Change The World With Words

OK, it’s time to admit that this writing from the road is a little more challenging than I anticipated (For those of you who don’t already know I’m indulging in some long-term open-ended travel. Read more about it here).

The challenges are partially related to technical issues such as unreliable wifi and the lack of a printer/scanner/copier. The absence of an organised physical space doesn’t help, nor does the lack of peace and quiet. Running my office out of my laptop bag isn’t as easy as it sounds, and while the travel is proving to be a wonderful, enriching experience for the whole family, we are together 24/7 and writing is usually, by definition, a solitary activity.

However, the biggest challenge is simply the lack of routine, of having no DMO. If you’re unfamiliar with the term DMO, you’re not alone (I, for example, was with you until very recently). Your DMO refers to your Daily Methods of Operation, or to (over) simplify, your ‘routine’.

Having daily (and weekly, and monthly) tasks that you do at a set time in a set way (or, even better in some cases, automate to be done at a set time) can have a major impact on your productivity and efficiency.

This can apply to writing, editing, blogging, marketing, tweeting, managing your social media contacts and pretty much anything else you need to do on a regular basis.

I’m a member of a great online tribe called the Elite Syndication Tribe. Members have recently collaborated to produce a great FREE resource called Best BET (Business Essential Tactics) which focuses on (among other things) effective DMO, and automation of everything from article submissions to managing social media updates. Many of the tactics discussed can be implemented as huge timesavers by writers and bloggers at any level. Feel free to pick up a free copy at this link and start improving efficiency now.

Freelance writing is a business like any other, but the more efficiently you run the ‘business’ side of things the more time you have for writing, whatever your circumstances.

When you’re writing from the road, as I am right now, you tend to spend a lot of time researching travel writing markets. Travel writing is a great way to change the world by opening readers’ minds to new cultures, and encouraging them in their own travel adventures. Here are a few great travel writing markets for travel writers at all stages of their career, along with links to detailed online writers’ guidelines.

The Matador Network

This online network consists of 12 different sites specialising in different types of travel, from living and studying abroad, to nightlife, to spiritual/philosophical travel pieces. They’re looking for unique voices and deep knowledge of a place or issue, but I’ve found them super friendly and helpful. I got my first ever travel piece published here, and they have clear, detailed guidelines for contributors.

Bootsnall.com

This is a great travel website and is always looking for feature articles and travel essays, and they really help you out by providing detailed guidelines and an editorial calendar letting you know which areas and types of travel they’ll be covering each month. They seem to like ‘list’ articles such as this one I wrote about traveling with kids.

Trazzler.com

A  unique travel website that publishes short, detailed pieces they call ‘trips’ rather than traditional travel articles. Each piece is only about a hundred words long with one photo, but their guidelines are very detailed so read them thoroughly before submitting. They recruit freelancers, offering contracts to write at least ten trips. They also run regular writing contests.

International Living

A website that focuses on living overseas, rather than just traveling for vacation purposes, there are nevertheless lots of opportunities for different types of travel writing at International Living. Currently they’re actively looking for “short, [200-300 word] insider-travel recommendations for things to do and see anyplace outside the US”. See their guidelines here.

Glimpse.org

Glimpse.org runs a freelance writing program for writers between the ages 18 and 34 who are working, volunteering, or studying outside their home country for at least a 10 week period.  Glimpse hires writers for the program each fall and spring and they serve as correspondents for their respective countries. A good paying gig that also offers editorial support and training in writing and photography.

Know any great travel writing markets? Please share in the comments. Have friends and followers who would appreciate this information? Please share/re-tweet it.

Special offer: The online writing course Travel Writing Secrets is currently offering several free bonuses. To check out the course, with no obligation to buy, click here.

Then, if you do want to buy come back and use this link to get a $10 discount. (You’ll pay $37 instead of the advertised $47). Happy travels

As many of you know, I’m writing from the road at the moment, so it will come as no surprise that I’m doing a lot of travel writing, and learning a lot as I go. Travel writing is potentially world changing writing. It opens people’s minds to new places, and new cultures, and can promote cross cultural understanding, but there is definitely a right and wrong way to go about it.

There’s a lot more to travel writing than creating a laundry list of what happened on your holiday and why it was fun. You’re unlikely to get an editor’s attention with an article that simply recounts what you and your travel companions did each day, especially if you visited a popular, regularly written about tourist destination. There are, however, ways that you can create a compelling travel article, no matter where you travelled to.

Narrow it down.

Trying to place an article about a popular destination like London or Paris takes a creative approach. A weekend in London is too broad to catch an editor’s (or reader’s) attention, but narrow it down to a piece on London’s inner city farms, and how they are bringing communities together, providing fun activities for families, and teaching urban children where their food comes from, and you have the makings of a saleable travel article.

Broaden it out.

An article on San Francisco’s Chinatown and the great Chinese food you can eat there has been done before. How about “Eat Your Way Around the World in San Francisco”, incorporating mini-reviews of five, seven, or ten great ethnic restaurants around the city, including quirky details, the history of the restaurant (or the owners), prices, how to get there,  and recommendations of what to eat. If you’re a travel writer who’s also a foodie, you’ll probably enjoy this assignment, and other foodie travelers will love reading about it.

Go on a quest. 

Travel with a purpose, and write about it. What are you looking for or hoping to achieve on your travels? Maybe you want to follow in the footsteps of a famous character from history or literature, or test out a famous myth. Does kissing Ireland’s Blarney stone really give you the gift of the gab? Does swimming in the Baths of Aphrodite in Cyprus really make you fall in love? Obviously the answer, for the purposes of your article, is not yes or no. The objective is to weave a story around these myths, using experiences, anecdotes, quotes and snippets of local wisdom. What exactly gave rise to the myth?  Do the locals believe in it?

Solve a problem.

Every trip has a problem, or several, attached.  Paris is too expensive, the ex-pat life is full of pitfalls, travelling with children is sometimes more stressful than staying at home. Think of a problem attached to a certain destination, or a certain type of travel, and offer solutions.  This idea lends itself to list articles: ‘5 places to eat cheap in Paris’, , ‘8 ways to make travelling with young children bearable’ or (one I actually wrote, and got published) ‘6 mistakes to avoid when moving abroad’. These titles are always compelling, but make sure you deliver. Identify a real problem and give a real solution (or list of solutions).

Have an angle. 

One way to do this is to build a destination based article around a current travel trend, such as eco tourism, or volunteering for a cause. Expand on the article by providing the background and history of the issue in the context of the place you’re visiting. Consider an interview with the people involved in setting up the ecotourism business or volunteer organisation, or with local people who have been affected by the issues or helped by the solution.  Look for ways to build a story that has global implications around your trip to a specific destination.

DO something.

Learn a skill, sport or language, Go to a Buddhist retreat in India, or learn Thai cooking in Thailand. This makes your story more personal but also easier to target to non-travel publications. A publication that focuses on ‘Mind Body and Spirit’ issues may be interested in the retreat, a food magazine may be interested in the cookery course. You can create a side-bar, or resource box, featuring other places in the world where you can do these activities.

Use People

Photographers often try to get people in their travel shots. It adds interest and, sometimes, a more emotional aspect to their work. Writers should do the same. Try to bring people into your travel article. Get a quote from a local or fellow traveller; tell a story about local characters (present or historical, living or dead, true or mythical). Describe a scene that has human beings in it, perhaps a child interacting with local wildlife, or a couple getting ready to hike up a mountain. Repeat an overheard conversation, or relate an anecdote about a misunderstanding over the local language or customs. Just be respectful. If anyone in your stories is going to come across as bumbling or incompetent, it should probably be you.

Editors see hundreds, or sometimes thousands, of travel articles each year. Make sure yours stands out. Remember, if it’s been written about before, it doesn’t mean you can’t write about it again, as long as you cover it in a new way.

Check out my next post for some great paying markets for travel writers.

Special offer: The online writing course Travel Writing Secrets is currently offering several free bonuses. To check out the course, with no obligation to buy, click here.

Then, if you do want to buy come back and use this link to get a $10 discount. (You’ll pay $37 instead of the advertised $47). Happy travels

I’m writing this post as I prepare to pack up myself, my spouse and our two kids for some long-term, open-ended world travel.

If you’ve read previous articles I’ve written such as Ways that Travelling With Kids Can Improve Your Travel Experience,  over at Bootsnall.com, or The Educational Value of Long-Term Travel With Kids at Matador Abroad, you’ll know that I have no qualms about travelling as a family and road schooling my kids (thanks to Soul Travellers 3 who introduced me to the term ‘road schooling’).

I’ve done plenty of long-term travel before, and  lived in a few different countries (see my FAQ page if you’re interested in the details) which has necessitated a lot of travel back and forth between my various home bases and the UK where my ‘roots’ are, So far I’ve generally managed to write from the road, running my office out of my laptop bag, but it’s a while since I’ve planned a big open-ended trip like this.

I’ll be honest, when I went on my first ever backpacking around-the-world trip the internet hadn’t been invented (or if it had no-one had told me about it). No-one had a laptop. Aspiring travel writers wrote (with a pen) in travel journals and hung around waiting for our photos to be developed (really!) so we could see if we’d snapped any great pics to accompany our next award winning article (which would of course be published in print because… Well, it was the late 80’s/early 90’s and print was all there was!).

These days things have changed. There are whole sites, such as HowsTheWifi.com dedicated to digital nomads working from the road and living the location independent lifestyle. There are whole articles telling you about all the cool gear and gadgets you’ll need if you’re writing from the road (although, as I have to remind my 10-year-old at yard sales, ‘If you don’t know what it is, you can probably live without it”).

Here are my top tips for other digital nomads and location independent writers and bloggers:

Take a laptop that works for you.

My husband has one with a screen the size of a beer mat, and it’s super light, but if I had to write (or even worse, edit) on a screen where I can only see about three words at a time, things would get ugly (the writing and my language). I sacrifice half a kilo of other stuff to allow me to get my rather large laptop within my baggage allowance.

Get a backpack with a laptop section.

I have a great one by Wenger, with a padded laptop compartment plus plenty of room (and compartments) for carrying (and organising) everything else. Carrying a separate laptop bag is a hassle, and many airlines will refuse (or make you pay for) the extra carry on bag.

Use your camera for more than those potentially award-winning travel pics.

I use mine to take quick snaps of informational signs, menus, rate cards and anything else I may need to know about when I write travel articles. I also use the video/record function to ‘make a note’ to myself on the go.

Never trust the Wifi.

Connections in developing countries (and most other places in my experience) can be unreliable. Don’t compose online without backing up. I write everything into a word document and copy it, even super short blog posts and quick query emails to editors. My queries are usually only a couple of paragraphs but they are fully customised and perfectly crafted, I hope! I don’t want to write them more than once.

Don’t forget the obvious.

Notebook, pen, travel journal. I do a lot more writing in longhand on the road and I think it does my creativity (and my poor old screen-weary eyes) good.

So. Those are my tips. If you regularly take your business on the road, and have tips or warnings, I’d really appreciate it if you’d share them in the comments.

Just for the record, my travelling will not mean that Change The World With Words will become a travel blog. It will continue to be about making art, making money and making a difference. I will be posting travel articles elsewhere on the web and may occasionally include a link to them for any readers who are interested in what I’m up to, but the blog is about writing and will continue to be so. Look forward to keeping in touch with you all, wherever you are, from wherever I am, right here at Change the World With Words.