Today I’m excited to share that I’ve been accepted into the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW).
The SATW is a professional association of North American travel writers, editors, photographers, publishers, and PR pros.
When I first came across the SATW a few years ago, it seemed only relevant to traditional print journalists and professional photographers.
Over this past Summer, however, I was encouraged to apply as the organization looked to attract bloggers into the fold.
The Society of American Travel Writers’ mission is to promote responsible journalism, provide professional development for its members and encourage the conservation and preservation of travel resources worldwide.
Things are going swimmingly for me, so why did I go through the effort and cost to join?
It has been a little over 4 years since I left the highly structured corporate world to pursue my travels, and while I’m happy with how my self-development and life has evolved since then, I continue to look for ways to solidify this dream job as a pro travel blogger into a sustainable lifestyle and business.
The kind that can one day support not just me and my wanderings, but a family.
Or at least a spouse and a cute dog.
A few of the biggest benefits I saw to joining the Society of American Travel Writers include:
- Increased credibility
- Networking opportunities
- Chance to further my development as a travel writer
- Ability to help other members who are new to the world of blogging
Special thanks to Chris Gray Faust and Kara Williams for sponsoring me.
I first met Chris at a World Hum happy hour over two years ago in Washington, DC, when she was still working as the Travel Editor at USA Today. And I hope to meet Kara one day soon.
The SATW’s tagline is Travel’s Most Trusted Voices, and I’m proud to be their newest member. 
About the Author:
Dave is the author of 1574 posts on Go Backpacking.
Dave (Editor-in-Chief) blogged his way around the world from 2007-2009, and then started Travel Blog Success to teach others how to do the same. When not writing, he can be found salsa dancing in Medellin. Follow him on Twitter @rtwdave or look for him on Google+
The Travel Blog Success community offers practical resources and personal support to help you build a better travel blog.
Whether you treat blogging as a hobby, or dream of building a location independent business, you'll learn what's required to create a name for yourself in the online travel world.
Benefits of Joining:
- Personal support from Dave, including site critiques and tips on negotiating advertising deals.
- Ability to learn from others' mistakes, and save yourself time, energy and money.
- Chance to network with other travel bloggers of all levels, from around the world.
Categories: Features
11 Comments
Welcome to the club! Now we can do the secret handshake :)
Might have to look into this–but congratulations! Well deserved!
Thanks Christine. I qualified as a “website owner” which required a certain level of sustained traffic over the last 12 months, as well as evidence that I was deriving an income from my writing.
Congrats! That’s huge!!!
Thanks Andi, I’m excited :)
Welldone David!
I don’t know if there is the same thing for the french, i’ll check!
After some months in central america and Cuba, i’m back in Colombia.
And you?
Gracias Fabrice. I spent 2 months in Ecuador, and another 2 in Peru, where I’ll be through early January. Then on to Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
I hope to get back to Medellin for a few months in 2012.
Great, i plan to go to Ecuador en february (interesting your article about the Galapagos island:-), and Peru on march,
Take care!
I am being told over and over by friends reading my blog that I should write for a living. I just don’t know if they really know what they are talking about. How would I find out if it’s true and where would I even begin.
The great thing about the new media landscape, including blogging, social media, ebooks, Kindle, and self publishing is that there aren’t the old gatekeepers to stand in your way. Or even editors!
My advice is to just keep writing on your blog, and learn to effectively promote your stories via social media so that you can build up an audience. Put together an ebook and see how it’s received. Printing on demand is easy to do as well if you want to make the books available in paperback as well.
You may want to check out the online MatadorU travel writing course.
Here’s an inspiring story from a fellow travel blogger: http://www.fearfuladventurer.com/archives/5940
I just found this post! Thanks for the shout-out.