Do you love travelling, and do you also have some basic writing skills? If yes, then travel journalism is the career for you.
Wikipedia says the genre of travel literature or journalism includes outdoor literature, exploration literature, adventure literature, mountain literature, nature writing, and guidebooks, as well as accounts of visits to foreign countries.
Although travel journalism is a tricky business to penetrate, there is a surplus of willing writers and a dearth of employers willing to pay for the work.
Even then, becoming a travel journalist can be a fun, exciting, and rewarding career. As with any other career, one must have dedication and passion.
A good education, complemented by hard work, is key to succeeding in travel journalism.
Travel journalism is simply about keeping the eyes and senses open and welcoming anything new and intriguing.
Succeeding as a travel journalist is not only about having the perfect flair in writing.
There are several key factors associated with it, and a budding travel journalist must be aware of them.
Blogs Are Helpful
If you're a budding travel journalist, be a voracious blogger and use your blog to showcase your materials to editors and highlight your talent.
A well-crafted blog article helps a lot in attracting editors' attention.
Once one starts getting commissions, chances are that one's blog will slide.
If you are getting paid travel-writing gigs, your time spent on unpaid work will rapidly diminish.
But until you get those paid commissions, a blog is a good, easy starting point.
Focusing on good, high-quality, well-crafted articles will bring in followers, and your name will spread far and wide.
Angles Beyond Travel Guides
Cover and write on angles that travel guides generally tend to skip.
This will give you an edge as a travel journalist, help you get noticed, and enable you to lead the group.
One needs to understand how to dig out facts - and to determine that they are facts - and how to find hidden gems and insider info.
If some information is already in a guidebook, one must dwell on the ‘extra’ that one is adding to it.
Understanding Payment Structure
Forget fantasies of being sent around the world on an assignment with a huge commission, all expenses paid and having endless days lolling on the beach or people-watching in cafes.
Very few publications pay freelancers' travel expenses.
Getting a full-time writing or editing job at a major travel publication is just not going to happen until one has years of experience.
And even if one has all the experiences of the world, the chances of getting a full-time job are still slim.
Take a sample 1000-word feature. If one is lucky and has years of experience, one might be commissioned to write a 1000-word travel feature for a major publication.
All you have to do is spend around a day crafting the pitch that wins the commission in the first place, three to five days working out your itinerary and arranging accommodation and so on.
Another three to five days on the trip. Then, at least two to four days are spent writing the article to a standard high enough for this type of publication.
The Feature’s Angle
If one is pitching unusual destinations, one should make sure the angle is strong.
Breaking in by going to less popular locations - this is a tricky one.
On the one hand, going somewhere unusual definitely gives you an edge.
On the other hand, it's hard to commission those features.
The fact is, most people want to read about destinations they actually want to go to or are interested in.
Hence, articles on places that are not generally listed in the ‘top tourists’ destinations’ chart might just click with the editor.
But, if the angle is marvellous, not only the editor but even the reader would buy the story just like that.
Some people are fascinated by unusual stories and destinations.
Understand The Publication Better
Demonstrating one's knowledge and understanding of the publication to which the article is sent will endear one to the editor.
The simplest way to get one’s writing published (and get paid for it) is actually to read the publication one is writing for beforehand.
This, I can say from my personal experience.
When I was working for an English magazine, I was looking after the Northeast India section, and I was surprised by how many people sent me ideas that were clearly not relevant to the section.
Most of the articles ended up in the trash bin!
Pitching Guide
While pitching for a travel story, remember the following-
Tweet Your Stories
Twitter has become a valued resource for travel journalists, as it helps establish contacts, raise one’s profile, and see what other travel writers are covering.
Be Critical
People want to read whimsical descriptions of far-off places, but they also want honesty.
So, while writing a travel piece, one must also include the negatives so that readers planning trips can prepare accordingly.
Don't Just Be A Traveller, Be A Journalist
This is the first point to remember before starting as a travel journalist, so I've placed it at the bottom of the lift so it sticks.
Those without journalism education or experience should learn how to uncover facts, develop trustworthy sources, and dig up obscure information.
And when one masters these, he is ready to take the world of travel journalism by storm.
"Being a travel journalist is fun and adventurous," quotes Arpan Kalita, a northeast travel photographer who also pens down a few words at times.
"Though payment is an issue and it is a lot of time-consuming, but for any travel journalist, life is always on the move," he adds.
"You may go for one story, and return with an additional three. Life on the fast track, this is what travel journalism is all about," he concludes.
So next time you go to Delhi or London, be sure to dig out something new and obscure, and the sessions of good times must spread far and wide through your pen.
ALSO READ |Â Karhali Gaon: An Initiative To Boost Rural Tourism
The Story Mug, a Guwahati-based blogzine, believes in telling stories that matter.
