✍️ Diary of an Author: How to Travel the World -- and Get Paid to Write About It
Get paid to travel -- and write about it? The evolution of travel writing, and a hello from Valencia, Spain
Happy Sunday! In today’s newsletter, you’ll learn…
✍️ How to get paid to travel — and write about it
☕️ Old approaches to travel writing vs. how the Modern Author approaches travel writing
😎 The most famous example of a successful travel writer — you’ve definitely heard of him
3-Minute Story: Getting Paid to Travel as a Modern Author
It’s a Thursday afternoon, and I’m stirring a steaming pan of paella in a secret garden in Barcelona, Spain. Fellow travelers from England and South Africa stand around me, and our local cooking instructor tells us it’s time to add in the rice and saffron.
A little while later, we all sit around the picnic tables, sharing stories of our travels and eating the incredible paella we’ve all cooked together under the watchful eye of our instructor, who has shared with us her secret family recipes for traditional paella and homemade sofrito passed down from generations.
My weekdays don’t always look like this.
Today, for instance, I woke up in the cute, high-ceiling cottage I’m sharing with my partner Kyle in Valencia, Spain. I began my morning on the garden patio, drinking espresso and working on my morning pages.
Today, I’ll be writing my newsletters for the week, and then will head out this evening for a graffiti tour and dinner with some friends and fellow travelers.
When I meet other writers who want the freedom to travel and write, they want to know:
✍️ Is it still possible to make a living as a travel writer?
One of my favorite blogs about freelance writing is The Freelancer’s Year, and in it Australian travel writer Lindy Alexander breaks down why it’s so hard these days to be a travel writer in the traditional sense of the word.
If you’re querying publications, pitching editors, and following the traditional freelancing guidelines while working with brands and hotels — yeah, that’s going to be tough, as you’ll see from what the travel writers in that post share.
❓What does the Modern Author do to make a living as a travel writer?
Get niche. The Substack publication Paris by Mouth boasts thousands of paid subscribers who follow along to see where to eat in Paris. Popular travel blogs like Nomadic Matt have succeeded because they target niche audiences, such as budget-friendly nomad backpackers.
Stay independent and serve your audience directly. Pitching traditional media doesn’t pay well anymore, in part because these publications are seeing shrinking ad revenue. Instead, stay independent and serve your audience directly through a paid membership community, travel books or e-books, and through blog posts.
Skill stack or collaborate with others to monetize across platforms. This month, I’m traveling with the group WiFi Tribe, one of many digital nomad groups of remote work professionals traversing the globe. When traveling with fellow professionals, consider teaming up with photographers or videographers to start a YouTube channel, or learn how to shoot travel content yourself to add more juice to your own content.
Note: don’t feel pressured to do every form of social media if it doesn’t speak to you. If you’re more introverted, just stay focused on honing your writing online and providing value to your audience that way. Use the Internet to your advantage, don’t let it take advantage of you!
Use your travels to season your fiction writing. Consider using your adventures as a basis for a book. Ian Fleming is the most popular example of a travel-writer-turned-novelist, and there will always be a huge demand for books that transport readers into moving adventures.
When it comes to earning a living from my travel, my blog brings in a combination of passive income streams (such as online courses, books, affiliate links on my travel blogs, and digital downloads.)
I also have active income sources (freelance book writing and editing) that allow me to travel the world and write what I love. Travel isn’t the driver of my income, but it’s part of my income stack.
When possible, get away from “old world” forms of making money as a writer (i.e., getting paid by a publication, having to rely on editors to give you assignments) and towards more “new media”/Creator Economy forms of becoming a bonafide Modern Author (building your own audience and community, providing direct value to your people!)
Happy traveling!
✨ 2 Quotes to Inspire You
“Never say 'no' to adventures. Always say 'yes,' otherwise you'll lead a very dull life.” -Ian Fleming
“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” -Chief Seattle
✍️ 1 Journal Prompt
When you’re preparing for a trip, what websites do you visit? What travelers do you take advice from? How do you plan for a trip, and what would be the most helpful for you to know?
On the narrative side of things, what was one of your best travel memories? Worst? What if you took one of those stories and fictionalized it?
💻 New Blog Posts on AmySuto.com
⚡️ Upcoming Wednesday Edition for Paid Subscribers
This week’s Wednesday Edition for paid subscribers will cover…
How to market your self-published book
Why publishing a book is a glowing business card for you and your services and/or business
How to land interviews on popular podcasts
Subscribe now so you don’t miss out!
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy