Does anyone finance teen travel writers? And, why doesn't the media show more African-American travelers?

[khannahcheatham]

I am 17 years old and I my dream is to travel around the world and experience different places and different cultures. And well I guess I have two questions, my first is " I feel sort of intimidated because you don't see a whole lot of african americans or nubian people traveling or they don't make mention of them, so why not?" And my second question is, you know my age but I would like to know where I can find a company the finanices teen travel writers?"

    I don't want to come across racist, but I have read every travel magazine you can think of I have seen every travel show you can think of I have search everything on people traveling, and the people who make more effort to travel is ( excuse my language please) white people. Not that I am angry I just feel that it would be good to see a healthy balance of all types of people.

   thank you

[Evelyn Kanter]

You are wrong. There are several credentialed and respected African American travel writers and online entrepeneurs -- you just haven't found them in your reading list or bumped into them at trade shows.

And I don't want to come across as preachy any more than you want to come across as racist -- but -- just what makes you think you are entitled to have your summer vacation financed by 'a company"?

My own first world trip -- which lasted nearly one year, with one suitcase and one backpack -- was financed by summer jobs in high school and college. I suspect that is how many of the travel writers on Tripatini also paid for their first grand adventure. Or, by finding a job overseas and then continuing the journey on savings from that overseas job -- as my own daughter did.

Perhaps you could find a sponsor, such as a travel gear or clothing company. Have you thought of contacting an NGO which works in one of the countries you hope to visit? What about volunteering to teach English somewhere, or help with some other special expertise you have, and then write about that experience? Or the Peace Corps.

The opportunities are limitless. Good luck.

[Allan Lynch]

Hi,

I used to be on the boards of several writers' organizations. We once had a well-meaning civil servant ask us to provide a breakdown of our membership by ethnic group. We refused because we believe words are blind. Writing is blind. If you can construct a good sentence, if you can tell a story, if you can inform, we didn't care what the colour of your skin or your family background. That's the great thing about a career as a writer. It isn't about your age or ethnic background, it's about you and your ability and your passion.

However, having said that, I would think the place for you to start is with a plan. 17 is a little young to set out on a round-the-world journey. So start with writing about where you are. Everyone thinks other places are more exotic, but I bet that wherever you live, people come to visit. What do they do, what do they see, what inspires them to come there, what do you think people don't know about the place and what there is to do? Local media (newspapers, magazines, radio and TV) might be interested in the holiday-at-home angle (some people have coined the word 'staycation' - I'm not big on that, but if it gets your foot in the door, go for it).

As you work at writing and pitching ideas and putting it all together, you will learn how to flush out your goal to go around the world. This will help you gain the experience of finding an angle, crafting your words into an inspiring story, and help mature your voice. When I write about maturing your voice, that's not a dig at your age, it's about honing your craft, shedding cliches and being inspirational. The more you write, the better writer you become. And the more you read, the better a writer you become.

Always remember the reader. Hundreds, thousands, maybe millions could follow what you say and write. So it has to be accurate and fair and inspirational. If you always remember the reader or audience, you will be on the path to success. Good luck and happy and safe travels.

[Erin Leigh Dinan]

Hello,
When I was in college, i worked part time and slowly saved up 6,000$. After graduating, I joined this program called BUNAC. They are based in CT and you can pay a very small fee in exchange for a temporary work visa. you are on your own once you arrive in the country but i worked in both scotland and ireland and saved up a lot of money and then literally traveled around the world. I was 23. you should wait a few years. 17 is a bit young in my opinion. get some more life experience and you'll be great!

[Leslie Richardson]

First of all, congrats at having the dream to travel the world at 17 years old.

Secondly, no need to be intimidated if you don't see many Black people or other people of color - we are traveling in huge numbers and writing about it as well. It's just that the mainstream media doesn't typically focus on affinity groups so much. We are creating our own media to voice our travels - the websites Monique listed are great examples. There's also the Travel Professionals of Color (TPOC.org) which I believe has a student/writer membership available.

Aside from that, a huge majority of people of color who travel usually travel together to events/trips like Tom Joyner's Fantastic Voyage, Festival at Sea, various music festivals, etc., which is typically put on by an agency/tour company of color, so will not necessarily get the mainstream media coverage.

It's interesting because even in the cruise industry, some of the cruise lines are just now starting to make an effort to include diversity in their brochures and ads. Which is surprising considering the mainstream cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian have a significant amount of passengers of color who sail with them (especially for a family reunion or multigenerational family cruise).

So, again, don't be intimidated. This is an industry where you can carve out your own niche (just as Monique has done) and make it what you want it to be. There's a lot of opportunity, especially now with various forms of social media. You may want to consider starting a blog - it's a good way to get into the travel writing industry. Plus, it's free and you can create a following and niche for yourself.

Good luck with everything!

Yours in travel,

Leslie Richardson, MCC, CTA
Cruise Planners/JetSetters Travel LLC
www.jetsetterscruises.com

[Sarah Irving]

Hey Khannah,
I'm afraid I have to agree with many of the other writers who've replied to this thread - most people have to work, scrimp and save for years before they can make a career out of writing, especially out of such an oversubscribed field as travel writing, and to be honest that experience probably makes them better travel writers, because they have been through a wider range of life experiences.
Having said that, once you turn 18 you may want to look at the Glimpse travel writers' programme here: http://glimpse.org/correspondents/ - it sponsors young travel writers (and note that they consider 'young' to be anything up to 36, which may seem ancient to you) with a small(ish) stipend, as well as giving them editorial support and feedback.
With regard to the people claiming that writing is colour blind - hmmm. That looks optimistic to me. It may not be specifically racist, but certainly in the UK a lot of it is about who you know, not necessarily about the quality of the writing you're capable of. You only have to look at the travel sections of some of the British broadsheets, peppered with mediocre articles by minor celebs or children/spouses of same, to see how much nepotism there is in this sector - the crowning example being the time a few years back when a kind of annual internship place at the Guardian, which involved two young writers being funded to travel round the world and blog from their trips, was given to the son of the travel section editor, who was fairly speedily removed after he turned in some pretty lousy work. See http://www.anorak.co.uk/180734/broadsheets/nepotism-in-the-media-th... for more of the story... not necessarily a racism issue, but the way the stats shake out, with excessive quantities of well-off Oxbridge graduates depending on the Bank of Mum & Dad to see them through some unpaid internships at London-based newspapers where they can cosy up to plenty of editors, the sector is by definition going to be badly skewed towards white candidates.

[Randy Parker]

The tough truth is that at 17 years old you will most likely not get a publisher to finance your travels, The business is hard enough for experienced, published writers to make a living, much less get your travels underwritten by sponsors.

You have to get a track record. I cannot advise you how to do that. Maybe start a personal blog and slowly work up your exposure as you gain followers. With good content, people will notice. It may take years but if you stick to it and your work is good, you will get offers.

As an African-American, you can use that in your favor as a niche and develop that market. As you have noticed, you have little competition and that is your strength. Use it to your advantage. If you are talented, you will be noticed but it takes time and effort. Good luck!

[khannahcheatham]

Thank you so much for your answer to my question. This really made me think about a lot of things I can use in the future :)

Randy Parker said:

The tough truth is that at 17 years old you will most likely not get a publisher to finance your travels, The business is hard enough for experienced, published writers to make a living, much less get your travels underwritten by sponsors.

You have to get a track record. I cannot advise you how to do that. Maybe start a personal blog and slowly work up your exposure as you gain followers. With good content, people will notice. It may take years but if you stick to it and your work is good, you will get offers.

As an African-American, you can use that in your favor as a niche and develop that market. As you have noticed, you have little competition and that is your strength. Use it to your advantage. If you are talented, you will be noticed but it takes time and effort. Good luck!

[khannahcheatham]

Yeah I guess they are right, I need to look at it from that point of view. So thank you for your input.

Sarah Irving said:

Hey Khannah,
I'm afraid I have to agree with many of the other writers who've replied to this thread - most people have to work, scrimp and save for years before they can make a career out of writing, especially out of such an oversubscribed field as travel writing, and to be honest that experience probably makes them better travel writers, because they have been through a wider range of life experiences.
Having said that, once you turn 18 you may want to look at the Glimpse travel writers' programme here: http://glimpse.org/correspondents/ - it sponsors young travel writers (and note that they consider 'young' to be anything up to 36, which may seem ancient to you) with a small(ish) stipend, as well as giving them editorial support and feedback.
With regard to the people claiming that writing is colour blind - hmmm. That looks optimistic to me. It may not be specifically racist, but certainly in the UK a lot of it is about who you know, not necessarily about the quality of the writing you're capable of. You only have to look at the travel sections of some of the British broadsheets, peppered with mediocre articles by minor celebs or children/spouses of same, to see how much nepotism there is in this sector - the crowning example being the time a few years back when a kind of annual internship place at the Guardian, which involved two young writers being funded to travel round the world and blog from their trips, was given to the son of the travel section editor, who was fairly speedily removed after he turned in some pretty lousy work. See http://www.anorak.co.uk/180734/broadsheets/nepotism-in-the-media-th... for more of the story... not necessarily a racism issue, but the way the stats shake out, with excessive quantities of well-off Oxbridge graduates depending on the Bank of Mum & Dad to see them through some unpaid internships at London-based newspapers where they can cosy up to plenty of editors, the sector is by definition going to be badly skewed towards white candidates.

[khannahcheatham]

thank you, and yes the media is changing the way they advertise their things. Such as the travel companies, so thank you for that.

Leslie Richardson said:

First of all, congrats at having the dream to travel the world at 17 years old.

Secondly, no need to be intimidated if you don't see many Black people or other people of color - we are traveling in huge numbers and writing about it as well. It's just that the mainstream media doesn't typically focus on affinity groups so much. We are creating our own media to voice our travels - the websites Monique listed are great examples. There's also the Travel Professionals of Color (TPOC.org) which I believe has a student/writer membership available.

Aside from that, a huge majority of people of color who travel usually travel together to events/trips like Tom Joyner's Fantastic Voyage, Festival at Sea, various music festivals, etc., which is typically put on by an agency/tour company of color, so will not necessarily get the mainstream media coverage.

It's interesting because even in the cruise industry, some of the cruise lines are just now starting to make an effort to include diversity in their brochures and ads. Which is surprising considering the mainstream cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian have a significant amount of passengers of color who sail with them (especially for a family reunion or multigenerational family cruise).

So, again, don't be intimidated. This is an industry where you can carve out your own niche (just as Monique has done) and make it what you want it to be. There's a lot of opportunity, especially now with various forms of social media. You may want to consider starting a blog - it's a good way to get into the travel writing industry. Plus, it's free and you can create a following and niche for yourself.

Good luck with everything!

Yours in travel,

Leslie Richardson, MCC, CTA
Cruise Planners/JetSetters Travel LLC
www.jetsetterscruises.com

[khannahcheatham]

Thank you for your advice, I guess I am just tired of waiting to live my dream. I will be willing to wait and just live the life I am living now.

Erin Leigh Dinan said:

Hello,
When I was in college, i worked part time and slowly saved up 6,000$. After graduating, I joined this program called BUNAC. They are based in CT and you can pay a very small fee in exchange for a temporary work visa. you are on your own once you arrive in the country but i worked in both scotland and ireland and saved up a lot of money and then literally traveled around the world. I was 23. you should wait a few years. 17 is a bit young in my opinion. get some more life experience and you'll be great!

[khannahcheatham]

Yeah I think I needed to rewrite my post, because it does sound one sided. But thank you for your post

Tom Inglesby said:

I would second Allan's idea: think of writing as a pool of water and you are in the middle, write about what is closest to you, expanding your reach in circles or ripples as you get experience in the craft and confidence in your abilities.

I started at 14 writing about what interested me then (history) and kept at it, outside of school requirements, until I felt I could stand up with anyone, student or teacher, and discuss my work, my passion. College changed my interests as I saw things I never knew were possible and I learned new (to me) ways to present my ideas.

None of this had anything to do with travel, I fear. That came in late middle age (64!) when my work in my other genre gave me a presentation skill set that won over a magazine publisher and I suddenly was a travel writer/editor. Again, as Allan says, it's the ability to communicate, not the preferred topic, that makes a writer valuable. I called myself a "hack writer" for years because I felt I could communicate in almost any field, on any topic, given time to research it and get comfortable with it. The key was being able to string words in a way that made people want to read on. Work on that, the rest will come.

[Kathleen Walls]

Check out two great African American travel writers  Renee Gordon who writes Renee's Route (http://www.americanroads.net/renees_route_winter2014.htm/ ) and Americans on the Road  and  Eleanor Hendricks McDaniel who writes  Exploring With Eleanor (http://www.americanroads.net/exploring_with_eleanor_winter2014.htm/ )  Both of these talented writers write for other publications also.