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.

2. I can’t leave my .
This may be the case. Maybe you have someone physically dependent on you and can’t leave. Maybe you have an awesome job you can’t bear to part with. Fair enough. But ask yourself this: would it be possible to take a break, even if just for a short time, if you put backup systems in place first so things ran smoothly without you? Think about it.

3. It’s dangerous.
Yes, a visit to Baghdad would be dangerous, and so are other places. Crime happens. But it also happens where you are right now. If you travel smartly, having researched the area and taken pains not to buy drugs from strangers or wander round at 3am, your chances of doing okay are much higher.

4. I don’t have anyone to travel with.
Lots of people don’t want to travel alone, and travel can definitely be more fun when you have someone to share your experiences with. Try one of the following: ask your friends and family if they’d be interested in coming, or join a travel community online to find people in the area you want to visit, or head off alone and make friends with fellow travelers along the way!

5. It’s too expensive.
Travel can indeed be expensive, but consider this: if you go to a cheap country, and have rented out your flat/house to cover expenses while you’re away, you can end up spending less while traveling! Do some calculations. What would your dream trip cost? Start making it happen by opening a travel account, and take on some freelance work for extra cash, every bit helps.

6. No one in my family travels.
I know people whose families were slightly less than encouraging of their travel plans. They were ‘supposed’ to settle down and get a good job, etc. But who are you living your life for? If you travel responsibly and come back with new skills and experiences, you’ll show them how awesome travel can be and maybe even encourage them to give it a try. You can be a role model!

7. I don’t know where to go.
These days there are so many options it can be hard to start. But the best start is research. Buy some travel books and magazines, watch travel shows, search the web. Do you want adventure, or relaxation? Culture or partying? You’ll soon see where your interests lie.

8. I’ll be homesick.
Probably, especially if you’re a newbie traveler. Consider it part of the growth process. And these days it’s so easy to keep in touch with home. I’ve used wireless in some random locations (the middle of Laos!).

9. I’m too old.
I’ve seen plenty of ‘senior’ travelers on the road. It could be the best time to travel! Retired, kids have left home… There are plenty of senior packages and discounts. You don’t need to haul a backpack around the world, there are tailored tours if that’s what you’re looking for. 

10. I’m scared.
This is the main reason people don’t travel, even if it’s not articulated. I’ve lost count of the times people say to me, “One day…” It probably won’t happen. To them, it seems an intangible, enormous dream. To make it real you have to plan, to ask questions, to start by doing something concrete.
And travel can be scary. I was terrified the first big trip I took. But I was mostly terrified before I began. Once I started, it was just exhilarating.

What other excuses have you heard? How can they be overcome?