Course Outline

The course material for MatadorU’s Travel Writing Program has been created, compiled, edited, by the team of editors at Matador Network.

The 12 chapters you’ll work through over the next three months contain elements ranging from the nuts and bolts of travel writing to insights and tutorials on social media and technology.

To get the most out of the course, we suggest you take full advantage of both reading and writing assignments as well as interacting with other students in the forums and push yourself to constantly learn more about technology and the Web.

If you do all of these things and you truly have the drive to create a career around travel writing, we’re confident you can and will succeed.

Course Outline

MatadorU is organized into 12 Chapters. Each chapter is self-contained, with its own lessons, plus assignments and recommended reading / resources.

The chapters have been designed not for a single usage, but to be revisited again and again. Even as your skills and experiences grow, the assignments will remain fresh and the resources will continue to be useful.

Each week you’ll gain access to one chapter which contains:

  • Lessons
  • Assignments
  • Recommended reading / resources

Reading

Before you learn to write you learn to read. It’s that simple. And if you want to write professionally you need to read what other pros have written. It’s not just about learning different voices and styles and methods of storytelling, but re-learning how to read like a travel writer.

You’ll find recommended reading at the end of each module. Whenever possible, we’ve tried to find resources available for free online.

Assignments

In addition to the lessons and recommended reading, each chapter ends with an assignment that reinforces the chapter’s main points and theme. Some of these assignments will be cumulative, building on each other over several week.

Each assignment should take approximately one hour.

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 and Next Steps

The Path To Success

Many of us at Matador are climbers. We like to use the analogy of climbing a peak to describe the process of reaching our goals and our dreams.

No matter what your vision is for becoming a professional travel writer, if you keep focused on the peak and keep climbing, you’ll get there.

Become a guidebook writer. Write a book. Start an empire of blogs.

No matter what direction you choose, make sure you HAVE some direction and you use this course to its maximum potential. If you do, it’ll be a road map to your success in this industry.

Next steps

  • Success Stories - Read about Matador Community members who have become successful travel writers.
  • Pricing - Find out exactly what you get at MatadorU’s Travel Writing Course, and for how much.
  • Register Now - Get instant access to your first lesson and the student forums.