rmac86

Apologies if this has been asked before, but have been considering this as a potential career change and want to know what the best route is into this as a full time occupation. Specifically I would like to know the following:

• Is it essential to have a degree in journalism or something similar (English?), or is there an equivalent type qualification i.e. HNC/HND etc.
• Are there any reputable firms to contact regarding work experience and what is the recommended length of time employers need in order to hire someone
• How many hours does such a journalist put in say on a weekly basis
• Are there any specific ‘niche’ areas in this game worth looking into
• Is this worth pursuing as more of a hobby/part time blogging thing i.e. should I just go “freelance” and work for myself

Have always had an interest in travelling and writing and feel this would be a good use of my skills – am I mad?



Thanks,

R.

84fiero

I doubt there are too many travel-related journalist members on FT (there are some bloggers but few if any are journalists as you've asked about). I'd suggest a google search to find perhaps trade or professional associations, or looking at posted job openings to see what they are after. I would guess that you would also start by looking at journalism careers and educational parameters in general, though, as travel is just one aspect of obviously a wide breadth of journalism careers.

mike2200

+1 lots of wanna be bloggers

sbm12

Assuming you need to do things like pay rent and buy food, the best route is to probably not do it.

There are scant few f/t jobs as journalists in the industry and the freelance stuff generally pays horribly save for a few publications. No requirement to have a journalism degree but actually understanding the industry and how to be a journalist would help a lot. Far more than just being interested in traveling a lot.

Flyingmama

Excellent advice.

There are really only two requirements to become a travel writer: the ability to write well, and an in-depth knowledge of the industry.

The first cannot be taught. Either you have a talent for writing, or you don't. The second can be acquired by getting a job working on travel publications such as Travel Weekly, the various ASTA publications, AAA Travel Magazine, etc.

sbm12

And yet I believe one would have trouble getting that job to gain the knowledge without having the knowledge first such that they can be hired. A bit of a catch-22 situation, but one which is very real.

There are lots of ways to learn about the industry without being a paid writer in the industry. Get out there and start learning and writing. And then work on selling yourself to others as an expert and contributor.

Forrest Bump

The booming of channels with freelance travel journalists made me wonder also about the real "amateur" nature of such programs.
From what I gathered after all is all about self funding an idea, a niche, and trying hard to sell it to the usual BBC, NatGeo, Discovery etc.

chgoeditor

Based on this post and a quick skim of your others, I'm assuming you're non-US based. I'm a journalist-turned-marketer in the US, so my answers may be more US centric.

Not essential, but having a solid book of clips is essential for breaking into any journalism job unless you're coming directly from university with a journalism/communications degree. You can start by trying to freelance. Depending on where you're from, maybe pitch travel editors in other regions with articles written about the area in which you reside. As a former editor (albeit not a travel editor), I couldn't ever imagine giving someone an expense-paid travel assignment without seeing a lot of well-written travel clips. You may have to start by doing freelance writing on other topics -- local sports, city council meetings, etc.

I'm not entirely clear what you're asking here. Are you asking how much reporting experience you'd have to have before a media company would hire you?

Impossible to answer. It depends on countless factors including whether the reporter is a full-time employee or freelancer; working at a daily newspaper,
monthly magazine, website or TV channel; union or non-union; the nature of the reporter's beat, etc. In my 15 years as a full-time reporter and editor at a magazine publishing company, my weeks were generally in the 40-60 hour range.

Without knowing your other interests and talents, this is impossible to answer.

My brutally honest answer: Yes. The amount of work you'll need to do -- years of legwork -- before you're likely to be hired full-time as a travel journalist is substantial. Most journalists don't just fall into the career. It's not a hobby turned profession. It's something that we get an undergraduate or graduate degree for, do multiple internships, then get low-paying jobs at the ground floor. I'm sure you have a job that requires experience, specialized knowledge, etc. Let's say you code video games. What would your reaction be if someone said to you, "Oh, I love playing video games. Yours would be a fun job. How can I get hired to do that, too?" You'd probably laugh, tell me to learn how to code, design a few video games in my spare time, get an internship and come back in 5 years.

GetSetJetSet

not going to happen

Annalisa12

How to get in to it? Bet the other thousands or tens of thousands of people who want the same job you do.

In Australia so many that are on the tv shows or who write articles are famous people already in the limelight. I don't think regular folks would ever get a chance.

LuxuryRogue

Almost all famous people started as regular folks.

Journalism is one of the easiest industries to get into. (That's why the quality is so low.)

You simply have to write one good story, ideally with fotos, and offer it to several print media. Tons of publications (incl. special interest, corporate mags, children, youth, etc.) look for free content. Then you build your relationships and your name, and eventually you will make a bit of money with your stories, and you'll be sent out as a freelancer, and finally find a job as editor.

The downside of the industry is that very few people make a proper living, and most journalists become whores who depend on access, invitations and discounts and therefore have to tell someone else's story. At any level of the game.

Tchiowa

It's always offensive to start correcting other people's grammar and English in a forum like this. But when someone posts about being a journalist and talks about their skills while they made half a dozen or more grammatical errors in the post it needs to be pointed out.

You want to be a travel journalist? First be a journalist. And polish your English skills. A few years from now when you've achieved those things start looking again.

katstarr

Without knowing your credentials and skills in the first place it's hard to say. Also, to say Travel Journalist can mean so many things. Is it pure travel that you're interested in or points and miles type travel. Get out and go to conferences and events and meet the professionals. Many newspapers and online journals (such as Yahoo Travel) might pay per piece - I'm sure it's low pay but it might be a good start.

FatnLoud

if you know it's offensive, then don't do it!

Anyway, correcting grammar errors is what sub-editors are for

chgoeditor

Sure, but editors are also the ones who control the purse strings when it comes to hiring freelancers. No editor is going to repeatedly hire a freelancer who submits shoddy content. Make my editing job easy: I'll hire you. Send me work riddled with typos and grammatical errors: Don't let the door hit you on the way out.