What does it mean to be a travel writer?

Well, that depends. Years ago, the field of travel writing might have been seen as an elusive club. I imagine a glorious few, decked in khaki head-to-toe, scribbling notes in a moleskine notebook.  (Call me a romantic, but I think moleskines are still fantastic.)

The world has changed. Globalization and social media have created a new ballgame. Writers are publishing themselves (blogs, online magazines, e-zines) and successfully freelancing. Offline media is still around, yet the successful travel writers of today know that staying connected and being creative are the new rules in travel-writing-town.

So, if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Wow-that would be amazing to be a travel writer,” here are the ten steps to help make that dream possible:

1. Set an intention. As “la-dee-dah” as this seems, intention creates reality in a powerful way.  Set your intention when you wake up in the morning or before you place your coffee cup next to your laptop.  Trust me on this. As an example, your intention could be “I intend joy in my writing today”. See, wasn’t that easy?

2. Read. Read great travel books, novels in all genres, guidebooks, and travel blogs such as bravenewtraveler, almostfearless, nomadicmatt, cooltravelguide, etc…Notice your favorite authors and take note of their style and approach to travel writing. Are you drawn more to prose? Quick-hitter blog posts? Also, find inspiration in books on writing, such as those by Anne Lamott and Stephen King. Take a travel-writing course, such as one offered by Matador University.

3. Release your voice. I don’t say “find your voice”, because your unique voice is already within you. It’s a matter of releasing that voice and practicing it to hone your skill as a writer.

4. Write! Begin writing. Give yourself permission to have stream of consciousness thought. Yes, you will probably feel like a drunk, schizophrenic person. That’s ok-persevere and don’t censor just yet. That will come with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th draft edits.

5. Get your focus groove on. Once you get the creative juices flowing on writing, start distilling the material into a particular focus. Think about why someone would find value in this information. Does it provide humor? Insider information? A new way to think about something? “Evergreen Content”? (Widely applicable content that will not lose its luster readily?)

6. Start a blog. Start a blog to instantly begin publishing your work. The media is in your hands! And with advertising and other revenue sources from your blog, you can also make moola. This also gives a way to market yourself and be “out there”. Plus, when submitting for publication to other sources, you’ll have a great portfolio of your writing.

7. Reach out to the community. One of the best things about blogging is the sense of community. Find and subscribe to your favorite bloggers. Comment on their posts.  E-mail them (within good judgement). Sleuth out if the bloggers are interested in being guest bloggers on your site. Go to blogger conferences. Read lots of great blogs on blogging, such as copyblogger and problogger. Check other blogrolls out there for more lists of blogs, such as this one.

8. Research. Research the writing markets you can submit to, both on and off-line. Indentify what type of article the publication is looking for, their submission policies, and editors.  (See next post for specific markets!)

9. Just do it. Submit your material. Step into the ring of fire. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

10. Fill the well. As you begin blogging, writing, and getting published, remember to fill the well. Dream, travel, take vacations from work, and most of all, don’t get discouraged. As Christine Kane says, “Some will. Some won’t. So what? Someone’s waiting.”

text: Nancy Harder/photo: Bill Longshaw