Travel Writing could be called the ultimate dream job. Imagine traveling the world and getting paid to tell about your experiences or sharing your favorite local spots with readers across the country or even being offered special treatment and complimentary travel. So how do you turn your vacation fun into a money-making profession?
How to Break In as a Travel Writer will tell you what its really like to be a travel writer, where and how to sell your travel material, and how much you can expect to earn.
Current active travel writers will share with you their experiences and their inside
tips on how you can be a successful travel writer. And Your Game Plan
will get you started today, with a step-by-step action plan.
Below, you will meet some people who are doing it with success.
Norm Sklarewitz - freelance travel writer
Norm lives in Los Angeles, California. He has written thousands of magazine and newspaper articles and columns since being engaged exclusively
as a freelance journalist. He also has been Los Angeles Bureau Chief for U.S. News & World Report, and a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal, which included a stint for the paper while based in Tokyo.
Heres our conversation with Norm -
** What is your daily schedule? **
Actually, there really is no one typical day. Some days can be making a lot of phone calls, researching, and writing, while other days can be 25-50 percent administrative in writing queries and responding to questions from editors regarding assignments and stories already turned in. I check my email frequently, probably compulsively. I find that email has taken over 90 percent of communication. Faxes have almost stopped. And some days involve meetings, interviews out of my office at home, and going to industry functions. But no day is like a nine to five day. I often work late into the night and start early as well. To reach someone on the East Coast I have to make calls early. I work heavily with Asian sources, and their day begins around four to five p.m. my time, so I'm working till 10 p.m. to make sure I get what I need before I go to bed.
** Why do you enjoy being a freelance writer? **
Total independence, which is both a big plus and big minus. You have the freedom to succeed or fail on your own ability. But you have to recognize that there isn't any job security or benefits as with a full time job. You often work more hours than in a normal work week, but you have the flexibility to work at your own pace.
** How did you become a writer? **
All I ever wanted to be was a reporter. I wrote for my high school paper and wrote some freelance articles at the University of Indiana. I was an Army corespondent in Europe. Subsequently, I worked for City News in Chicago and then some other publications.
**What would you do differently if starting over as a writer?**
I would probably be more aggressive in going after the top markets without sacrificing the smaller markets. Sometimes articles may be more apropos for smaller publications. I'd really set my sights on selling to larger and more difficult to sell markets.
Jack Adler, the author of How to get started as a Travel Writer, has over 25 years experience writing about travel. Four books hes written are: Consumer's Guide To Travel, Exploring Historic California, Companion Guide To Southern India, and Travel Safety (co-authored). Numerous of his articles have run in various newspapers and magazines. He has been a columnist, on a freelance but weekly basis, for the Los Angeles Times' travel section. His columns have also run in the San Francisco Examiner; Westways Magazine, and Cruise Travel Magazine. He also was a columnist/ editorial writer for Better Business Travel, a nationally distributed newsletter; and a columnist for TravelAssist, an electronic magazine. Currently, he's the leader/chief content provider for Prodigy's travel bulletin board and a columnist for Travel World International, an electronic magazine. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association. He has taught a course in Travel Journalism for many years at UCLA Extension, and a course in Feature Writer for the Writer's Digest School.
If you would like to try your hand at this ultimate dream job - pick up the ebook at www.DreamJobsToGo.com.
About the author:
Jack Adler, the author of How to get started as a Travel Writer, has over 25 years experience writing about travel.
