As a veteran traveler and a writer, I’m sometimes asked why I don’t write more about my trips. I have no short answer to that question. Too busy? Sometimes. Too tired after a trip? Often. Overwhelmed by those wonderful travel experiences? Perhaps.

Anyway, the question inspired me to think about travel writing in general. According to Wikipedia, travel writing is a broad category often associated with tourism (guide books), also including writing by missionaries, explorers, scientists, pilgrims, and immigrants.

I guess I’ve read all of the above, but now that many, many people travel and there are few, if any, unexplored places on this planet, what’s left except the frantic attempts to promote tourism and keep guide books up to date? Of course I advocate reading and writing and travel in general, so why have I never attempted to become a travel writer?

To get some answers, I referred to an Internet article, “The Seven Myths of Being a Travel
Writer,” by experienced travel writer Tim Leffel (see link below). Leffel refers to an advertisement that includes, “Launch your dream career as a travel writer today and get paid to travel the world.”

Like me, Leffel has doubts about this rosy picture. He points out that the odds of reaching the upper echelon of travel writers are daunting, and that if you do get there, “you’re still not making as much money as the lowest-paid bench warmer in the NBA.” Leffel goes on to reveal seven myths and what it takes to beat the odds. Here they are:

Myth #1: Travel writers make enough money to live on.

Teffel admits that his own freelance travel pieces earn him between $25 and $300 each. That seems a slow and tedious way to earn a living.

Myth #2: Editors are hungry for travel stories from new writers.

Taint so. “It’s like an audition for a movie part or tryouts for a pro sports team.”

Myth #3: A Destination is a story.

“Even remote corners of the globe are visited by more writers than we need . . . . Unless you’re going to be the first person landing on Mars, you’d better find a good story angle.”

Myth #4: Readers want to hear every detail about your personal experience.

No, they don’t generally care about “the minute details of [your] day—including digestive problems.” That’s journal writing.

Myth #5: Travel magazines love long stories.

No, readers tend to have short attention spans. The average magazine story length in the US is less than 500 words.

Myth #6: You write a story, you get paid, it soon gets published.

If a story gets published at all, it may not show up in print, or be paid for, for six months or a year.

Myth #7: All your expenses will be covered.

It rarely happens. Perhaps you’ll receive some freebies if you write a weekly travel column for a big Sunday newspaper, but don’t depend on it.

Leffel concludes, in part, “Being a travel writer, at least until you’re established, is 90 percent marketing, ten percent writing.”

Source: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/travel/travel_writing/seven_myths_of_being_a_travel_writer.shtml

I guess that explains why I’ve seldom tried to combine my interests in travel and writing. My basic advice for Seniors and Boomers is this: travel if and when you can, but don’t depend on writing travel books or articles to fund your trips.

But do write about your trips in your journal. Your friends and family may be interested. Both traveling and writing are rather personal activities, different for everyone. Do both for self-satisfaction and enjoyment, not for financial rewards or fame.

Happy traveling and happy writing!