14 Ways to Get Paid for Travel Writing

You’re not going to make your millions being a travel writer – but retiring early to a cottage by the sea is a definite possibility if you submit your articles to the right places.

Travel themed office

Most websites will want you to write for free with just a link back for your troubles, but there are a few ways to get paid for travel writing. Here’s the bare bones of what you can expect to get from paying online magazines – just click through for more details on submitting.

*I decided that I wasn’t going to write for anyone for less than $10 – if it’s not enough to buy me a Mojito what’s the point?

1. Lostgirlsworld

  • Pays $12 for country and city guides (£7.50)

How to contribute to Lostgirlsworld.com. 

– DA48

READ MORE: 66 Positive Affirmations for Writers

2. BootsnAll

  • Pays $50 for 800+ word feature articles (£31)
  • Pays $30 for an expert travel article (£18)
  • Pays $20-$40 travel essay (£12.50-£25)

If Matador is the king of travel I like to think of BootsnAll as the queen. They’re an independent travel company who produce cool and useful articles on everything possible to do with travel.

How to submit: the submissions page has a full list of requirements for their feature articles, travel essays and photo journal opportunities. You can check the editorial calendar for upcoming topics too.

Who to contact: Fill in the submissions form here.

£$€? Ranges from a bio and blog link to $50.

– DA65

3. Matador

  • Pays $25 (can be $40-$60) for special projects or in-depth features (£15.60-£37)

Matador Network are the kings of online travel and I love the mix of quirky and hard truth in all their articles. From doing the MatadorU online course I’ve learnt a lot from Candice and Julie – I hope that one day I can help people with my writing too. The passion of the writers is easy to see when I’m using the website and if I make it there, I can make it anywhere. This is the goal.

How to submit: there’s a handy submission page with all the requirements listed. I need to know the 12 Matador channels inside out before I tackle them straight on. They need to be able to envisage my article on their site before they’ve even finished the pitch.

Who to contact: There’s a list of all the editors, depending on which channel I’m pitching to.

£$€? The average feature article = $25.

– DA83

4. In the Know Traveler

  • Pays $20 for a 450-600 words (£12.50)

– DA43

5. Gonomad.com

  • Pays $25 for 800-2000 words (£15.60)

GoMad Nomad wants articles about both popular and off-the-beaten-track destinations, as well as volunteering opportunities abroad and practical advice on long-term, adventure, alternative, and budget travel. The website looks pretty basic, but it’s one of the best in the biz.

How to submit: All the requirements are set out on the submissions page. You can pitch for four different topics: destinations from beyond the backpacker’s scene, posts from the road, the practical traveler, and photography/video.

Who to contact: Send all pitches or complete articles to [email protected].

£$€? $25 per article

– DA60

6. GoWorldTravel

  • Pays $30 for a 10-photo essay or a 1000-word article (£19)

– DA50

7. World Hum

The online magazine World Hum focuses “not only on destinations but on the journey, on travel in the broadest sense of the word – to explore how travel changes us, how it changes the way we see the world and how travel itself changes the world”. Wow, so when something hits me hard and makes me feel it inside that’s the stuff World Hum wants to hear about.

They accept first-person travel narratives; rants or raves about any travel-related subject; “how to” stories about diving into foreign cultures and Q&As with travellers, writers and artists.

How to submit: There’s a comprehensive guide here.

Who to contact: Eva Holland at [email protected].

£$€? From $100.

– DA59

8. The Expeditioner

  • Pays $30 for 1000 words (£19)

– DA57

9. GoWorldTravel

  • Pays $30 for 1000 words (£19)

– DA50 

Magazines

And here are three magazines that will accept your submissions – as long as they’re super amazing and incredible that is…

10. Wanderlust

  • Pays £220 per 1000 words

11. Traveller

  • Pays £200 per 1000 words printed.

Bonus sites

12. International Living

  • Postcards (250-500 words) pay $50. Other articles, 840 words is $250 and 1400 words is $400

13. Women on the Road

  • Pays $15 per 600 words

14. 101holidays.co.uk

  • Pays £100 per 800-1500 words

I worked out that my monthly expenditure is around £900, when I’m being good. This means I’d need to pitch, write and submit one of everything, which would equal about £775, and then do another big article too – wow!

Looks like I’d have my work cut out as a freelance writer…

Few sources

I used the following useful sources as part of my research. As you can see I didn’t use all their suggestions because I either wasn’t too keen on the sites, or they’ve stopped paying.

There’s also a brilliant article on getting paid to travel by the Lost Girls, which has some great pitching tips for approaching publications.

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