The role of a travel writer has changed over the past 10 years.
The often-portrayed dream of working as a travel writer features images of exotic locales, rich cultures, and thrilling adventures. It’s a profession that seems to offer endless freedom and exploration with a paycheck attached.
But behind this romantic vision lies a profession that is complex, competitive, and continuously evolving.
The reason? The role of the travel writer has undergone a fundamental shift over the last decade, largely driven by the advances in the internet and digital technology.
What was once a domain dominated by print journalism has now transformed into a multifaceted world where travel bloggers, influencers, and independent writers are blurring the lines between professionalism and passion.
A totally different career
Even just a few years ago, there was a clear difference between a professional travel journalist and a travel blogger. Not so today.
Travel journalists that still write for the ever-dwindling number of mainstream publications run their own blogs, while leading bloggers are often invited to submit pieces for publications because of their following. Press trips—once the exclusive realm of the newspaper or magazine hack—are now packed with bloggers and influencers.
After working as a travel writer himself for many years, travel writer Tim Leffel now coaches new and improving travel writers while maintaining a network of self-owned travel websites and publishing several books.
He believes that adopting such an entrepreneurial business model is how to get a foothold in the industry today: “Someone who ten years ago made a living from updating guidebooks and submitting stories to travel magazines now likely cobbles together a living from five or more different sources, and almost certainly runs their own blog.”
Leffel has recently published the third edition of his Travel Writing 2.0 book, which focuses on the business of travel writing in the internet age.
Even between editions, he’s noticed a change, with the highest earners now all making their living from multiple sources: “Income streams include books, courses, expert itineraries for sale, tours, physical products, and a whole lot of others.”
Online travel content in 2023
There’s been another shift too, albeit a more subtle one. Fifty years ago travel writing was more inspirational. Novel-length narratives told stories of far-flung, exotic lands that most readers could only dream of visiting.
In 2023, even with the rising cost of international flights, it’s easier and cheaper to visit much of the planet than ever before. That’s led to more demand for practical guidance, especially in the written form.
Leffel believes the best travel writers today make a name for themselves in a specific niche, and that can be very specific indeed. “I am friends with the go-to people on destinations as widespread as Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Mexico City, Brazil, Cambodia, Thailand, Portugal, and Chile,” he says.
More money than ever before
Despite the closure of many mainstream travel publications and the long-term dip in demand for guidebooks, the rise of the entrepreneurial travel writer shows it’s now possible to make more money than ever before.
Leffel says that average earnings are “way up” since the last edition of his book. A significant number of people he interviewed earn an annual income in excess of $100,000.
“Bloggers earn more than freelancers these days thanks to an increase in earning opportunities through not just self-directed means, but through premium display advertising networks, better affiliate advertising programs, and an increase in tools for monetizing newsletters,” he explains.
That being said, this is not a place for the get-rich-quick crowd. Competition is high because of the perks, but also the emergence of SEO keyword research tools and AI software that enable anyone to start blogging quickly.
But the changing role of a travel writer is also having an impact at the lower end of the income scale. Running a travel or destination-focused blog as a “side hustle” is now a feasible part-time occupation for many. The vast majority of part-time travel writers Leffel interviewed earned less than $20,000.
“That won’t cut it for a full-time job, but it can be a nice side income for a parent or retiree,” he notes.
Books are still relevant
Despite the entrepreneurial shift in the travel writing world, travel books can still sell well. It’s also an area where narratives and memoir can excel.
For Leffel, books have made up a consistent 20% of his income for several years. He recommends travel writers to consider writing a book in order to be taken seriously as an authority over someone who “just” has a blog: “You’ll get more media mentions and more interview requests, for starters.”
The entrepreneurial travel writer has some big advantages over traditionally published authors too. An author with a website about Argentina has a ready-made marketing machine for their book on the same subject.
This means self-publishing becomes a much more attractive option. “With all the tools that are available for self-publishing through Amazon and Ingram Spark, it’s also much easier for authors with a following to keep a high percentage of the royalties instead of handing them all to the publisher,” says Leffel.
