Travel journalism is a career dedicated to documenting a person’s experiences in different places and writing content about them.
This content can take numerous forms, such as guides, articles, reviews, and posts on social media.
Though this career may sound incredibly appealing, it can be rather challenging to become a travel writer in the United States (see also “Awesome Volunteering Vacations“).
One of the main challenges that you will have to overcome is the high cost of travel. Here are 10 useful tips to help you become a travel writer (see also “How To Travel Around The USA For Cheap“).
How To Become A Travel Writer In The United States
1. Begin Exploring
One of the most important parts of travel writing is to explore new places. You should try to travel as much as possible.
Travel can take numerous forms. You could focus on local tourist attractions or globe-trotting adventures depending on which style is best suited for you.
Though traveling can be expensive, there are certain strategies that you can use to keep costs low.
For instance, if you want to become a travel writer in the United States, you can primarily explore other states. You should also try to book cheap flights and stay at budget-friendly hotels or hostels.
2. Perfect Your Writing Skills
Before you can become an independent travel writer or start working for a company, you will need to become a skilled writer.
You not only need to sharpen your spelling, punctuation, and grammar skills, but you also need to learn to write interesting pieces. This will help you to attract the attention of the reader.
You should also try to avoid common cliches in your travel writing. This will allow it to stand out from the crowd.
A top tip is to write as though you are telling a story to your friends or family members. This way, you can create a dynamic piece of travel writing.
3. Develop Relevant Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications required for you to become a travel writer. Yet, it cannot hurt to obtain qualifications related to this field so that you can improve your skills.
In addition, these courses can make you a more qualified candidate when applying for travel writing positions.
Some of the best subjects for travel writing include:
English language
Journalism
English literature
Travel
Aside from obtaining degrees in these subjects, you can also take online courses related to these subjects.
4. Create A Blog Or Website
Websites and blogs are the perfect places to showcase your travel writing content. Blogs will help you to drive traffic to your website, thus creating a larger audience.
You could even make money through your travel writing website.
These sites will allow you to cultivate a digital portfolio. You can then show this digital portfolio to prospective employers or obligations that you are eager to work with.
5. Edit Your Writing
Though this may seem obvious, editing is one of the most important steps in the writing process. Proofreading your work will help you to remove errors.
Not to mention, you can make the writing more dynamic and streamlined.
If you fail to thoroughly proofread your work, you could end up submitting a messy piece of content to an editor. The chances are that your piece or writing will not get published.
If you are not a skilled editor, you can use online tools like Grammarly and Hemmingway Editor to reduce the number of errors in your content.
6. Start Looking For Jobs
Once you have developed a strong digital portfolio, you can begin to search for professional travel writing jobs. Remember to include any travel writing experience or qualifications that you have on your resume.
Publications and news outlets are often the ideal places to look for professional careers in travel journalism.
You may need to start from an entry-level position and work your way up to becoming a travel writer.
7. Promote Yourself On Social Media
Social media is an amazing platform to advertise your travel writing. You can post reviews of hotels or popular tourist attractions.
Alternatively, you can add links on your social media accounts to your blog or website. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok are great ways to drive traffic and develop an audience.
8. Write From A Unique Perspective
There are lots of travel writers out there. To make yourself stand out from other writers, you need to carve out a niche for yourself.
This means that you should focus on a unique perspective or area that nobody else is working on.
Alternatively, you could write content about a specific location. If you wish to be a writer in the United States, you could choose a specific state that you enjoy visiting to become the main focus of your content.
9. Build Connections
We recommend that you try to build a network of useful connections if you dream of becoming a travel writer. This will help you to find relevant job opportunities.
Social media platforms, such as Linkedin, are ideal for reaching out to relevant connections. You may also be able to find travel writing groups on certain social media platforms.
10. Improve Your Pitching Skills
Lastly, pitching is a crucial element of travel writing. This will certainly be the case if you are a travel writer that has to pitch content to publications and media outlets.
Travel article pitches will need to be short and dynamic. Therefore, every word will matter. One of our top tips for creating a phenomenal pitch is to focus on writing an attention-grabbing first sentence.
It’s important to bear in mind that your story ideas will regularly get rejected, even if you have worked hard on them. Therefore, you must develop a thick skin to handle this constructive criticism.
Final Thoughts
Travel writing is an ideal career for people who adore traveling.
Though it can require significant time and effort to pursue this career, it is worthwhile if you believe that you would make a terrific travel writer in the United States.
Hello, it’s great to have you here. My name is Julia and I am a travel blogger! I have been writing all of my life, and previously worked for a travel agency where I would recommend the best places to visit in the states.
If you are ready to take on the world, explore the sights, and see some of the most incredible places on offer, then take a look at some of my articles!
