Travel Writing
There are several travel market segments that are being well served: gonzo athletes whose entire lives are structured around radical adventures in remote locations; well-to-do travelers who spend weeks abroad several times each year; middle-class folks seeking Amish quilts and garden ornaments and for whom shopping is aerobic exercise. But there's a huge market that's nearly ignored: active adults with modest budgets and a strong desire to visit lesser-known locations. Although consumer publications and Web sites often include a few paragraphs aimed at this audience, that's hardly enough to satisfy the need. The market is grossly underserved.
We didn't realize this until we started reviewing Web site traffic for a bicycling-related business Richard and Julie Ries run, the Big Ring Adventure Team (BRAT). Lots of visitors were interested in evaluations of equipment and reviews of BRAT events. But an unexpected number of visitors wanted to know more about the unique destinations where BRAT events took place. They were using the site's search feature to get additional details about lodging, recreation, shopping, and dining opportunities in the areas shown.
Not everyone is fit enough to summit all the fourteeners in North America in the next two years. Not everyone can afford to spend a month on the Amalfi Coast. Not everyone finds fulfillment in the theater seats at Branson or while shop-hopping in Pigeon Forge. Using these criteria to cull the herd, there are still a lot of vacationers and day-trippers who want to get out and play. The low-cost, high-fun locales favored by the Big Ring Adventure Team have proven popular with these active travelers.
So how does this help you, the editor? If you have a specific location you'd like us to cover, we can do that. If you're looking for a companion piece to another story you're doing or an article to fit your editorial calendar, we'll suggest destinations and help you decide which works best for you. We offer complete packages of text and photos to meet your needs as well as the needs of your readers.
Some day soon some of your readers will get back from an amazing trip. They'll tell their friends all about it. Their friends will say, "How did you hear about this place anyway?" Let's make sure the answer includes the name of your publication or Web site.