RECORDED WEBINAR - Fri, Dec 8, 2023, 9am PT / 12:00 PM ET

Institute for Independent Journalists Presents

Travel Freelancing

Join our webinar on freelancing as a travel journalist, and hear from top editors who commission freelancer travel pieces for AFAR, the New York Times, National Geographic and Washington Post. 

This webinar is free to all. RSVP via Zoom to attend.
Note: This video is available to AIR members and webinar ticket holders only. Log in to watch the video. If you are not a member, join here.

Key Takeaways

  • What top travel editors are looking for in a pitch.
  • How to stand out from other freelancers.
  • Ethics, conflict of interest, and reporting standards that different news outlets expect from their freelancers.

About this webinar

  • Friday, December 8th, 2023.
  • 9am PT / 12pm ET 
  • 75 minutes
  • Free 
  • This webinar is recorded and made available after the recording. 
Join our webinar on travel freelancing designed for independent journalists. Learn about effective storytelling, how to pitch the top editors, and ways to get the bylines that will boost your career.

Who is this webinar for? 

Aimed at working journalists who have freelanced at least a little, or are already full-time freelancers interested in travel journalism.
Meet the Moderator

Meena Thiruvengadam

Meena is an editorial Swiss army knife embracing media entrepreneurship. She’s a freelance writer covering travel and business for publications including Travel+Leisure and Fortune and an audience development consultant specializing in helping publishers build high value audiences.
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Meet the Presenters

Starlight Williams

Starlight Williams is an editor for National Geographic who focuses her work on ecotourism, accessible adventures, cultural tourism, wellness travel, and paranormal tourism. When not on the hunt for engaging pitches (send yours to starlight.williams@natgeo.com), you can find Starlight on her yoga mat working on her niyamas.
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Meet the Presenters

Tacey Rychter

Tacey Rychter is a staff editor on the New York Times Travel desk, where she edits the weekly 36 Hours column and other features, and also has an audience role on the team (managing social media promotion, newsletters, etc). She also writes, contributing travel guides and reporting on topics like flight attendant burnout. Before joining the Travel desk in 2019, she worked with the Times's Australian bureau in Sydney, helping to grow the local audience and reporting news and features. Before that, she was the Melbourne editor of an Australian food and culture magazine called Broadsheet.
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Meet the Presenters

Katherine LaGrave

Katherine LaGrave is a deputy editor at AFAR focused on features and essays. Her work has been recognized in the Best American Food Writing and the Best American Science & Nature Writing. The Society of American Travel Writers named her the 2021 Travel Journalist of the Year. A graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, she is an adjunct professor at Fordham University. She lives in New York City.
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Meet the Presenters

Amanda Finnegan

Amanda Finnegan is the creator and editor of By The Way, The Washington Post’s travel destination for news, tips and city guides. Prior to that, Amanda was a homepage editor at The Post, as well as an editor on the Politics and Local desks. She splits her time between Chicago and D.C.
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Partner 

Institute for Independent Journalists 

The Institute for Independent Journalists is an education, professional development, and mutual support organization for independent journalists, focusing on Black, Indigenous and people of color. Our mission is financial and emotional sustainability for independent journalists of color, through community learning, innovation and advocacy. 
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