Your Next By-line: In-flight Mags and Alumni Pubs

Dear Reader,

If you missed last week’s dispatches from our Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop, you’ll find them here: 

Dispatch #1
Dispatch #2
Dispatch #3

I read the evaluation forms the attendees handed in after the event and several voted Lindsay Roylance our most valuable guest speaker. I haven’t listened to the recordings yet (they won’t be ready for another few weeks) but I have to say… I’m not surprised.

After reading the report from freelance travel writer, Jennifer Stevens (Dispatch #1 at the above link), I knew Lindsay was a big hit.

Alumni magazines are a great niche to write for. They pay well (some pay $1 per word, which amounts to a couple hundred dollars for a few short paragraphs) and there’s little competition. What’s more, most people already have an “in.” You can easily approach the publication at the school from which you graduated. Or, if you have a profile to offer of an interesting person you’ve met — find out where he or she went to school and pitch your story to the alumni magazine there.

In-flight magazines were another hot topic at the workshop. Almost everyone picked up the three in-flights that were profiled at the Publication Expo last Saturday.  

What’s interesting about in-flights is that while the major airline publications are hard to break into, the commuter airlines aren’t as forbidding. And a by-line in one makes for a very attractive clip — not only will it be full-color and glossy, but you can also bank the prestige of saying you were published by an in-flight magazine.

In Jen’s Dispatch #2, she included links to a few in-flights you might consider. 

Have a great weekend. And don’t forget to scroll down for today’s writing prompt. Our most successful readers are those who practice their writing and photography regularly. Do it even half-an-hour a day, and you’ll be astonished at the strides you make. In the interest of taking you one step closer to success, try out this week’s writing prompt — it’s something you can easily finish in less than an hour.

Take care,

— Lori
Lori Allen
Director, Great Escape Publishing

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]

PRACTICAL WRITING PROMPT OF THE WEEK: The Savvy Traveler

I wrote a short article last month for Travel Post Monthly (http://tinyurl.com/3xf659) about beating the Lost Luggage System at the airport.

I consider myself a fairly savvy traveler, so when our luggage was lost for the first three days of our honeymoon, I felt fairly certain it would be found. And, I reasoned, even if it didn’t turn up — I had carefully packed enough essentials in our carry-on bags to get us through the lion’s share of our trip.

There were, however, a few things I wish I had done differently — including marking my bags more visibly.

Lots of travelers mark their bags so that they’re easier to distinguish on the baggage carrousel at baggage claim. But what I didn’t realize is that marking your bag actually makes it easier for the Lost Luggage Department to find it too.

When I went to the counter and could only offer the guy: “It’s a black bag with a zipper and wheels,” I knew I was in trouble. Of course he could look at the luggage tag to find my name but that doesn’t help him find the right bag in a sea of other black bags.

Anyway, my point is: Little tips like these make great travel articles. And they don’t necessarily have to be about traveling on planes, trains, or in cars, either.

Tips can be about a hidden entrance into a famous park that never has a line… how to negotiate a discount on rental cars at the rental counter… a quick fix for your mask and snorkel to keep your mask from fogging (by the way, spit works and so does tearless baby shampoo).

This weekend, write up a tip you rely on.

When you’re finished, send your article to the Travel Post Monthly: http://travelpostmonthly.com/

READER FEEDBACK: An Article, a Press Trip and More Discounts

“…just received word this morning that 40-Plus Travel & Leisure is taking another [article] on Italy… and paying me for it! Also heard from my contact at Emirates Air that they, and the Dubai tourist/business group, would be happy to put a press trip together for me in the near future. Also, was able to secure some great discounts for my upcoming trip to Puerto Vallarta by offering to do some articles. Can’t wait to finish your program.” — Mark Rowlee