Is there a point to travel writing courses, other than to provide people who don’t do much travel writing with a bit of extra cash at the expense of the clueless and unsuitable?
Student media lectures
On Saturday I went along to the Student Media Day at Sheffield University, where a few of my old university friends were giving talks to the new breed of lambs to the slaughter.
My primary aim was to go for a jolly good piss-up afterwards, but it was interesting to hear the varying degrees of honesty in the advice being given.
Travel writing courses
It also reminded me of something I’m seeing far too often – courses on how to become a travel writer. Put “travel writing course” into Google, and you get 3,460 results. Even assuming that many of these results refer to the same courses, that’s still a terrifying number.
It most certainly doesn’t reflect the number of opportunities for paid work available to would-be travel writers. And I smell snake oil.
Dubious pedigree
A quick look through some of these courses shows them to be of remarkably dubious pedigree. The names of those leading them seem strangely unfamiliar – largely, I suspect, because they don’t make a significant percentage of their income from travel writing.
The first I clicked on was a one day course at an adult education centre in the Cotswolds. It is being run by someone who has written five novels (albeit ones that suspiciously don’t seem to show up very high on the list when you put her name into Amazon) and some articles for magazines not noted for their travel content.
Background checks
A little background checking into the credentials of others running these courses shows a similar story. Some are undoubtedly very good travel writers with a regular history of being published, but most are people who may have done a little bit of travel writing, don’t make a living from it and leading courses on something they don’t really do themselves to make up the shortfall.
My suspicion is that the genuinely successful travel writers who could give valuable advice at such talks are too busy being genuinely successful travel writers to so.
Travel writing: A specific skill?
But the idea of people making a quick buck out of dreaming greenhorns isn’t what really worries me – it is the concept that travel writing is a specific skill that can be taught in a lecture hall or seminar room.
A quick (admittedly statistically insignificant) straw poll on Twitter saw some interesting responses. Most of the people I know and respect as full-time travel writers had never been on a course. This doesn’t surprise me at all – most travel writers I know didn’t start out as travel writers; they started as something very different and fell into it.
Good writing/ journalism
And here’s the crux: travel writing isn’t a specific skill set. Most of it is simply about applying the same theories that apply to good writing and good journalism. It’s being able to identify a story, keeping eyes and ears open, conveying ideas and observations effectively, interviewing well and digging for further information where necessary.
The ‘travel’ part of travel writing is almost inconsequential. It’s essentially researching and writing up a story as you would an arts, food, sport, news background or music feature – it’s just in a different location.
A course on travel writing is a little like a course on driving Ferraris or fronting a rock band at Wembley Stadium. Get the key skills right and it shouldn’t matter what car you’re driving, where you’re playing a gig or what you’re writing about. But being able to drive, sing or write comes first.
Personality type?
A certain personality type is needed too. I don’t know a single travel writer working full time who needs to be guided round all the time. They’re all seekers rather than followers; people who love learning rather than being taught.
And this is what makes me most suspicious of travel writing courses – both those who lead them and those who attend. Selling dreams to dreamers is easy, but arming them with enough to make those dreams come true is virtually impossible. They need to be prepared to hunt the components of the dream, not have it laid on as a package.
Those running the courses surely know this – are they prepared to overlook it for the sake of making an easy couple of hundred quid?
What do you think? Ever been on a travel writing course? Share your thoughts by commenting below.
Tags: courses, Travel Writing
Another controversy baiting post David – always good to see!
For the most part I think I agree with you. The majority of travel writing courses are bound to be run by not very successful travel writers. But my opinion would be, so what? I’d have thought that the majority of people attending these courses are just hobbyists, attending a travel writing course in the same way they’d attend a pottery or painting course. Which isn’t to denigrate the art of travel writing – there are great sculptors, painters and travel writers, then there are hobbyists. For them a weekend away improving their writing is just a bit of fun, they aren’t looking for a commission from the Sunday Times and in that sense aren’t being exploited by someone running a course who isn’t necessarily the most successful travel writer.
That aside, I’ve actually attended a travel writing course which I’d say was an exception to your rule. Dea Birkett, a regular freelance writer for the Guardian, runs great travel writing courses. The one I attended was a one day course with sessions from Rory Maclean (very well regarded fantastic travel writer who has published 6 books) and Frank Barrett, Travel Editor at the Mail on Sunday (I know you’ll know who he is, but for the benefit of anyone who doesn’t!). So as far as travel writers go, that line up is about successful as they come.
I went partly as a PR, partly just out of interest to develop my own writing – a lot of the day was just discussing story ideas, and part of it was purely pitching to Frank, and he gave considered and helpful feedback to everyone’s ideas. Any freelancer or PR who’s ever tried to call and pitch to Frank will know that’s pretty valuable in itself… They also seem to see a few success stories with their attendees.
Yes, I’m annoyed by people who run travel writing courses and simply don’t write travel: they are too numerous to mention in Australia. I attended one in Sydney three years ago run by Margo Daly in conjunction with USYD. She’s a Rough Guide author and gave a great overview of content and the market over six weeks. From that course alone, I know five people who are now regularly published travel writer. Her course is the exception to the rule.
However, is it worth considering that sometimes even the people who are best at a certain skill, are not necessarily the best ones to teach it?
I agree it is selling a dream. And for the real travel writers out there selling the dream to others, I don’t begrudge them. It’s just another way to make the lifestyle a reality. Much like that 1001 freelance travel writer tips blog some writer started.
But it’s up to the individual writer to really make it happen.
Whoa there, grumpy. Did your team lose at the weekend or something? Mine did, 5 games in a row. I know all about it.
Not sure if you are having a pop at the course providers, or those deciding they would like to attend – oh sorry, it’s both isn’t it. Or is it just the grim realisation that the professional full-time writer has to compete with the great unwashed – the hobbyist, the amateur, the one’s that neither travel nor write for their primary income source.
Delegates at course have different motivations and aspirations, and in my experience most have their expectations exceeded. Some may even go on to earn a crust from their scribblings, either through articles for the press or from having books published.
They will come from all walks of life and might be wanting to learn how the industry works, how to get that book idea off the ground, or even, heaven forfend, when to give up the day job and make a career of travel writing assuming that they have the confidence in their craft backed up by industry professionals
Dea and Rory are an excellent double act. In the same category are Jonathon Lorie and either Anthony Sattin or Chris Stewart – see it’s that books and articles thing again – different skills to be taught – under the Travellers’ Tales badge. Jon has really pushed the boundaries with his annual Festival at the RGS – did you miss it last month – bringing together the great and the good, the washed and the unwashed, covering literature, photography, media, publishing. Perhaps one day we’ll see the name of Dave Whitley delivering a landmark lecture instead of Benedict Allen, Dervla Murphy, Colin Thubron, Feargal Keane.
Selling dreams to dreamers? There’s much more to it than that, and I think you know it. Now where was it I first came across a link to your 1001 Tips blog – methinks it might have been a course provider. Interesting post, provoked a reaction.
Here’s another thought Oh grumpy one – why not have a listen to the programme which Excess Baggage did at a writing course in Marrakech. 30 minutes barely does it justice, but you might get a flavour of what trainers and trainees get out of it.
Perhaps you’ve just got a secret hankering to pass on your expertise to others, or to earn a fee when not otherwise working, and are afriad to come out of the closet. Perhaps you’re just hacked off at the lack of opportunities for freelance slots, and fed up seeing travel slots given to staff writers on their holibags.
One of my favourite writers of articles in the press is Tom Adair. I’ve no idea whether it’s full time or not, but I really enjoy his writing. I’m able to find his published works, as they hit the press, via journalisted.com, but can’t seem to find you through the same source, yet……
Sometimes it’s nice to be challenged on your views. I’m glad the three of you have had good experiences with travel writing courses (I’ve had a couple more people contacting me via Twitter as well – one recommending Dea Birkett’s course).
@ian. The hobbyist aspect is one thing I hadn’t considered – and you’re right, a few people trying to improve their writing technique doesn’t hurt anyone. This said, a lot of courses do seem to sell themselves in the “Make your living whilst travelling the world” vein. They’re the ones I have a problem with – and there are many.
@Touchy Keith. Again, you have some valid points – everyone does have different motivations (although I’d be hard pushed to find the motivation to go on more than one – if it’s that good, why do you need to go to another?).
For the record, I was ‘having a go’ at what I would regard to be the majority of travel writing course providers, not the attendees. My opinion remains the same, despite recommendations of course providers – no-one needs to go on a travel writing course to learn how to be a good/ successful travel writer. They just need to be able to write.
You also seem to attribute an opinion to me that is the diametric opposite of the one I actually hold. I’ve no objection to hobbyists and people who don’t do travel writing full time – in fact, a lot of very good writing comes from these people. I’m sure many editors agree that some of their best contributors are people who do a little dabbling on the side of their normal job.
It should be noted, however, that there’s a massive difference between a lawyer who is happy to be a lawyer and turns out the odd travel article for enjoyment, and an unhappy (insert job here) who wants to be a travel writer and can’t get enough time to be able to quit their job and do so.
And I’d far rather see a cull of the writers (both staff and hotels) who are only interested in gushing in return for free five star hotels than the hobbyists who write a cracking piece after they come back from holiday. Seeing newspapers and magazines full of dreadful, sycophantic rubbish is what really angers me – when it’s good, I don’t care who has done it or what they do with the rest of their time.
As for the personal jibes, I see no need to dignify them with a lengthy response. Suffice to say I’ll never pretend to be the greatest thing to ever grace my profession, but I’m proud enough to say that I’m happy with most of my work, and I make a good living from it.
Though it’s tempting to rubbish these courses and claim that travel writing is not a specific skill and/or that any decent writer/journalist can do it – the facts simply don’t bear that out.
Take a look at one of the papers which now doesn’t commission freelancers anymore (or rarely) – the Times (UK) is a good example. They now often publish travel ‘writing’ by their other correspondents who’ve been on holiday – and, to me, they stick out a mile. Business journalists simply can’t write travel. Neither can sports journos. Nor leader-writers. Nor lobby hacks. It’s not about the writer, or the destination – it’s about the writing.
Some of it is so bad it’s cringeworthy. The Independent’s Saturday magazine recently ran a travel special issue, which mingled stuff from proper travel writers (Simon Calder, Janet Street-Porter) with travel-style dispatches from their regular correspondents. I’m actually saving this section in case I ever get to run one of these travel-writing courses myself – it’s a great showcase to highlight the glaring differences between good and bad.
The piece by the magazine’s editor, about his family holiday in the Algarve, begins: “So there we were, shades on, hair bleached by the sun, kicking back with a few cold ones in the beachfront bar. swapping gnarly surfer tales with the gnarly surfer dudes, as the waves crashed against the sand below and a vast blood-orange sun began its spectacular slow-dive into the wild Atlantic.” Real classy.
Or a well-known, very prominent columnist on political and social affairs: “I was in Vancouver twice last year. Both times it rained.”
Travel writing CAN be taught. It IS a specific skill set. Same as political journalism, or financial journalism, or arts journalism – there are traps that the unschooled can fall into, even if they happen to be talented writers, and there are techniques and approaches which turn turgid travel writing into good travel writing.
I have never taken any courses in writing. Looking at my stuff from ten years ago, perhaps I should have done.
And to clarify – yes, I did run a blog called 1001 Freelance Travel Writer Tips for a while. This was partly a way of collecting my own thoughts, partly as an experiment with blogging and partly to see whether you can ever make money with Google Adsense.
You may note, however, that my first post was brutally honest about the prospects, and that at no point have I ever sold it as a way of making a living.
I think there’s a huge difference in a course that teaches the techniques of travel writing and one that teaches the business of travel writing.
I run travel photography workshops which cover photographic techniques but don’t cover anything about the business of travel photography, but I also run a course on the business of travel photography. I think educating people on how business works is a really great idea. Half of the mess our profession seems to be in can certainly be attributed to a lack of knowledge of going rates, rights and responsibilities in our industry.
Not that it’s the fault of newcomers – how are they to know? But it’s a lot easier to be exploited if you don’t know what industry standards are. I think it’s almost the responsibility of established professionals to help newcomers make their way without harming the profession. I’d much rather compete on the playing field of skill than that of who will sell their work for the cheapest and give away the most rights.
Not everybody who wants to be a travel writer can write well enough to get published, that’s a given. But for those who can I think the more help they get to remain profitable, keep hold of their rights and learn the ins and outs of the trade the better we’ll all be.
I quite agree with Ian about the hobbyists. The after work photography courses are also seldom taught by award winning photographers, but that doesn’t mean one can learn a thing or two.
The thing with travel writing courses however is that they actually tell the students that they’re going to be professionals at the end of the course.
But what annoys me the most is the “bubble” they create by linking beginning writers to each other. The students visit each other’s blogs and comment on the posts, so it looks like everyone in the writing program gained a lot of popularity.
When it comes to actually selling something, which is often necessary after a while for getting some income, the bubble cracks. It’s like a market with no customers.
Thank you David, not touchy really and no personal jibes intended. Would you attribute the same content to say a cookery course? Are the trainers and the delegates selling or buying into dreams of michelin stars, or are they perhaps just trying to improve an existing skill, or simply have a really good time doing something they enjoy with like minded people?
I fully accept that some course out there may not appear to have the right credentials, but surely that is for the prospective delegate to decide in parting with the cash – a little research or knowledge of the business can identify the merits.
I do, usually, enjoy your posts David, but you hit a nerve with this one, prompting a rant. For the record I would gladly invest my time and cash in another similar experience, and one day you may just see the outcome in print somewhere. Now back to the day job….
Having had my equivalent of a lie down in a darkened room, a long slow cycle, I do feel I may owe you an apology. My intent was only to counter the argument you raised – perhaps readers as well as travellers can earn the ‘grumpy’ tag.
However Matthew makes some very valid points. Indeed he has played an excellent role at the Festival at the RGS for the last couple of years. I am sure that you could also have a part to play next year if you wished David, or even would enjoy just being in the audience. There are lots of people keen to learn from the experience of those in the business.
Like you I do enjoy the day job, now structured to get the work/life balance right, allowing me to develop my hobbies and interests further.
Apology accepted Keith
And now, as I appear to be losing this argument, it’s possibly time to move on…
Interesting post David and I do agree with you on many points. We all know that a travel writer is a writer who happens to travel. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with doing a travel writing course but I would only recommend Dea’s or Jon Lorie’s currently.
But I think that what concerns most of us travel writers is that the markets for our work are shrinking and editors are getting inundated with pitches from non-professionals which makes it harder for them to take notice of ours, especially if we are trying a new publication. I had a reply from an editor recently (first time for me to pitch to her) who said: “Thank God, a proper journo. I’m inundated with wannabes.”
I represented the guild at the Travellers Tales Festival recently and gave tutorials to members of the public along with other guild members. We gave honest advice to people: don’t give up your day job just yet, the industry is changing, many people find it hard to make a living solely from travel writing etc
What was particularly interesting was that I met people there who were ‘hobbyist’ travel writers but who had been commissioned by publications that I’d never received a reply from. And why? Because they’d met and pitched to the editors on one of Jon Lorie’s courses! So that’s what the rest of us are up against.
HI David
I live in South Africa and own several accommodation establishments. I have always enjoyed writing and travelling, and the travel industry is closely linked to accommodation. 2 Years ago I did a travel writing course with SA Writer’s College – not a weekend course, but actually a 5-month online course. Not only do they teach you to write good travel pieces, but also to market yourself to publications. With this knowledge, as well as the confidence that the course gave me (tutored by Carrie Hampton, a very successful travel writer) I have managed to get many commissions. In fact, what I now earn from writing is equal to what my other businesses pay me. Yes, you cannot just give up your day job and suddenly start writing, but if you do it this way, by slowly moving from one field to another, there is no reason why you cannot ‘follow the dream’ and change career paths. For me, my experience in the accommodation industry has helped me tremendously, especially when it comes to doing reviews. I agree that the course tutors should not make unrealist promises, about ‘travelling the world for free while doing what you love’, and often these weekend hobby type course do that. But a more intense course such as the one I did, with more meat so to speak, that also teaches how to pitch an idea, and market yourself, is worth it for someone interested in a travel writing career.
What they cannot teach is that a travel writer needs to be a certain personality – a traveller not a tourist.
Regards
Rosanne