Everyone asks me— How can I travel like you? This entry level class starts you on the path to learn about all the skills needed to become a travel journalist from writing to reels from social media to networking and beyond.
What is on your bucket list? After working full time in travel at Club Med, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and Renaissance cruises for seven years, I backpacked in Asia for nearly three years. I pivoted to being a travel journalist and have been paid to write about some of the most incredible experiences from a luxury African safari, a Relais and Chateaux yacht in the Galapagos to a walk with polar bears and wolves in Canada. I have written about my travels in publications from AARP to WIRED and shared my travel videos in Smithsonian Magazine, on KTLA TV and many other TV programs across the USA.
Are you ready to make your travel dreams come true? This entry level course will start you on the path to becoming a top content creator who shares articles, videos and social media about your adventures. This course is for individuals who share a passion for travel and storytelling, aspiring travel writers and travel enthusiasts wanting to document their journeys, and those who want to turn their travel experiences into compelling stories and pursue a career in travel writing.
What is needed for travel content creation? Learn about travel writing, photos, videos, reels, social media, press trips, networking with industry professionals, and travel conferences. Gain insider knowledge and tips so you will have a solid foundation to thrive in the dynamic world of travel writing.
I appreciate you choosing this course and look forward to learning about your interests in travel and writing.
Why take this course from me?
I have been a traveler all of my life and am fascinated by new places. I worked for seven years onboard cruise ships and backpacked for three years in Asia. I am honored that many hotels, destinations, PR firms and tour companies have invited me to share their stories.
I have a Masters in Education and have been teaching for decades; I even worked at Nickelodeon. I am a highly requested speaker and recently spoke at the Travel and Adventure Show across the USA, Women's Travel Fest, Women in Travel Summit, the Scuba Show, the Southern Travelers Explore Conference, Metro Women’s Leadership Summit and Women in Travel Conference.
My memoir, BRAVE-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty, was published in Sept 2023 by Post Hill Press and Simon and Schuster. It chronicles 50 DARES I did around the world before I turned 50 after my divorce.
You can find my adventures in 102 countries on 6 continents in my travel videos (over 2 million views on YouTube), in my writing for places from AARP to WIRED, and see my awards for my digital, print, podcast and broadcast television content and on my social media platforms.
Please contact me with any questions and see more about me in the resources below. Thank you and Safe Travels!
Many people tell me: "but I am not a good writer" as a reason for why they cannot make their travel dreams come true. However, they send me many text messages, write lengthy Facebook or Instagram captions and long emails about one issue or another.
Just like listening to an audiobook is reading, all of these forms of communication are writing.
Most travel articles are between 500-800 words.
Count up your last email or several of your social media captions.
You are already probably writing more than that.
On my site, We Said Go Travel, which started in 2010, I have held multiple writing and photo contests. In working with over 2500 content creators from 75 countries, I have learned that most people have more skills than they give themselves credit for. Believe you can do it!
The hardest part of writing is just getting started.
I learned about the Pomodoro technique in UPOD ACADEMY with David Hochman.
Just focus on one task for 18 minutes, turn everything else off and do one thing.
The lessons for this course will be digestible and help you find your path to being a travel content creator.
Think about your favorite travel book or article. Re-read a few passages and the descriptions of the location or activity. Imagine where you want to go next.
You do not have to leave home to write your first travel story. You can write about somewhere you went on vacation or an outing near home to the pumpkin patch, a new restaurant or the farmer's market. Think of a place that engaged all your senses. One year I made a goal to go to one museum a month in my home city of Los Angeles. When I travel, I always go to museums but I do not always focus on making them a priority at home.
Your assignment is to write a story about a place you have already been. Look at your photos to remind you of how it looked, think about how you felt as you walked into the location, what did you see, smell, taste? If you do not have photos, start thinking about what you could capture on your next outing. Look online for photos of the place you went and what stands out.
You can write your article as a photo essay. Pick five photos and write long captions like you might use on social media. If each photo has 100 words about it--you will be close to the goal of 500-800 words. (This paragraph and the one above are 113 words.)
Remember that there are many styles of writing. I have written a travel memoir, articles for a wide range of publications both online and print and also focus on video. You can write short happy pieces, lists of the restaurants you went to and the places you stayed, personal essay about what you learned from an adventure. The more you write, the more you will find your voice and personal style.
EXTRA CREDIT: Make a plan to publish an article every month on your birthday. My birthday is Oct 18. So by the 18th of every month publish something. By the end of a year, you will have 12 stories live. Once you get started, each step gets easier. I have been reading Seth Godin's blog posts for years. When I was starting over after my divorce, his advice that Artists ship was a mantra for me. If you never publish, no one can find your art or your work or you. See below in resources for a PDF of his Ship It Journal for further inspiration. I also recommend his books.
Where can you publish? You can start your own website on blogger, wix, weebly. You can post on tumbler, Facebook, Instagram. You can have your own substack. You can share your reviews on travel sites like TripAdvisor, Booking or Expedia. The most important recommendation I have in the beginning is do not spend money. I have seen people spend hundreds of dollars on hosting and a logo and then realize they do not like keeping up with their own site and would rather publish on someone else's.
When I was backpacking for 11 months in Asia, I sent newsletters back every month to my elementary school students. They loved to hear about my adventures and see photos. When I returned, the blogging revolution has begun and I started We Said Go Travel in 2010 on blogger because it was free and I did not need a new password.
I wanted to grow as a writer so I searched for conferences and classes. I highly recommend you go to a conference to meet other content creators, sponsoring destinations and Travel PR professionals! I ran a Los Angeles event for Meet Plan Go when I was back from traveling and made the best contacts.
WORKSHOPS & CLASSES:
UPOD ACADEMY David Hochman has many interviews with editors, literary agents and runs weekend workshops. This group changed my writing career. Many of my published articles came from leads from David and this group.
Susan Shapiro pitch class- her I took Susan's class in the Fall of 2023 before my book came out and sold three stories to The Zoe Report , Wired and the Los Angeles Times.
Nina Ruggiero's Be A Travel Writer
Amanda Castleman: Write like a Honey Badger
Writing is one part of being a travel journalist. Connecting with editors and PR teams is also crucial.
Whether you believe you can or can't, you are usually right.
If you want to travel more, I hope to help you find ways to make it happen.
Whether we say travel writer, travel content creator, or traveler, most of us want to share our incredible experiences by writing, video, social media or a book.
I have found that using the "F" word --which of course is FLEXIBLE has helped my travels and my content creation. I am not always sure if my work is good enough. You may find this also.
If you are consistent in publishing your content, follow-up, put yourself out there and be kind, things will start to HAPPEN for you.
I love this story from Seth Godin:
The wrong bus
Your first mistake was getting on the A53 bus,
the one that goes crosstown instead of to where you're going.
Mistakes like this happen all the time.
The big mistake, though, the one that will cost you, is staying on that bus.
I know it wasn't easy to get on the bus. I know you got a seat. I know it's getting dark outside.
But you're on the wrong bus, and staying on the wrong bus won't make it the right bus.
If you really want to get where you set out to go, you're going to have to get off the wrong bus.
Sometimes we have to begin again.
A new article. leaving a marriage. starting a new job.
Sometimes we have to get off the bus.
Sometimes our fight is delayed.
Sometimes we think we cannot figure it out.
I believe you can share your stories.
I know you can be a published travel writer.
Do not give up.....I believe in YOU! You can travel more, write more, get published.
When I worked on cruise ships, I used to be invited out on special excursions with the photography team. They would give me film for my camera, develop it for me and gave me pointers on how to make my photos better. I went on helicopters in Alaska, walked with penguins in the Falkland Islands and strolled through Versailles in France and Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg.
From the photographers, I learned about the rule of 3rds and finding the light. The camera in your phone is now so powerful that many TV shows and films are shot on iPhone. The most important thing about taking photos is that you like them. Make sure that you are in some of your photos. Take photos from different angles. Get down lower to the ground and take photos from high up. Experiment. Take more photos than you could ever use. I even shoot into the sun.
I give you permission to take bad photos and good photos and choose ones that make you happy. The way to get better at writing is to write and keep writing and keep reading. The same is true for photos. The other great thing about photos is you can with credit use other people's photos. I generally only use my own photos but there are times when due to weather or a short stay where I need help. If you are staying at a hotel, you can use a photo from their website or social media and credit them. The day I walked around the top of the CN Tower, it was raining. They go no matter the weather unless there is lightening. So they sent me photos from a sunny cloudless day to use.
The main thing about the rules is that right now you can make your own rules. When you are starting out as a writer or content creator, if you build your own site, like I built We Said Go Travel, you have total control. When you work with a larger brand or magazine or platform, they might tell you that you need only horizontal photos or that the photos have to be without people, but in the beginning, when you are starting out, the most important thing is simply to keep going.
In fact, some of my editors have used my photos in my articles for Smithsonian Magazine and Travel & Leisure but for my 2024 print story for Pasadena Magazine they used photos from Royal Caribbean. It is great to invest in yourself and your education and learn to be a better photographer. The point I want to make is you do not have to be the best at every skill to get started. It is more important to get started and learn along the way. Practice makes progress.
There are so many ways to travel--I lived in Israel for a semester of study abroad in college, I worked in the Bahamas and Colorado for Club Med and I traveled to six continents while working on cruise ships. All that time, I was taking photos. I was asking questions. I looked at other people's photos and saw what I liked. I stood in the spot where they took their photo and then turned around or got lower to the ground or climbed up higher. EXPERIMENT! PLAY! HAVE FUN! Take more photos.
Especially for parents---make sure you stop! and ask someone to take a photo with you in it. I always took photos of my sister when I was with her. Most of her photos are of her kids but not so many have her in them. Another GREAT TIP for traveling and photos--check out Flytographer as they say "Hire an amazing local photographer, anywhere in the world. Enter your destination, choose your photographer – we’ll take care of the rest!" We have used them many times and I know other travel journalists who have also. As much as everyone is now a photographer, there are times when you really do need to choose a professional. Another similar brand is Localgrapher.
Whether you travel with a friend or family member who takes the photos, you take them yourself, borrow from the hotel or hire a professional, you must have photos in your travel articles. It is true that a photo is worth 1000 words.
Assignment: Take a photo from the same spot at different times of day and from different heights. Take a dozen. Try out all the different lenses on your phone or camera.
Extra Credit: Ask someone younger than you what all the buttons do. Ask someone who loves photography to spend 10 minutes showing you how they would take a photo at your favorite cafe or on a hike. Offer to buy them lunch or coffee or pay for their museum ticket. Tell them you want to improve.
Take a book out of the library about cameras and lenses and angles. Read several online articles about photography outside or at night or in a restaurant. But mostly---take more photos. For my travel content, I rarely edit my photos. I like what I take. I do not shoot in raw or use lightroom. There are many ways to take and edit photos -- find what you like and what works best for you.
I traveled to Taiwan in 2010 with a used cisco Flip video camera that cost me $50 on eBay. It was small and it only had one red button. It turned on and off. There was no zoom. A friend had suggested that I start filming so I did. When I came back from my trip, I said to one of my elementary school science classes. I have all these videos but I do not know how to make a movie,
When my book came out in Sept 2023, I sent a message to my 5th grade student who had stayed in one day to teach me iMovie. At that point, I have over two million views on my YouTube channel. I would never have gotten started without my lesson from her.
Several years ago I was the keynote at a travel conference talking about how to get started in video. You can watch that talk from the 2021 Southern Travelers Explore Conference in the resources. One of the most important things about filming video is to keep the camera steady. If you are moving up and down, your viewers may start to feel a bit seasick.
I have used iMovie to edit my videos for years. I did take multiple classes on other editing software including Final Cut and Adobe Rush and Acrobat. After trying all the platforms, I chose to keep using iMovie. I highly recommend taking free classes at the Apple store. You can sign up for photo and video editing and so much more. If you are using an iPhone, it is a fantastic way to learn more. Most camera stores and many photographers offer classes and trips with lessons for better photos. I highly recommend you invest in yourself and your education.
When I am walking around a hotel or destination, I take video and photos all day long. The biggest issue I have is to make sure I have enough battery to keep going. Make sure to bring a battery charger and power bank. When you are traveling internationally, check what kind of electrical plugs they use and bring an adaptor.
I used to have an issue about storage since video files take up more space. I used to download each day of photos and video onto a hard drive so that I had space on my phone to take more the next day and in case anything happened to my phone I had a backup. Sometimes I still do this. Mostly I trust that the photos are backed up in iCloud and to my laptop. If I am somewhere remote or without wifi, I do back up each day.
TOP TIPS:
Before you leave home, make sure you have enough space on your camera, SD card or phone for all your video files.
Carry an external drive but practice transferring the files at home. At one point, I had a Mac computer but a Nokia phone. It was very challenging to be in two universes and I had to use special software to make them talk to each other. Now I have an iPhone and they communicate well.
ABC: Always Be Charging! Bring your battery charger, power bank and adaptor
Be Ready. Keep shooting and try different settings
Consider traveling with a small tripod so you can selfie film yourself. You can almost always set your phone on a ledge or table or books in the beginning. As you film more, you may want special equipment like a gimble, tripod or drone.
When I first started making videos, all movies were horizontal. After some time, new apps came along which eventually lead to TikTok becoming a major player of short vertical videos. For as long as possible, I rejected considering the new trend and kept saying I am a YouTuber and I film horizontal.
During COVID, I worked with a developmental editor on my book and signed with an agent. One of the first workshops he suggested was about social media and TikTok. The author who gave the workshop encouraged all of us to consider TikTok as a way to sell books.
Everyone had a reason why they wanted to refuse from being too old, not good with tech or not pretty enough to be on camera. I was at the DEMA Scuba diving conference in Las Vegas and agreed to accept one day of the challenge which was to make 5 videos a day for 30 days.
I walked around the conference and filmed the different booths with my friends and even met someone who not only taught me a TikTok dance but he also gave me a lesson in the app. You can see those early videos in the resource section.
It went so well and I had so much fun and so many views, I agreed to do one more day. I ended up making 5 videos a day for 90 days. Soon after that, my agent called that my memoir had an offer from a publisher! You never know what can happen if you just start.
At this point, I think the best and easiest entry into video is through reels on social media. We will talk about more about the seven social media platforms where I publish my reels in the next module. I want to share a bit more about how I create my reels.
After the scuba conference, I interviewed my college friend's tween children. I had learned iMovie from a 5th grader so it seemed fitting to learn reels from other elementary school children. I highly recommend you ask someone for help to learn to make a reel. It was much easier for me to watch someone do it and try it than to learn in any other way which button or thing to click on.
I film many 10 second clips and I use those for my reels. When I first started reels were mostly 20 seconds long and all vertical. Now TikTok takes single photos, multiple photos and horizontal videos. I recommend you pick the photos or videos you want and let TikTok edit for you. I generally change the music but I think the robots do a decent job editing.
ASSIGNMENT:
if you are not on TikTok, join TikTok and make your first reel--let the robots edit. You can use photos and video from your phone. You can post the reel as private if you do not want to publish the reel to the general public if it has your house or your kids. You can take video at your next meal at home or out to dinner. The content doesn't matter as much as getting started.
If you only use photos, it will make a slideshow. You can add any video and it will turn it into a reel and you can edit that video out before you publish.
Do not worry much right now about hashtags or tagging accounts. Just make one reel.
EXTRA CREDIT:
If you want to use the reel from TikTok on other social media platforms like I do, you can use several steps to remove the watermark and meta data that I learned in my first workshop that I mentioned earlier. In all honestly, when Rachel gave the workshop, I wrote down what she said but it meant nothing to me at the time. It felt like a foreign language.
Open Tik Tok app on your phone/or Web on your browser.
Choose whatever video you want to download.
Click to the Share button at the right bottom.
Click the Copy Link button
Go to SnapTik.App and paste your download link to the field above then click to the Download button
Click on open in Metapho
Click share without metadata
Save the video to your device.
Now you have the video to use on other platforms without the watermark.
Again--I did not get it the first time or probably even the fifth time. She showed it once. I tried to figure it out. I googled and tried again and again. I asked for help. It sometimes feels very uncomfortable to learn something new. YOU CAN DO IT!! Trust me. I figured it out and you can too!
You can use social media to enhance your travel writing career. Social media has played a huge role in my journey as a travel writer, helping me reach a global audience, engage with readers, and build my personal brand.
But you might be wondering: Do I have to post on social media? Which platforms should I use? How often should I post?
Do I Have to Post on Social Media?
While it's not absolutely necessary to post on social media to be a successful travel writer, I can tell you from personal experience that it can make a world of difference. Social media platforms offer incredible opportunities to:
Share Your Content: Posting your travel stories, photos, and videos on social media can drive more traffic to your blog or website and help an editor find you.
Engage with Your Audience: Social media allows for interaction with your readers, helping to create a sense of community. I do not usually post while I am in a location. I had issues in one destination where a reader said they knew my hotel and were going to come find me. People may tell you that you have to INSTA-post but I am an example of insta-LATER!
Build Your Brand: Consistent posting and engagement can help establish your voice and brand as a travel writer.
Network with Industry Professionals: Platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are fantastic for connecting with other writers, editors, and travel industry professionals.
Which Platforms Should I Use?
Choosing the right social media platforms depends on your audience and the type of content you create. Here’s a quick overview of some popular platforms and why they might be right for you:
Instagram: Perfect for sharing beautiful photos and short videos. Many travelers use Instagram Stories and Reels to give followers a behind-the-scenes with content that they do not keep on their main grid.
Facebook: Great for sharing longer posts, articles, and a mix of media. Facebook Groups are also a treasure trove for networking and finding like-minded travel enthusiasts.
X or Twitter: Ideal for quick updates, sharing links, and engaging in conversations with a broad audience. X can also be a good place for networking with industry professionals.
YouTube: While originally focused on longer videos, they now also want shorts or reels. YouTube is a powerful platform for video content and can help you reach a wide audience. They are the second largest search engine after Google.
Pinterest: Fantastic for sharing visually appealing content, especially photos and infographics. It’s also a great way to drive traffic to your blog or website. Pinterest now also allows video posts or reels.
LinkedIn: Best known for professional networking, sharing articles, and connecting with other travel industry professionals, it is another social media network where I post my reels.
TikTok: It’s a super platform for showcasing quick travel tips, fun moments, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your adventures. At first, they were focused on 20 second vertical reels, but now they also want photos, reels longer than one minute and now also support horizontal reels.
How Often Should I Post?
There is no one right answer. It is important to be consistent. When I started my website in 2010, there were not many social media platforms. As each one appeared, I joined. My plan now is that I post the same exact reel to all 7 social media platforms listed above. You need to do what works for you. Maybe you post once a week or once a month in the beginning. Maybe you do a TikTok challenge like I spoke about earlier with 5 reels a day for 30 or in my case 90 days.
Tips for Effective Social Media Posting
Quality Over Quantity: It’s better to post high-quality, engaging content less frequently than to post low-quality content often.
Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, ask questions, and create a community around your content.
Use Hashtags and Tags: Relevant hashtags and tagging can increase the visibility of your posts.
Analyze and Adjust: Use the analytics tools provided by the platforms to see what works and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Social media can be a powerful tool for travel writers, enhancing your ability to share your stories, engage with your audience, and build your brand. Leveraging social media effectively can open up new opportunities and help you grow as a travel writer. Choose the platforms that best suit your content and audience, and post consistently to make the most of your social media presence. Ready to start sharing your adventures with the world? Let’s get posting!
The most important thing is to start. There is a proverb that says: "“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” There will always be someone with more followers, likes and posts than you. There will always be someone smaller. The best time is now.
My challenge to you is to join a new platform and post once a week for a month. See how it goes. Remember you can use the same content on multiple platforms.
In this social media section, I want to introduce you to with Aliza Licht, who wrote both: Leave Your Mark and On Brand.
Licht tells us:
"It’s never too late to start over. We hear stories all the time of people later in life going back to school for something completely new and different...You get one life, but many chances.”
Both of Aliza's books train you to be a publicist for YOURSELF! I learned so much from reading them. I changed my social media bios immediately after reading her suggestions. Her actionable steps helped me so much. Remember, no one will care about your book, your project, your job as much as YOU do --so learn to be the best Chief Brand Office of YOU that you can!
You can be on every platform or only one or two. I think it is important to own your name on each platform so that no one else can post as your name.
While each platform may have a different focus or audience, they are always changing their algorithms. I do not spend my time worrying about keeping up with their latest evolution. I post consistently. I focus on doing my best. Some people will see the posts. Some won't. I keep sharing good stories. I post quality content.
LESSONS FROM ALIZA:
"Personal branding is not about becoming famous. In fact, that’s the least it’s about. Personal branding is about self-reflection and ultimately outward presentation. Personal branding is about identifying the best version of you and striving toward achieving and communicating that every day. If you think like a publicist, you will be conscious about how others perceive your message and you will be able to fix that perception as needed. Being conscious of your personal brand will allow you to perform better in every area of your life, no matter what you do.
Every day gives you an opportunity to reimagine yourself differently. If you are brave enough to really look at yourself with eyes wide open, you will be all the better for it. There is no right answer here. The closest you will get is being happy and proud in your own skin and to me, that’s worth a hell of a lot. What you do with your personal brand depends on you. How hard do you want to work on it and how committed are you to shaping it? The answer had better be “very,” because no one is going to do the work for you. You are your best PR person."
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