Skip to content

Why Voice Is One Of The Most Important Building Blocks In Your Story

Voice is a travel writing component that’s often glossed over. The problem is it can be hard to teach someone how to make their voice heard in their writing. Voice is essential, though, in getting your writing to stand out against other writers’ work. Here are some things to consider around voice in your travel stories.

Read More

How To Punch Up Your Prose To Make It As Pretty As A Flower

pink flower

What’s the difference between a good story and a great story? Ultimately, the best writing brings the reader into the setting and helps them immerse in your travels. Here are some ways you can emulate great writers and take your stories to the next level with descriptive language.

Read More

Five Personality Traits That Can Help Writers Find Publishing Success

wine

Over the years as an editor, I’ve noticed that the most successful travel writers share some common personality traits that support the key components of this enviable career. Chances are good that you possess one or more of these traits, so I hope this exploration helps boost your confidence and enables you to tap into them more effectively.

Read More

Lessons Learned: A Bunch Of Random, Yet Important, Questions, Part Ii

The best time to evaluate your pitching options is after you have written your story, based on the story’s focus and other factors, such as the destination or whether it’s a high-end or a budget trip. When you think you are on your last draft, ensure your story’s format and sidebars match the target publication, as well as double-check any guideline stipulations. Here are a few things to think about as you work through the process.

Read More

Lessons Learned: A Bunch Of Random, Yet Important, Questions, Part I

question mark

There are no stupid questions. I love to help writers learn what they need to get their stories out there. The best approach is to try to figure out what you don’t know, which can go a long way toward getting your writing, your pitches, and your confidence primed for publication. Here are some random questions from the Great Escape family that may mirror your own.

Read More

Lessons Learned: Blogging Is A Totally Different Travel Writing Beast

blogging or travel writing

Over the course of the internship and mentorship this past year, several writers were launching blogs or looking at ways to improve them, while also pitching travel stories based on the same trips. That led to a lot of questions about the crossover and how to succeed at both without spending more time than necessary or feeling overwhelmed. Here are some of the things that came up.

Read More

Lessons Learned: Baby Steps Are The Key To Freelance Travel Writing Success

baby steps

It sometimes feels like it takes forever to get published, as you navigate what seems like a million rules and protocols and decisions, the hoops that must be jumped through, the rewrites, and the pitches that seem to disappear into the void. And then one day, boom! You’re a published author, proudly sharing that first of many bylines. It takes baby steps to get there, though, and so here are a few more questions from my mentors and interns, followed by my responses.

Read More

How Being A Freelance Travel Writer Is Just Like Buying A House

boxes

As I’ve been moving along on the exciting and terrifying journey of buying a new house, it has struck me more than once how similar this process is to that of being a freelance travel writer, and how thinking about those parallels might be helpful for those of you who are new to the process (of writing, not buying a house—I’m definitely no expert in the latter).

Read More

Lessons Learned: Answers To Some Common Pitching Questions, Part I

Pitching your stories can be terrifying, but it doesn’t need to be. It does get easier when you feel confident about what should be included in the pitch (a.k.a. the query), and—just as important—what shouldn’t. Here are the answers to some common questions from writers about the pitching process, covering some of the nuts and bolts of setting up a query to an editor.

Read More

Lessons Learned: How The 5 Ws Can Provide A Blueprint For Your Story

why banner

As you’re writing your story, it’s a good idea to reference the 5 Ws and 1 H, checking them off at the end to be certain that you’ve addressed each one adequately, to take your story to the next level. Here’s the nitty-gritty on all the Ws and the H, including what they mean for a travel story and how to use them to guarantee that your story contains all the essentials.

Read More
Scroll To Top