Pitches wanted (travel) (worldwide) | up to 50 cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: WASHINGTON POST'S BY THE WAY 

Amanda Finnegan, Editor of By The Way, is looking for pitches:

Wondering how to pitch travel stories to The Washington Post? Check this guide: https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/09/29/travel-writers-pitch-washington-post/. Our rates depend on the assignment and experience.

HOW TO PITCH TRAVEL STORIES TO THE WASHINGTON POST

By The Way is the The Washington Post’s destination for travel news, tips and guides from local experts, both online and in print. Our goal is to help readers travel smarter, whether that’s explaining trends in prices or detailing hacks that help trips go off without a hitch. We also cover breaking news about the industries, policies and events that shape where you go and how you get there.

We prioritize service journalism and practicality; our readers fly coach. We also have a sense of humor, explain viral moments and explore the minutia of travel. With very few exceptions, we’re not interested in a first-person travelogue from a place most readers are unlikely to go.

We’re seeking contributing writers who can meet the editorial standards of The Post and teach readers something they can apply to their own travels. We’re especially interested in voices that are underrepresented in travel media.

Prospective writers can send pitches to Travel and By The Way Editor Amanda Finnegan and Deputy Editor Gabe Hiatt, or through The Post’s Talent Network. Please be patient if we don’t respond immediately. If we like your idea, you’ll hear from us.

The ideal pitch should be summarized in three paragraphs or less while giving us a sense of the tone, reporting requirements, sourcing and experience informing the article.

PITCH US IF...

• You have a plan to execute a story about a place you live in or know well, and you have sources already lined up to provide context.
• Your story is connected to a news event and could be turned around quickly.
• Your story empowers readers to plan better, spend smarter or fix a common travel problem.
• Your story covers a trend that speaks to the larger culture of travel.
• Your story has broad appeal with American travelers.
• Your story shows readers something new about a popular travel destination; everyone knows about the Louvre already.
• Your story explores how locals eat and drink and how a visitor can do the same.
• You have a travel hack or hot take for our Upgrade series. You can pitch that here.

WE’LL LIKELY PASS IF...

• You’re parachuting into a place far from home.
• You have a personal essay that fails to include a broader, relatable subject.
• Your pitch focuses on luxury.
• Your idea is based on a press trip. We don’t accept freebies. Read more on our standards below.

IF WE ACCEPT YOUR PITCH

We’ll discuss length (ideally between 600 and 1,200 words) and payment. Our rates are competitive and negotiated on a piece-by-piece basis, depending on the experience of the writer and the scope of the assignment.

OUR STANDARDS

• We can’t accept pieces that result from free trips. Free trips (or “press trips”) are complimentary or discounted trips sponsored by organizations with a vested interest in the stories that result: tourism offices, chambers of commerce and visitors’ bureaus, as well as airlines, hotels, cruise ships, outfitters, guides and other travel providers.
• We very rarely pay freelance travel expenses. Please don’t pitch stories with the expectation that The Post will underwrite the cost of your travel.
• We buy first publication rights, so don’t pitch anything that has already appeared anywhere else or that is part of a multiple submission.
• We cannot accept stories that are piggybacked onto assignments from other publications. For example, if one publication sends you to Amsterdam to write about restaurants, don’t pitch a story about Amsterdam museums researched on that trip.
• You must disclose to the assignment editor any conflict of interest or appearance of a conflict of interest related to the assignment.
• Freelancers should not represent themselves as Washington Post writers while reporting. They may, however, identify themselves as freelance reporters writing an article for The Washington Post Travel section when interviewing subjects for the story.
• You should travel anonymously, unless otherwise agreed to by your assignment editor. You should not inform hotels, restaurants, cruise personnel, etc., that you are writing about or reviewing their business.
• When a pitch is accepted, the terms of your agreement with The Post are laid out in the Writer Agreement through our Talent Network.
• Submitted stories that violate Travel’s submission guidelines will not be published and will not be eligible for kill fees.

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Reports indicate that this opportunity will pay up to 50 cents per word. It is recommended that you discuss the rate(s) with the editor upon the acceptance of your pitch.

CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

• Submissions: amanda.finnegan@washpost.com
• Website: https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/
  

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: By The Way is Washington Post's travel destination featuring travel news, tips and City Guides. Its goal is to help readers travel smarter, whether that’s explaining trends in prices or detailing hacks that help trips go off without a hitch. By The Way also covers breaking news about the industries, policies and events that shape where we go and how we get there.
• Read through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: News, Tips, City Guides
• Review the submission guidelines here.
• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.
• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a paragraph highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

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