Liz Hansen, a travel editor and publisher from California, says, “Travel has been the center of my life for as long as I can remember.” Travel is also the focus of Elizabeth’s career.
She writes about travel for Ranch ”.
“I think that connections made while traveling can be life changing,” she says. “In fact, I think that travelers who get to know another culture can help make the world a safer and more peaceful place for everyone.” ”.
There is a travel writing workshop coming up in California, and Elizabeth is one of the teachers. She taught at UCSD for more than ten years. We recently caught up with Elizabeth to ask about her work as a travel editor and publisher.
Travel writing is an exciting and competitive field. To land your dream job with a magazine website or guidebook company, you’ll need to impress hiring managers and editors with your passion, experience and polished writing skills.
Interviews will focus on assessing your ability to produce compelling and informative stories, handle challenging travel conditions and meet tight writing deadlines. Preparation is key – here are 10 common travel writer interview questions to expect along with tips to craft winning responses
1. What motivates you to travel and why do you want to become a travel writer?
This opener allows you to share your passion and qualifications. Discuss how travel has shaped who you are and specific experiences that sparked your interest in globetrotting. Highlight your natural curiosity to explore new places and eagerness to share your adventures through writing. Outline any past travel articles you’ve had published.
2. How have your previous travels equipped you for this role?
Hiring managers want to know you can handle the realities of life on the road. Share lessons learned from past trips regarding planning logistics, overcoming language barriers, dealing with travel mishaps, and navigating unfamiliar places. Provide examples that show resilience, resourcefulness and cultural sensitivity.
3. What do you find most rewarding about travel writing?
Convey your passion by discussing interacting with locals to hear their stories, discovering hidden gems, pushing your boundaries, and capturing destinations in a creative way. Share how bringing places to life through writing is extremely fulfilling.
4. How do you research and plan for an upcoming trip?
Thorough preparation is key for travel writers. Discuss researching accommodation options, transportation, points of interest, festivals/events, and weather patterns. Mention connecting with locals and tourism boards ahead of time. Outline organizing an itinerary that optimizes time and budgets for experiences.
5. Describe your writing process when developing a travel story.
Hiring managers want to understand your approach. Share techniques like gathering ample notes/photos during the trip to jog your memory later, recording key details and reflections in a journal, developing an outline once home, composing a strong lede to draw readers in, and spending adequate time editing several drafts before submitting the story.
6. How would you adjust your writing style when covering different types of pieces?
Talk about how you changed the tone, perspective, and structure of your writing when you went from writing a first-person narrative to an informative guidebook entry to a critical hotel review. Emphasize maintaining the publication’s voice while adapting your style to the specific assignment.
7. What challenges could you face when traveling and how would you overcome them?
Share ways to deal with problems like travel delays, trouble finding a place to stay, trouble communicating, broken equipment, local scams, and getting sick while you’re abroad to show that you can solve problems. Convey maintaining professionalism and focusing on delivering assignements regardless of obstacles faced.
8. How do you ensure accuracy in depicting a destination while still keeping stories engaging?
While entertainment value is important, factual correctness is critical in travel writing. Discuss techniques like verifying details, consulting multiple sources, keeping thorough notes, and requesting local feedback on pieces prior to submission. Share how you strike a balance between an enjoyable read and truthfulness.
9. Where do you see your career in the next 5 years and what are your long-term travel writing goals?
Hiring managers want to gauge your ambition and fit. Discuss continuing to build your portfolio while transitioning from freelance contributor to an in-house role. Share goals of covering specific dream locations or beats like food/adventure writing. Demonstrate your commitment to an long-term career.
10. Do you have any questions for me about this role or our publication?
Ask insightful questions that show your understanding of the job specifics and company mission. Queries could cover typical travel schedules, the editing process, company culture, growth opportunities, diversity initiatives, and circulation reach. Express enthusiasm and appreciation for their time.
With preparation using these common travel writer interview questions, you’ll highlight the experience, skills and professionalism needed to excel in this competitive field. Keep your responses concise yet compelling. With passion and poise, you can land your dream writing job that allows you to travel the globe.
Additional Travel Writer Interview Questions
Here are some additional common interview questions aspiring travel writers may encounter:
- What is your favorite destination you’ve visited and why?
- How do you prioritize assignments when planning an efficient travel schedule?
- What sources or connections do you use to get story ideas pitched and approved?
- How would you adjust your writing process when on a tight deadline?
- In what ways could you expand our publication’s travel coverage?
- How do you stay up-to-date on travel industry news and trends?
- What experience do you have with social media to promote published stories?
- How would you capture the essence of a location for readers who have never been there?
- How will you balance producing entertaining stories with journalistic integrity?
- What differentiates you from other candidates interested in this travel writing role?
- Are you comfortable working evenings and weekends to meet urgent deadlines?
- How do you stay focused on writing when in inspiring but distracting locations?
- What has been your experience collaborating with photographers and editors?
- How would you adjust your writing approach to different reader demographics?
- How do you handle safety, security, and health risks associated with frequent travel?
Tips for Acing the Travel Writer Interview
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Highlight your passion for travel. Convey genuine enthusiasm and curiosity to explore new places and cultures. Provide real examples that show this drive.
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Discuss educational credentials. Degrees in journalism, communications or English can strengthen your resume. Mention relevant classes, workshops or conferences.
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Show off published clippings. Bring past print or online articles that received good feedback. Be ready to discuss details of the assignment.
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Prepare travel anecdotes. Have inspiring or humorous stories ready that highlight your resourcefulness and writing ability. But keep them concise.
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Do your research. Learn about the publication’s style, readership and past travel coverage to tailor responses. Peruse their writer’s guide.
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Ask thoughtful questions. Inquiries about mentoring opportunities, career growth and the interviewer’s own career path can make you stand out.
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Watch your body language. Maintain eye contact and lean slightly forward to show interest. Avoid nervous gestures like fidgeting.
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Send a thank you note. Follow up with a brief, polite email thanking the interviewer for their time and consideration.
With compelling anecdotes of past adventures, publications ready to share, and enthusiasm for future travels, you can impress any hiring manager. Use these travel writer interview tips to launch your globetrotting career telling fascinating stories. Bon voyage!
TWOL: How did you get into travel writing?
EH: I was a traveler first and that continues to inform my writing. After college, I taught first grade in San Diego, and during the long summer breaks, I took trips. I also traveled during two year-long leaves of absence. I spent one of these in Germany and the other in Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, and Asia.
I almost always traveled alone and relied on travel guide books and magazine article for advice. While reading back over some entries in my journal, I thought that what I had written didn’t sound too bad. I think I was in Australia at the time. I had the idea that I might like writing about travel, but it took a while for it to grow.
TWOL: What has been your biggest challenge as an online travel publisher?
EH: The biggest challenge is finding the time to do it all. My first responsibility is to Ranch & Coast where I do a monthly travel feature (story/photo package). The three sites get whatever time I have after that. Maybe I should have only started one now that I think about it, but you know what they say about hindsight.
Travel Writer interview questions
FAQ
What makes a good travel writer?
What are the responsibilities of a travel writer?
What is the key concept of travel writing?
