A common question we receive at Hotels Above Par is, “How can I become a travel writer, too?”
And while our past answers have centered around “pitch, pitch, pitch,” we have a new recommendation that usurps any slice of general advice we’ve provided prior. Meet Be a Travel Writer: a new-age comprehensive course packed with insider tips to help aspiring writers break into the travel industry, all led under the direction of top-tier editors Stacey Leasca and Nina Ruggiero.
Stacey — an award-winning USC journalism professor, Ph.D. candidate, and contributing editor to Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine — plus Nina — Travel + Leisure’s Digital Editorial Director — bring over 30 years of combined experience to the table.
The two have thoughtfully blueprinted a course covering all the need-to-know techniques and skills to propel into the travel media realm. Each session of the eight-class course features a new expert guest who’s knee-deep in the industry. You will learn how to write feature stories with veteran travel writer & former Us Weekly Editor Rachel Chang; how to craft the perfect pitch email and when to strategically follow up with publications via the teachings of Men’s Health’s Executive Digital Editor Jordyn Taylor; find your beat with award-winning travel blogger, speaker, podcast host, and influencer, Jeff Jenkins; as well as delve into digital writing with HAP Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Brandon Berkson.
Also on the agenda are lessons on SEO punditry, growing a social media following, and working with publicists to responsibly land press trips.
Students taking the class will also be privy to a 1:1 coaching lesson with Stacey, closed-community discussions, and unending access to the course’s assemblage of videos and coursework.
“I deeply believe travel writing should be open to everyone, and with this course, I’m hoping those who’ve long dreamed of traveling the world to share stories of the people and places that make this planet unique can do just that,” Stacey says. “As a journalist and a journalism professor, I wanted to build this course to show you both how to write and how to grow a sustainable business as a writer. The course is everything you’d learn in school, plus all the practical stuff you wouldn’t. No more gatekeeping. It really is more than possible for anyone to enter this field who wants it.”
Want to sign up for Be a Travel Writer? For a limited time, click this link here to learn how you can sign up at a discount and win the chance to land a paid travel article published on Hotels Above Par.
