How to Pitch Five Magazines Looking for Place-Focused Features
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.
Lonely Planet Traveller
“Great Escape” covers a big trip in detail through one destination. It usually covers around five spots on the trip giving details for each one. This includes practical information like how to get there, when to go, and what to budget as well as a narrative style 3,000-word exploration of each spot focusing on a theme. For example, architecture in Phoenix and vineyards in Sedona on a trip through Arizona. These are written in third person and often include quotes from locals or guides giving more information on the area. There is a sidebar to accompany each stop called “Essentials.” These are around 100 words each and give an accommodation option and information about an attraction in each place including prices and websites. There is also a 200-word sidebar called “On the Road” which highlights what to eat, drink, listen to, read, and watch to best experience the destination. Example destinations from recent issues include Arizona, Taiwan, and Madagascar.
Wow Magazine
There are two to three long-form features per issue ranging from 800-to-1000 words in length, and roughly five short-form features ranging from 600-to-800 words. Both longer and shorter features are most often written in the third-person perspective by freelance contributors, and focus on every facet of life in Iceland. However, longer features differ from shorter features in that they tend to highlight unconventional and surprising cultural phenomenons, or profile native Icelanders who are pushing the limits of exploration, art or culture. From articles examining Icelandic folklore to in-depth profiles on the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue, longer features are more about showcasing the country’s deeper eccentricities than the latest trends. That said, this is where shorter features usually come in. From write-ups on hidden natural springs to what’s happening inside the Reykjavík food scene, shorter features tend to explore topics that would entice travelers looking to visit Iceland for a weekend. The writing style is easily understandable, crisp and unadorned. Past examples of articles include “Around Iceland In The Midnight Sun” (a feature on the nation’s biggest cycling event), and “More Than Fermented Sharks and Sheep Testicles” (a debriefing on how to eat Icelandic food).
Alaska Beyond
“Go Here, Not There” gives an alternative destination to visit over a well-known, popular and overcrowded option in the same country. The article is about 600 words long and gives the reader suggestions of things to do in both destinations in a conversational and second-person style. The piece also touches on why the first destination is becoming overcrowded and why the second is a good alternatie. Recent examples include Galway over Dublin in Ireland, Cape Ann over Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Kusatsu Onsen over Tokyo in Japan.
The Washington Post Sunday
“Go Here, Not There” gives an alternative destination to visit over a well-known, popular and overcrowded option in the same country. The article is about 600 words long and gives the reader suggestions of things to do in both destinations in a conversational and second-person style. The piece also touches on why the first destination is becoming overcrowded and why the second is a good alternatie. Recent examples include Galway over Dublin in Ireland, Cape Ann over Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Kusatsu Onsen over Tokyo in Japan.
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The features in “Travel” cover destinations worldwide with a food angle. In 1,000 to 1,500 words, they can focus on the up-and-coming food scene in a region, give an itinerary for visiting a place, or appear as a city guide rounding up recommendations for places to eat, drink, stay and visit. These are mostly written in third person but some uses of first person can be found as the writer recounts elements of their own trip. Examples from this section include “Northern Treasure,” about the writer’s experience at the annual Shinju Matsuri food festival in Broome, Australia, “Seattle,” covering the city’s growing food scene and rounding up where to eat, drink, stay and what to do while there, and “Cornwall,” which describes a five-day itinerary touring the U.K. destination.
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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