Courses

The only thing more satisfying than traveling is wowing your friends with the stories from your trips. But do you ever dream of pulling these two passions together, of taking the next step and seeing your travel tales appear in a magazine or newspaper? Travel writing may seem like an unattainable aspiration, but with the right preparation, an adventurous spirit, and hard work, we can all tell stories that capture a reader’s—and hopefully an editor’s—imagination.

In this course, you will learn the practical tools for successful travel writing, from how to identify a fresh story idea to writing a winning pitch to crafting a compelling piece for publication. Students will write short-form pieces in the style of such magazines as Travel+Leisure, as well as a longer-form weekend getaway guide similar to the “36 Hours” column in The New York Times. The final project will be a 2,000-word feature on any place of your choosing. You will also do all of your revising in workshops, so the feedback will come from your fellow students as well as the instructor. Stories by respected writers like David Sedaris, Ian Frazier, and Lynn Yaeger will demonstrate what makes a travel piece transcend the usual. By the end of the course, you should have several pieces ready for submission to your favorite travel magazine or website for possible publication. .