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Writing about it

Perley-Ann Friedman

How To Make Money Off Your Summer Vacation By Writing About It

Summer vacations are for getting away from the drudgery of our daily routines, exploring new places, experiencing new things, getting closer to our families and friends...and providing a great opportunity for any writer to cash in at the same time. No matter what type of vacation you take, whether it's a week camping with the kids, visiting a different country, taking the in-laws to the beach, taking up a new sport or indulging in a favorite one, there's a whole range of freelance possibilities available for the writer in you.

Writing about a summer vacation is an excellent way for a novice to break into the freelance market, as well as a way for an established fiction writer to get their feet wet with creative non-fiction. You can provide a factual overview of your destination for a travel-guide publication, assess the impact of tourism in the area for a magazine focusing on environmental issues, or take a creative approach by describing your experiences and impressions as in the writings of Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux. You can even pick an aspect of your trip and produce a marketable article for a special-interest or theme magazine like Beaches, Golf and Travel, or Gourmet. The choice is yours.

With a bit of planning and preparation, you can help pay for your vacation and take advantage of your writing passion in the process. There are three phases to writing about your vacation, which take place before, during, and after your trip.

Phase I: Before You Go -- The Research Phase

All you need to begin is to know where you are going. Then you need to research all aspects of the trip from how you are going to get there, where you are staying, deciding your budget, and deciding what you will do. You have to do this even if you aren't preparing for an article. The difference here is that you must record everything, including the choices you don't make: the hotel room that was too expensive, the flights that had rotten connections, and the events that were sold out. These are important details that you may opt to use when you are writing your article.

Your research needs to include as much information as possible about the area, accommodations, attractions, hours of operation, entrance fees -- anything and everything. All this factual information is boring and mundane, but necessary. Some of it may end up being discarded, but you won't decide what is important until later, depending on your article. Be sure to do some background research on the destination. Learn about the history, the culture, recent events, and the type of tourists that are attracted to the area. Find out if the campground caters to seniors, was it the site of a major Civil War battle, what famous personalities live there, whether any special items are produced there. These tidbits can add sparkle and uniqueness to your article.

You also need to research publication possibilities to get an idea of where you should focus your attention, and to send out some queries before you go. If the area is famous for golf courses, you could query the golf magazines and newsletters. Gourmet and health magazines are always looking for location-specific articles, which you may be able to deliver. If you're heading to the coast, you may be asked to review a few seafood restaurants, attend an innovative cooking demonstration, or visit a fitness expo. Now that the baby boomers are into middle age, there is a growing market for articles focusing on activities for seniors like art workshops, musical productions, and spa resorts. A general query may result in a request for an article focusing on a specific aspect of your trip or on a special event. You may not receive any responses before you leave, but at least you will have some good insight into the market and what you should look for when you are away.

Phase II: During Your Vacation -- The Record-Everything Phase

Keep a journal of your trip that includes everything you do, see, feel, smell, touch, and think. Even if you don't want to write an essay-type article, this information will help you remember what happened. Take lots of pictures, as you may be able to submit a few of them with your article. Try to include comments about each picture in your diary so that you can accurately identify them later; we often forget the details of exactly when and where pictures were taken after they are developed.

Make a special effort to talk to everyone -- doormen, taxi drivers, waitresses, and the like. Find out what other tourists are doing and get their comments. Ask to speak to the manager of the hotel, theme park, or golf club and conduct a mini-interview to find out as much as you can about their venue. And don't forget to interview your family and friends. Find out how they feel, whether they're enjoying themselves, and any impressions they have. All of this is valuable information that can be quoted in your article. Be imaginative and think of ways to speak with others, even involving your family and friends in the process. You can ask your children to talk to others their age. An eight- year-old will say one thing to an adult and have an entirely different comment for a peer.

Don't forget to notice everything around you. Were there many tourists? Were the hotels full? Did you have long lines at the theme park? How many golf courses were in the vicinity? How easy was it to rent a boat? All this information may be valuable later. Also make notes about your own thoughts and feelings. Were you exhausted at the end of the day? Was the food good? Did you feel safe? Were you ever frightened? Did you fall in love? Discover a new interest? All these details will help spark ideas for your article.

Phase III: When You Get Home -- The Assessment, Query & Writing Phase

Give yourself a day or so to get back to normal, then review your trip diary and the notes you made before you went away. Does anything stand out? Is there an overall theme or impression? You now need to assess your trip and come up with an idea for an article, especially if you haven't had any queries accepted yet.

You can always write a factual overview of the destination. This is the most common type of travel article that is found in magazines, newspapers, e-zines, and community publications. Editors are always looking for something unique, a new way to look at a destination, an angle that hasn't been done before. Reflect carefully on your trip -- something special is sure to stand out. Maybe it will be a "how-to" idea, like how to keep your kids entertained in long lines, how to vacation with in-laws, or how to bond with your teenager at the beach. Write down all your ideas (even the bad ones).

Now think about them, making notes on how you would write the article. Are any viable? Do some market research to find suitable publications, and query your ideas. If you can't get any good article ideas, find a publication that handles travel articles and study their writer's guidelines. Come up with an idea based on these guidelines, and query your idea. The key here is to query as many publications as you can; something is bound to take seed in an editor's mind. Remember that community newspapers and bulletins are always looking for local contributors, making them a perfect break-in market for the unpublished writer.

While you're waiting for query replies, start writing your articles using your notes, diary, and pictures. It could take a few months to get replies, and by then it may be difficult to write your articles. Drafting them shortly after your trip, when the experience is fresh in your mind, will eliminate the effort of trying to bring back the experience later when your idea is accepted. You can always revise your article, taking into account the editor's request for a specific angle or tone; this is much easier than writing the whole article in the winter when you're focusing on Christmas or planning a ski weekend.

Don't despair if none of your queries are accepted. In a few years that singer you saw at the county fair may be the next Britney Spears or Garth Brooks. Think of the great article you will be able to write: "Success Was In The Air."

Perley-Ann Friedman is a management consultant and a freelance travel and fitness writer who has succeeded in combining her career with her passions for other cultures and distance running. She has traveled and worked throughout Southeast Asia, China, Europe, and North and South America.