Matador Network is the largest independent travel publisher in the world. Their main focus is on experiential travel. They are looking for ‘’people with stories, not broad information on a general topic.’’ An old payment report indicates pay of $0.20 per word, but current pay rates are not clear. To learn more, refer to their pitch guide.
National Geographic Travel is a travel brand that tells “visually-driven, unexpected stories about the world.” They provide travel information to people and expose them to new places and cultures. According to a payment report, they paid $0.50 per word. Many of their editors have their contact information posted on Twitter; some regularly post calls for pitches there. To view their list of editors, visit this page.
Let’s Travel is a bi-monthly travel magazine that focuses on “articles with a twist that offer first person accounts of travel in New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific Islands.” They also publish a few stories from far flung places like, South East Asia, Europe and Americas. Their “readership demographics is luxury”, so if the pitch is about getting by on a few dollars, they would probably not be interested in it. Their feature articles are 800 to 1,200 words. According to their pitch guide, they pay a flat fee of NZ$300 per story to unpublished writers. To previously published writers, they pay NZ$500.
New Mobility is a magazine for active wheelchair users. They note that they “tell stories directly and honestly, without sentimentality.” They’re not looking for stories of “overcoming disability” but rather practical, compelling articles. Writers can submit “articles on recreation, travel, people, health, relationships, media, culture, civil rights and resources.” They previously indicated paying 15 cents per word, but current rates are unclear. To learn more, refer to this page.
Trains publishes photographs, news stories and feature articles covering railroading's past and present, including first-person recollections. They do not buy travel stories, poetry, or fiction. Each issue contains 80-100 photos and 27,000 words. According to their guidelines, pay is $100 for 600 words, $125 for 800 words, $150 for 1,000 words, and $175 for 1,200 words plus. Query first. Details here.
PassageMaker Magazine covers all aspects of trawlers and ocean motorboats and welcomes articles from around the world. Articles should be a combination of personal experience and technical/ informative elements. They previously indicated pay of $300 to $950 for magazine articles; general travel, how-to pieces about the boats and their systems, the crew, and the places they travel are welcome. Because their guidelines have been removed, current information on submissions is unclear. To contact their editorial staff, refer to this page.
Cheese Connoisseur is a trade magazine and website for all things cheese. They cover "specialty cheeses, celebrity cheesemakers, chefs, wines, travel opportunities, and complementary foods and beverages." According to an old payment report, they paid 30 cents per word. Their team can be contacted through this submission form.
Abilities is Canada’s foremost cross-disability lifestyle magazine. Topics include travel, health, sport, recreation, careers, education, transportation, housing, social policy, relationships, technology, family life, movie/book reviews, personality profiles, events and conferences. The magazine has a conversational tone. They’re not looking for personal essays, but encourage writers to draw on their experiences to illustrate a broader topic. They pay a kill fee if negotiated in advance. According to their pitch guide, they pay $50 to $325. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Travelweek is a Canadian publication that also has a French edition. For forty years, Travelweek has been covering everything from familiarization trips to airlines. They're always looking for articles relevant to Canadian travel professionals. Though they have no submissions guidelines available, you can contact their editors here.
Canadian Travel Press is another popular Canadian travel trade publication. Canadian Travel Press is owned by Baxter Media, whose other publication is Travel Courier. In addition to a print edition, they also have a digital version of the magazine. Though they have no guidelines for writers available, you can refer to their contact page for more information.
Vancouver Boulevard Chinese Magazine is a west coast luxury lifestyle magazine serving the Chinese-speaking communities of Metro Vancouver. With 11 issues annually, it features the latest trends in home decor, high fashion, travel, real estate, arts, entertainment, food and drink, and more. They previously indicated pay of 25 to 30 cents for features, which are generally 850 words. Current rates are unclear. To contact the editors, refer to this page.
OUR HOMES is a quarterly glossy Canadian magazine of premium homes, real estate, and décor. Editors look for “accurate and lively writing that demonstrates knowledge of home building and decoration.” Although articles must include interviews and be based on research, they also must be entertaining. Editors encourage writers to submit their quality photos. According to their guidelines, payment is $0.25 per assigned word for freelance writing, and, if there is travel required, $0.40 a km after the first 60 kilometres travelled. To learn more, refer to their writers’ guidelines.
Wellbeing is an Australian publication about holistic health, sustainability, and spirituality. They look for articles that are empowering, informative, and entertaining. They've previously indicated pay of AU$600 to AU$700 for feature articles typically 2,000 words long, AU$750 for travel articles, AU$1700 for special reports, and AU$150 for real life experience articles of 800-1000 words. Current pay rates are not clear. To learn more, refer to their contributor guidelines.
Spirituality and Health covers a broad spectrum of topics that fall under spirituality and health. They publish articles on healthy lifestyles, relationships, spiritual tools and practices, profiles, interfaith stories, and spiritual travel. Payment varies for the website and magazine. They pay upon acceptance, and buy only first rights. A payment report from 2022 indicated pay of $0.50 per word for investigative reporting, but current pay rates are not clear. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Men's Health is a magazine about fitness, health, sex, style, travel, and grooming. About half of the magazine's content is provided by freelancers. As per a previous post by their culture editor, their web rates are $150-$350. It's not clear how to contact their US division; you can attempt to contact the culture editor through X. To pitch their UK division, visit this page.
Honolulu Magazine is a regional magazine for the city of Honolulu. They're not a travel magazine, they're a magazine for the residents of the city. They use freelance writers on a wide variety of subjects, including personality profiles, history, sports, politics and lifestyle trends, but all must be related to Hawai‘i. They previously indicated to pay up to $1,800 for feature stories and $100 to $600 for departments, but current rates are unclear. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
South Carolina Living is a lifestyle magazine published by South Carolina’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives. They reach a very large audience. They publish general interest articles, profiles, articles about energy issues, and regional travel articles, recipes, and more. According to previous versions of their writer's guidelines, payment is up to $450. Their guidelines are no longer available. To contact them, refer to this page.
Long Island Woman is a monthly tabloid magazine with a free distribution of 30,000 copies throughout Long Island, NY, aimed at women ages 40-69. Its content covers lifestyle and family, physical and mental health, fitness and sport, nutrition and dining, beauty and fashion, finance and business, gardening and home decorating, travel and entertainment, news and interviews with inspiring women. Editors look for original manuscripts and reprints. According to their guidelines, payment is $80-$225 for 501-2,500-word articles. To learn more, refer to their writers’ guidelines.
Midwest Living is a quarterly regional magazine covering the 12 states of the Midwest U.S. They have a circulation of 925,000. Their articles focus on topics like travel, gardening, food, and home. According to their guidelines, new writers should expect $200 for a short assignment or website article. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Maine Boats, Homes and Harbours Magazine is a magazine of the coast of Maine, with focus on boating. Stories should have a strong Maine connection. They do not generally publish log- or travel-style pieces. Manuscripts submitted for feature consideration should be approximately 700-1,200 words in length. Departments ("A Letter from Home", "My Boat, My Harbor") are shorter: 500-750 words as a general rule. They previously indicated to pay $250 for shorter articles and up to $400-500 for feature articles, but current rates are unclear. Details here.
Ohio Magazine is a regional magazine for the state of Ohio, covering travel destinations, interesting Ohioanns, arts and culture, as well as local trends. Their magazine departments cover Travel, Arts + Events, Food + Drink and History, Heritage + Home. In addition, they seek out features running between 1,100 and 1,800 words. These can be history pieces, features on travel destinations of note or profiles on interesting Ohioans. Pay rates are not mentioned. Read their submission guidelines here.
Charleston Style & Design is a local magazine that publishes articles about architecture, fashion, businesses, food, and travel of interest to people in Charleston, South Carolina, and the surrounding region. They previously indicated to pay $200 for personal essays that offer a relatable story and good insight, but their guidelines have been removed. To contact them, refer to this page.
Coastal Review Online is a daily online publication published by the N.C. Coastal Federation. It covers environmental and conservation events and issues along the N.C. coast, the history and culture of the coast, “green” travel stories, and profiles of noteworthy people. Editors buy first-time serial rights (including the right to publish the material on the CRO website and archive the material indefinitely on the site). They previously indicated to pay $75-$200 for 800-2,000-word articles, but current rates are unclear. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.
Ventana Monthly wants sophisticated, tightly focused articles related to Ventura County. Articles run from 400 to 1,500 words. Sections include Personality, Giving Back (philanthropy), Culture, Nesting (home/architecture), Table Talk (food/drink), Sporting, Shopping, and Travel (not restricted to the local area). According to their guidelines, they pay $0.20/word. Details here.
Kentucky Monthly features articles on Kentucky’s culture, food, history, lifestyle, outdoors, travel and human interest. They prefer writers who possess a bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications or related field, or commensurate writing experience. Features typically run between 1,000 and 2,500 words. According to their contributor guidelines, payment is 15 cents a word, and they will negotiate package prices for freelancers who provide both story and photography.
Seattle Magazine wants news-related stories about the city and region, civic and social issues, local travel, food news, home, interiors, and other lifestyle stories, arts and culture, home and garden, and front-of-book features. Rates were previously listed as $400-$1,000 for features; $350 for departments; $50-100 for very short pieces. Current rates are unclear. Details here.
Texas Highways is the official travel magazine of Texas, published by the Travel Information Division of the Texas Department of Transportation. Articles should document Texas destinations for readers in the US and across the world, through descriptive and evocative language. According to their guidelines, their standard print rate is $1.20/word plus travel expenses. Digital rates vary based on the scope of reporting. To learn more, refer to this page.
Horse Illustrated is a magazine for horse lovers. They offer horse health and care advice, training tips, lifestyle features, and more. They are seeking “reader-friendly pieces with a conversational tone, shorter word counts (500 to 1,200) and topics to add dimension to the magazine’s regular training and horse care features—human interest, lifestyle, fashion, travel, equestrian issues—both large (welfare) and small (boarding barn drama!)—plus humor, first person stories, and more.” They previously indicated payment of $25-$150 per article, but current pay rates are not clear. To learn more, refer to their writer’s guidelines.
Powder is a magazine for skiers. Their "mission is to come as close as possible to the expert skiing experience through words, photos, graphics, and humor." They have a circulation of 150,000. Payment is negotiated. They are interested in news, essays, interviews and profiles, travel pieces, opinion, and other pieces for their exclusive columns. Read their old contributor guidelines here.
OutdoorsNW seeks articles about outdoor recreation, adventure travel, health and nutrition, outdoor fitness product reviews, and more. They publish four times a year and not just in print form but also “engaging articles, interactive media, and stunning photography, extends the storytelling beyond the printed pages”. To pitch, you can find their email address on the bottom of their website, in the "About Us" section.