and get further insights from Lottie and Steph
- A 10% discount on upcoming in-person travel writing retreats
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How to Become a Travel Writer
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What previous students have to say
Amy, freelance news journalist and course student
“The Ant and Dec of travel writing! Steph and Lottie are travel writing superstars. Their different experiences and styles complement one another perfectly. But it’s not just that they know their stuff (although they really do), they’re fantastic at passing that information on to others in an engaging way with useful, practical activities that are fun to do. And they’re both really lovely, which always helps.”
Sally Kirby, course student
“I loved this course; invaluable for new travel writers. Lottie and Steph cover all the basics in an easy-to-digest, personable way. Packed with information, industry insider tips, editor contacts, idea-generating tasks and a concise ‘how to write a feature’ template. Move over, imposter syndrome. I have graduated from Lottie and Stephs’ ‘How to Become a Travel Journalist course, and have lots of stories to tell the world!”
Lindsay Narey, course student
“Lottie and Steph have a fantastic depth of knowledge and insider information on the travel industry and their advice and tips are invaluable. This is a practical, interesting and well-thought-out course perfect for anyone looking to break into this fascinating world. It’s made me more alive to story opportunities, has boosted my confidence in crafting a decent and saleable pitch, and left me feeling inspired and excited about where this will take me.”
Emily Plank, course student
“Lottie and Steph provide a really solid foundation and introduction to the world of travel journalism, covering all aspects from the actual mechanics of writing to the ancillary areas of networking and finances. The mix of video and written content is excellent, with no unnecessary waffle or fluff. Even as someone based outside the UK, I found all the content relevant and easily applicable. Thank you for offering this course – it has definitely inspired me!”
Emily Pogue, course student
“It’s rare to get to pick the minds of travel journalists as experienced as Lottie and Steph. This course gives a great road map of the travel writing industry, teaches effective ways to break into the space, and offers specific examples for catching the eye of an editor.”
Charles Usher, course student
“As someone who already had a bit of sporadic travel writing experience but is now trying to make a full go of freelancing, I found that the course answered a lot of questions that I had about the career management side of things, plus a few questions I’d never thought to ask. I definitely walked away from the course feeling more confident.”
A sneaky peek at the course curriculum
