32 Travel Publications that Pay Freelance Writers

Today, for our latest roundup of publishers, we have a list of 32 travel publications.

We’ve researched payment rates and found contact information for all of these publishers, to make it easy for you to connect with the right opportunity.

For paid Litworth subscribers, you can see many more opportunities in our database, including 162 publishers that cover these topics.

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If you’re new to freelancing, I also very much encourage you to take our course on pitching. You can get the details here.

So, without further ado, here’s today’s list…

1. Thrillist is a digital media publication at the intersection of travel, experience, and local culture. They accept pitches directly from freelance writers. They publish travel guides, maps, and itineraries for destinations, as well as profiles of people and interesting places. According to a pitch call, they pay $250 to $800.To learn more, read their pitch guidelines.
2. Viator, a Tripadvisor company, is a marketplace for travel experiences. They’re seeking roundups, guides, features, tips, and essays. According to their website, rates start at $250. To learn how to pitch them, refer to this page.
3. Thrillist is a digital media publication at the intersection of travel, experience, and local culture. They accept pitches directly from freelance writers. They publish travel guides, maps, and itineraries for destinations, as well as profiles of people and interesting places. According to a recent pitch call, they pay $250 to $800. To learn more, read their pitch guidelines.
4. Fodor’s Travel is a source for expert travel advice. They love buzzy, zeitgeist-y, and newsworthy stories that are told with a bold voice. According to a recent pitching call, they pay $400 to $450.To learn more about them, click here. To read their pitching guidelines, click here.
5. Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) offers cheap flight deals. They regularly seek calls for pitches on a variety of travel related topics. You can view their content marketing director’s Twiter/X account here. According to a pitching call, the pay is $400. You can pitch their “Wednesday Going Places Newsletter” here. To learn more, visit their website and contact information here.
6. Resonate is an online travel publication. They publish local stories from around the globe. The type of articles that they look for are: destination guides (1,500-2,000 words); burning issues (600-1,000 words); game changers (600-1,000 words); local stories (600-1,000 words); and travellers’ tales (600-1,000 words). They pay €100 for these pieces. For details, read their writers guidelines.
7. Ori Magazine is a twice-a-year travel magazine that publishes stories by talented local journalists. They would love to receive pitches from writers. As per their editor, features pay $0.50-$1.00/word and single page department pieces pay $200. If you want to contribute a story, then refer to their contributor inquiries page.
8. JRNY Travel Magazine features travel stories, essays, and photos from some of the world’s best talents. According to their editor-in-chief, they pay £250 for 2,000 words or £125 for 1,000 words. If you are interested in joining their team as a contributing writer/photographer, then add your name to their contributors’ email list here but they are not currently commissioning.
9. Sidetracked is a print and online journal featuring personal stories of adventures, expeditions, and exploration. They are looking for personal stories (about 1,500 to 2,000 words) of adventure accompanied by breathtaking photography. They’ve previously offered rates between £200 and £450, though the Tweets indicating those rates have since been deleted. If interested, email submissions@sidetracked.com. For more information, read their contribution guidelines.
10. RV Magazine offers ideas, inspiration, and information about the RV lifestyle. They publish around ten to fourteen freelance articles per month. Payment ranges from $200 to $800, depending on the department. To learn more, read their editorial guidelines. Visit the website here.