Travel First, Pitch Second: The Case for Organic Travel Writing
The line between authentic destination insight and obligation-driven marketing keeps getting blurrier. Between hosted press trips, sponsored itineraries, and content quotas, it’s easy for travel writing to feel manufactured.
I recently shared a reflection on Substack about how I balance a career in travel copywriting (Trip.com, WorldAtlas, Cookly) with personal exploration:
I’ve never gone to a destination for the sole purpose of writing about it. I’ve never planned a trip around a story, a cooking class, or a tour company... When my wife and I plan trips, it’s always driven by where we want to go, who we want to see, what we want to experience, and what we want to taste...
It can become a financial decision: will the potential stories, potential assignments that come out of this trip justify the price? Will I break even or even make a profit?
Me in Bangkok soon after moving there (not admitting I’m already bald), 2017
Why this matters for travel brands & editors:
First-Hand Commercial Authority: Copy rooter in real, unprompted travel decisions, like navigating Harbin in sub-zero weather with a toddler or living in Shanghai’s Jiaotong University neighborhood for three years, carries ground-level nuance that a forced FAM tour simply can’t replicate.
Unbiased Consumer Perspective: Working with booking platforms and editorial publications requires knowing what travelers actually face on the ground, not just the polished highlights shown to media groups.
Read the full piece on Substack →
