The 4-Week Travel Writer

Course Details

Travel the world and get paid for it? Yes, it's true! Whether a long weekend in Mendocino or a long walk across Nepal, there's a market out there for your stories, and a proven path that successful travel writers follow. In this hands-on, interactive 4-week course, you'll learn how to grow your freelance writing career by mastering one of its most adaptable, engaging genres: travel. Travel writing is a conduit to many parallel genres, from food to art, politics to technology, and the skills and experience you'll gain covering travel can be applied to all your writings.

In class one, we'll fully assess the travel writing market (magazines and newspapers, guidebooks and more) and set individual writing agendas for the duration of class. In following weeks we'll reveal the inner workings of the field, showing how travel editors think and what they want from their writers. We'll diagram the many different styles of travel writing, study the critical role of pitch letters, analyze key components to strong travel writing and show how and why you can use travel writing as a springboard to other genres. Throughout class we'll extensively workshop your pitches and articles, and you'll graduate with a series of solid pieces ready for you to sell. So pack your bags for the glamorous life, whether that's poolside mai tais at boutique hotels or chicken-packed buses bouncing along Andean backroads.

In this class, you can expect to learn:

• The basics of journalism
• Rules of reporting, interviewing, finding sources and local color, writing, and editing
• What kinds of stories make good journalism
• How anyone can break into travel writing, and road-tested ways to get started
• What travel editors look for, and how to get them to notice you
• Where to find story ideas in any place, and how to pitch them successfully
• Which specific tools and skills will help you sell your work more
• What to do when you get to your destination
• How to negotiate your assigning editor to compensate you for travel (eventually!)
• How to turn one trip into dozens of sellable story ideas
• Where to pitch travel articles besides travel publications
• Ways to sell, resell, and resell your pieces again

By the end of class, students can expect to have:
A complete understanding of journalism, from idea generation to interviewing to reporting to pitching to publishing. If you keep up with the work, you'll have one salable piece and a pitch letter to match (and the know-how to send them out!) by class' end.

Instructor Bio

Eric Hiss's Courses

Ten years, nearly 30 publications, and three passports later, Eric Hiss still regularly navigates the world in search of the perfect story. His credits include Angeleno, Conde Nast Traveler, Elite Traveler, Fade In, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles magazine, Men's Journal, Penthouse, Robb Report, Variety, Spa magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Westways, and Zink.

Testimonials

Eric didn't tell us how to write travel pieces -- he showed us. I couldn't imagine a better instructor. -- Anthony Page

"Eric's workshop is a good stepping stone on the path of good travel writing. He is experienced and knowledgeable and his class was a pleasure. I look forward to using his tips." -- Catherine Tinsley

"Eric's class had immediate, practical use for me. I learned a few tricks on how to write more effective queries and better articles. I also got pointers on sources of information and even what type of digital recorder to buy." -- Vickey Kalambakal

"Eric is a very knowledgeable and experienced travel writer. He took time to answer questions and speak to the level of the class. I would recommend the class to anyone considering either going into the trade full time or looking to complement their writing with travel writing." -- Ned Randolph

"Eric's class was very informative. We were given great resourses and handouts with good examples of travel writing." -- Nancy Emery Young

"Eric packed a lot into his course. He helped me see how to build on my work by selling stories to a wide variety of publications. I left bursting with enthusiasm and tons of ideas." -- Cherilyn Parsons

"Eric was highly competent, generous with information, and kept the pace moving along quickly. He was a great source and I highly recommend his class." -- Christina Adams

"Eric led an honest discussion with both humor and great information. Good stuff." -- Ryan Gray

"This class was so beneficial! He really explained what to write, how to write it, and what to do to start a career. Eric was great, using real-world examples and packing a lot of information into a very short time." -- Michelle Bain

"Eric is not only a seasoned travel writer, he's a dedicated teacher. He's thoughtful, generous with his time and advice, and keeps the class rolling at a good pace." -- Gregory Vogel

"Before Eric's class, I would become almost paralyzed when trying to write a query letter. Now, I feel I have the specific tools to pitch any magazine with confidence!" -- Melanie Waldman

"I enjoyed Eric's class and what he had to tell us. I appreciated the candid critique of my work." -- Dan McCrory

"Eric knows what's up in the travel writing industry. He puts it plain and straight about what a travel writer needs to do to stay afloat and fed." --Michael Lowe

"Eric packed a tremendous amount of insight and practical strategies into his course." -- Judith Herman

"Eric knows his subject well and teaches with panache. He took care to address individual questions and concerns." -- Anjali Amit