My Journey to Become a Travel Writer
categories: UncategorizedI have recently started to take an online class through Matador U to learn how to be a travel writer. This may seem a little odd since I receive over a million downloads a year for my travel show, but it is clear to me that I still have a lot learn on the subject.
I love the art of travel writing that pulls me from my world and draws me into another one using only the power of words. I consider it some sort of wizardry that can make this world fade and another one appear. It is one of the reasons I am drawn to travel in general.
My first writing assignment for this course is to set some goals. Where would I like to be published? I was asked to do research, and then to commit publicly to these goals. So here is my wish list of where I would like to see my writing appear:
San Jose Mercury News
- http://www.mercurynews.com
- Editor – Linda Zavoral – lzavoral@mercurynews.com
- Submissions policy: unknown
Sunset Magazine
- http://www.sunset.com
- Senior Editor – Rachel Levin – travel@sunset.com
- Submissions policy: Writers must submit a query letter to the editor in advance. The letter should explain and outline the proposed story idea, and suggest an appropriate month or season. E-mail queries are preferred. Send them to travelquery@sunset.com.
National Geographic Traveler
- http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com
- Editor in chief – Keith Bellows – traveler@nationalgeographic.com
- Submission policy: Restrict each submission to one or two well-developed proposals that have been crafted especially for us. A carefully considered proposal combines support for doing a particular destination with some premise or hook. A good query has a headline that suggests what the story is, a deck that amplifies on that, a strong lead, and not much more than a page that clearly sets out the premise and approach of the piece. The query should represent the writer’s style and should answer these questions about the story: Why now, and why in Traveler? Mail your proposal to Query Editor, National Geographic Traveler, 1145 17th St NW, Washington DC 20036.
Matador
- http://matadortravel.com/
- Managing Editor: Julie Schwietert – julie@matadornetwork.com
- Submission guidelines: Write an original draft that does not exceed 1,000 words. 800 is ideal. Submit via web form.
World Hum
- http://www.worldhum.com/
- Editors: Jim Benning and Mike Yessis – dispatches@worldhum.com
- Submission guidelines: Paste your submission or a short pitch as well as a brief bio into the body of an email and send it to dispatches@worldhum.com. Writing submissions should be no more than 2,000 words.
- Buy Travel Insurance
- Book Your Accommodation HERE
- Search for Great Tours HERE
- Get a Car Rental
+Chris Christensen | @chris2x | facebook
6 Responses to “My Journey to Become a Travel Writer”
Leave a Reply
Tags: article, travel writing
JoAnna
Says:September 28th, 2009 at 8:11 am
So excited you’ve joined the class Chris … see you on the forum board!
Becky Sunderland
Says:September 28th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Cool! Good luck with your new endeavor! Look forward to reading some of your work! 🙂
Bryan Person
Says:September 28th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Really admirable, Chris! Hope you’ll continue to post updates on your progress here?
Kristin
Says:September 30th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Good luck with your goals Chris! It’ll be interesting to keep reading your updates.
Nomadic Matt
Says:October 5th, 2009 at 3:13 am
One million downloads per year? Amazing!
I love the Matador folks. They are great. You’ll love the class.
good luck!
Home Based Travel Business
Says:October 8th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Admirable and cool! Wish you good luck, Chris. Will be looking forward to reading you. Keep going!