Do you travel a lot? Are you wanting to start a travel blog?

Why not share your experiences

through the form of writing by studying a Travel Writing and Photography course which will
help you communicate your experiences clearly, writing to a variety of different audiences.

This course will advise what you need as a travel writer including how to invoice, dealing
with any problems that arise, pitching your ideas etc. Along with finding your writing style,
this course also helps with tips on travel photography.

Course syllabus

Travel writing is a fun, interesting and fulfilling career. If your goal is to become a full-
time travel writer who is able to live off your income from writing alone, it is important to
understand that travel writing, like any other career, requires you to develop specific
skills and to have perseverance in order to succeed. 

There is a lot of competition in the field of travel writing. Some highly successful writers
in this genre have compared their climb to success with those who aspire to become
actors, songwriters or musicians. In other words, most aspiring writers work at other
jobs while they build a reputation strong enough to financially support themselves on
payment for their writing alone.  How long it takes you to achieve that goal is dependent
upon how ambitious you are and how well you write, but the average is between three
and six years. Alternatively, you may only wish to earn extra money as a travel writer
and continue working in the field you are already in; perhaps you travel frequently for
your current job and feel you have a lot to share with others about the places you
visit. You can create a great additional source of income as a travel writer this way. 

Whether it is a full or part-time profession you desire, this course will help you get
started. It will give you the basic information you need to build a portfolio and a required
skill set, the rest is up to you!

Course Requirements
This course will not require you to have previous experience in any particular area but
you should have a high school reading level. No books will be required.

Course Topics
 

Lesson 1: Do You Have What It Takes To Become A Travel Writer?

Lesson 2: Types of Travel Writing

Lesson 3: How-To Write an Informative, Sellable Travel Article

Lesson 4: How and Where To Sell Your Work

Lesson 5: How to Retain Rights to Your Work for Re-sale

Lesson 6: Preparing 'Clips' For Editors, Agents and Publishers

Lesson 7: Handling Rejection Gracefully

Lesson 8: Creating Article and Book Proposals

Lesson 9: Photographs Included?

Lesson 10: Building Your Platform and Expertise

Course Materials
All course material will be provided in the lessons and netlinks. There are no required
materials to purchase before taking the class.

Grading Policy
Each lesson will include a lesson review quiz along with one or two assignments.
Students will successfully complete this course by mastering all learning outcomes with
70% or higher overall grade.

Learning Outcomes
By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

 Determine whether or not you have what it takes to be a travel writer. 

 Describe the types of travel writing. 

 Create a How-To Write travel article. 

 Know how and where to sell your work. 

 Describe how to retain rights to your work for re-sale. 

 Prepare 'clips' for editors, agents and publishers. 

 Know how to handle rejection gracefully. 

 Know creating article and book proposals. 

  Recognize when to include photographs. 

 Describe ways to build your platform and expertise, and 

 Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.

Assessment Guide
Assessment Points

An Introduction 1

Lesson 1 Assignment 1

Lesson 1 Exam 10

Lesson 2 Assignment 15

Lesson 2 Exam 10

Lesson 3 Assignment 15

Lesson 3 Exam 9

Lesson 4 Assignment 15

Lesson 4 Exam 10

Lesson 5 Assignment 15

Lesson 5 Exam 8

Lesson 6 Assignment 2

Lesson 6 Exam 10

Lesson 7 Exam 10

Lesson 8 Assignment 2
Lesson 8 Exam 9

Lesson 9 Exam 10

Lesson 10 Assignment 15

Lesson 10 Exam 10

The Final Exam 48

Total Points: 225

TRAVEL WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY PRACTICUM

(varying credit, 1-8 weeks)
Students with an interest in developing skills needed for travel writing and travel photography can get first-hand
experience in a workshop environment, collaborating with Cuban students and professors to develop insights into
the culture that make their work more meaningful. Students work in teams to produce blogs, travel narratives,
essays, cultural analysis, and photo essays of things they see and experience in Cuba. Intersecting journalism,
expository writing, personal memoir, photography, and creative writing, the course encourages students to produce
meaningful reflections about what it’s like to experience another culture, and find appropriate forms of expression
for those experiences. With Cuban partners, they explore their ideas about what they see, what the images means to
them, and how their experiences have changed the way they feel or think about Cuba. Field trips take students to
places of historical, cultural, and environmental importance, providing them with a variety of issues and experiences
to write about. As the final project for the practicum, students will produce a portfolio of work to be published
online for use by future international visitors to the University of Cienfuegos. It can serve as an “informal guide to
Cuba” for new visitors, showcasing the insights, knowledge and experience of those who participated in the
practicum. The goal of the practicum is to give students the opportunity to learn and practice strategies and
techniques for effective travel writing and travel photography, to enhance their communication skills, and to gain a
deeper understanding of Cuban culture through collaboration with their Cuban cohort.

With this course module:

 The number of credits granted and length of time in Cuba can be negotiated according to
the needs of the group.
 The modules can be combined in any way, depending on the needs and interests of the
students.
 Students are not required to have previous knowledge of Spanish to take these classes
(with the exception of the translation practicum). When course content is delivered in
Spanish, interpreters will be available to help facilitate communication.
 Students can begin course work in Cienfuegos any time depending on preference of the
American professor and availability of UCf faculty (modules not available in August).

What will I learn?

Travel Writing & Photography introduces and equips students with pertinent skills and techniques to
craft publishable travel feature articles. Important topics addressed in this unit include finding a
compelling story, researching for a story, interviewing skills, writing techniques, and pitching story
ideas. The complimentary vital component is taking powerful images to accompany the travel feature
piece. Students will learn the technicalities of taking a compelling image and ways to compose and
frame photographs that are meaningful to the article.
Apart from learning the skills and techniques of writing and capturing still images, the unit examines
the debates and discourses of travel writing as a genre. We will introduce ethical practices in travel
writing, as well as in editing and taking photographs. Students will learn the importance of being
aware of their own perspectives, being sensitive towards local cultures and practices, and ways of
handling controversial topics.
As the world embraces the online medium, this unit explores ways of optimizing the use of the digital
platforms to conduct quality research and to build a personal brand through digital publication. In this
manner, the unit prepares to students to not only write and photograph, but also to build a business
around their journalistic skills. As such, we’ll cover marketing tactics, digital publication, what editors
are looking for, and international market and legal considerations.
 
Topic Summary:
 1. Finding the story
2. Researching for the story
3. Interviewing and appropriate sources
4. Writing the story – styles, the angle, lead, body and end
5. Pitching your story and photo ideas
6. Taking control of your camera (Aperture, shutter speed, ISO and lighting)
7. Framing, composition and editing the images
8. Letting the images tell the story
9. Ethics in travel writing and taking photographs
10. The power of language: Being aware of objectivity and bias in writing

How will I learn?

Teaching and Assessment:

This unit runs over 7 days and learning activities consist of both seminars and field trips.
During seminars key concepts and principles will be imparted through interactive teaching
and learning activities while, during field trips, these will be clarified through group
discussions and practical exercises.

Assessment:
Travel article and accompanying photographs

Eligibility:
A love of writing and photography, and a commitment to share your stories with others. You will
need a camera to complete the assignments. Computer labs are available throughout the campus,
but you may benefit from bringing your own laptop. While the unit material is certainly geared
towards DSLR cameras, students may use film, mobile or point-and-shoot cameras.
 
English Requirements:
Applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English.
Credits & Progression Pathways:
Travel Writing & Photograph is a course offered internationally by Curtin Consultancy Services in
partnership with Curtin University, Malaysia.
Participants completing the course will receive a certificate of completion from Curtin Consultancy
Services (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
Accommodation, Transport & Catering:
All transfers, accommodation and catering are by Curtin University or it’s partners. Accommodation
while in Miri is in a local hotel and the price is based on single occupancy per room per night.
Rooms have internet facilities and students will have full usage of gym and swimming pool facilities.
Students will receive coffee, tea and water in rooms daily, along with a daily local newspaper. There
is 24 hour room service, safe deposit boxes, laundry and dry cleaning services, currency exchange,
postal and concierge services.
Vegetarian, vegan and/or halal meal options are available. Alcoholic beverages are not included in
catered meals. Transfer is by air-conditioned coach. Travel guides, fluent in English and local
languages, will accompany students on all field trips, and will be able to assist with interviewing and
research.
 
Visa & Insurance Requirements:
Every person entering Malaysia must possess a valid Passport or internationally recognized Travel
Document valid. The document shall be valid, for more than six (6) months from the date of entry
into Malaysia.
Students are advised to check the respective visa requirements for their nationalities at the Malaysia
Department of Immigration . Curtin University, Malaysia does not offer immigration services for
Flexible Study Units.
While every effort is made to ensure that your flexible study experience is a safe and happy one,
unexpected events can occur. Although travel insurance is probably the last thing on your mind with
the excitement of your upcoming adventure, it can provide you with peace of mind that you and your
belongings are covered in the event of an emergency and therefore must be one of the key
components of your time in Borneo. As a result we have made travel insurance a prerequisite of
your flexible study with us. This means that ALL of students must have adequate travel insurance for
all elements of their tour before they travel.
 
Getting to Miri:
There are a choice of airlines and frequent flights departing from Miri’s International Airport. Malaysia
Airlines, MASwings and Air Asia connect Miri with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Johor
Bahru, and Labuan. From both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore connections to most international
destinations are possible. We recommend that you consider booking your flights with our travel
partner Brighton Travel and Tours.

A travel writer and photographer is a specialist who often travels to far-away

destinations to develop stories and photos for tourism-related journalism. They may be
employed by newspapers, magazines, trade publications, the government or as
freelance writers and photographers.
Responsibilities:

 Research subject travel to and explore destinations

 Conduct interviews
 Deliver work, often by electronic means
 Write and edit articles prior to editorial review (writer only)
 Take photographs, identify/gain consent of subject (photographer only)
 Develop and enhance photographs (photographer only)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  Creative ability
 Good communication skills
 Technical skills such as computer literacy and ability to use electronic mail (writer
only)
 Experience in research, interviewing and writing travel stories is desired (writer
only)
 Technical skills such as ability to use cameras and related equipment
(photographer only)
 Photography experience (photographer only)
 Diploma or degree in Journalism (writer only)
 Diploma or degree in Visual Arts or Photography (photographer only)

Possible Future Career Paths:

 Publisher
 Assistant Editor or Editor (writer only)
 Communications Director (writer only)
 Assistant Art Director or Art Director (photographer only)

Longform travel stories.

The meat and potatoes of Legal Nomads, and the reason I started this site: to
share longer form pieces about the adventures and misadventures on the road,
about crazy bus rides filled with goats and chickens and the hospitality of
strangers along the way.

As the site has grown and I’ve gotten older the type of travel I have done has
changed. I focus more on the stories behind a place and its people these days,
but this category includes all the craziness from the initial round-the-world
adventure.
Photoessays from the road.
When I started travelling in 2008 I brought along a point and shoot camera
and left my laptop at home, using internet cafes to update the blog
occasionally. In the years that followed I’ve tried to improve my photography
and have managed to snag an award for my Japan Photoessay in the process.

I am always trying to improve my photography skills, and occasionally share

long essays filled with images as a way to convey a sense of place. This
category contains all of those posts and the occasional Instagram roundup
also.

Crash courses to cities I love.

These are practical posts, but they are as long as the travel narrative section!
They contain guides to cities that I’ve spent time in, and each “crash course”
includes where to eat, where to stay, what to do, and what to see.

They exist to make your travels easier.

Sickness and travel.

One of the fears we all have when setting out abroad is that we’ll get sick.
I’ve had my share of it — mostly in the form of respiratory illnesses and
issues surrounding falling off a motorbike on the side of a cliff while a truck
rained cabbages and pineapples on me (you can’t make this stuff up). In these
posts I get into the nitty gritty of what I learned during these misadventures,
hopefully making you feel a bit more secure in the process.

The reality is I’m still travelling despite these mishaps — that says they

couldn’t have been that bad! You know what they say: what doesn’t kill you
makes you stronger.
Travel photography is not my main focus, but over the years it has become a more important one
as I have travelled. I use a Micro 4/3ds camera with aspherical (pancake) lens, and many of these
photoessays are using this set up. Some, like the Adventures in Sleeping post, are primarily with
my smartphone as they feature photos taken on the go.
In a world of digital sharing, photography has become not just a way to show people what you
see, but also a statement in and of itself. With access to technology, people who have not prior
had the ability to share their scene are able to. So despite being a word person first and foremost,
I have really enjoyed working on my photography skills and using this powerful medium as a
different way to share what I see, experience, and learn as I roam.