An introduction to travel writing

Tutor: Tina Walsh 

Max participants: 8

Duration: 10 weeks

Suitable for: unpublished travel writers (and those who have a little experience) who want to learn how to write travel features and sell them to newspapers, magazines and websites.

Course Syllabus:

Week 1 How to get started as a travel writer.
Is travel writing for you and do you give up the day job? The current state of the industry.

Week 2 : How to get editors to notice you and who to target 
Entering competitions. Should you write for free? Where to look for inspiration. Looking beyond the UK. 

Week 3. Finding an angle for your story. Examples of the good, the bad and the ugly. From the horse’s mouth: what travel editors are looking for and what they’re not. The importance of cuttings.

Week 4 Where to find ideas. Developing relationships with travel PRs.

Week 5  How to write an introduction. Developing a specialism. Writing to a brief.

Week 6 Avoiding blandness and travel 'brochurese'  Essential grammar. Editing your story.

Week 7. Developing and structuring your story, introducing local ‘colour’ and quotes. Taking photos. Interviewing people.

Week 8. Coping with rejection, when to chase editors you’ve pitched to, when to leave alone. Further reading.

Course to include:  one lesson per week with exercises, reading list, feedback on work and full critique of a piece of work at the end of the course, plus help with pitching. Students will be encouraged to share their work and comments with others on the course.

For more information and start dates email