Seven Habits of a Truly Observant Traveler
The best travel writers are observant travelers. They’ve trained themselves to notice things. It’s those rich details that editors like.
Jennifer Stevens is the author of The Ultimate Travel Writer's Program and architect of Great Escape Publishing’s annual Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop. The Executive Editor of International Living, Jen has gallivanted through 27 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia, writing about the best locales for overseas travel, retirement, and investment. She has decades of experience in both writing and publishing travel articles.
In past incarnations, she lived in Paris and wrote market research reports for the Foreign Commercial Service - and she spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer on a spit of sand between Madagascar and Mozambique. She makes her home in the Colorado Rockies where, with her husband, she corrals three boys, a cat, and a dog (the toads, mercifully, finally met their end).
8 Guidelines to Follow When Writing About Real Estate
Plenty of “consumer” publications buy real estate-related travel articles, and most of the time they are written by folks just like you. However, you should keep these eight guidelines in mind.
3 Ways to Boost Success as a Travel Writer
By Jennifer Stevens in Colorado Springs, CO It’s easier than you probably imagine to successfully break into travel writing. You don’t need natural literary flair, an English degree, or years of writing experience. Successful travel writers come from all walks of life and all sorts of backgrounds—the folks I’ve taught started out as accountants, teachers, […]
Editor Reveals: Make Your Articles Stand Out By Following The Untourist Trend
No doubt you’ve noticed it. It’s hard to avoid this “go where the mainstream isn’t” trend in travel coverage—and you shouldn’t try. In fact, if you’re looking for a smart way to cast an article for an editor today, think about following the untourist trend. In popular destinations like Venice, Italy, for instance, over-tourism is […]
Editor Reveals: How To Successfully Target Your Story To A Publication
Publications are like puzzles, built of specific pieces which come together in a particular way to create a cohesive whole. Every week or month—or whatever the frequency of the publishing schedule is—the editorial team sits down and starts to put their “puzzle” together. They know they’ll need a piece with a certain shape to fit […]
8 Must-Review Tips for Telling your Story without Boring your Reader
Tips from freelance travel writer Jennifer Stevens for telling your story without getting your readers bored.
No Experience Required – What An Editor Is Looking For
Editors are interested in sourcing the best possible stories for their readers. They’re much more concerned with getting a story that excites them, and which they feel will engage their readers, than they are with the level of experience the writer has under his or her belt. If your story is on-target and constructed soundly, […]
How To Hook An Editor With Your Travel Story Idea
Editors, when it comes right down to it, are looking for one most critical thing from any article a freelancer submits: They want an idea they know their readers will latch onto. If you can deliver that, you’ll sell your articles. The challenge, of course, is to do so. But there are a few easy, […]
Use This Top Writing Hack To Turn Your Travel Notes Into Saleable Articles
It’s fun to take a trip. On the road, you write down lots of details about what you see and do. You meet and talk with people and get great insights and quotes. You do a good job of being an attentive, inquisitive, observant reporter. You enjoy the process. Like I said, it’s fun. Invigorating, […]