So, you want to be a travel writer? Can’t say I blame you.
I spent 32 years at the Toronto Star, the last five as the paper’s travel section editor. I left in August of 2013 to work as a freelance travel writer, and have worked for dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites in the interim period.
I’ve been to every province in Canada and the Yukon and to dozens of countries on most of the continents in the last 11 years, including far-flung spots in Australia, Asia, Europe, South America, The South Pacific and the Caribbean. It’s been a thrill. And an honour.
But it’s not always easy. Like anything, being a travel writer takes some level of talent, a little bit of luck and a lot of dedication. Here are some things you’ll need if you want to give it a shot. And I encourage you to do just that.
A STRONG WORK ETHIC
Any kind of freelance writing requires a lot of work. Pitching stories to editors alone can seem like a full-time job, so you’ll be spending a lot of time suggesting story ideas. Most of your emails will go unanswered. Many will be outright rejected. But if you keep at it, and if you’re creative in your approach, you might just make it. You’ll need to be on your laptop or your phone a lot. And I mean A LOT. Most freelancers can’t afford to miss opportunities, so we spend a lot of time checking our emails to see if someone has responded. Most travel publications pay very little for stories. There are exceptions, especially overseas and in the U.S., but Canadian publications don’t seem to make much money and don’t pay freelance travel writers much. Some don’t pay at all. Unless you’re the next Rick Steves, you’re not going to get rich. But if you work hard and if you’re creative, you can make it work.
A boat ride at Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland. JIM BYERS PHOTO
A SOLID REPUTATION
The competition out there is intense, folks. You’ll need to build up a reputation as someone who can deliver good, clean, interesting copy on a timely basis. Starting a travel blog is probably best, because becoming good at this – or at any type of writing – takes practice. You can go to wordpress.com and set up your own site. What’s that? You don’t know what to write or you haven’t written a travel story before? Don’t worry; almost anything can be a travel story, whether it’s a new craft beer place in your city or a nice attraction in the area. You don’t have to spend $3,000 and fly to Bali. There are great stories all over Canada; salt-water lakes in Saskatchewan, colourful tour guides in Newfoundland; you name it. Get that blog going and show it to your friends on social media. Once you’ve got a collection of good material try the local newspaper or a free magazine in your area. They probably won’t pay you but the idea here is to build up a bit of a resume. After that you can try the bigger outlets.
HONE YOUR WRITING SKILLS
Duh. Really Jim? Well, of course. Try to find new ways of looking at things. If everyone you see is writing about craft beer, try something else. Avoid clichés like the plague, I like to say. When you write your story, use colourful descriptions that show you were truly immersed in a destination. If you visit the Caribbean, don’t come back and tell your readers that the sea was blue. Tell them what shade of blue. Robin’s egg blue? Summer sky blue? The deep blue of a big, bold Maple Leaf on Auston Matthews’ jersey? Details matter. A lot. If there’s a distinct aroma of sweet-smelling pine in the air on that hike you take on Cape Breton Island, tell me about it. If there’s a distinct roar from that waterfall you’re walking alongside, I want to be able to hear it when I read your story.
Admiring the Sydney Opera House on a ferry ride in Sydney Harbour. JIM BYERS PHOTO
SHARPEN THOSE PHOTO SKILLS, TOO
Good visuals are critical to travel stories. You’ll need to take a lot of your own photos. But you don’t need an expensive camera. It’s good in some situations, but more often than not I can get the shots I need with my iPhone. Use the panoramic mode for broad, sweeping photos. Try portrait mode if you have a new phone. Want to zoom in? Take a good image without using the zoom on your phone, then zoom in later. Zooming too much on a small phone results, more often than not, in shaky images. Those are useless. So, the idea is to get a good, crisp image and crop later. Also, try to get people in your photo; they add a lovely, warm and, well, human effect. And be sure to frame your photos with something in the foreground. The best photos tend to have foreground middle and background. Shoot from unusual angles that help get people’s attention. And don’t always put people or the min subject in the middle of you photo. It’s boring. Studies show people respond more strongly if someone is a little off-centre and a little below or above the mid point of the photo. Oh, and learn to shoot good video. Video is increasingly an important part of story-telling in travel, so you’ll need to do a decent job. Again, however, a simple phone is often enough. You don’t need to buy expensive equipment unless you’re in a noisy or windy environment, in which case you might need an external microphone.
STRENGTHEN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
Writing a good story or taking good photographs often isn’t good enough nowadays. Tourism boards or hotels that host journalists often ask in advance for the reporter’s social media numbers. They want to know how many posts you’ll be putting up and how many followers you have. So, you’ll need to work on this. Instagram is probably best for travel as it’s a visual medium. Twitter is fine for news and for some video and photo content, but Instagram is much better. Ditto for Facebook. You don’t need to go crazy, but most professional writers these days use their social media following to enhance their credibility and to further broadcast their stories, which, of course, helps a destination spread their message. I mainly use Instagram (@jimbyerstravel1) and Twitter (@jimbyerstravel).
A morning rainbow at Napili Beach on Maui. JIM BYERS PHOTO
GET A GOOD CELL PHONE PLAN
As a frequent traveller, having Rogers INFINITE in my back pocket is a huge benefit. As a full-time travel writer, it’s essential.
Life would be much more difficult, and probably a lot more expensive, if I had to think about whether to post a photo or send a note on Facebook or Twitter. With Rogers INFINITE, however, that’s not a worry. I can post and post and post some more and not worry about data overages.
I had the service at my disposal during my recent 10-day visit to Hawai’i, my favourite destination on the planet. I was able to roam around on distant beaches and chat with folks doing important environmental restoration work on the islands of Molokai and Lana’i and I didn’t have to worry about going over my data. Likewise, I was able to meet some cool, passionate locals and sample amazing food at top-notch restaurants and hotels, which meant I could send juicy photos to my friends and to my social media accounts.
Even if you’re not a travel writer, having the freedom to stay in touch with family and friends back home when you travel is a big bonus. Being able to keep up with your social media posts and with the news in an increasingly busy time also is a major benefit.
And, thanks to Rogers INFINITE, you won’t get those annoying – and costly – messages that say “You are over your data limit.” Because, if you’re like me, “over your data limit” is the kind of message that can ruin a great holiday.
DECLARATION: I am a Rogers Partner, and Rogers pays for my cell phone plan.
