For people who love to travel and possess an affinity and skill for writing, landing a freelance travel writing job sounds like a dream come true. And for many it is! Writing about foreign destinations is a great niche market that pays well and can essentially fund vacations to exotic places all over the world for several months at a time.
Understanding What it Means to Be a Freelance Writer
Freelance writers are basically writers that are self-employed professionals and work mostly on individual projects of varying size and scope. Freelancers may have long-term clients but they primarily will fill up their workload with several clients seeking a specific number of written pieces. Diversity is important — so even if you are looking to focus on travel writing, you should be prepared to write in several different styles.
Five Excellent Tips to Get Started Travel Writing
- Start building a portfolio to share online.
If you have never had anything published in this area, it’s time you start writing sample articles of various lengths to include in a portfolio. The web makes it easy to showcase your best samples in one place to either send your potential clients to or quickly access written pieces to send directly.
- Write a well-written profile and state your services.
Pay close attention to how you present yourself and your services to others. You might want to check others’ travel writing websites to get an idea of the characteristics of what works and what doesn’t. Keep your profile clear and concise — no one likes reading large pieces of text. And don’t forget to mention your availability in your services section.
- Search the web for travel magazines or blogs.
Start searching for writing opportunities on the web. You can identify travel magazines or blogs that accept submissions from people like you. The search will also give you the chance to see what kinds of pieces are getting attention and getting published. Start with a shortlist and then gradually expand on the list as you get more comfortable with the field.
- Connect with other travel writers for advice.
As we mentioned above, travel writing is a niche market, but this doesn’t mean that you are one in only a handful of freelancers that specializes in this area. Don’t think of them as your competition; do think of them as potential resources you can connect with and learn from as your career begins.
- Hire a good editor to review your writing.
Finally, don’t forget that great writing should be free of all mistakes. Sometimes you will need to have a second pair of eyes look over your work to suggest and/or make improvements. Professional editors are your best options and quite affordable. We suggest you check out a professional writing and editing site and choose someone with experience in travel writing.
The tips above will help you get started in this niche market, but it may take some time. Don’t be discouraged. As long as you keep working on building a portfolio, developing your skills, and submitting pitches, the right opportunity will present itself and you might start building a readership that will want to see more. Do you have any tips you would like to share? Submit your comments and we’ll share the best ideas with other aspiring travel writers.