What is a Travel Writer.....?.......and what do they do? and where do they work.....?

Question

and what course at university would you have to complete to get into this field, and how do you get into doing this job...?
thanks heaps :)

Answer 1

I found your question so interesting, that I did a search on Yahoo and Surfwax. Here are some of the items I came up with. Thanks for asking and reminding me that this was something I had also wanted to look into. Good luck!

This article seems the most informative, and I know I will be going back to it to check it out: http://www.yudkin.com/travel.htm

Interview with a travel writer: http://www.rolfpotts.com/writers/index.php?writer=Joshua+Berman

Travel Writer's News: http://www.travelwritersnews.com/

The Travel Writer's Life: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/

Resources for travel writers: http://main.travelwriters.com/index.asp?ref=&amt=&key=

a place called Society of American Travel Writers: http://www.satw.org/satw/index.asp

Answer 2

I have been writing my way through the past 40 or so years... and travel writing is one of the most fun.

A travel writer is a writer who writes about things related to travel - destinations, hotel and food reviews, customs and habits, transport... pretty much anything that has to do with going somewhere and visiting that place.

Most travel writers don't have a 'real' job - they are freelancers. In other words, they get paid each time an editor buys one of their articles. It may be fun work, but it doesn't pay as well as many other professions. Still, if you have the passion, the money will come.

Qualifications are the same as for any writer: excellent (in this case) English language skills. At university, take any course of study that will force you to write, write, write. English is a good bet.

University is by no means a requirement for travel writing. You need excellent grammar, good personal style, curiosity, great story ideas, persistence, and just a tiny bit of luck.

If you're jumping into this blind, you might try a travel writing course online before making the big decision. And you'll find plenty of travel writing blogs on the web - just Search for travel blogs.