The Six-Figure Travel Writer

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.

Condé Nast Traveler

“The Insider Address” is a 150-word description of an interesting hotel or accommodation option. These are usually luxury options and can be based in destinations worldwide. There’s a third-person description which covers the design, room, location, and any interesting annecdotes about the architect, owner or designer. This is followed by the price and website. The Jaffa Hotel in Tel Aviv, Isreal and the Palazzo Daniele villa in Puglia, Italy were recently covered here.

b. inspired

The “Sleep” review covers a hotel under the subheadings of “In a Nutshell,” covering the location, rooms, and décor, “Likely to Meet,” describing the type of guests who stay there, “The Big Attraction,” stating its selling point, “Be Sure To…,” describing something interesting to do or see in the hotel, “If I Had to Change Something,” stating a negative point, and “Final Thought,” which shares a final verdict on the hotel. There is also a sidebar called “Other Spots for Better Sleep” which rounds up two additional hotels to try. These articles are written in third person and come to about 500 words in total. Hotels recently covered include the W Hotel in Barcelona, citizenM Bowery in New York City, and SHA Wellness Clinic in Alicante, Spain.

Voyeur

“Hotels” rounds up hotels either worldwide or around Australia with a 100-word description for each. There’s often one common feature which connects them, such as great swimming pools or restaurants. In third person, the article covers the amenities, location, and other defining features of the hotel followed by the website. Examples include “Just Add Water,” rounding up five hotels in Australia with unique swimming pools, “Suite Talk,” covering seven hotels with quirky attractions, and “Eat, Stay, Love,” rounding up five hotels worldwide with trendsetting restaurants.

Modern Luxury Manhattan

“Getaway” also focuses on luxury travel in 500 to 1,000 words. First-person articles can also be found here, where the writer recounts their stay in a luxury hotel or resort. Third-person pieces are also found which round up things to do in a destination or describes a newly opened or renovated hotel. Examples from recent issues include “Bermudian Bonhomie,” covering what to do on the island including sailing and a luxury hotel, “From One to Eleven,” where the writer describes her experience at Scarp Ridge Lodge and Taylor River Lodge in Colorado, and “Perfection a la Paris,” covering the writer’s trip to Paris and stay in a luxury Margaux apartment.

SKI

“Resorts” covers a ski resort in 700 to 1,500 words. In first person, the destination is described including what the writer did while there and any new developments, openings, and changes in the area. Dialogue from locals and other skiiers can sometimes be found in these articles. There’s sometimes a sidebar which gives the reader more details about visiting the ski resort. This could include how to get there, where to stay, and what to do while there. Recent examples include “Rocking the ‘Boat,” covering recent developments and openings in Steamboat’s Base Area, Colorado, “Sitting Pretty,” describing Banff Sunshine in Banff National Park, and “Fire on the Mountain,” about the new lift on Mount Bachelor, Oregon.

You can find complete how-to pitching information for each magazine listed, including email addresses for all editors, in our Travel Magazine Database by clicking on the magazine’s name and logging in with your account.

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