The question of travel media’s future (and the future of the entire media industry as a whole) is becoming harder to avoid. I was first confronted with this question by a professor from my alma mater, Indiana University, asking if I’d be open to speaking to journalism students about life post-graduation.
I was asked about it again by an aspiring travel writer who had emailed me for advice on breaking into the industry. The question popped up once more when an invitation to speak on a panel arose, asking me to weigh in on the state of travel media. And then, most recently, the question seemed unavoidable when I attended the recent IMM Travel Conference in New York, bringing together PR, writers, editors, and industry for two days of panels, networking, and meetings about travel media.
Last year, The New Yorker called it an “exctinction-level media event” (a term reiterated by The Atlantic), while The New York Times wrote: “the news about the news is grim.” My social media feed has likewise proven especially bleak. Between ongoing layoff announcements, notices of publications shutting down, and freelancers’ struggles to make ends meet, I’ve been sitting wide-eyed like that meme of the dog drinking coffee amidst flames, telling myself ‘THIS IS FINE.’
Guessing the future of travel media—or media, in general—depends a lot on whether you’re a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty sort of person. For some, the rapid growth of AI capabilities is an insurmountable threat to all creative industries, while for others, it’s a new tool that can enhance our work if used in the right way. So, where do I stand on the spectrum? Well, let me preface the following by saying I’ll only address my thoughts on travel media since that is where the bulk of my experience rests. Below are some real changes I’ve seen in the travel media space and my predictions for how the industry might evolve.
Freelance Writing is Getting Harder
I have such respect for freelance writers and the amount of hustle it takes to get consistent work nowadays. So much of a freelance writer’s work is unpaid and underappreciated, such as the time spent crafting thoughtful pitches (coming up with a unique story angle is not easy), researching editorial contacts, reading through writer’s guidelines, familiarizing themselves with a publication’s stories, following up on sent pitches, and networking with editors and other writers in the industry. All of that work happens before a paid assignment is even landed, at which point the writer needs to write the story (which involves even more research, interviews, and rounds of edits). Then comes the chasing down of payment, which can often be just a couple hundred dollars that—especially in travel media—may not cover expenses associated with traveling to get the story.
(On a separate note: this is why press trips are essential to our industry, as they allow writers to find unique stories without breaking the bank, and for publications who won’t deem to commission stories derived from press trips, such as The New York Times, then they really ought to be paying writers better).
It’s no surprise that as editor and staff writer layoffs pile up, people are turning towards freelance writing to try and make ends meet. The problem I’m seeing is that publications are either folding or cutting freelance budgets dramatically, creating less opportunity for less pay for a mounting number of freelance writers hungry for assignments, which brings me to my next point.
Forget the ‘Carrie Bradshaw’ Writer’s Dream
Ah yes, the dream of living off one’s writing the way Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw somehow afforded a one-bedroom in Manhattan’s West Village while donning $500 Manolo Blahnik’s on a columnist’s salary. Unfortunately, living off writing alone has already become untenable. As the media grapples with AI, I’ve seen writers within the travel space hustling hard. These writers are often juggling numerous jobs at once while simultaneously diversifying their revenue streams in creative ways. Some have branched off into writing-adjacent jobs, such as copywriting, ghostwriting, or book editing, to support their freelance writing careers. Others have entirely separate careers in real estate or marketing, which gives them the opportunity to pursue their love of travel writing without the stress of making ends meet. I’ve seen writers launch paid online courses to teach the new generation of writers how best to navigate this new media landscape, and I’ve seen writers abandon writing entirely in lieu of a new career that promises more stability and payment.
A Rise in POV Narratives Thanks to AI
Take this with a grain of salt, as it’s only a prediction, but I think we’re going to see a rise in narrative travel writing thanks to AI. As AI grows stronger and its databases more robust, straightforward destination guides and listicles are unfortunately being cannibalized by AI writing. In its place, I wonder if we’ll see a rise in narrative stories with strong POVs that can’t (yet) be replicated by AI. In short, I think (and hope) that long-form stories with unique perspectives and a lot of soul—such as this article from Women Who Travel—are going to become the sort of articles that editors commission and save budget for.
So, What Then?
If you’re a freelance writer, it has never been more important to get creative with your pitches and truly make them personal to you. The days of pitching “10 Things to Do in Thailand” are behind us. As it goes, I believe that the sort of writing that AI can’t yet replicate, which is to say, writing with human connection, soul, and personalized storytelling, is going to be what becomes successful in the new era of travel media and, hopefully, media as a whole.
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