Summary

	Writing and work will vary depending on the publication.
	Working for guidebooks can be tedious.
	Don't expect anyone to pay your way abroad.

Who to Write For Fodor's: Fodor's is always looking for new staff writers, though generally they only hire writers with prior travel-writing experience. If you are interested in working for Fodor's as a travel writer, send your résumé and writing clips, together with a cover letter explaining your qualifications and areas of expertise. Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is always seeking new writers and book ideas -- even though you wouldn't know it from their stand-offish statement: "Lots of people would like to write or update books for LP but we aren't in the habit of picking travellers at random and handing out air tickets and expense accounts." But, if you are willing to do the work to differentiate yourself from the throngs of random travellers, writing for Lonely Planet could pan out. They have loose guidelines about submissions, the gist of which is that they are looking for clever proposals by people who are familiar with Lonely Planet's texts and writing style. After submitting a proposal, though, you should be prepared to wait. It may take 12 months for them to get back to you! Rough Guides: The Rough Guides travel guidebook series is always on the lookout for new good new writers and researchers. They keep a file of all potential contributors, so submit writing samples (preferably published) and 1000 words or so on a place you know well to get in that file. Your Local Newspaper: Contact the editor of the travel section of your local newspaper about two months before your trip and pitch your story idea.

Can you imagine getting paid to journey to faraway exotic lands and write about them? For many, the life of the travel writer sounds like an unobtainable dream. But in fact, travel writing can be a viable way to make extra money while abroad, though it's not going to be the key to scoring that first-class, all expenses paid trip to Australia. So before you pack your suitcase, see if travel writing might be "write" for you.

The sort of travel writing you do depends a lot the type of publication you write for. Most newspapers have a weekly travel section composed almost entirely of articles by freelance writers. Some of these writers are professional journalists and frequent contributors to the travel section, while others hold full-time positions in other fields, and write only to reduce the cost of their vacation and share their experiences with other travellers.

Travel sections are almost always looking for fresh ideas and new writers, so if you have a specific knowledge about a particular destination, upcoming event or tourist attraction, contact your local newspaper's travel editor and pitch your idea before you go. Travel magazines also use freelancers, but many of the more popular ones will only consider story ideas from writers who have had magazine writing or previous travel writing experience.

Guidebook travel writing is very different from travel writing for magazines and newspapers, and often involves a lot more nitty-gritty, fact-checking work. Guidebooks generally make only small changes to the text accompanying the listings in their yearly updating procedure, so the bulk of the work of a travel guidebook writer rests in updating phone numbers, prices, and facilities.

In most cases, the guidebook company won't foot the bill for your trip. Before you depart for some far-off land, brainstorm a few ideas and contact as many guidebooks as you can. Bear in mind, however, that Harvard-published Let's Go only accepts submissions from Harvard students.

But all challenges aside, a little diligence and a lot of ingenuity can turn your next vacation into an adventure.