Travel Writing

This week, Jonathan’s and my photo essay “Avian Outings abound near Amsterdam” appeared in The Boston Globe.  I’d pitched it to the travel editor, and she liked the first-person narrative.  But she wanted to know right away whether any part of the trip had been subsidized–that is, comped by a hotel, a restaurant, an airline, etc.

Newspaper editors, and some magazine editors, have a strict policy against publishing travel pieces for which the author has received comps.  The general feeling is that a writer can’t review a location objectively if he/she has been given something for free, and–based on my high regard for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream simply because of their annual Free Cone Day–I have to admit that editors are right on about this.

Fortunately, we’d paid for the trip ourselves.  I got the idea to write a travel article about the Hotel Avifauna, right in the middle of the largest bird park in Amsterdam, because of an ostrich.  Our first morning there, the bird walked right up to Jonathan on our balcony and executed a dramatic mating dance.  Sadly, this is not my video on YouTube.  My camera batteries died in the midst of the ostrich’s come on to my husband, and the only way I could get over the emotional loss of video footage was to put the event in print.

I pitched the completed piece to three magazine editors unsuccessfully, and then found a home for it at the Globe.

There are a few things to remember as a travel writer.  First, most newspapers want short pieces on unusual subjects–think 800 words and a sidebar on something that hasn’t been covered ad nauseum.  For instance, people have written frequently about Eugene’s famed Saturday Market, but few have covered the Conger Street Clock Museum. And sensory details are crucial.  Though it may sound juvenile, I make a chart as I’m writing a travel piece, with one column for each sense.  Then, I write down every detail I can think of that appeals to the reader’s sense of taste, smell, hearing, etc.  People want to feel like they’re at a location with you as they read, and sensory details take them there.

The sidebar should include a pithy description of where to stay in a particular location, where to eat, where to shop, and where to otherwise recreate.  Where to pitch such a piece?  Many thanks to my colleague Mindy Moreland, who recently sent me a terrific link from Brave New Traveler titled “50+ Travel Magazines That Want to Publish Your Writing.” As always, go to each magazine’s website and study both the submission guidelines and the publication itself carefully to get a sense of the editor’s preferences.

Remember, photos are crucial–get a decent digital camera, or marry a professional photographer.  The latter can provide you with superb photos that help to sell your story; as well, he can attract ostriches so that you’re guaranteed a bizarre introduction to your article.

(Vulture photograph by Jonathan B. Smith)

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