Get Paid to Travel Like a VIP

In 2021, Travel Writers Face a “New World,” but the Changes Have Actually Made it Easier to Find Success... When, That Is, You Know the Right Strategies
This Summer, We’ll Show You What They Are...

Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing
Online Workshop · August 21-22, 2021

Dear Reader,

New Live, Online EventWouldn’t it be nice if you could head to a swank beach resort on the Caribbean, lounge by the pool, have drinks delivered on the beach, dine on local ceviche, go snorkeling, try out the spa—all for free—and then get paid to tell people about your experiences?

As a successful travel writer, you could do exactly that.

And that success is a lot easier to create than you may think—no experience necessary.

In fact, you can get all the tools you need to make it happen this summer—in two days flat.

If you’re ready to turn your wanderlust into paid-for travel perks... and your opinions into stories with your name at the top—I’d like to help you do it.

I’m talking about a way you could take your interests and experiences and transform them into a go-anywhere lifestyle filled with new discoveries and adventures...

You could enjoy the prestige and fun that comes with gaining VIP access to museum exhibits, hotels, breweries, tourist attractions, and more...

If you’re ready for travel invitations to land in your lap... and for editors to say “yes” to your story ideas and publish your articles with you name on top... then this deserves your attention.

Because as a travel writer, you could—

My name is Jennifer Stevens and for more than two decades I’ve been a travel editor and writer.

I’m the Executive Editor at International Living and the author of Great Escape Publishing’s Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program.

For 20 years, I’ve been successfully teaching folks like you how to turn interests and experiences into travel stories that sell, land bylines in all sorts of publications, and position themselves to receive those coveted offers of hospitality accomplished travel writers can enjoy.

I’d like to show you how it’s done, too.

Because right now is the best time in history to be a travel writer. (It’s curious, I know, given the mess the pandemic made of global travel. But it’s true.)

Let me explain...

A Revolution in the Travel Industry Has Created Massive Opportunity for You Today

A veritable revolution is underway today—not just in the way we travel, but in the way people seek out and digest travel intelligence and guidance.

It’s creating massive opportunity for travel writers right now. In all my years in this industry—I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

In the wake of the pandemic, of course, the way we travel has shifted—and there’s new opportunity to write and sell articles as a result of that.

We're seeing new trends in travel—like more domestic trips, outdoors activities, national and state parks, multi-generational get-togethers (with vaccines), house rentals instead of hotels, in-person dining, and more. You could write about any of those things.

Well-established locales are offering new “covid-compliant” experiences. But that means publications can no longer use old, evergreen coverage of places because so much has changed on the ground. So there’s great opportunity to revisit those spots and sell fresh stories.

But that’s just a small part of it.

Even before everything went sideways, we were already seeing a shift in how travel content is delivered and consumed.

And the trends have simply accelerated.

As a result, we’re seeing huge opportunities for not only established travel writers—but also for folks who’ve never written a travel article before.

It used to be that travel writers pitched stories to publications and those publications had limited page space and so the opportunities were, similarly, limited.

But these days, those same publications pay for travel content not only in their flagships, but for their websites, for social media, for eletters, and more.

Plus, plenty of publications have sprung up that live online only. And they, too, require stories for their website and for their eletters.

And consider that there are opportunities to get published not only in travel publications—but in the many spaces beyond that niche that publish travel content in addition to content about other subjects.

And it doesn’t stop there.

Social media is playing a huge role in the way people research and learn about their travel options today—and that’s creating interesting new opportunities for travel writers, as well.

And even as an independent writer—there’s a savvy way you can cash in on perks and start enjoying the fun of the “travel writers life” even if you don’t sell your stories to publications at all.

My point is that the world of travel writing is changing... has changed.

I would argue for the better in many ways—certainly from the standpoint of opportunity.

It’s not only broadened the possibilities for writers—in terms of the volume of travel stories needed today. But more importantly, it’s expanded the scope of what a travel story is, and who can tell that story.

You Could Reinvent Yourself—Just Like These Folks Did—and Start Getting Paid to Travel

Over the years, I’ve taught all sorts of folks who’d never written a travel article before how it’s done—teachers, accountants, photographers, nurses, architects. And today so many of them are getting paid to see the world and sell their stories. And you could be, too...

Tim, for instance, was a corporate recruiter based in Minneapolis, specializing in architecture and engineering. He’d never written a travel article in his life.

But he liked to travel. And he was tired of the cold Minnesota winters.

So he met up over a weekend with me and my team of travel writing experts. He learned the ropes, and today, he says, “I review 5-star resort amenities, discuss what flavor of rum mixes well with pineapple juice, and interview golf course professionals. These are all occupational hazards that I wouldn’t change for anything.”

In recent years, he’s gotten paid to travel to Costa Rica, Panama, Turks and Caicos, Los Cabos and the Riviera Maya in Mexico, and Great Exuma in the Bahamas—and along the way gotten lots of perks on the house, from rounds of golf to complimentary villa stays.

“My favorite types of articles focus on the Caribbean, golf, and writing about entrepreneurs,” Tim says. “A best-case scenario involves an article that combines all three. I got started travel writing by penning an article about a golf course in Turks and Caicos. I parlayed that article into subsequent pieces on the Caribbean.”

Then there’s Kurt. He was a chef and a real estate investor from Baltimore who’d, in his words, “burned out after the crash of 2008” and was looking for something new.

He loved to travel, but he didn’t have a budget to do as much of it as he wanted to. So, like Tim, he spent a few days with the same experts we’re gathering again this summer, and he put what he learned into practice.

Within seven months, he’d had nearly 40 articles published. And he’s enjoyed plenty of perks along the way...

“I landed a two-night stay in a boutique wine country cottage in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand’s North Island,” says Kurt.

“Then... I had two trips to Las Vegas that featured comped lodging, a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, and other free activities... [and] I bagged stays at three Colorado hotels. Two of them were expensive ski-in/ski-out Aspen favorites!”

They’re hardly the only ones who took the same secrets I’d like to share with you this August and turned them into freebies and published articles...

Take Noreen, a retired nurse from San Diego.

Though she enjoyed writing and was well-traveled, she’d never penned a travel article in her life. That changed after she took my weekend workshop.

In her first year of writing—part-time as she was still working—she got 47 articles published. By the second year, she had 150 under her belt. Today, she’s authored more than 500 articles.

Back in 2019, Noreen says, pre-pandemic, “I was privileged to be invited on 26 individual and group press trips, both national and international. Among the destinations were the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, Europe, Hawaii, plus several California coastal communities and wine regions.

“I was hosted by five-star resorts and wined and dined by top restaurants and wineries. I sailed, kayaked, paraglided, rafted, and even got to see The Rolling Stones in concert in their final world tour from a luxury box at the historic Pasadena Rose Bowl.”

As you might surmise, the pandemic put a wrench in her travel plans for 2020. But she’s already making up ground in 2021—not only has she sold lots of stories, but tourist board reps are, as she put it, “starting to throw out ‘feelers’ to see which writers are interested in their destinations.”

Discover Step-by-Step How to “Meet This Moment” and Set Yourself Up to Get Paid to Travel in 2021

The good news is: Seeing your name in print, selling your stories, landing freebies—those are things anybody—with the right guidance—can achieve.

You DON’T need a degree in journalism or a mastery of the English language to become a travel writer. I mean, you need to be able to put a sentence together—but you don’t have to be Hemingway.

You don't need a fancy laptop or lots of money.

What you DO need is curiosity, and an interest in seeing new places and meeting new people. You need to be willing to share an opinion about the experiences you have.

And you need a willingness to learn the techniques, tricks, and secrets the pros rely on to write the kinds of stories that editors want… and land the amazing perks just sitting there waiting for you to grab them.

You need the experts’ know-how and their strategies. And that’s what I’d like to share with you.

The opportunities for travel writers to get published and paid and to begin to travel with perks—are truly extraordinary today.

It’s like a whole “new world” for travel writers stepping out post-pandemic.

And this summer, I’d like to show you exactly how to navigate this “new world.”

With the Great Escape Publishing team, I’m bringing together new speakers, new contacts, and a new format, too.

It’s the only time in 2021 that we’ll gather our cadre of travel writing experts in one place at one time.

If you’re ready to explore the world as a VIP and get paid to share your stories about your adventures—then there’s no better or more efficient way to get the secrets you need to make it happen.

In the wake of the pandemic, there’s a veritable travel writing revolution underway.

We’re not living in or traveling around or writing about the same world that existed pre-COVID.

And while I know change can often feel disconcerting and disorienting, I want to show you how you can mine the significant opportunities this travel writing revolution is generating.

It’s actually easier now than ever to find success as a travel writer—but only if you understand the strategies that are working today.

And I’d like to show you what they are.

Join Us this August 21-22 Online
and Our Team of Seasoned Editors, Writers, and Travel Pros Will Show You the Ropes

If you’re intrigued by the idea of seeing your name in print... of turning an interest in writing into an income (no experience necessary)... of seeing the world like a VIP and getting paid to share your stories...

Then this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop is custom designed for you.

We’re committed to helping you network—to bringing you together with the folks who can help you take a giant step forward, fast.

So during the workshop, we’ve built in time for you to meet with editors who are looking for writers like you. You’ll have a chance to pick their brains, ask questions, even pitch your stories to them. And they’re all folks willing to pay new writers—if they have the right stories on offer.

And we’ve invited representatives from tourist boards and convention and visitors bureaus to join us too so you can speak with them directly, find out exactly how they work, what they’re looking for, and what it takes to benefit from the travel perks they often offer up to travel writers.

Plus we’ll show you what’s selling now, give you a story assignment, and then provide you personalized feedback on your article—so you can avoid the frustration of trial and error and improve and polish your writing much faster than you could on your own. It helps you to leap-frog ahead.

Whether you’re new to this travel writing idea and you’ve never written a story before—or you’ve already got a few bylines under your belt—this program is designed to push you up to the next level, fast.

Our overriding goal: accelerate your success and cut years off your learning curve.

That way, sooner than you imagine possible, you could be getting paid to travel and savoring the perks and VIP treatment in-the-know travel writers can enjoy.

Like JD, who was a sales rep for high-performance flooring before he got laid off and reinvented himself with our guidance. Today he spends part of the year on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, writing about all there is to do nearby and selling stories about his adventures. “I wouldn’t trade my remote-income lifestyle for anything!” he says.

Or take Barb, who was working in the cosmetic industry before she learned the inside scoop on travel writing from our experts and pivoted with great success. Not only does she have lots of bylines under her belt today, but she’s cashed in on all sorts of VIP perks, including tea for two at the Ritz in Paris. She says, “Travel writing has opened unimaginable doors... [and] changed the way I view the world.”

If they can do it—so can you. And this August 21-22, I’d like to prove it to you.

Please join me and my colleagues for our Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop and in two days flat, we’ll hand you all the tools you need to start enjoying a life full of travel.

I’ve structured this program to be practical—not theoretical—and that means everything you’ll learn will help get you that much closer to living a life where you’re truly engaged no matter where you go... a life where you’re learning new things and exploring new places and enjoying a real adventure.

And we’ll show you how you can make that true, even in these unprecedented times.

You’re Uniquely Qualified to Succeed

I’ve said already that anybody can learn the craft of travel writing. And I believe that’s true.

But I also believe you’re uniquely qualified to be a successful travel writer. I say that because...

First, if you’re typical of our readers—you have a bit of life experience under your belt, and that is immeasurably helpful when it comes to finding and telling interesting stories.

That’s because you’ve seen things. You have points of comparison. You can, in fact, make informed judgement calls about whether something really IS interesting or unique or underappreciated—or not.

You bring to any situation greater context than, say, a 21-year-old who’s just starting out. I’m not implying that a younger writer can’t make it.

I’m simply saying a more seasoned eye gives you an edge when it comes to spotting and telling stories that editors will want to buy.

In addition, one key to success as a travel writer comes with fostering relationships with those editors.

And chances are, you’re well practiced in communicating. That’s more important than you might think. You’re used to responding to emails. You’ve spent a lifetime earning a living at a j-o-b. So you understand how to sit down and meet a deadline and get things done. Those rather mundane skills actually give you a leg up when it comes to travel writing.

My point is: You’re already ahead of the game, and you haven’t even started yet...

Travel Writing Delivers Flexibility, Fun, and Income, too

One of the most powerful benefits of travel writing is that it’s extremely flexible. Once you understand the core tenets—and they’re not complicated—you can apply them to just about any place and anything.

Live in Iowa and like antiquing? Write about that.

You’ve been vacationing in Cape Cod every year for two decades and know the best clam shacks? Write about that.

You live in California and you like to surf? Write about that.

So many outlets exist where you can get your stories published, there’s almost no end to the possible topics you can focus on.

You can go at travel writing full time if you like—one source says the average annual pay for a full-time travel writer is $73,000.

I have no doubt some people are earning that much—and more. But my guess is those people are working a lot! Maybe you aspire to do that. And if so, good for you.

But to my mind, the best way to think of travel writing is as a lifestyle choice. Yes, you can (and should) get paid for your stories—and at our upcoming online workshop, we’ll introduce you to a bunch of editors who pay. But typically you can expect that compensation to be $100, $300, $500, maybe $800 per piece.

Much of the payoff, remember, comes in the form of VIP treatment and perks. And that can be downright glamorous... not to mention worth thousands of dollars you don’t have to pull out of your own pocket.

You see, tourist boards, hotels, resorts, airlines, and the like are eager to host travel writers on-the-house in the hope they’ll get some positive “press” about what they have to offer.

They’re in the business of getting bodies to visit—and while they could simply take out an ad, it’s more effective if a writer tells a compelling story that excites readers to visit.

So these offers of hospitality are out there... and part of what we’ll show you in August is how to put yourself at the front of the line to receive them.

This Lifestyle Is Downright Romantic

Once, years ago, I took a press trip to Cancun over a long weekend. Not the sort of place I typically vacation, to be honest.

But a new apart-hotel group invited me and said I could bring my husband along, it was free (airfare for us both, included), and I was grateful for a few days of sun and sand. We found a welcome fruit basket in our water-view apartment when we arrived.

We paid for no meals the whole time we were there, yet we ate very well—cocktails and wine included. Our hosts took us on a high-end tequila tasting. We snorkeled in a cenote.

Yet I think, all told, the trip cost us the airport parking fee. It really was an escape on the house. And the sponsors were pleased with the short piece I had published upon my return. Good exposure for them. I call that a win-win.

Julie talks about a trip she enjoyed... an editor she’d been working with asked her if she’d like to take a press trip on behalf of the publication and write about the experience.

She said yes and jetted off on an all-expenses-paid jaunt to a Club Med in Florida. A generous welcome basket was waiting for her in her luxury, water-view room, golf lessons with a pro, pampering at the spa, a flying trapeze experience, lots of meals and evening parties...

She had a ball—and the public relations firm that had organized the trip was so pleased with her and the story she produced that they invited her on three more press trips in the three months that followed.

Mary landed a six-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Cornwall, England. And while she was in the country, she says, “I went gliding, canoeing, cycling, rode a steam train, visited museums, castles, breweries, and wineries. I took an all-day guided tour in a luxury van, cruised the river on a punt in Canterbury and Bath. I devoured London on a walking food tour of the West End. All at no cost to me.”

But here’s the important bit: You don’t have to write full-time to cash in on any of those sorts of things.

Travel writing is something you can easily do in your spare time.

And you don’t even have to travel to make a go of it. After all, where you live is a destination for somebody. (This is true all the time, but it’s a particularly useful tidbit to consider in the more months this pandemic is likely to linger.)

You can easily write about what there is to see and do in your hometown. And when you do that, you're pretty much guaranteed local celebrity status. That means invites to all sorts of fun stuff—like gallery openings, tourist attractions, new restaurants, and more…

This August, at our Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop, we’ll show you how it’s done...

You'll come away from this program with easy, proven techniques for landing no-cost trips… real-world advice for turning your travel know-how into cash… tried-and-true ways to transform your vacations into tax-deductible adventures… and more…

We’ll show you how to come up with story ideas. And we’ll teach you how to take your experiences and transform them into saleable articles.

Editors are always in the market for stories told in a way that’s engaging and rings true. We’ll show you how to know what they’re looking for—and how to deliver it.

You’ll get paid. You’ll get your name in print. And before you know it, editors could be banging down your door, asking for more.

One question people ask all the time is: Where can I send this story I’ve written? So that’s something we’ll address in detail.

We’ll pull back the curtain and show you how the whole process works, so you come away confident you know exactly what to do to go from story idea to article creation to seeing your name in print and cashing a check for your trouble.

And then we’ll show you how to parlay that success into offers of on-the-house hospitality.

The Secrets and Strategies Our Experts Share Really Work

You can be a published travel writer a lot faster than you probably imagine.

Join us for this one, power-packed weekend, and within a handful of weeks you could have a byline and even be enjoying some of those perks I just talked about.

Now that’s a big promise, I know.

But this online workshop isn’t filled with theoretical fluff. We tell you how, in the real world, this industry works. And then we show you—step-by-step—exactly how to navigate your way through it.

Past attendees share lots of praise:

Join us in August, and we’ll keep you on top of the changing industry trends—particularly important this year as so much has changed—and bring you the most current templates for what’s working right now.

All that means you can avoid the pitfalls that trip up most new travel writers, and instead, steer yourself directly to the bylines you need to guarantee your own success.

Once you have a track record—and it needn’t take long to create one, I always say to aim for three bylines—you can position yourself well to start taking advantage of invitations to travel on somebody else’s dime.

Ordinary Folks, Extraordinary Successes

Take Dawn-Marie, for instance. She’d never written a travel article before. But she followed the same steps for getting published and landing perks that we’ll outline for you in August.

And, as she tells it, “I’d landed a press trip on my very first try. This gave my husband and me a romantic, three-day Valentine’s weekend at someone else’s expense.”

Or consider Terri—an accountant-turned-writer who spent her first career preparing tax returns in an office in New York City. She says she longed for more excitement, flexibility, and fun.

She found it in travel writing.

When she discovered Great Escape Publishing, Terri didn’t even have a passport and she’d certainly never written an article. But she attended one of our workshops and systematically put into practice the strategies she learned there.

Today she’s got well over 1,000 bylines to her name and she’s been to 29 countries across five continents.

She says, “I’ve fished for piranha in the Peruvian Amazon, driven a reindeer sleigh in Norway, swam through ancient caves in Belize, walked alongside penguins in Antarctica, and even followed a nomadic tribe on a hunt in Tanzania.

As I look back on it all, I realize travel writing is so much bigger than collecting passport stamps and bylines. It has given me confidence in ways I never imagined. It can do the same for you. It’s all about taking the first step toward the life you want to live. And after that first step, take another one… and another. Before long you’ll be looking back realizing just how much your life has changed.”

No matter what your background is or whether you have writing experience—or not—we can show you how to turn your love of travel into bylines and paid-for adventures and help you, too, enjoy the world in a way the average tourist never does...

These Experts Really DO Help Turn People into Travel Writers—And They Can Do It for You, Too!

In a typical year, we’d gather in person with this accomplished collection of experts who will be speaking at our Online Workshop. And they’d work their magic...helping folks who, like you, would like to see their name in print and get paid to travel. The secrets and guidance our speakers share really works! Just look what a few past workshop attendees had to say... 

“I’m so excited! It’s been two months since [the workshop] in New Orleans. Earlier today I received my first payment for an article! I’m a PAID travel writer now!” – Gwyn G.

“Proud to share the news of a published article from my first query. It is a 1500-word piece in Popular Archaeology about the Stadium of Domitian, the foundation of the famous Piazza Navona in Rome.” – Deborah S.

“I am so excited! Today my first print article was published. As suggested in the workshop, it is a local. A new glossy lifestyle magazine. The article is about a glass-blowing studio... Thank you GEP!” – Amy P.

“Just got my ticket for a hot air balloon flight later this month. The complimentary excursion includes champagne brunch after.” – Mary C.

“Give[s] aspiring travel writers the confidence to do it! It really lit a fire under me.” – Susan B.

“Highly recommend...I have come away with knowledge about how to write better, how to market myself, what editors look for, different kinds of travel writing and markets.” – Rebecca R.

“No matter where you are in your journey of becoming a travel writer... an amazing value for your money.” – Pamela S.

“Run, don’t walk to sign up... You will be given all the tools and expertise you need to make a change in your life. All you have to do is follow the program.” – Michael T.

Get the Experts’ Secrets to Writing What Sells... and Discover How to Parlay Those Bylines into Perks

When you join me and my expert colleagues for this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop, August 21-22, 2021, you’ll discover how to—

International Living
From the Desk of Jackie Flynn, Publisher
Would You Like to "Work" for Me?

Dear Reader,

Right now, I need stories to fill the pages of four of my publications (including International Living).

If you are interested in coming to "work" for me, you might find yourself exploring the rainbow dunes of Mauritius. Or you might hike in the hills above San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Or maybe you’d prefer to interview expats in Penang, Malaysia.

In fact, International Living has published articles about each of these destinations—and I've got dozens of others in mind, places I'd like people to write about.

If this idea interests you, I encourage you to attend this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop. I've already had the great pleasure of paying for and publishing articles written by attendees trained by these experts in the past. And I feel confident this year’s workshop will produce the same strong successes.  

We have a tremendous need for well-written articles, so if you are interested in the lifestyle this kind of work as a freelancer offers, I urge you to register now.

This is your chance to make that dream a reality. And you can launch yourself in two days flat. That’s an investment in your future that’s worth making, in my view.

Particularly in these uncertain times, it makes good sense to grab a measure of control over your future. And by learning the travel-writing ropes, you’re putting yourself in a position where you can generate income for yourself doing something you enjoy. Not only that, but it’s a path to more and better travel—and a life full of adventure and fun.

Sincerely,

Jackie Flynn, Publisher, International Living

You Get a Foot in the Door With Friendly Editors at Real Publications Looking for Your Articles

As I mentioned before—this workshop has a practical, real-world focus. That’s why one of the more important elements we’ve incorporated is what we call our Publication Expo.

We’ve connected with more than a dozen editors at publications willing to work with new writers, asked them for some pointers about the best ways to break in and what they’re really looking for, and gathered their writer’s guidelines for you.

In fact, this is something we’ve been doing for a dozen years or so at our in-person workshops and it’s proven to provide easy entrée at places where you can be sure you’ll find a friendly reader to receive your story ideas.

The editors report that they like to get stories from people we’ve trained—because, well, they do it right.

So they were happy when we asked a selection of them if they’d like to come meet and talk with you this year in our Virtual Networking Hall.

I’m really excited to include this live forum where you’ll be able to connect with editors directly in real time to find out what their needs are, what they look for in a story, what they appreciate in writers, guidance they have to share, and more. We’ll have editors from these publications—and more—on hand so you can “meet” and chat with them:

One past workshop attendee told us, in fact, that she landed three bylines in publications we introduced her to as good places to start.

She said, "You made it so easy. I immediately landed three stories—within a month of the workshop. It was so exciting to see my name in print. And it gave me my start.

"Honestly, I feel a little like I cheated the system. I mean, aren't budding writers supposed to suffer starting out? I sure didn't. I just did what you showed us how to do. And it got me immediate success. So thanks!"

This Is Our One and Only Expert-Packed
Travel Writing Event of 2021

Every year for the past two decades, we’ve gotten our experts together in person—but this year (like in 2020) we’re hosting our once-a-year workshop online for safety.

We’ll miss gathering together, of course, but in some ways, the online format is a benefit. For starters: The experts are coming to you!

Because you can tune in from home (or wherever you may find yourself)—I hope it’ll be easy and convenient for you to arrange your schedule to attend.

It’s a genuine perk of this format—no airfare or hotel or restaurant costs.

If you’ve been thinking to yourself, “I really should try out this travel-writing idea,” I assure you: there will not be a more powerful or cost-effective way to do it.

It’s the perfect way to get launched in 2 days flat.

And if you’ve been to my workshop in the past and you’re ready to take your travel writing to the next level—THIS IS THE YEAR TO COME! With all our networking opportunities, you’ll be making lots of great connections all at once that would be hard—impossible really—to arrange on your own.

So if you have a few bylines already, this could be a powerful forum for you to connect with editors and with PR folks at destinations to see how you could work together.

PLUS—we have a whole lineup of guest speakers joining us to share their insights for the first time this year. (I’ll tell you all about them in just a moment.)

So I hope you’ll participate in real time over the weekend of August 21-22.

But understand, we’ll be archiving the program as it unfolds, so even if you miss something, it’ll be there for you to watch at your leisure, after the fact.

And you’ll have recorded access to the full Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop forever. That’s included.

This is not just a “we talk, you listen” event. Far from it.

Yes, we’ll have lots of useful, eye-opening—and I hope entertaining—presentations for you to watch.

But we’re building in interactive group discussions, too, so you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions at intervals along the way.

During those interactive sessions, you’ll be able to submit your comments and questions and get feedback and answers from the experts, on the spot.

Then we’ll have our sessions with editors and PR folks in our Virtual Networking Hall. You’ll be able to chat them up and connect, live online.

What’s more—I’ll be giving you an assignment during the program. You’ll be creating a saleable article. (Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through exactly what to do.) Once you have it written (after the workshop comes to a close), you’ll send it in for a critique by me or one of the other presenters. It’s a way for you to get some concrete, personalized feedback from the experts. And that’s included at no additional charge—it’s part of this online workshop program.

I’ve hand-picked our speakers—and I can say with confidence that they are all extraordinarily generous in sharing their hard-won secrets and expertise.

They genuinely want you to succeed, and so do I.

You'll Find Our Speakers to Be Smart, Experienced, Generous, and Practical-Minded

This August, when you tune in, you’ll hear from...

Jennifer StevensJennifer Stevens (that’s me!). I’m the author of The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program (GEP’s popular home-study program) and architect of this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop.

I’m also the Executive Editor at International Living. I’ve spent two decades gallivanting around Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Southeast Asia writing and editing copy about the best locales for overseas travel, retirement, and investment.

This August, I’ll give you the inside scoop about what editors are really after and hand you the keys to crafting articles that sell. Plus, I'll show you how to polish your articles in just such a way that editors will be transfixed. And I’ll give you a 10-day game plan so that you’ll know exactly what to do once our workshop comes to a close so that you maintain your momentum and stay on track to get published, fast.

Kyle WagnerKyle Wagner is a freelance writer, former food critic and former long-time Travel Editor at the Denver Post. Kyle dished out her opinions on dining in Denver for 12 years before she moved to the Post. Her love of food found her traveling the world in search of the best meals, which served her well when the previous travel editor retired from the Post and Kyle got the job.

During our online workshop, she’ll share her invaluable insider knowledge of what makes travel editors tick, how to write an effective query letter to sell your story, how to break into newspaper travel sections, and what you should know about food writing—a great niche for beginners to try and something that’s often integrated into travel articles.

Kyle has a 360-degree view of how both sides of the travel writing world works, and the best places to capitalize on opportunity. She will show you simple things you can do to catch editors’ attention and keep them coming back for more. Her secret weapon is the “3 Paragraph Pitch” a tried-and-true formula for selling stories that she’ll walk you through in August.

Jad DavenportJad Davenport is an author, photographer, and filmmaker represented by National Geographic. His work has appeared in

National Geographic magazines and books, Islands, Outside, Men's Journal, Smithsonian, GEO, Conde Nast, Travel + Leisure, Newsweek, Audubon and others. It would be an understatement to call him a seasoned travel writer.

He’ll join us at our online workshop in August to share his in-the-field guidance about the practicalities of organizing your time on the ground when you’re working on a story. He’ll share secrets for organizing your days, show you what you can afford to skip and the five things no travel writer can afford to forget to do while in the field (you can do a lot of things once you’re back—phone interviews, research—but not these).

Ian AldrichIan Aldrich is the Deputy Editor for Yankee Magazine and a native New Englander. For the last decade, at Yankee, he’s written feature stories and overseen the magazine’s digital platform. All the while, he’s freelanced for Outside, Boston Magazine, and others.

In our online workshop, he will talk about why niche ideas sell well and how you can turn an interest you have into travel articles editors will be eager to pay for and publish.

Tracey MinkinTracey Minkin is the Senior Editor of Travel and Features at Coastal Living. Her writing has been anthologized in collections and has won both regional and national awards; she was a contributing author to Fodor’s The Thirteen Colonies, a historical/cultural travel guidebook; and she was the founding editor of a Providence, Rhode Island-based digital news and information platform, GoLocalProv.

During our online workshop, Tracey will show you how to think like a travel writer with simple, daily exercises that will revolutionize your writing and have you excited about what you can create.

Kristi DoshKristi Dosh is a former corporate attorney who tired of the grind and reinvented herself as a writer and speaker. She was the first female sports business reporter for ESPN and today is a regular contributor for Forbes, Entrepreneur, and POPSUGAR and elsewhere.

She’s taken advantage of on-the-house travel opportunities all over the globe—like ski vacations in Colorado—and she’ll be on hand in August to show you how to crack the code on comps and travel for free as a writer.

Sherry OttSherry Ott is a travel blogger who quit her corporate IT job in 2006 and set out to see the world. Today she’s at the helm of the successful travel blog she created, Ottsworld, which has long documented her untethered life and help to fund her wanderlust. She spent 13 years on the road—writing about her travel adventures—Oprah named her a “travel influencer.” Now she’s settled in the States (though she’s hardly sedentary). She says about 75% of her travel is sponsored or comped. If that sounds good to you—you’ll want to tune in to find out how she does it.

Sherry will join us in August to talk about blogging as another way to turn your experiences into cash...and travel perks, too. Would a blog make sense for you? She’ll help you decide, talk about the pluses and minuses of blogging, and give you some pointers for getting started.

Daniel NahabedianDaniel Nahabedian is an accomplished photographer whose travel photos from around the world sell as fine art and stock. He teaches photography and leads GEPs Snap & Sell Photo Cub.

Adding photos to your stories can be a smart way to double or even triple what you earn from an assignment. This August, he’ll join us to talk about what makes for good travel photography, how to shoot images that help tell your travel story, and what editors really want in the photos you provide them.

Theresa St. JohnTheresa St. John, today an accomplished travel writer and photographer, started out working in retail—convinced she’d never have the money or time to fulfill her travel dreams. But today she’s been paid to visit and write about Ireland, Fiji, and Paris. She got her start, though, writing about her hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY and she still writes about it today. This August, she’ll talk about why that “start local” strategy is so powerful, and show you exactly how it’s done.

Noreen KompanikNoreen Kompanik, whose success story I shared with you earlier, will be on our roster of experts as well. Today, in addition to freelancing for lots of publications, she’s at the helm of GEP’s Travel Writer’s Café, a group dedicated to educating and supporting the success of travel writers like you.

During our online workshop, Noreen will focus on six ways you can land bylines by marketing yourself well. She’s the master of this—parlaying one article into another. There are all sorts of simple techniques you can put into place that can help catapult your travel writing career to the next level, and she’ll show you exactly what they are.

Special Mystery Guest

Put Your Finger on the Pulse of Today’s Most Important Travel Trends and Discover a Secret Weapon for Finding Story Ideas and Networking with Industry Experts

Special GuestOur Special Guest is the founder and CEO of an organization that you might call “Linkedin for the Travel World.” There’s nobody who’s more connected to what’s happening in the travel industry (and travel press) today—and he’s going to share his insights with us this August. It’s always smart to sell stories that ride a trend—but it’s best if you can be at the forefront. That can be hard to time, though—unless you have an in. And this summer, you will. Plus find out about a simple (but incredibly powerful) strategy for staying plugged in to the travel world—so you’re turning one story into multiples and automatically networking to source great travel intelligence—and even perks.

PLUS... THAT’S NOT ALL...

Chat (and Rub Virtual Elbows) with the Tourist Boards and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Executives We’ve Invited

In addition to our core panel of speakers and the guest editors we have lined up for you to meet with...

...you’ll also get to connect “in person” online in our Virtual Networking Hall with public relations executives representing various destinations.

These are folks who regularly work with travel writers. We’ve invited them to come and share their insights about their destinations, the campaigns they’re running, the best way for travel writers to tap them as resources, what sort of press trips they have on offer and the most strategic ways to land the perks and on-the-house travel opportunities that these public relations executives have to offer.

With travel writing—like anything, really—the connections are important. And so we’re going to make sure that before our Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop comes to a close you’re plugged in to a network of destination experts who can help you get from where you are to that place you want to be as a travel writer. It’s just one more piece of the puzzle.

Hear From Successful Travel Writers
Who Got Their Start with Us

We’ve invited a panel of successful travel writers to join us, too—all of whom started out doing something else entirely before they attended one of our annual workshops.

These newly minted travel writers put the lessons they learned into practice, and today each of them has been published many times over with articles in magazines and online, and they’re enjoying all sorts of great perks.

But their stories are all a little different. And that’s by design.

Because there’s no one straight path to becoming a travel writer.

Everything you do is influenced by your background, your interests, your experiences, and your talents. Whatever you bring to the table, however, you can capitalize on and turn into travel experiences and articles you enjoy researching and writing—and which you can sell.

Our panel will share their stories and also some words of wisdom and guidance designed to not only inspire you—but help you take that next step toward a life where you’re getting paid to travel like a VIP and see your name in print.

** Please note: the schedule and speakers are subject to change—though these topics will all be discussed.

Here’s How This Online Program Will Work

This Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop will take place over two days, Saturday and Sunday, August 21-22, 2021. It will begin each day at 11:00 am Eastern/8:00 am Pacific (You’ll get specific details in your registration packet.)

The online presentations and live discussions will take place over roughly 7-8 hours each day, with brief, built-in breaks scheduled for your convenience.

Don’t worry if you can’t be there to see each speaker’s presentations. We’ll archive every bit of this online workshop so you can go back and review it at your leisure.

And you’ll have lifetime access to the program recordings online, so you can review it long into the future.

It means that when you participate in this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop:

While we still can’t safely gather in person this year, with this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop, you’ll be able to see and hear what our experts say and be virtually “in the room” with them. You can ask questions and be privy to every question your fellow attendees ask—learning the answers firsthand.

Register Now and SAVE BIG

We could reasonably charge $1,997 for an event of this caliber.

In fact, that’s the full price we’ve charged in the past for our live, in-person workshops. And even at $1,997—you could quickly recoup that cost by selling a handful of stories.

Take advantage of a single press trip that whisks you away for a week to a ski town in Colorado or a beach resort in California or a European getaway like France...and your investment today would be more than justified.

But we’re not going to charge anywhere near that.

The registration fee for this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop is just $897.

However, when you sign on now—by August 18, 2021 with our special Early Bird Discount—you can save $200 and attend for just $697.

And I should point out: You can easily invite a guest—your spouse, partner, or anyone else in your household—to sit next to you for this special online event. And you won’t pay a penny extra.

In other words: You can join us this year for this travel writing online workshop and do so (with the Early Bird Discount) for about 1/3 what it would have cost you to attend a program like this in person. Same experts. Same secrets. But at a small fraction of the price.

And we’re making it easy—we’re coming to you!

This represents a truly extraordinary value for two days packed full of insider guidance and expert access.

But please be aware—this is the ONLY event of this kind we’re hosting this year.

So if you’re ready to jump-start your success... if you’re ready to use this time to position yourself as a go-to writer for when tourist boards are, once again, handing out travel invitations, then I can say with confidence: This is the best way I know for you to do it.

Register today, and you can do so for just $897 $697.

That includes our Early Bird Discount—good through August 18 only. Then the price goes up.

Yes! Register Me Now for GEP’s
Travel Writing Online Workshop 2021

If you prefer to register over the phone, please feel free to call Kacyn, our Great Escape Publishing Event Liaison in Florida directly at 561-266-6570 or toll-free at 866-904-1074.

There’s more, too.

Everybody who signs on to participate in our Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop will benefit from a collection of powerful extras, as well...

Special Bonus # 1:

The Insider Secret That Can Double—or Even Triple—Your Income from Travel Articles

In the OLD WORLD, it used to be that writers wrote and photographers took pictures and that was that. Editors purchased these items from two separate people.

And that still happens today—sometimes.

But one of the smartest ways you can increase your “take” from any assignment—double or even triple it—is to provide an editor not only the words, but photos to illustrate them, too.

When you can make an editor’s life easy—giving her a whole “package” of words and images—you can sell more and you can earn more, too. (Sometimes editors pay more for the photos than they do for the story!)

So it makes sense to carry a camera and get familiar with it. (Though I should say: You don’t need a fancy camera or previous experience and for online publications, often an iPhone image is high-quality enough.)

To help you ramp up your skills here, we’ve invited photographer Daniel Nahabedian to join us “live” and give you his smart guidance on what to shoot to accompany your travel stories and share some seasoned advice on what makes for the most salable images, too.

But in addition, we’re going to include for you—when you register now for the Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop—a special BONUS photography presentation from Jad Davenport, National Geographic photographer and writer.

He will show you how to shoot any travel story with just one camera and two lenses (instead of a heavy camera bag and tripod) and talk about the five elements editors look for in outstanding images. Whether you shoot with your phone or a DSLR, Jad will give you precise ideas on how to instantly improve your images (how can you make a killer photo of Rome if it’s raining all week? — easy!). Best of all you’ll learn how you can start practicing travel photography without ever setting foot on an airplane.

And that’s not all. Register now for this event, and we’ll also give you...

Special Bonus # 2:

The Travel Writer’s Glossary

Travel Writer’s Glossary As in any industry, there’s a certain amount of jargon associated with travel writing. (Not as much as there would be in, say, a tech field—but there are still terms you probably won’t be familiar with.)

So to get you up-and-running fast, we created this useful glossary of terms you should know.

This way, if an editor asks you for something and you’re not quite sure what she means—you can look it up!

If you see something referenced in a publication’s writer’s guidelines and you’re not sure what it is—you can look it up.

This Travel Writer’s Glossary is yours—FREE—when you participate in our Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop.

And there’s more...

Special Bonus # 3:

How to Polish Your Pitch and Land That Byline

An Editor’s Guide to Polishing Your Pitches... and MoreNew travel writers, no matter how carefully they may follow the expert guidance we deliver, and no matter how ready they are to turn a story into an editor, will often simply be “shy” about doing it.

So they hem and haw and sometimes they never send that piece in. Well, I can tell you: If you don’t send your article to an editor, she’s never going to publish it.

Let me assure you: During this online workshop, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to get your stories written and published—fast.

But to give you that added boost you might need to make sure you’re doing everything right, we’ll also hand you a copy of An Editor’s Guide to Polishing Your Pitches...and More.

Inside you’ll find a useful checklist you can print out to make sure you’re not making rookie mistakes with your emails to editors or your articles. This way, you can feel (and look) confident about your submissions.

And there’s another one, too...

Special Bonus # 4:

How to Earn Back Your Travel Writing Online Workshop Fee in 90 Days or Less

How to Earn Back Your Travel Writing Online Workshop Fee in 90 Days or LessYour investment in this online workshop is easy to justify. After all, a modest one-time fee can open the door to a lifetime of paid-for travel and VIP adventures, to the thrill of seeing your name in print, and the fun of exploring the world in a way you never could as a regular-old tourist.

But we wanted to be sure you understood exactly how you could make the number work. Because if you follow the guidance I and my fellow presenters will share, you could easily make back your registration fee within three months.

To prove it to you, we created this guide—How to Earn Back Your Travel Writing Online Workshop Fee in 90 Days or Less—to show you precisely how you could do it. Even if you’ve never written anything before...

This Special Bonus—along with all the others—is yours, FREE, when you register for our Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop today through this special Early Bird Discount offer, which saves you $200 off the regular price.

Yes! Register Me Now for GEP’s
Travel Writing Online Workshop 2021

Space is Limited—Don't Wait to Secure Your Place

To ensure premium bandwidth—and because we’re committed to providing individualized feedback from our speakers on every participant’s article—we are, by necessity, limiting the number of people who can participate in this workshop in August.

So space is at a premium. Please don’t wait to sign on or you risk missing out altogether.

This is the ONLY program like this we’re hosting this year.

Register now, and you’ll lock in your spot and save yourself a full $200. But please don’t delay. This Early Bird Discount ends August 18.

This Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop is our biggest, our best, and our ONLY travel writing event of the year.

Over two power-packed days—August 21-22—you’ll have a chance to tune in from home and immediately apply what you’re learning.

In my view, it's not really useful to just sit back and scribble notes on a pad of paper. Yet that's what you typically do in seminars.

What IS useful, on the other hand, is to roll up your sleeves, lean forward, and really put what the speakers are showing you into practice. And that's what we’ll have you do.

But rest assured: We won’t leave you hunched over, staring at a blank piece of paper and struggling with what to say or how to say it …

We’ll provide you step-by-step instruction on exactly what you need to do to put an article together. At one point on that Sunday, I’ll quite literally walk you through what to write, sentence by sentence.

And then, of course, we’ll show you what to do after that, how—and where—to sell the article you write on the heels of this event—and the many more stories you’ll be prepared to sell in the weeks, months and years to follow.

Yes! Register Me Now for GEP’s
Travel Writing Online Workshop 2021

Our Triple Guarantee for You

We stand by the quality of this program.

Guarantee # 1—We guarantee that this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop will provide you all the insider tools and secrets you need to get paid to travel. We’re focused on success in the real world, and we’ll walk you through what you need to do, step-by-simple-step.

Guarantee # 2—We guarantee we’ll deliver the how-to intelligence you need to start writing articles that sell, landing your name in print, and cashing in on all the great perks savvy travel writers can enjoy—from discounted travel opportunities to invitations for on-the-house experiences around the world. No prior experience necessary.

Guarantee # 3—We guarantee we’ll treat you fairly should you register and then find you need to cancel. Though this online workshop is non-refundable once the program has begun, if you decide—between now and August 19, 2021—that you don’t want to attend after all, you can simply let us know, and we’ll issue you a full refund. If you opt to cancel on or after August 20, 2021, this online workshop is non-refundable at that point, but you may apply your payment toward another online workshop within one year.

What Your Registration Today Includes

When you register for this program today—before August 18 with our Early Bird Discount—not only will you save $200 off the regular price, but you’ll benefit from...

Register today here below, and you can do so for just $897 $697.

But don’t wait—this special Early Bird price is good through August 18 ONLY.

Yes! Register Me Now for GEP’s
Travel Writing Online Workshop 2021

And all of those benefits are included when you sign on to attend.

The modest one-time fee we’re charging for this program can open the door to a lifetime of paid-for travel and VIP adventures for you. It can pave the way to the thrill of seeing your name in print. And it can show you the fun of exploring the world in a way you never could as a regular-old tourist.

Prefer to Register by Phone? Call Kacyn Today

If you have questions—or if you’d just prefer to register by speaking with a real person on the phone—please call Kacyn, our Great Escape Publishing Event Liaison (based in Florida) and she’ll take care of you and get your name on the attendee list. Remember, space is limited, so don’t wait.

To Register by Phone, Call Kacyn, our Great Escape Publishing Event Liaison in Florida at 561-266-6570 or toll-free at 866-904-1074

If you like the idea of getting paid to explore all sorts of places—from offerings in your own hometown to travel to exotic locations around the globe—join me and my hand-picked group of expert colleagues this August 21-22 in the comfort of your own home for our Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop.

Space is limited for this program, however, and this is the only travel-writing event like this we'll be hosting in 2021.

So I strongly urge you to reserve your place now, while you can be guaranteed a seat and take advantage of the best registration price you’ll see.

You save extra with our Early Bird Discount today. But the price goes up August 18. So please register now to save.

Sincerely,


Jennifer Stevens
Creator, Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop
Author, The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program
May 2021

Yes! Register Me Now for GEP’s
Travel Writing Online Workshop 2021

P.S. If you love to travel and if you're ready to explore the world, meet new people, and enjoy the freedom and independence of a portable income—no matter where on earth you choose to live—you won't find a more efficient way to make it happen.

Don't wait until 2022 (or later) to turn your dreams into your reality.

Spend two days with us online this August, and we’ll give you the shortcuts you need to get your name in print and set yourself up for the amazing perks and VIP treatment savvy travel writers can enjoy.

No more waiting around for the perfect time. No more wondering where to begin…

Make THIS the year you start getting paid to have fun... and turn your interests and adventures into bylines and paychecks—starting fast.

P.P.S. One more useful benefit I didn’t mention before: As an attendee, you’ll gain access to a private Facebook Group for GEP event attendees only. This is a place where you can network with other readers and with the experts who will weigh in to answer questions and share tips and insights.

It’s helpful to connect with other folks who are on the same journey you are—and I think you’ll find it encouraging and a way to “stay on task” as it were when you’re able to watch what your fellow attendees are up to and hear about their successes.

When you sign on to attend this Travel Better, Sell More: The “New World” of Travel Writing Online Workshop you’ll gain membership in this private group—it’s just another perk that we’re including.

Register now here below...

Yes! Register Me Now for GEP’s
Travel Writing Online Workshop 2021