Travel Writing | Portside Airport Parking

Do it for a Living? How to improve your Travel writing Skills

Travelling around the world and experiencing new and exciting destinations is a dream harboured by millions of people, but not all wanderlusters can leave jobs, families and responsibilities behind to seek adventure.

And even fewer succeed when it comes to turning their travel hobby into a full-time travel writing job.

If you want to travel and get paid to write about the places and people you meet, here are some handy tips to help:

Read – lots!

If you're interested in writing for a living, the chances are you already have a voracious appetite for reading.

If not, get down to the local library or pay Amazon a visit and stock up on some travel-related reads. Whether you're researching potential destinations prior to your departure, or you just want an interesting read when travelling from A to B, reading other peoples' work helps you to soak up ideas and absorb different styles of writing.

Preparation is Key

While some of the most joyous experiences in life can erupt from a moment of spontaneity, if you really want to make a success of it as a travel writer, you're going to need to learn to plan ahead.

Research the countries and cities you're planning on visiting and find out about the best methods of transport, regional delicacies and what to avoid. See if you can connect with locals on social media – the people who actually live in the places you're visiting may be able to provide you with leads for an interesting story, or unmatched insight into lesser-known sights.

Invest in Portable Wi-Fi

You never know where you're going to come across your latest story. You might be in the remote deserts of Outer Mongolia, or the tropical rainforests of Borneo. Wherever you are, you need to insure you can get your article written and published as soon as possible. To do this, you should invest in some form of portable Wi-Fi. Plans start from as little as $100 per month!

Be Patient

No-one's first draft is ever perfect; as the great Ernest Hemingway once said: “The first draft of anything is shit.”

When you're first putting your ideas down, you might wonder what the point is, or if what you're writing is any good. Don't! Think of writing as a jigsaw puzzle, with many different facets. You can always come back to your writing after a few days and make edits.

Leave your Comfort Zone!

Finally, what's the whole point to travelling? Surely it's experiencing new cultures, trying new things and meeting different and interesting people?

You won't get any of this if you stick to the same old path trodden by tons of tourists over the years. Instead of writing a story on Machu Picchu, why not talk to people from villages nearby? By all means visit the famous natural landscapes and grand monuments you've always dreamed of, but try and look elsewhere for your writing material.

We hope you've found these tips handy – now, it's time to book your flight from Brisbane Airport and experience the world! Don't forget to bring your laptop!