What Is Travel Writing?

Travel writing, also sometimes known as tourism writing, is when an individual travels to various destinations around the world and finds a publishable story to tell about that area. There are many different types of travel writing; producing guidebooks about a certain area, for example, is one type. Reviewing resorts or hotels is yet another. Other travel writers will simply travel to different destinations, trying to find hidden stories or a new angle that hasn't been covered yet; generally, these types of pieces are published in travel magazines or online, though newspapers have also been known to publish these types of articles as well. Becoming a travel writer is a lengthy and challenging process, as there is no shortage of professional writers who want to get paid to travel to exotic locales.

One common way to get started doing travel writing now is to start a blog. It is possible to start a blog for free or for a very low cost, and to begin self-publishing travel stories. In lieu of a collection of published clips, which most editors will want to see before giving a writer an assignment or accepting a pitch, a blog can help show editors an individual's writing style and experience. In some ways, a blog can even be a better source of writing examples than published clips, because it shows the editor what the writer is capable of producing on his or her own, without the benefit of an editorial team polishing it up.

Producing guidebooks is another common type of travel writing. This takes more time and effort than producing a single piece for a magazine, but often requires less expense because writers are often hired to produce guidebooks for the areas in which they live. It will be the writer's responsibility to identify the best restaurants, hotels, and attractions in a certain area and to write concise and accurate descriptions of each. Such jobs tend to very competitive, however, and usually require proven experience.

The type of travel writing that most people want to do involves traveling to certain locations and write magazine articles about them. In general, people who want to do this will need to find a unique angle with which to approach the story; simply traveling to a certain locale is rarely enough of a draw for most magazines. It is also important to keep in mind that while some magazines will pay travel expenses, in many cases it is up to the writer to pay his or her own expenses. Travel writing in general, at least for the first few years of doing it, is not a particularly lucrative career.