International Living Interview - How to get your first travel article published

 GETTING YOUR FEET WET: HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST TRAVEL ARTICLE PUBLISHED

 Interview with Chicago Workshop Attendee Shelley Huskey

 TRWTT: Hi Shelley. You attended our Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop
 in Chicago last month. What attracted you to that event and the idea
 of travel writing?

 SHELLEY: I’m an Environmental Manager by profession and have been
 working in the environmental field for about 13 years. My husband and
 I are now empty-nesters. With our youngest son finishing up his final
 year in college in Chicago, I had been thinking a lot about how I want
 to spend the next half of my life when I read about the travel writing
 workshop. Travel writing sounded more like fun than work, so I
 decided to give it a shot. American companies tend to only provide a
 few weeks of vacation each year, but most of us need a break before we
 are entitled to take it. A freelance travel writer sets their own
 hours. I like the sound of that.

 TRWTT: Can you tell us a little bit about the article you wrote and
 where you got it published? Was it the article you worked on in class
 at the event in Chicago?

 SHELLEY: Yes, it was the article I worked on in class. I like to stay
 active and enjoy bike riding. So when I went to Chicago, I took my
 bike and decided that if it was nice, I would ride it to the travel
 writing class along Chicago's lake front. Since we had to come up
 with a story during the class, I decided to write about the awesome
 bike path along Lake Michigan. I titled it "Bike Chicago's Lake Front
 for Free!" When I got home, I sent it to the editor at my local paper
 and she responded within a few days to say she’d like to publish it.
 The article then came out on my birthday. What a great way to
 celebrate!

 TRWTT: Was this the first article you tried to write and publish or
 have you tried before?

 SHELLEY: This was the first time I tried to get published. I wrote
 another article about a vacation in Fort Myer's Beach Florida, but I
 haven't done anything with it yet.

 TRWTT: Are you hooked? Do you think you’ll do this again?

 SHELLEY: Most definitely! I purchased a copy of Writer's Market per
 Steenie’s suggestion at the workshop. I also created a spreadsheet to
 keep track of which publications I send my articles to and when I sent
 them. I sent this same article off to a couple of other local
 publications, too. One turned it down and the other I haven't heard
 from yet.

 TRWTT: If you could take your travel writing anywhere in the world,
 where would you go?

 SHELLEY: Costa Rica in Central America... From what I have read, it
 seems like a paradise anytime of year. From there, who knows; I have
 a long bucket list.

 TRWTT: Any other advice for those just starting out?

 SHELLEY: Give it a try. I did. And you just might get hooked!