Travel writers need to be in two (or more) places at once…
Before we begin, I’d like to say something…
Here at Travel Blogger Academy, I show you how to run your travel blog as a business.
Therefore, writing for other publications (especially print) may not be the most effective route for two reasons…
- Reason #1: Most do not pay all that well (though a few on this list do)… and…
- Reason #2: Print publications don’t lend online benefits. They don’t build links to your site, get shared on social networks or help with SEO. Plus, they don’t send as much traffic to your site (in most cases).
Having said that, getting your name out there is a good thing. And while many of these sites don’t pay much, it can help pay the bills (especially if you’re traveling abroad).
So here’s 37 publishers who pay:
#1. Airtran Airways Go Magazine
Contact: [email protected]
Executive Editor: Peter Koch
Assistant Editor: Sophie Hoeller
Looking for: Destination pieces on North America.
#2. American Airlines American Way Magazine
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: Destination pieces on the Americas, as well as lifestyle, business and technology.
#3. American Eagle Airlines: Latitudes Magazine
Contact: at the link above.
Looking for: Destination pieces focused on Florida, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Here’s a map of all their routes. If possible, pitch ideas about those destinations.
#4. AOL Travel
Contact: run by Seed.com, you create an account and apply for writing assignments. The pay isn’t bad, either ($250 – $400 for 750 words). To apply, sign into Seed, select “travel” in the “Choose a category” dropdown and start applying.
Looking for: Everything. Take a look at current assignments (Update: they are currently on hold with new applications).
#5. BootsNAll
Contact: at the link above.
Looking for: BNA offers a number of paid/non-paid programs:
- Feature Articles Program ($50/article)
- Expert Travel Articles Program ($30/article)
- Travel Essays Program ($20-40/article)
- Guest Posting (Bio and link to your site or blog)
#6. Budget Travel
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: articles about visiting destinations on the cheap.
#7. Delta Airlines Delta Sky Magazine
Contact: [email protected] or 612.373.9613
Looking for: articles on travel, lifestyle and business with a unique angle. AP Style, with some variations (ie. italicize movies, books, etc.) with a 4-month lead-time (this means pitch Christmas features in July/August). Features range from 600–2,000 words. Their full set of guidelines are here.
#8. Emirates Airline Open Sky Magazine
Contact: [email protected] or at the link above.
Looking for: articles on business, culture, gourmet cuisine, international news, technology, travel and people profiles.
#9.Outside Magazine
Contact: Um, apparently they don’t accept online queries (if you find an email address, lemme know).
You have to print and mail it to:
Editorial Department, Outside magazine, 400 Market St., Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501.
Looking for: outdoor destinations, gear and news. “Features are generally 1,500 to 5,000 words in length. Dispatches articles (100 to 800 words) cover timely news, events, issues, and short profiles. Destinations pieces (300 to 1,000 words) include places, news, and advice for adventurous travelers. Review articles (200 to 1,500 words) examine and evaluate outdoor gear and equipment.”
Read their guidelines here.
#10. Fodors
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: guidebooks around the world. Keep in mind Fodor’s prefers local writers… so pitch where you live.
#11. Gadling
Contact: Full list of editors and writers here. You can also try their contact form.
Looking for: budget travel, tech, gear and adventure pieces.
#12. Galavanting
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: Travel essays, women-owned businesses, short travel tips. Read their guidelines here.
Pay: Feature travel essays (600-1200 words) pay $50 within 30 days after publication. Blog posts (200-500 words) pay $15 each within 30 days after publication.
#13. GoNomad
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: First person stories, destination pieces and local events. Submit documents as MSWord or text only attachments with your name, address, phone/fax/email and word count on the first page, and your name on each subsequent page.
Full guidelines here.
Pay: $25 for features. You must email them with an invoice. Payment by check or Paypal.
#14. Hawaiian Airlines Hana Hou! Magazine
Contact:
Simone Abbott (advertising, no editor listed)
808 384-4860
[email protected]
Tacy Bedell (advertising, no editor listed)
808 220-3688
[email protected]
Looking for: destination pieces and features on Hawaii.
#15. Canadian Geographic Magazine
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: Outdoor pieces on Canada. They only publish six times a year, so rejections are common.
#16. In the Know
Contact: editor [at] intheknowtraveler.com
Looking for: Practical information on destinations.
Pay: $10 per story (450+ words) and $3 per blog post (150+ words). Yeah, you read that right. Three bucks.
#17. Jaunted
Contact: Link above.
Looking for: hotel reviews, airline news and destination pieces.
#18. Literary Traveler
(Note: Literary Traveler is undergoing a redesign at time of writing.)
Contact: submissions [at] literarytraveler.com
Linda McGovern and Francis McGovern, founding editors
Looking for: 1500-2000 word pieces written in a first-person narrative that inspires readers. Articles must capture the literary imagination; subjects can cover all types of artists. Small .JPGs must be included.
Pay: $50 per article.
Contact: [email protected] (Note: send full article; no queries)
Looking for: Articles on all phases of RV life, especially relevant mechanical/technical information. About 85 percent of the club members are retired, over 98 percent travel without children, and about 50 percent live in their motorhomes, fifth-wheels, or travel trailers on a full-time basis.
#20. Lost Girls World
Contact: See guidelines here for department contacts.
Looking for: Women’s travel, dispatches, travel book/film/show reviews. Full guidelines here.
Pay: $12 per article.
#21. Matador Network
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: Travel pieces around the world. Matador currently has 12 blogs to write for. Read their guidelines and submit articles here.
#22. National Geographic Traveler Magazine
Contact: See link above. Mail queries to:
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
Attn: Query Editor
1145 17th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-4688
Looking for: Stories of adventure. Content ranges from 750 - 2,500 words. Compensation varies depending on the type of feature or department but is competitive with other national magazines.
#23. Northwest Magazines
Contact: [email protected] Alicia Spooner, Editor
Looking for: Articles on Oregon destinations.
Include brief information, if applicable, that allows and motivates readers to follow in your footsteps: how to get to a featured destination, nearby places of interest or accommodations, opening and closing times of attractions, and how to obtain additional information.
Pay: $100 - $650 depending on content. See full listing here.
#24. Outpost Magazine
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: Profiles of travellers and intriguing people from around the world; useful bits of travel information, from products to advice; human interest, environmental and cultural reportage; reviews of books, movies and music from around the world; destination profiles
Include a one-page query letter outlining the story idea, including its angle, direction, elements and proposed length.
Include:
- A brief list of where the writer has been previously published
- Availability of photographs or other artwork to illustrate the story
- All necessary contact information, including phone number and email address
- A full or partial manuscript
- Examples of previously published work are encouraged
- If including a full or partial manuscript with your email submission please enclose it as a word, .txt, or .rtf document attached to the message.
#25. Road and Travel Magazine
Contact: Link above.
Looking for: Content to help consumers make informed decisions on vehicle purchases, travel plans, and personal safety on the road.
Pay: $25 - $100 per article. No compensation for blog posts.
#26. The New York Times
Contact: [email protected].
Looking for: Trips and destination pieces.
The date of the trip on which an article or query is based should be given on a separate line at the top of the manuscript. A brief resume should accompany both articles and proposals. No submission should exceed 1,500 words. Backpage essays should be between 1,200 and 1,400 words.
#27. Southwest Airlines
Contact: Link above.
Looking for: Articles on the American southwest. See all their guidelines here.
#28. The Expeditioner
Contact: Matt.Stabile (@) TheExpeditioner.com
Looking for: Off-the-beaten trail destinations. Narratives, lists, whatever… so long as it’s good, they’re interested.
Pay: $30 per article
#29. Transitions Abroad
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: Usable, practical information on work, volunteering, study, travel, and living abroad. See current requests here.
Pay: $50 - $150 per article
#30. Travel and Leisure
Contact: Go here and click the link under “Editorial Submissions”.
Looking for: Travel articles and destination pieces. Service information is important to every destination article: when to go, how to get there, where to stay, where to eat, what to see and do. The reader must be able to follow in the author’s footsteps, and the articles are scheduled with that in mind.
#31. Travel Belles
Contact: [email protected] (Write “Submission” in subject header)
Looking for: Mostly female travel pieces. First person narratives, inside guides to cities and classic destination pieces with a unique angle.
Pay: $10 per post
#32. Sunset Magazine
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: “Take-action” travel ideas within their coverage area (Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and possibly British Columbia and Mexico) that will appeal to a large, general interest audience (70 percent women) that is time challenged, appreciates value, and is more likely to live in the suburbs than San Francisco, Seattle, or Los Angeles.
Pay: Negotiable.
#33. Verge Magazine
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: Articles on getting involved abroad (volunteering, working, school, etc.) Read their full guidelines here.
Pay: $.10 (CAD) per word.
#34. United Airlines Hemispheres Magazine
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: “Insider” articles by residents or writers with expert credentials and a global perspective. Include clips as attached PDF or Word files, or provide links to recent examples of your work.
#35. Wanderlust
Contact: [email protected] Editor: Dan Linstead Editor-in-chief: Lyn Hughes
Looking for: Destination features, dispatches and off-the-wall travel experiences.
Pay: £220 per 1,000 published words
#36. Wend
Contact: edit [at] wendmag.com (Specific departments listed here.)
Editor: Kyle Cassidy
Looking for: First person, narrative nonfiction accounts of adventure travel, with a human-powered outdoor recreation bent. See their guidelines here.
Pay: $100 - 1,300 (depending on departments)
#37. World Hum
Contact: [email protected]
Looking for: First person narratives, rants, interviews and videos. Full guidelines here.
Before you submit ANYTHING…
Ask yourself why you’re doing this. Some publications pay well enough to live on… others, not so much.
Some give great exposure. Others provide valuable links for SEO (and traffic).
What do you look for when writing for travel publications? What advice can you provide?
About adamcosta
Is this list still valid? Can’t see publishing date.
Hi Vi,
Yes, the list was compiled in March, so it’s very up to date.
Is this still likely to be fairly up to date?
Great, informative list. Thanks so much. I’m enjoying devouring your site!!
Uuuuuh that’s a nice list! I will let you know if I discover any more. Thanks for sharing! Annika
Hi Adam,
We also have initiated a paid article system at Travelsignposts. Check the writer’s guidelines at http://www.travelsignposts.com/write-for-travelsignposts-guidelines/. This is a first for us, we took the GoNomad model as a basis, and also have started guest posting, because we found some people couldn’t really (or didn’t want to) provide a complete story package but still had some good information.
We cover Greater Europe and the Mediterranean. Any comments anyone has are welcome, we’re feeling our way with this!
Tony Page
Nice add Tony, thanks!
Hi Adam,
Not sure if you want to update the AOL listing. This is a message currently on their homepage:
We are in the process of reformatting Seed.com and new assignments are currently on hold. If you would like to sign up for the all-new Seed 2.0, please email [email protected].
Cheers,
Matthew
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for the heads up - post updated 😉
Great post for travel writers! Thank you!
It amazes me how so many are so easily convinced to give up their hard work for nothing or for a pittance all with the assurance that they will “get some exposure.” The only thing that writing for free will get you is other people asking you to…write for free. If you are going to write for free, at least bang up a blog and put it there. And something I recommend to all writers…write a book and if no one will publish it, publish it yourself.
Kyle Cassidy left WEND magazine long ago.
Appreciate you posting these resources online when what you’re really doing is opening up the field to competition from yokels who otherwise would have no idea of how to find paid work. Altruism at its best. Thanks, buddy!
Hello Adam, just a quick update about Boots after clicking through, you get this: Want to be notified when we’re accepting applications again?
Thanks for your interest in the BootsnAll Travel Writer Program! We’re no longer accepting applications, but if you enter your email, we’ll let you know when we start accepting applications for a future round of BootsnAll writers.
Thanks for the update - hopefully they’ll accept applications again soon 😉
So much great content on your site Adam! Thanks again. Might look into a few of these!
I don’t write for Outside because I’m not an outdoorsy adverture sport person, but their email address formula is first initial last name @outsidemag.com
I have no idea if Chris Keyes is still the editor - you’ll need to check the masthead - but if he still is the email address is [email protected]
Hope that helps!
Thanks for publishing this list!
This is a great list but does anyone know where we can apply for AOL Travel? The link led me to the main page. Thanks!
Liink exchange is nothing else except it is only placing the other person’s web site link on your page at
proiper place annd other person will also do same in support of you.
We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
Your site offered us with valuable information to work on. You’ve done an impressive job and our whole community will be thankful to you.
Wow. With pay scales like that, I think I’ll stick to pharmaceutical/medical writing while I finish my novel. Ugh! Internet has really driven down the price of a good writer.
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is wonderful, let alone the content!
Hello Adam!
Wow! This is great. Thanks so much for featuring these sites that open a gate of opportunities to bloggers like me. I landed at your post because I am desperately looking for a site that pays for travel article submissions. I am a travel/Royal blogger and I am resigning from my full time work in the corporate to concentrate in writing because this is what I really wanted in life. I will go over on these suggested sites this weekend and send my pitch articles/queries to them. Hope of these sites will accept my submission. Thanks again, this helps a lot in my writing goal!
Thank you for the great article and travel blog resource! I had no idea there were so many publications that pay for you to write while traveling. I hope more have sprung up since this article was originally posted. Cheers!
FYI, I just sent a query to American Way and received the following automated response:
Thank you for writing in to American Way. We do not respond to unsolicited story pitches. If you sent an unsolicited story pitch, please do not expect a response.
The Editors