Travel Like a King… Without the Royal Budget

Did you know that Queen Elizabeth II has traveled to 116 countries throughout her 60-year reign? AND she’s done it all without a passport! Since all British passports are already issued in the name of Her Majesty, she doesn’t need special permission to travel…

As the most well-traveled royal in history, her thirst to see the world – in the lap of luxury, no less – is a fantasy we all share. 

Yet without the Crown Jewels, how can we afford it?

Lucky for us, there IS a way to travel with the perks of a monarch… and in addition to VIP access and luxury travel without the luxury price tag, you can even make money doing so.

Sound too good to be true? Check out Roy’s story below with details about his travels from one spa to the next, reviewing accommodation at some of the nicest lodges in the U.S., spa treatments, meals, and more.

FINDING THE BEST TRAVEL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
By Roy Stevenson in Seattle, WA

This year, I’ve been paid to visit war museums and brewing companies… tourist attractions and resorts along the Central Oregon coast.

I’ve been wined and dined in Yakima, Washington on a four-day boutique winery tour and had southern hospitality and cuisine on a fun five-day press trip to the Mardi Gras at Lake Charles, Louisiana.

But I have to say, it’ll be hard to beat my current assignment — visiting six of the most exclusive luxury lodges in the Pacific Northwest.

I’m doing a feature piece for a Northwest travel magazine about the most exclusive luxury lodges in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, which means staying at five of them— for two nights each.

And even better, I’m doing an article about the spa treatments at some of these lodges for a popular, nationally-distributed women’s magazine.

This means my wife and I “have to” suffer through numerous facials, massages, herbal treatments, hot stone therapies, and other pampering, for my research.

I got a head start on this assignment last week, while I was in Central Oregon. I stayed at an absolutely gorgeous two-story, 1,200-square-foot cabin at the beautiful Brasada Ranch, near Bend, that is equipped with a gourmet kitchen, two huge bedrooms, a living room with panoramic high desert and mountain views, and a wraparound deck with a hot tub.

After arriving at the ranch, I had a 90-minute “head-to-toe” health treatment; a combination of back, foot, and head massage, with all sorts of lavender, lime, ginger, and who knows what else applied to my now well-scrubbed body.

Today, my wife and I arrived at the pristine Sleeping Lady Resort in Leavenworth, Washington, where we have a modern “rustic” 500-square-foot cabin with high A- frame roof and wooden pine floor, set among towering Northwest Ponderosa pines and Douglas Firs. Nearby are a spa, library, gourmet restaurant, and miles of hiking trails through native forest. Tomorrow morning, while I’m on a white water rafting trip, my wife will be getting a comp spa treatment.

After two days here, we move on to two luxury resorts in Idaho, then two more in Washington—for more spa treatments and sightseeing. Our luxury lodge tour will take us 11 days. Bliss!

How do I consistently land sweet assignments like these? There is work involved, of course. You have to do your homework and find publications that want these sorts of articles, first. All that needs to get lined up before you approach the spas and lodges if you hope to land free upgrades and treatments.

You can do this, too. 

I hope you’ll try. The only thing better than a five-star spa treatment with all the royal perks is a five-star spa treatment with all the royal perks that you get paid to write about.

[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.]