{"id":8124,"date":"2020-07-22T11:51:55","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T18:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/?p=8124"},"modified":"2020-07-22T12:01:48","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T19:01:48","slug":"help-for-the-newbie-travel-writer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/case-studies\/help-for-the-newbie-travel-writer\/","title":{"rendered":"Help for the Newbie Travel Writer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cruising the Caribbean, thrill seeking on an African safari or mad shopping in New York city, any and every trip you take can be turned in to the kind of adventure travel editors love to buy.<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By Robyn McGee<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congrats to me!<\/strong> My article “Safari Diary” was chosen by the editors of the “WorldNomads<\/a>” website and will be published June 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seizing on the publisher\u2019s call for essays, which highlight \u201cdiscovery, connection, transformation, fear, love or story roulette\u201d, I knew I had found a sale for the retelling of the self-awareness I had gained and the immediate connection I experienced as an African American meeting the people of Capetown, Johannesburg, Soweto and Zimbabwe.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s my pitch:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the strangest feeling to be in a world where everyone looked just like me. <\/em><\/p>

With skin the color of ripe eggplant, gleaming white smiles, hair bushy and thick, the South Africans and Zimbabweans I met reminded me of the cousins, sisters and aunties I had left behind in the United States.<\/em><\/p>

Like many black Americans, I have idealized Africa as the Motherland and yearned to be connected to a family, from whom I had been severed hundreds of years before. Here in the land of the late Nelson Mandela and blood diamonds, I was no longer a \u201cminority\u201d, despite being the only black person in my tour group. In Johannesburg, I didn\u2019t stand out the way I often do in many situations in in America.  Leisurely walking the mall, I convinced myself no one could tell I was actually a tourist returning to the home of my ancestors.  I was one of them. For the first time in my life, I was part of the majority and I felt arrogant and powerful.   <\/em><\/p>

Mentally, I had prejudged my fellow travelers, most of who were white from the American south and Midwest. Why had they come?  Did they look down on the native people who worked at the hotels, and restaurants and who guided us on safari?  Would any of these American explorers dare visit my neighborhood in the heart of Los Angeles? Were they secret racists, lulled to this majestic place by spellbinding sunsets and the exotic animals in the wild?<\/em><\/p>

 By the end of my journey, I came to realize I actually had more in common with the safarians than I did with the Africans. While I was pointing a finger of judgment at the American visitors, three fingers pointed back at me. <\/em><\/p>

\u201cSafari Diaries\u201d is a day by day account of my first visit to Southern Africa, describing my wild feelings of the joy of connection, along with deep resentments toward the people on tour with me, who I dismissed as descendants of slave owners and colonists.   It\u2019s a story of growth and transformation.  Of letting go of old judgements and find commonality with people, I believed were so very different from me.<\/em><\/p>

Day One<\/em><\/p>

The confrontation in Kruger Game Park. Lionhearts and the grace of the giraffes<\/em><\/p>

One fellow explorer, a businessman from the American South had a big camera lens and a big mouth. I took an immediate disliking to him- and I let him know it.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Happy Day!<\/strong> My pitch was accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hi Robyn,<\/p>

Thanks for the pitch and apologies for the delayed response. I\u2019m intrigued by this idea and so is my editor \u2013 it\u2019s an interesting perspective and I like the idea of finding commonality with your fellow travelers, as well as the place you were visiting. I\u2019d like to commission this story if it\u2019s still available.<\/p>

We\u2019d be looking for about 800 words and perhaps a couple of photos (USD $0.50\/word, $20\/photo). We won\u2019t be able to publish this until June (my editorial calendar is full until then). But I\u2019d want to see a first draft within the next month or so, just to keep this moving along.<\/p>

Please let me know if that works for you, and I\u2019ll get the paperwork started.<\/p>

Thanks,
Ellen<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I used to think you had to have some special mysterious skills to be a travel writer.  As it turns out, all you need to be a successful travel scribe is an adventurer\u2019s curiosity of the world and the desire to put your experiences, sensations and recall into words that capture the imagination of editors and readers. Pre pandemic, the travel writing market was plentiful and lucrative.  As the airlines and cruise lines ramp up for summer vacations, freelance opportunities should also increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keys to Success<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n