My Journey to Become a Travel Writer

I 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.