5 New Success Stories

Lately, I’ve been so busy scheduling workshops and writing to you about breaking into stock photography and travel writing, that I haven’t taken the time to give a shout out to the readers who have written to us about their success.

Today, I’d like to highlight a few of them here… give them a public congratulations… and inspire you to get out this weekend with your camera (and a pen to take notes for a travel article)…

** Congratulations Richard Callaby! After taking The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program, Richard landed a free month-long stay in Rome, Italy, to learn Italian and write about his experience.

He says: “After taking your Travel Writer’s course and following the suggestions and completing the assignments, I have landed a month-long stay in Rome, Italy to learn Italian. This is all paid for by the school I’ll be attending. So not only will I be able to stay for an entire month in the Eternal city but I will also be able to expand my knowledge of Italian. I can just imagine all the story ideas I will be able to get from this stay in Rome. This will really help to launch my career as a travel writer…and it’s all due to this course! Thank you so much for putting together this material. I found it to be invaluable as I am able to achieve my goal of traveling the world.”

** Congratulations Superior Court Deputy Clerk, Dawn-Marie Hanrahan!

After listening to the recordings in our Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop-at-Home package, Dawn-Marie called up her local newspaper to propose writing a travel column.

“The editor was so pleased with the idea,” Dawn-Marie says, “she referred me directly to the publisher, who was equally enthusiastic. I offered to write, for the by-line only, a 300-350 word article about local hot-spots, stay-cation ideas, and adventures close to home. By the end of my conversation with the publisher, I had landed my own column and my first piece appeared that same month with the unanticipated title, “Travel Columnist” added to my name! I must have read it a dozen or so times before being convinced it was attached to my name.”

** Congratulations Julia Drake! Julia joined the International Travel Writer’s and Photographer’s Alliance in October and almost immediately landed a paid by-line in Travel Post Monthly. She writes…

“Thank you for welcoming me as a member. I took advantage of an e-mail sent out to members about submitting your work to the online travel magazine Travel Post Monthly. This November was the first and only month where the magazine paid for story submissions and pictures. I submitted a travel story about Ettlingen, a small German town in the Black Forest (where I was born). My article not only got accepted, but I was paid for the story and pictures and encouraged to send more of my work.”

** Congratulations Cynthia Stark! Through another e-mail we sent out to our readers, Cynthia landed an assignment with International Living to update their “World’s Best” book. She writes, “Just a thank you – through you, I got an “International Living – Best of the World’s” assignment – I loved doing it and was paid for it – thank you again for the tip!”

** Congratulations Vera Kerr! Vera took Rich Wagner’s advice in the Turn Your Pictures into Cash program and started locally. She took local photos and made them into postcards. A friend who owns a local café sold them for her, and Vera wrote us to say that they’re already sold out and her friend needs more.

A full-time nurse, Vera also took pictures of her hospital for a brochure and was asked by a local fundraiser if she would donate a photo to raffle. This landed her a sale and she won runner-up in a competition.

It’s “all small stuff by photographers’ standards,” she said, “but I am happy with my achievements so far.”

If you’re heading out this weekend, start today by picking one of these free reports from our Get Paid to Travel How-To Series, and giving it a read:

Get Paid to Travel How-To Series: Writing

Get Paid to Travel How-To Series: Sell Your Photos.

[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.]