As some of you may know, my interests in travel do not stop with backpacking around. If possible, I’d like to make a living in the travel industry as well. The “if possible” part, however, is a big ‘if.’ Travel writing is incredibly attractive (get paid to travel around and write about it!), but it is also incredibly competitive and low paying – certainly not lucrative enough to fund travel costs. I’d like to pursue expedition travel agent and tour operator opportunities when my SE Asia travels conclude, but well paid positions in this market are also difficult to obtain. Starting your own company in this field requires substantial experience, capital, and connections.
Regardless of the difficulties in profiting from having fun, I’ve drafted a few travel articles and found an online company that literally pays peanuts for them. I submitted two articles about a week ago and got paid $4.51 for one and $4.62 for the other. Ha! The company is called Associated Content (associatedcontent.com) and accepts articles from anyone writing about anything. This is hardly a way to make a living or a name as a travel writer, but is good experience if nothing else.
Here are the links to my published articles. I’m working on several others that I’ll submit soon.
Thailand: A Backpacker's Paradise
Hostels: The Secret to a Cheap Vacation
The one named “Thailand: A Backpacker’s Paradise” received criticism almost immediately from an American (I think) living in Thailand. He claims that Thailand is getting much more expensive and says that the costs I list are incorrect. I’m not sure where this guy lives in Thailand, but I know that costs in the south are substantially more expensive than the north, which is where I spent most of my time. All costs listed are costs experienced. But hey, criticism means someone actually read the article. Woo-hoo! Another online writing site that actually focuses on travel is called Matador. They maintain a “bounty board” where they list subjects for which they are looking for article submissions. Each opportunity has set requirements for content and format. This of course limits what I can write, but is closer to real freelance work and pays much more. Ehh. Drop me a line if you know of other sites like this. Travel writing may not be in my future, but I suppose it’s worth the old college try. It’s not like I’ll be strapped for time over the next 6 months!
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2 comments:
If you're going to write about Thailand at AC, expect Fabletoo to chase you mercilessly. She is an Brit-Yank ex-pat who imagines her opinion is fact.
AC is just what you say, no way to make a living, but a great way to hone your skill.
So your two articles almost paid for 1 day of travels. You keep writing 2.2 a day, and you can travel forever!
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