Pitches wanted (travel) | ~50+ cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: CONDE NAST TRAVELER

We’re thrilled you want to pitch a story for CNTraveler.com. Condé Nast Traveler aims to inspire travel and inform readers about the world around us. We cover travel in a way that helps people travel better, smarter, and more safely. We are committed to telling reported and personal stories about traveling, with inclusive coverage that includes BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled communities.

Before you pitch, please read the following guidelines.

• Pitch stories and angles, not destinations (i.e., please avoid the “I’m going to [TK place], need anything?” route).
• Check if we’ve covered the story and/or destination previously. If so, why are you revisiting it? Is there a new angle?
• Have other publications written about this angle? If so, how will your story be different?
• If you’re pitching a personality, please include whether the story is an exclusive, and whether you already have access.
• Consider if you are the best person to tell a specific story, especially if it’s about a marginalized community of which you are not a member. If so, please tell us why you’re the one to write the piece and which voices you’ll include.
• Disclose if your trip was sponsored in any way. We do not provide assignment letters for freelancers on group press trips. Trips can be pitched after the fact, with clear disclosure of the nature of the trip and the sponsorship.

Your pitch should be no longer than a paragraph or two, and include a suggested headline, your angle, your sources and/or characters, and why this story should be covered now. News pegs go a long way. Given the current travel restrictions around the coronavirus pandemic, we are prioritizing story pitches that reflect responsible travel. Photo suggestions are always helpful, but can be discussed after the assignment is made.

While we are a travel publication, we also publish stories that intersect with other fields: food, environment, art, history, architecture, design, tech, shopping, nightlife, and more. Any features should have a strong backbone of reporting and reveal something new—we’re not looking for diary-like travelogues or stream-of-consciousness stories that follow the course of a trip.

Rates start at $300 for 500 to 600 words. We do not accept pre-written stories on spec—even if you have already written the story, please send only the pitch.

Here are some of the regular franchises and subject areas that we’re always looking for more pitches around, along with the editor to pitch. Please avoid sending the same idea to multiple editors. The email format is firstname_lastname@condenast.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Questions / submissions: Check out the list of editors here (format is firstname_lastname@condenast.com)
• Website: https://www.cntraveler.com

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: With its motto of "Truth in Travel", Conde Nast seeks to provide enlightening content on a wide range of topics, including destinations, hotels, food and beverage, airlines as well as fashion, cars, digital and grooming. More information here.
• Read through its selection of recent articles/stories, categorized into: Inspiration, Destinations, Places to Stay, News and Advice, Shopping, Cruise, Women Who Travel
• 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.