How To Be A Travel Writer

                      

THE POTENTIAL

Everybody would like to do an 'exciting' job, but really few

of us ever manage it.  Unfortunately, it's not that easy!

Most jobs are, by their very nature, destined to be boring -

either a little or a lot!

But there are jobs that offer excitement, and payment too. 

Travel writing is one of those jobs.  A job where you can

travel the world - and be paid to do it.  It's often not that

difficult, needing only average writing skills, and it can be

extremely enjoyable if nothing else.  You could become a

famed writer!

Of course, few people are in the position of being able to

give up their current job to become a travel writer on the

whim of the moment.  However, it doesn't matter at all,

because travel writing is something you can start in your

spare time - perhaps weekend and holiday times - then expand

it out as necessary, perhaps to a full time business.  But,

if not, still a rewarding part time activity.

Even if you're not that successful, you can use a travel

writing job as a way of getting free holidays, or even just

weekends or trips away.

SETTING UP

Setting up as a travel writer is not that difficult.  You

don't really need anything special.  If you have a typewriter

then that will help, but it's not essential.  Likewise, with

a camera.  A portable cassette recorder into which you can

speak your book and then write it out will help very much.

To be a travel writer you have to make yourself look like

one.  So some headed notepaper with your name and the proud

title of 'Travel Writer' will look good and help you get

customers.

Of course, before you offer yourself as a travel writer, you

have to become one.  This is not as difficult as it might

seem.  But basically, what you have to do is get yourself

published on travel matters.  There are various ways of doing

this, but one that works is to write a handful of short

articles on your area as it might appeal to tourists or

visitors.  Every area DOES in some way.  Make these articles

about 500 to 700 words long.

Send these articles to regional and local newspapers in other

areas (details available at libraries), saying they may use

these for a small fee, or perhaps free.  You'll be surprised

how many publications, eager to fill space, will be

interested.  They won't necessarily pay anything, though even

œ10 or œ20 would do.

If you don't get paid anything, it doesn't matter.  The thing

is that you're established as a travel writer.  Keep doing

this until you've had a few published.  You might even be

commissioned for more work, but that's not important.  You're

a travel writer already!

Get tips on travel writing by copying the style (but

obviously not the contents) of existing travel books as found

at libraries.

GETTING YOUR COMMISSIONS

The next step is to get your writing commissions.  Basically

you decide where you want to go, then get somebody who might

pay you to write about that place.  Payment might be in the

form of actual cash, but more likely a mixture of cash and

free travel.  Or perhaps just free travel, which is quite

good enough in itself!

When you first start, be prepared to do travel writing in the

U.K. - it can still mean a free short break.  Or, it might be

close in Europe.  You might get a worldwide trip, but don't

expect it at this stage.

There are various sources of travel writing commissions. 

Consider them all and then think up some more of your own:

Package tour companies - Doing brochures etc

Foreign embassies - Preparing publicity brochures for their

countries

Airlines, ferry operators etc. - Doing publicity

Book publishers - Preparing travel guides

Newspaper and magazine publishers - Preparing features and

articles

Advertising agencies - Working for all of the above

Tourist authorities - For UK and various countries

You can get addresses of all of the above at main libraries. 

Look in the directories section.  'Yellow Pages' will provide

many contacts, but there are specialist travel trade guides -

the librarian will probably be able to direct you.

Write a letter explaining your service to as many potential

customers as possible.  You may need to write a few hundred,

but this is virtually going to assure you of a few

commissions which could keep you in free holidays for a

couple of years.

THE ARRANGEMENTS

Once you get interested enquiries, make arrangements with the

customer.  You'll probably need to go and see them.

Take careful details of the work involved and be sure you can

handle it.  It might be to write a short article, or possibly

to write a whole book.  Show some samples of your work.

Don't bother about photographs or other arrangements - the

publisher will be able to handle all that.

Agree terms.  Obviously the best position to be in is to have

all your expenses (flight, accommodation, etc) covered by the

customer, then be paid a wage - even if it is a minimal one. 

Even œ100 or so a week - that's still good.

If the company pages a wage, not expenses, take care.  It

could cost you money.  If the company pays expenses, not a

wage, then be sure it's somewhere you want to go to get some

holiday value!

In most cases, employers will be fairly generous since

they've plenty of money to pay out for a good job.  Write

down what you have agreed in a letter.  Perhaps the customer

will have a standard contract to use.  If so, read it

carefully.

DOING THE WORK

You'll probably need little advice on how to do the work!  In

fact, you need spent little time doing the actual work, most

of it is holiday time!

In many cases, the customer will have arranged an itinerary

for you.  Just follow it.  Note, however, writing trips are

not as long as regular holidays.  You might, for example,

just have a couple of days in each resort before moving on.

The best thing is to record as much information as possible

while you are there.  Take photographs.  Plenty of notes. 

Sketch maps.  Get a good overall impression.

There's nothing wrong with buying existing guides on the

country.  These give another person's views which is useful.

The actual writing work is done when you get back home (in

order that you can get the most from the holiday trip!).  The

best thing here is to get existing books similar to the one

you are doing (can be any area or country) and try to follow

the same style, though obviously you would not copy the

content.

If you don't find writing that easy, speak your intended copy

into a tape recorder, then copy that down onto paper.  If the

finished copy still isn't good enough, write and rewrite it

over and over again until it is.

The eventual copy should be typed out (use a typing service

if you have to) as double spaced copy.  Then send it off to

your publishers.

Don't worry if it is untidy, this doesn't matter.  The

publisher will transform it into a book or article etc, and

very probably publish it under your name!

You may be expected to wait several months for payment.  This

is normal practice.

EXPANSION IS EASY

The most difficult thing is going to be to get your work in

print, but once that's done, the work is often easy.  You can

build up quite a name.

At this point, being a paid and 'free travelled' writer might

seem a bit far fetched, but is in fact quite possible.  The

secret, if there is one, is to work hard to get yourself

published.  Then realise that your first assignments might

not be all that interesting - probably just down the road

from you.  Subsequently, however, major rewards are possible!