Five Magazines Looking for Front-of-Book Trend Pieces
Welcome to the Friday Freebie Five, a new weekly feature on Dream of Travel Writing’s Six Figure Travel Writer blog.
Each week, we comb our Travel Magazine Database to bring you five magazine sections open to freelancers around a theme–front-of-book trend pieces, long-form first-person features, short narrative postcards–to inspire your pitches.
Travel + Leisure
“Here and Now” shares the latest travel news, trends, and discoveries like “Hawaii Hits the Mainland” about Hawaiian chefs bringing their traditional native food to the mainland United States. This section is made up of approximately seven 500-to-600-word pieces written in second or third person, with approximately three to four of these written by contributors.
Rhapsody (United Airlines)
“On Trend” is a 250-word overview of the latest fashion trend and the story behind it, for example sequins and fur coats. This section is written in the third person and does not concentrate on a specific designer, country or brand, but delivers a vision from across the world. It is playful and more humorous section.
Midwest Living
“Here & Now” is made up of about eight articles related to food, home, travel, and culture in the Midwest. They can be written in first or third person and are between 300 to 700 words long. They often take the form of a profile or recipe. Examples from recent issues include “Ace of Clubs” (about the writer’s cookbook club with friends including a recipe to try and tips on forming a club of your own), “Pretty Dark” (a profile of blogger, Gwen Hefner and how to decorate with dark colors including Gwen’s story and tips), and “A Frame in Time” (a profile of photographer, Shane Balkowitsch and a description of his old-fashioned technique).
mabuhay (Philippines Airlines)
“Life” is a section composed of five to six articles ranging from 200-to-800 words in length. Stories usually cover the latest developments in cities along Philippine Airlines routes, such as Singapore, Bangkok and Melbourne, and tend to focus on products or local openings that readers can enjoy. The writing style is vivid, punchy and often geared toward showcasing cultural trends in a unique way. In addition to focusing on events, food, style or Filipino-born innovations, “Life” places a heavy focus on the future, with stories that reflect on everything from high-tech gadgets to smart cities and emerging tourism. The section typically includes a mix of first and third-person features, Q&As, as-told-to stories or brief snapshot descriptions of a given city. Past articles covered a wacky annual holiday in Scotland, Western-style food on the streets of Thailand, luxurious nature bungalows spread throughout the Philippines, and a legendary travel bookshop in London.
Conde Nast Traveller (India)
“Word of Mouth” is made up of around 13 articles covering travel, culture, and lifestyle topics from around the world. These are written in third person and are usually between 150 to 800 words long. Examples from recent issues include “Where Chef’s Eat: In Dubai” (five Indian chefs share their favorite restaurants in Dubai), “A Walk in the Park,” (a round up of five lesser-known attractions in Central Park), and “Sydney: Food’s Paradise” (a round up the seven best places to eat in Sydney including their websites).
Want to break into magazines faster?
Grab 11 free magazine breakdowns from our Travel Magazine Database.