Great Escape Publishing

Posted October 5th, 2006 by twl_admin & filed under Travel Writing.

WHERE TO PUBLISH MIDWESTERN EXCURSIONS… AND TRIPS BEYOND, TOO

By Wendy VanHatten

The AAA Living Magazine reaches 2.5 million households across the Midwest bi-monthly. The editors look for travel stories about the Midwest primarily but also accept articles on national and international destinations.

Most of their articles are written by freelance writers, which is good news for you. However, they do ask that you submit a few published writing samples along with any query you send. (So this opportunity may not be for everybody, but if you have even one clip in your file, this publication is worth your attention.)

AAA Living Magazine has several standard features and departments where an article from you might be a good fit: Destinations covers global travel opportunities, Spotlights covers regional travel, and Weekend Excursions covers regional weekend getaways. Read through some back issues to get a feel for the types of articles that fit within each.

Articles run from 500 to 1,200 words.

When I submitted an article about 3 Festivals in the Midwest, I wrote for the Weekend Excursion feature story section. I listed places to stay, festival times and costs, cafes and restaurants, and distances from a couple of different cities as well as information about the festivals.

As someone who’s written for this publication, the best advice I can give you, is: Seek out insider information. By this, I mean go the extra mile to find out information only a local would know. Give that special piece of advice about a destination that no one could find by reading tourist brochures! Be specific. If you cover tourist attractions, be sure to include opening hours, days of operation, admission costs, street address, and directions. Make sure your reader has everything he needs to pick up his car keys and hit the road.

Also, I recommend that you read The Seven Habits of a Truly Observant Traveler, which you’ll find in Lesson #10 of The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program. In that lesson, you’ll also find a bonus check-list of seven questions an observant traveler always asks.

Always query AAA Living Magazine first by mail or email, no phone calls. Again, follow the guidelines and send in some of your writing samples.

You can email your query and clips to: information@AAALiving.com or send them by post to Editor, AAA Living, The Auto Club Group, 1 Auto Club Drive, Dearborn, MI 48126. This magazine usually purchases first North American serial rights and web rights for 13 months.

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can fund your travels and make an extra income with photography, travel writing, blogging, and more in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Five Fun Ways To Get Paid To Travel: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]