This is an episode of Inside Travel Writing that I was reluctant to record - it's all about AI.

But actually, I realised I have a lot to say 😅

In this episode I'm sharing my honest thoughts about AI and travel writing, including:

• The real reason why I think travel writers are using AI
• The general 'vibe' from publications and editors about AI
• Why I don't think it matters if editors have AI detectors or not
• One question that I think is really helpful to ask yourself about your travel writing and AI usage
• The ultimate advantage when it comes to travel writing

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For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

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Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

As much as some of us may like to be full-time travel writers, for most of us, it's just not practical.

But the good news is that you could travel one weekend every two months (or barely travel at all right now) and still be building a genuine travel writing career.

In this episode, I'm sharing how to make part time travel writing work for you - including the story of the pitch that taught me the hard way what NOT to pitch and the initial travel story that actually got me published when I was a very very part-time writer.

In this episode:

• Why "I don't travel enough" is not a travel problem (I'll explain!)
• The pitches I sent early in my career and why they went nowhere
• A new story spin I recently sold to a glossy travel mag that I meant I didn't have to travel - at all
• How to turn a handful of small, ordinary things into one strong pitch
• Why your niche knowledge is a real advantage over full-time travellers

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

You've got a story. You've done the research. You've even downloaded the submission guidelines. So why does finding the right home for your pitch still feel like throwing darts in the dark?

In this episode, I'm digging into the single biggest mistake I see travel writers make when it comes to matching a story to a publication.

In this episode:

• Why downloading guidelines and skimming a website for an hour isn't enough
• The real difference between how print and online sections work - and why that trips so many writers up
• How to read a publication like a map
• My cheat sheet system for staying familiar with the outlets I pitch
• Why you only need 4-6 publications to build a real pitching strategy (not 300)
• What to do when a publication has no submission guidelines at all

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

This week on Inside Travel Writing, I answer a question that came up in one of my communities recently - a writer whose accommodation request had just been accepted for a hosted stay, came in to the community and asked what she called a "silly question." It wasn't silly at all, and it's one almost every travel writer wonders about.

In this episode, I walk you through the full arc of a solo hosted trip - the conversations to have before you go, exactly what to say (and not say) when you arrive somewhere and no one seems to know who you are, and the follow-up that determines whether a PR ever invites you back.

I also talk about the $500 'expected' gratuity that meant I almost walked away from a career-highlight trip, and one thing that I travel with on every single solo hosted press trip.

Want more travel writing content? Sign up to get weekly email newsletters all about travel writing here.

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review 🙏🏻

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

The first sentence of a travel story can take me hours. Sometimes days. But once I find it, the rest flows.

If you're getting stuck on beginnings, you're definitely not alone. This week I'm sharing five of my favourite ways to open a travel piece, with real examples from published stories (including a couple of my own) that show exactly how each one works.

We cover dialogue, foreshadowing, immersive scene-setting, the informational opening, and the action drop - and why the best openings across all five types share one thing in common that most writers don't think about.

Articles mentioned in this episode (where there are online versions):

Ecuador: the hothouse heart of the jungle

Vegan food adventure across India

Why this hidden oasis is the coolest luxury destination right now

Au Train de Vie: That voice you hear when travelling

Me, myself and Kii

This plane wreck in a remote part of WA is like a scene from Lost

Explore magical, mysterious Mungo National Park

Transylvania's last mushroom hat artisans fight to save their art

The moment a grizzly stopped hunting fish... and noticed me

Want more travel writing content? Sign up to get weekly email newsletters all about travel writing here.

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review 🙏🏻

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

This week I'm breaking down something almost nobody talks about: why your email subject lines might be the real reason editors aren't replying to your pitches (or even opening them).

I'm sharing the exact subject line formulas I use (including one that took multiple rewrites before it finally landed a commission), the difference between a subject line and a headline that almost every writer gets wrong, and how to tell whether your subject lines are the problem in the first place.

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review 🙏🏻

Sign up to get weekly email newsletters all about travel writing here.

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram.

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

This week I'm joined by Fiona Tapp, award-winning travel writer, editor, and my co-coach inside The Travel Writer Accelerator.

Fiona is a Londoner who's been based in Ottawa, Canada for 20 years, which makes her the perfect person to unpack exactly how press trips and pitching work differently on each side of the world.

We get into all of it, including:

• Why Australian writers are expected to confirm commissions before they say yes to a trip (and how to handle it when you can't)
• Why North American writers almost never pitch before a trip and what editors actually want instead
• The document Fiona sends PRs who push back on her - and why it works every time
• The unspoken triangle between writers, editors and PRs (and why the press trip is almost treated like a secret in North America)
• How many stories a good freelancer should realistically expect to place from a single trip, and what's changed in the PR world post-COVID and what it means for your relationships with PRs.

Plus: payment terms and the hidden costs of press trips

🎓 Fiona and I work together helping writers land regular travel writing commissions inside The Travel Writer Accelerator — find out more here

Love the show? Please share the love with a fellow writer or leave a review 🙏🏻

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy

From Silence to National Geographic and BBC Travel: Jade Raykovski's Travel Writing Breakthrough

For years, Jade Raykovski pitched without seeing much success.

Rejections, when she got them, were rare - mostly she heard nothing at all.

Then something shifted, and in a relatively short space of time, Jade went from wondering if travel writing was ever going to happen for her to landing commissions with National Geographic, BBC Travel, and a growing list of other publications.

In this episode, we unpack exactly how that happened.

We talk about:

• How a seven-week solo trip to Europe, taken just days after Jade quit her job, turned into 10+ commissioned articles
• The moment a small mention of a local festival in a pitch became the seed for a National Geographic commission
• How a rejection on one story idea led to a BBC Travel commission on the same idea — and what changed in between
• What it actually feels like opening an email from a major publication's editor

If Jade's story resonated with you and you'd like support building this kind of momentum in your own travel writing, applications for The Travel Writer Accelerator (TWA) are open now. Apply here to join The Travel Writer Accelerator

Love the show? Share it with a fellow writer or leave a review!

For more resources, visit www.thefreelancersyear.com

Let's connect! Come say hi on Instagram: @thefreelancersyear

Happy writing + travelling! - Lindy