Great Escape Publishing

Posted July 5th, 2015 by Luke Maguire Armstrong & filed under Travel Writing.

When searching for high-paying markets expressly looking for travel writing, the pickings are thin.

But a small shift in perspective can open up thousands of high paying markets for travel writers. And it can be a real game-changer if you want to take your travel writing from dream to career.

Here are three innovative ways to sell your travel writing:

1. Publish Your Travel Writing in Literary Magazines

When looking to pitch an idea or publish a piece, think outside of the travel magazine “box.”

For example, college literary magazines often accept non-fiction essays. A travel writer’s essay has an advantage of standing out, since the competition is likely to be a homogeneous group of MFA students vying for publication credits.

The University of New Mexico has a list of 50 publications (many high paying), which publish creative nonfiction pieces. Poets & Writers Tools for Writers section has searchable database of thousands of literary publications, many high paying, that either explicitly publish travel writing, or publish genres under which travel writing can be classified — essays, personal narrative, creative non-fiction, etc.

2. Publish Your Travel Writing All Over the World

Look outside your own country. Canada, The United States, England, India, Kenya, and beyond all have English-language publications in need of travel writing content.

The New Statesman in England, The Times of India, and Westjet Magazine of Canada are three good examples.

Where there are English speakers, there are English readers, and where there are English readers, there are local publications few travel writers think to pitch.

3. Publish Travel Writing in Trade Publications

Trade publications represent a segment of print that still compensates writers quite well. Welders in America might be interested in welding shops in India, just as fisherman in Wales are likely curious about how fishing is done in Japan. Kent Library offers information about ho w to search for various trade publications.

Expand your horizons as to where a particular travel article might fit. Doing so allows you to see far more opportunities than the travel writer who only searches for “high paying travel writing markets.”