What’s just as interesting is the article has elicited many replies from people with their own ‘don’t go’ tips. The commenters suggest we avoid:

• Heathrow and Gatwick Airports
• Renting a buggy in Brazil
• Visiting Africa
• Wearing bling in Saigon
• Flying in the US unless you have to
• Cardiff
• Bucharest
• Dodgy public toilets
• Food poisoning in awkward places
• Vienna
• Pisa
• Athens
• Dunedin, New Zealand
• ..and many more. Read the whole article.

The question is, how much do you take other people’s tips into account? I’ve visited places based on recommendations and been disappointed (eg. I was a little underwhelmed by Montreal, which is pretty, but so are other places).

The fact is, such advice can be a godsend or it could prevent you from having an amazing experience because you didn’t find out for yourself. If I really wanted to see a place, my excitement may be curbed a little by a bad review but I wouldn’t let it stop me.

What about you?

Ask Your Contacts
If you know someone in the industry, don’t be afraid to ask for help. They may not have much clout but will probably be able to point you in the direction of someone who has. Warning: don’t exploit your contacts. Asking for help once is okay, but doing so repeatedly will annoy them. Ask a specific question: “I have written [the article], and I think it might be suitable for [a publication] so who would you suggest I talk to?”

Be Targeted
Pick the publications you are interested in. Look at them long and hard. What is the average length of their articles? What is their tone? What demographic is their audience? What is their average age and income? Don’t just send your piece out to anyone or everyone. Focus on a chosen few, and make sure your article’s tone will appeal to their audience.

Do Your Homework
Now you’ve found some relevant publications, find out who the editor is, or the features or travel editor if it’s a middle-to-large company. Check the first few pages of the magazine for contact details, or call the company. Check the spelling of their name. Find out their email address and pitch your article, with a deadline so you can offer it to someone else if they’re not interested. Use the words “exclusive offer”.
If you hear nothing in a few weeks, follow up with a phone call.

Pitch Your Article Before You Write It
This can be preferable if your main aim is to be published, in case you’ve written your article but it doesn’t fit the publication’s criteria. Give the person a short synopsis (including your hook) and ask if they’d be interested. They may not commit outright, but you’ll be able to gauge their interest much better this way. They may also offer some guidelines to help you tailor your article to their needs.

Pitch With Their Needs in Mind
Don’t say, “Will you publish me pleeeease?” You have to sell the article: what’s great about it? How does it fit their audience? They are looking for ways to fill their publication with quality content. Show them you can help. Got some good travel pics too? Even better.

Don’t Get Disheartened
Editors are incredibly busy people working to tight deadlines. Many receive more emails than they have time to respond to, and some publications are simply disorganized. My first travel article was published without anyone even contacting me first, due to staff changes happening at the time.
If they make it clear they’re not interested, ask for some feedback. If you’re not having luck with the big players, try some smaller magazines or papers. Also bear in mind that many travel sections are left to employees to fill with sponsored junkets and it’s hard for outsiders to squeeze into the remaining space.

Make the Agreement Clear
When you hit the jackpot and they want to publish, get in writing the payment amount, the approximate date it will be published and when they’ll pay you. This varies from country to country but generally when it’s published you send an invoice with your tax details and the agreed amount (usually a standard per-word amount). If you haven’t been paid by the agreed date, don’t be afraid to follow up.

My First Travel Article

My first travel article was written and published in 2000. It was about my experiences living in Berlin for a year. The ‘hook’ (what made it current and fresh) was the mention of a new Working Holiday Visa introduced in Germany. I wrote the article, emailed it to a random person at a newspaper – probably through their website – and forgot all about it until someone rang me congratulating me on being in the paper.

Since then I’ve had many other travel articles published, from Europe to South America to Asia. Here’s my advice on how to write your own publishable articles.

1. Find a ‘hook’
A hook is something that makes your article current and fresh, like the example above. Has the country or town been in the news for something special lately? Is there an event unique to that area? Did you have an experience unlike any other? Open with that.

2. Write in your own style
Your writing style makes you special. Although you need to keep the tone of the publication in mind that you’re submitting to, don’t ‘disguise’ your natural style. It’ll sound forced and awkward.

3. Don’t stress, just write
Get it all out onto paper/the computer. Tidy later. Don’t fret over each sentence. You’ll never get it done.

4. Don’t recount your itinerary
No one wants to read ‘Then… and then we… and then we…” Start with a strong memory, and link your thoughts, but it doesn’t need to be in chronological order.

5. Make it vivid
When traveling, take detailed notes as you go so you don’t forget your impressions. Look around and get the details down. What was said? What was smelled? What was felt? Take photos of the unexpected: an amusing sign, an unusual meal. The minutiae make up your trip and will make your readers feel like they were there, too.

6. Get your thoughts straight
Before you start communicating, have a think about what you actually want to say. Did you have a wonderful time, or an awful time that ended well, or an unexpected time that was better than you could’ve imagined? Do you want to warn people, encourage people, educate people, entertain people? Figure out your aim first, so it comes through in your writing. Choosing a headline and introduction can help you focus.

7. Talk to locals
Fellow tourists are fun and often have good tips, but if you’re writing a travel article you need to talk to people who can share words of wisdom about their country. Are the locals poor, oppressed, healthy, happy, hard-working? Unless you’re reviewing a resort you’ll need to get out and meet people. It’s also the most interesting part.

8. Balance facts and opinion
Your thoughts alone are unlikely to be enough. What is the history of the area? The population? The culture? Likewise, a geography lesson can be dull. Add your impressions. It’s about finding a balance.

9. End with a bang
End as you hopefully opened: strongly. Don’t trail off with, “So I had a great time and recommend it.” What was your overall impression? Can you link it back to the beginning? I always try and add an event or snippet of conversation that encapsulates the tone covered in the rest of the article.

10. Give to a friend
Get a friend to check and read your article. Chances are, you’re so close to it now you can’t see any obvious oversights or errors. Take feedback into consideration, and certainly word counts, but keep your gut instincts in mind too.

Already written your article? Here are my tips on getting published in print.

Good, because I’ve just set up the Carnival of Travel Articles so you can submit something. I made the carnival monthly to start, but when it grows I’ll make it more frequent.

I was searching the Carnival website (a great way to promote your blog, if you haven’t tried it; there are loads of topics) for travel stuff but couldn’t find much so thought I’d set up my own.

Don’t be shy, submit today! Follow the link above for more details.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? How long would you stay? Get out a pen and paper and write (or type) your answers.

So many people think they are dreaming the impossible when it comes to travel. In the 21st century, it’s much easier and cheaper to get to places than it ever was, and there are so many people who have done it and can help you plan.

It’s cliched but true: don’t just dream it. What is the first step to getting to where you want to go? Do that first step now. You might be surprised by how easy it is.