32 Publications that Pay for Travel Writing

For those who want to get paid to write about travel, here’s a list of 32 publications that work with freelance writers.

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1. Hidden Compass is a literary travel magazine, published online. They want true stories that push “the travel genre and delve into the spirit, culture, history, ecology, perils or residents of a place. They want “all the nuanced, narrator-driven, non-listicle stories that need to be told. We want a tribe of storytellers who journey together.” According to their pitch guide, they pay $550 for all stories, plus 50% of fundraising proceeds. They pay an additional $75 per photo.

1. AFAR is the ‘experiential travel guide.’ They cover travel stories from a more personal perspective, telling their “stories through people, allowing readers to explore authentic local cultures from the inside out.” According to their pitch guide, pay for their magazine starts at $1 per word. Pay for Afar.com starts at $0.50 per word.

1. The Los Angeles Times Travel section seeks original destination articles that evoke a sense of place and time, with trips taken within the last two years. They look for first-person pieces (about 2,000 words) and Guidebooks (500 to 700 words). Submissions can be mailed or emailed. According to their writers’ guidelines, payment starts at $200, with extra for photos. Destination feature story payment starts at $350.

1. World Nomads provides travel insurance to independent travelers from over 150 countries. They are looking for stories for their Travel Wiser section, which content is designed to help travelers navigate unexpected challenges, travel well on a budget, choose the right travel gear, and stay fit and healthy on the road. They are not always open to submissions. According to their pitch guide, they pay AUD $0.70 per word, with most articles between 800 and 1200 words.

1. TravelAge West is a travel trade publication serving an audience of modern, business-savvy travel advisors who are always on the hunt for the latest travel trends, industry insights, destination news, practical selling tips and firsthand accounts of the latest travel products and experiences. They are interested in hearing from freelance writers. There are four kinds of ideal TAW stories: career growth/professional development articles, travel trend articles, travel guides and firsthand reviews. According to their pitch guide, they pay $250 for a web story (500-800 words) and $600 for a print cover story (1,200-1,600 words). To learn more, refer to this page.

1. ROVA is a print and digital magazine about traveling the roads of North America, produced in the United States. Each edition is packed with stories of travel, road trips and alternative living. They are looking for stories of life on the road. According to their pitch guide, they pay a flat rate of $200 per article. To learn more, refer to this page.

1. Escapism is a travel print magazine published by twenty-two, a Canadian publishing house and creative agency. They pay for print-first travel guides, which are then repurposed online. Their travel features are also included in the company’s food magazine, Foodism. For those, features don’t have to have a food or beverage angle, but they do need a unique perspective. Escapism’s travel guides are less about first-person experiences in longform, and more about what to see, eat and do in a given destination. According to their pitch guide, they pay $600 for features of 1,200 – 1,500 words and $0.40 per word for the travel guides, which should be 500 words and up. To learn more, refer to this page and visit Escapism.

1. Italy Magazine’s team of local experts celebrates the best of the Bel Paese. Through sharp coverage that spans culture to food to current events, their aim is to help readers deepen their understanding of Italy for richer travels. They welcome pitches from freelance writers and journalists, and their preference is to work with those based in Italy. They write stories with travelers in mind. Most of the articles they publish range between 800-1400 words. According to their pitch guide, they pay between $.15 and $.20 per word, depending largely on the complexity of the topic and the format. To learn more, refer to this page.