How to Write for Cruise Magazines - Secrets of Successful Travel Writing

Writing for travel magazines can be a brilliant experience, you are likely to go places and do things you would not have normally done on a regular holiday. This is because you must make your article stand out from the competition; travel writing can be a very difficult area to get into.

However, there are lots of ways you can maximise your chances of getting published in that cruise magazine.

Writers will often make the mistake of submitting their story to a large range of magazines, hoping that this will increase their chances of getting published. But it can be far more beneficial to carefully research individual magazines and select ones that best suit your style of writing and your travels. For example, if you have reviewed a budget cruise, there is no point in submitting your story to a luxury cruise magazine. Before you submit anything, it is best to browse the magazine and read the guidelines to get a feel for what that particular publication is looking for.

Every magazine will have different submissions requirements. Some will only look at the finished article before the editor will consider publishing it. Others will accept a query, a summary or pitch of the story idea. It is essential to read and adhere to a magazine's guidelines before submitting anything.

There are a few simple rules you can follow when writing your review of a cruise. These include:

Start with a Summary:

Usually, readers will want to get a general idea of a certain ship or cruise line first. They may skim the articles first, then come back to read the full review later. So start your article with a summary and put it at the top.

Cover Specific Categories:

In travel writing, when you write about something as specific as a cruise, remember there are certain elements that are common, that every reader will be interested in. For example:
- Cabin accommodation;
- Food and service;
- Activities and entertainment;
- Ports;
- The embarkation and the disembarkation process.

Organising your article to include general headings and make appropriate observations under each one will help the reader to remember and easily find the important details you include.

Make Your Article Stand Out:

Travel writing should be great fun; don't be afraid to inject your own style and sense of humour into your article.

Specific details can be really important when a reader is planning a cruise. For example, if you used a specific vendor to take a port trip, let the reader know if they are worth spending their holiday cash on, or if they should steer clear.

As a travel writer, you should be looking for that experience or trip that no other writer has reviewed before, find a new angle to the cruise you are on. It is important to venture down the road less travelled in this business; you may find the attraction that everyone wants to know about.

After all, it is these things that will make your article stand out to a potential publisher above all the others.

Give a Balanced Review:

It is never good when a review is either all negative or all positive. If the writer hasn't got one good thing to say about the cruise, it my make the publisher think they have an axe to grind. To make your review more valuable to readers, be objective.

Obviously, you should tell readers if there was something that disappointed you. But be fair and balanced, and readers will keep reading because they will want to hear what you have to say. If the entire article is full of positive things, or only focuses on the negatives, the readers will assume that your writing is not reliable.

Don't forget to consider the price you paid for the trip. If you got a last minute deal, it is likely that you won't have been allocated the best cabin on the trip. You get what you pay for, so this should be reflected in the tone of your review.
Be Specific:

If there is something you didn't like about the cruise, try to give the reader some specifics. For example, "the food was terrible" isn't a very useful comment. Give your reader more details. Was it because the choices were limited, or it was served in an unappealing way? Was the restaurant service poor?

The same goes for the other categories you are reviewing. Provide readers with useful information. Then they can decide if the activities on board or even the cruise itself will suit their holiday needs.
And Finally…

Cruises are an expensive holiday option, readers will often spend a lot of money on their cruise and they would like to feel that they are getting value for money. Reading your cruise review lets the readers benefit from your experience and add to the enjoyment of their own holiday.

And, don't forget to do that all important research, all magazines are different so you will need to read a range of articles they have already published to make sure this layout will work. You may have to 'tweak' it slightly to fit the magazine you have applied to.