Travel Writing Curriculum
Photo: Ian MacKenzieWe start at the beginning–the history of travel writing, how it evolved over the 20th century, and today’s innovations and opportunities. From there we examine the the linguistic and narrative elements of nonfiction writing, and how to develop your own original storytelling voice.
Later chapters take you step by step through pitching stories to editors, developing a “publication mindset,” refining your niche and personal brand, using social media to increase your readership, monetizing your blog, and finally, putting everything together so that you can live off of travel and writing.
Course Modules
1. Travel Writing: From Ancient Origins to Today’s Opportunities
- A Short History Of Travel Writing
- Enter the “Professional Travel Writer”
- Opportunities (Both On & Offline)
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
2. Understanding the Structure and Techniques of Travel Writing
- Introduction To Travel Writing Forms
- Opening: Five Compelling Beginnings
- The Middle Section
- Conclusions That Lead To New Directions
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
3. How to Bring Your Storytelling Voice to Life
- Characters
- Using Diaglogue
- Illuminating Details and Anecdotes
- Descriptions: Using All Your Senses and Balancing Showing vs Telling
- Avoiding Clichés and Working With Pacing
- Making Your Verbs Act & Your Words Count
- Rewriting and Self-Editing
- Writing from Your Original Voice
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
4. Story Forms and How They Fit in Travel Writing Markets
- Destination Stories
- Reviews, Q&A’s, and Infographics
- Travel Blogging
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
5. How to Research, Plan, and Prepare for a Paid Writing Assignment
- Three Lessons to Learn Before Pitching Any Story to an Editor
- Focusing Your Pitch and Story
- Researching Your Story – Before, During, and After Your Trip
- Focusing Your Story as you Write
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
6. Developing a Publication Mindset by Thinking Like an Editor
- Understanding how the Publishing Industry is Evolving
- Getting a Publication Mindset
- Essential Skills and Tactics for Pitching
- How to Present Yourself in a Professional Way
- Three Successful Pitches and Why They Worked
- Getting the Most Out of Matador Market Leads
- The Fine Print: A Final Note on Publishing Vs. Self-Publishing, Money, and Legal Matters
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
7. Myths vs. Realities: 9 Things You Need to Make Travel Writing Your Career
- The Main Qualities
- Matador Success Stories: The Glamor versus the Hard Work
- In-House Versus Freelancing and How to Deal with Burnout
- Straight Talk About Earnings
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
8. Press Trips, Guidebooks, and Other Projects: Managing Paid Assignments for Maximum Productivity
- Introduction to Guidebooks and Press Trips
- What It Takes to Be a Guidebook Writer or Go on a Press Trip
- Approaching a Publisher
- Everything You Need to Know About Press Trips
- Example of a Successful “Letter of Interest / Application”
- A Press Trip Report
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
9. Building and Keeping an Audience Online by Mastering Social Media
- What is Social Media?
- Tacklng Twitter And Attracting Followers
- Analytics, Alexa Rankings, and Number Crunching
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
10. How to Capitalize on New Media, SEO, and Ads to Monetize your Blog and Pay for Your Travels
- Monetizing Your Blog & Why You Should Avoid Google Adsense
- How to Sell Your Own Ads
- 8 Steps to Building a Profitable Blog that Funds Your Travels
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
11. A Travel Writer’s Tools for Writing, Editing, Audio, and Video
- Your Trusty Journal
- Travel Photography- Selling More Than Just Your Words
- The A-B-C-D-E of Travel Photography
- Shooting Video and Adding it to Your Blog
- The Digital Audio Recorder: Your Best Friend for Conducting Interviews
- Which Laptop Works Best for Travel Writers?
- Podcasting: What You Need for Recording and Editing in the Field
- Securing Your Gear
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
12. Living the Dream: How to Launch, Sustain, and Advance Your Travel Writing Career for the Long Term
- Overview: Putting it All Together and Making The Leap
- Couchsurfing / Volunteering: How to Extend Your Travel Time
- Managing Mail, Taxes, Finances, and Healthcare On the Road
- Assignment & Recommended Reading
Post-Course
- Alumni Resources
Next steps:
- Pricing - Review what you get with your enrollment.
- Register Now - Get instant access to your first lesson and the student forums.
“It was the best thing I could’ve done. The tuition and support is amazing, and it’s given me lots of confidence in my ability to write.”
“Thank you so much for helping me focus on writing and making this dream come true. Since I started this course, 3 articles have been published on a regional magazine and more will be in the near future. They also asked for a permanent collaboration!”
“The skills I developed at Matador allowed me to build and launch my own website, NomadicMatt.com and now I literally live off the income generated from my site.”
“When you land your first assignment, your editor is not going to explain to you what to do. This course prepares you for that first assignment and writing the pitch letter that will get you there. ”
“The MatadorU Travel Writing Course is an incredible way to make connections. I have befriended both students and editors from all over the world.”
“Matador definitely knows what they’re doing and in this course they literally give you a playbook to make it happen yourself.”