Multi-day tour marketplace, TourRadar, is tackling the issue of the lack of diverse representation in travel writing. Sahar Aman, editor of the company’s online travel magazine — Days to Come — and her team have developed a free online Travel Writing 101 course. The course is tailor-made for beginners or aspiring writers curious to learn more about the travel writing genre.
To kick off the course’s launch, Days to Come is offering editorial mentorship to members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community. The goal is to amplify BIPOC voices to add more diverse representation among the travel writing community.
“One of the most common questions I get about travel writing is ‘where do I even begin?’” said Aman. “Our Travel Writing 101 course aims to help anyone who has thought about getting into travel writing and address the lack of diverse voices in travel at the same time.”
This year, at the start of June, the newly formed Black Travel Alliance group called on the travel industry to increase diversity and representation with its #PullUpForTravel initiative. In an effort to hold the industry accountable, the campaign asked numerous travel brands that had posted statements in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement to share their diversity numbers. In response to the campaign, dozens of travel outlets pulled up — TourRadar, Matador Network and Conde Nast Traveler among them — to report on their diversity representation.
TourRadar’s online travel magazine — Days to Come — has always aspired to create a platform for diverse voices in travel. In 2019, 38% of the stories published were written by Women of Color.
The Days to Come Travel Writing 101 course and mentorship program aims to take this a step further and directly address this lack of diverse representation within the travel writing community. Members of the BIPOC community that have a passion for travel and writing can find instructions for how to apply for the mentorship program on the Days to Come travel writing course page. Applications will be accepted through July, and the mentorship program will begin in August.
Below is a glance at what students will learn:
- Understanding why travel writing gets under our skin
- Understanding different types of travel writing
- Writing your first draft
- Blogging and optimizing your content
- Pitching
- Honing your work through editing and proofreading
- Marketing yourself effectively as a travel writer on social media
- Creating a personal brand
- Standing out from the crowd
- Resources for travel writers
