The Subway Hike from the bottom up., Zion NP

OK here’s a sneak peak into the life of a travel writer.

Jeff recently cobbled together a couple of writing jobs showcasing the Southwest US.  The first thing you need to know about travel writing, is that publishers don’t really like you spreading the word about their projects in advance of publication.  So I won’t get any more specific about who it’s for, or exactly what the articles are about.

The second thing you need to know, is that assignments on the road are actually a lot of work.  Many people think travel writers hang out on the beach and get drunk and eat in fancy restaurants for free.  And while there is some of that, in truth, they’re usually frantic affairs, with lots of moving around, doing interviews and researching.

While some trips are completely comped (known as FAM trips – as in FAMiliarize people with what you offer), freelance writers often take trips on their own dime, and sell their stories later.

Writers are contracted to write the article, but you can often submit photos for consideration, and we’ve learned to take usable shots along the way when we travel.  Often, they end up paying about as much as the article itself.

On our recent trip, we went romping around the Southwest, desert camping, hiking in rivers and driving deep into red rock canyons.  Moments of Zen happen on every trip, but they’re especially frequent in the desert.  To celebrate the times that make it all worth it, we are publishing the 5 favorites from our various stops.  These are off our real camera (not our crappy cell phone selfies from Facebook).

We hope you enjoy!

Jeff & Amanda

Angel’s Landing, Zion NP

The Subway, Zion NP

Zion, The Narrows

The Subway, Zion NP

Zion, The Narrows