Originally posted on November 21, 2012 @ 1:52 am
Image: seecolombia
Travel writers seem to have such a wonderful and glamorous life. They get to travel, tell their stories, get paid for it, and then travel to the next destination. Easy, isn’t it? Real travel writers however will be the first ones to contradict this common perception since it requires much more than that to make good in the industry.
It would be nice to imagine as a travel writer that editors and readers will be scrambling to read each and every travel story told. Reality however says that this isn’t so. Editors are usually buried in materials that are waiting to be accepted and published so unless the story being presented is unique and warrants being prioritized, travel writers may have to wait a long time to be published.
That is why travel blogging is quite popular. Travel stories are published almost instantaneously. The only difference is that such travel stories are unpaid. The closest possibility that such travel stories will be paid is that it is spotted for paid syndication or open up opportunities for paid travel writing.
Travel bloggers often make the mistake of providing stories that are too self-centered that many readers will not be able to appreciate it. Readers of travel blogs are usually interested in knowing what a place has to offer and the experience of the traveler in such a place. They are seldom excited about personal details unless the writer is known to the reader personally. A travel writer or blogger may soon find himself getting offers for paid writing if he makes his stories good enough for public consumption. Then and only then can writers envision being paid to travel and write.