How to Become a Travel Writer
A travel writer turns places and journeys into stories and guides that readers can use or be moved by. You become one by writing vividly about where you already are, publishing in outlets that cover travel, and learning to pitch destinations as stories rather than trips.
The steps to get there
- 1
Write about the place you are in now, because good travel writing is about seeing, not distance.
- 2
Build a few polished pieces that mix a sense of place with something a reader can use.
- 3
Study which magazines and sites publish travel, and read what they actually run before you pitch.
- 4
Pitch a story with a specific angle, not a destination, since editors buy angles.
- 5
Learn the practical craft of reporting a place: details, sources, and accurate specifics.
- 6
Widen your income beyond features into guides, brand work, and your own audience over time.
A day in the life
You pay attention to a place the way most people do not, gathering specific, honest detail, then shaping it into a story with a point of view rather than a checklist of sights. Much of the work is pitching angles and reading the outlets you hope to write for, so you send what they actually run.
Your first 90 days
Write vividly about the place you are in now, and build a few polished pieces that mix a sense of place with something a reader can use. Study which outlets publish travel, pitch a specific angle rather than a destination, and learn the practical craft of reporting a place accurately.
What writers and authors earn
The closest US Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation is Writers and Authors (SOC 27-3043). In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release, the national median wage was $76,910 a year, with the lower tenth under $44,310 and the top tenth above $139,870. These cover wage-and-salary jobs only, so self-employed and freelance earners are not counted.
See the full state-by-state breakdown in the Writer Salary Explorer.
Your first markets
Real places to submit or pitch, pulled from this site's living databases on the day this page was built. Check each one's current guidelines before you send.
Contests and grants
- Guggenheim Fellowship (US & Canada) — Grant amount varies; ~175 fellowships/year (deadline 2026-09-15)
- Mslexia Novel Competition — £5,000 + manuscript feedback + agent intros (deadline 2026-09-21)
- L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest — $1,000/$750/$500 per quarter + $5,000 annual grand prize (deadline 2026-09-30)
- Nonfiction Contest for Emerging Writers - Boulevard — Publication and one-year subscription to Boulevard Magazine (deadline 2026-09-30)
Magazines that pay
- Brilliant Flash Fiction — $20 US per accepted piece (open now)
- CRAFT Literary — $100 for original flash (open now)
- Raising Mothers — $100–$400 (open now)
- Small Print Magazine — none (open now)
The full, sortable lists live in the deadline databases.
Looking for paying gigs and staff roles right now? Browse the writing jobs directory - verified job boards, pitch markets and marketplaces, filterable by niche.
Tools for the job
The free tools on this site that do this kind of work.
Frequently asked questions
Do travel writers get paid to travel?
Sometimes, but rarely at the start. Most travel writers fund their own early trips and sell the stories afterwards, and paid or hosted travel tends to come once you have a track record and a market for the work.
How do I break into travel writing?
Write and publish strong pieces about places you can already reach, then pitch travel editors a specific, angled story rather than a destination. Your local area is a legitimate and underused starting point.
What makes good travel writing stand out?
Specific, honest detail and a real point of view, not a checklist of sights. The best travel writing makes a reader feel a place and gives them something true they could not have found in a brochure.
Related paths
How to Become a Journalist
A journalist reports and writes true stories about news, events, and issues for the public, on deadline and to a standard of accuracy.
How to Become a Blogger
A blogger writes and publishes regularly on their own site to build an audience around a topic, then earns from it through ads, affiliates, products, or services.
How to Become a Freelance Writer
A freelance writer is a self-employed writer who takes on paid assignments for clients rather than working on staff.
Still weighing your options? The two-minute quiz walks you to the path that fits and shows two more worth a look.
What kind of writer should I be?The writer's edit
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