Travel writing is one of the most highly-desired jobs in the media. Getting paid to explore the world and write about it for consumers is high on many people’s dream career lists. But this industry is complex and rarely works in ways people expect.
No one really pays you to travel these days and budgets for travel publications are getting ever smaller. However, it’s still possible to make a living in this profession and professional travel writer and former Rough Guides editor Lottie Gross can teach you how.
Co-creator of the Talking Travel Writing newsletter, a publication that demystifies the travel media for existing and aspiring travel writers, Lottie will delve deeper into how the industry works, the realities of being a travel writer, and what makes a good travel story.
- This course is designed to help you understand the travel media and set you up with the skills to generate ideas, pitch to the right publications and follow through with excellent stories. It will also delve into the practical side of travel writing, including how to actually make a living from it and how to handle your note-taking while on the road. Past students have been commissioned by the likes of Nat Geo Traveller, The Sun and Tripsavvy.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Get invites for press trips and/or organise your own individual hosted trips
- Find and pitch a good travel story to your desired publication
- Write about destinations/trips in the first person and third person to fulfil the variety of styles publications require
- Do extensive online research to write about an unfamiliar destination accurately
Course length and structure
This four-week travel writing course contains pre-recorded video tutorials, PDF handouts, plus a series of live Zoom sessions and Q&As. You’ll complete practical assignments that will help you put what you learn into practice in the real world.
WEEK 1: HOW THE TRAVEL MEDIA WORKS
This week will cover all the misconceptions people have about travel writing, explore the different types of travel writing out there and delve into the mysterious world of press trips.
WEEK 2: STORYTELLING & PITCHING
During week two, you’ll get to learn what makes a good travel story, how to recognise it and pitch it and find out who actually commissions travel content in the UK media today.
WEEK 3: ON THE ROAD
This section will cover all you need to know about how to be productive on the road, from note-taking and organising to little travel hacks that’ll help you out when you get home.
WEEK 4: RESEARCH & WRITING
This final week will cover everything you need to know about how to write well, without using old tropes and cliches, and ensuring your copy is sensitive to the destination and suitable for the audience. We’ll also cover research and how to write about places you’ve never been to.
Getting there
This is an online course.
About Lottie Gross
Lottie Gross has been in the travel writing business since 2012 when she got her first paid commission with National Geographic Traveller. She has since been the web editor for Rough Guides, launched a successful independent travel site for Love Inc, and had bylines in the likes of The Telegraph, the Independent, Adventure.com, AFAR and many more. She now runs the Talking Travel Writing newsletter, which promises to demystify the media, and has run travel writing workshops for Cambridge and Reading universities.
Lottie has recently won Young Travel Writer of the Year at the Travel Media Awards.
Testimonials
"This course is brilliant for budding travel writers who want to start getting their first commissions. I found the content was both useful and practical, and it massively sharpened up my pitches which quickly helped me get bylines with major travel brands. Lottie is a very experienced travel writer and her knowledge is a real asset for anyone taking the course."
Maxwell, former student
"Lottie's 'Breaking into travel writing course' is the perfect overview to the field of travel writing for anyone interested in starting their own freelance career. Informative and practical, her lessons lay out both the glamorous and not-so-glam sides to travel – from sending pitches to rejections, from landing press trips to what it's like when you're spending long days on the road and filing copy from your hotel bed. This is the only travel writing course I've ever taken that's given a full picture of what it's really like to be a travel writer. Lottie's course helped me better understand what it takes to be a freelancer, how to find an angle to a story, and helped me hone my pitches. The practical tips she gives on note taking, connecting with editors and PR agents, and what kind of income to expect is every bit as important as the writing tips and exercises she provides. The one-on-one feedback she gives throughout each lesson is equally invaluable – her advice even helped land my first paid commission! I loved this course and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to break into travel writing."
Kirsten, former student
"As someone without a journalism background, I found the course hugely helpful in demystifying the industry and learning how to start thinking like a freelance writer.
The course content was detailed, well structured, and very accessible. They complemented the weekly calls very well, and I'm sure I'll be referring to them over the next few months!
A particular highlight of the course was the weekly calls. These were a great opportunity to ask questions about the material, and learn directly from yourself. You ran these really well, and it was great to hear from you whilst you were out on the road researching your guidebook!
Having plenty of friendly fellow learners, from various backgrounds, was also really helpful - lots of different questions and thoughts to take on board."
Matthew Figg, former student
"I thoroughly enjoyed the Breaking Into Travel Writing course run by Lottie Gross. It is a fun and thorough introduction to the world of travel writing. There was a mix of us on the course – journos past and present as well as other professions – and the informal virtual meetings we had every week were fantastic for encouraging us all to share information and advice. Lottie is very open and honest about her experiences as a travel writer and gives great insight into what others can expect in the industry. I would recommend anyone curious about travel writing, whether a mild interest or a burning ambition to be a career travel writer, to sign up to Lottie’s course (you are sure to be inspired!)."
Beth Richardson, former student
