Travel Writing for Magazines Information

Travel Writing for Magazines by Natali Lekka is a comprehensive course designed to help aspiring travel writers craft engaging, first-hand travel experiences and get them published in magazines.

Enter the world of original, visceral, first-hand experiences…

Try Travel Writing For Magazines

The writing is on the wall

Freelance writers the world over are panicking right now.

Since the advent of ChatGPT, more and more writers report losing clients every day.

It’s a fact that no one can stop progress or technology, which means that many more writing jobs will sadly disappear in thin air.

Generic content, boring listicles, roundups… they will be the first to go.

Think about it: if you only write articles by Googling, then so can ChatGPT.

All is not lost however, because there are also a lot of things that ChatGTP can’t do.

• It cannot come up with original, visceral, first-hand experiences.
• It cannot chat to people and write human-led stories.
• It cannot build meaningful contacts and relationships.

It’s journalism 101, really.

• Interviews…
• Human-led stories
• PR collaborations
• Pitch ideation
• Press trips
• Unique points of view
• Personal niches

Everything we’ve forgotten doing since the machines started doing our job to a subpar level.

If you’ve always wanted to be a writer – do meaningful, inspiring work and get paid well for it – but you feel that your dream has lost a bit of its shine, then maybe it’s time to look at journalism again, where human stories and human relationships still exist.

The travel industry since the pandemic

You don’t need me to tell you how hard the coronavirus has hit the travel industry.

Jobs were lost, airlines ceased operating, travel magazines folded…

A bleak image by any stretch of the imagination.

Luckily, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Economic Impact Research report for 2023, the travel and tourism industry is forecast to reach a value of $9.5 trillion, just 5% below pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, the sector is also forecast to recover to 95% of its 2019 levels.

Of all the sectors out there, the travel and tourism sector has proved to be the most resilient of them all.

Why do you think that is?

Because travel is a basic human need.

And the need and desire to travel far and wide, experience larger-than-life moments, make memories, share with others will just never go away.

As soon as countries started lifting their ban, tourists started flocking to sun-drenched islands, cultural European capitals, exotic metropolitans, natural reserves, summer resorts, winter resorts… the list of faraway havens is just too long to mention.

And they will continue to do so… which is why travel writing is so important.

Because it keeps feeding into the machine.

The more the travel industry grows, the more need there will be for travel writing.

The more travel writers are getting published, the more the travel industry will grow.

I’ve been a travel writer since 2011 and I’ve experienced all the ups and downs this industry has to offer but one thing has been clear to me from the start.

I’ve never wanted to write for websites that pay very little or nothing at all.

You know which ones I am talking about, the internet is full of them, and in the months and years to come, they will, undoubtedly, move towards publishing rehashed ChatGPT content.

Right from the start of my travel writing career, I’ve wanted to get paid properly for my work and effort which is why I chose to write for magazines.

Now there are 100s of magazines out there, you just need to go to your nearest supermarket or news agency to see what I am talking about:

1.There are consumer magazines which you can find everywhere (travel magazines and non-travel magazines both of which publish travel content). Pro Tip: you can publish a travel article in every single magazine on the face of the planet, even non-travel magazines, if you know how to make it fit.

and…

2. There are custom magazines (magazines published by a business e.g. a bank, a gym, an airline) which hint…hint.. pay so much better…

…but they are not in wide circulation and most people don’t know about them!

Throughout my research, I’ve found airline magazines, in particular, to be some of the most approachable magazines to write for.

Even for new writers.

I’ll let you know in a bit why I say that.

But first let me tell you a bit about who I am.

What You’ll Learn In Travel Writing for Magazines?

How to:

1. Find your unique-to-you travel writing niche so that you can come up with stand-out travel writing ideas and establish your personal writing voice without feeling you are in constant competition with other writers.
2. Spot industry trends like a pro so that you can always be in demand by Editors.
3. Discover the easy blueprint to breaking into the world of magazine writing, even as a total beginner.
4. Use ChatGPT to improve your travel writing from researching niches and angles to topic ideation and copy critiques.
5. Use interviews to create original, human-led stories that no A.I. could ever emulate.
6. Write the exact “plug-and-play” pitches magazine Editors and PR professionals are looking for, so you can show up confidently, go on press trips and get your stories published.
7. Write publishable travel articles from the comfort of your own sofa – yes, that’s without travelling at all. It’s easier than you think!

Curriculum

WELCOME ABOARD JOURNO!

INTRO: This is your Captain speaking…

MODULE 1

• Lesson 1: Your first day as a travel writer
• Lesson 2: Settled in your seat? Open that inflight magazine (video)
• Lesson 3: 3 crucial things to watch out for when writing for magazines
• Lesson 4: 9 types of articles and 12 niches you can write for
• Lesson 5: How to spot travel trends and find interesting ideas
• Lesson 6: Let’s find your unique-to-you travel niche

MODULE 2

• Lesson 7: The structural elements of a travel article + article ex. (video)
• Lesson 8: How to use your travel journal to write articles (video)
• Lesson 9: How to supercharge your descriptions
• Lesson 10: How to use ChatGPT to research travel articles (video)
• Lesson 11: Tips for conducting successful interviews + article example
• Lesson 12: How to source photos as a writer
• Lesson 13: What to charge for your articles
• Lesson 14: Creative writing exercises to get your fingers tapping

MODULE 3

• Lesson 15: Pack your bags, you are going on a press trip…
• Lesson 16: Editors are waiting…how to pitch travel magazines
• Lesson 17: 10 magazine pitches that sold
• Lesson 18: Your cracking portfolio
• Lesson 19: Why Editors don’t respond and what to do about it
• Lesson 20: Become a travel writer from your sofa + article example

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