How to pitch travel stories to Time Out

Time Out has expert staff editors based in dozens of cities around the world. Editorial processes, priorities and rates may differ between destinations.

We cover more than 300 destinations and are always looking to expand our coverage.

If you’d like to write about any of the following destinations, please pitch to the local editor, not the travel team:

• London
• The USA
• Canada
• Australia
• Singapore
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Thailand
• China
• Mexico City
• Turkey
• UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia
• Israel
• South Africa
• Finland

If you’d like to write about any of the destinations listed above, please send an email to the relevant editorial contact or hello@timeout.com.

If you’d like to write about a destination that is not on the list above, send your pitch to travel.team@timeout.com and include ‘Pitch’ in the subject. And please don’t use this email for anything other than freelance writer pitches – thanks!

Read on for the essential information you need to include in your pitch.

We mostly write about cities, food, drink, culture, amazing places, offbeat activities and trends, and slow, sustainable and regenerative travel. Our audience consists of clued-up travellers from around the world – but especially the UK and USA – who don’t want to waste a second of their trip on a tourist trap or a bad meal.

We are always on the lookout for contributors based in key destinations around the world, to report first-hand on culture, food and life in their city. If you’re an English-language writer based in a great city or destination anywhere in the world, please send us an email. We can’t guarantee a commission right away, but it’s always good to be in touch.

Most of our pieces are commissioned based on our needs, rather than from writers’ pitches. However we are interested in hearing ideas on the following topics:

• New visitor attractions and travel routes such as train routes, hiking trails, new museums and attractions or refurbishments of historic or famous sites. We are much more likely to commission writers with first-hand experience of visiting.
• Emerging trends and subcultures in city life, food and culture, especially in major city destinations.
• Underrated, unique and visually spectacular locations, especially in major city destinations.
• Untold stories about major tourist attractions and destinations.
• Harder news stories (especially about themes like food, culture, nightlife and tourism) which visibly affect the experience of visiting a major destination.
• Stories about how travel can make a positive impact, particularly with a global scope or a focus on a well-known destination.

Whatever the story, it should be informative, entertaining and – above all – inspire the reader to start planning a trip.

We are especially interested in hearing from writers whose backgrounds are underrepresented in travel journalism.

There are a few things that, unfortunately, we are not able to commission right now.

We do not usually take pitches for ‘best of’ content such as guides, to-do lists and itineraries, as we commission these from destination experts according to our current needs. (But please do reach out if you’re currently living in a fascinating travel destination and interested in becoming a destination contributor.)

We do not generally commission freelance stories based on group press trips or first-time visits, and we do not commission hotel reviews or round-ups based on freelance pitches. 

If you’re looking to write about a regular event (such as an annual festival) then we prefer pitches a few months ahead of an upcoming event, ideally based on experience of attending the same event in the past.

We prioritise value for money at all price points, with an emphasis on affordability. We don’t tend to cover luxury resorts, casinos or anything extremely expensive.

On the ethical side, our journalism is independent and we do not accept pitches from writers who are in any way affiliated with the subject(s) of their story. We don’t sell reviews or recommendations and you can’t buy a spot on our lists. Oh, and we never cover anything that involves exploitation of people or animals. See our full editorial guidelines for more.

Whatever you’re looking to write, we need to know two things:

• What’s the story? Give us a quick outline, a suggested headline, and a few details on the places and/or people involved. If the piece is timely, let us know any important dates.
• What makes you the best person to write this piece? Tell us a bit about yourself, including where you’re based. If you’ve written for other media, please include some relevant clips. If you’re looking to cover a destination that isn’t your current home, tell us how much time you've lived or spent there. And include links to your social channels if you like.

That’s it! Once you’ve sent your pitch, please be patient: we’re a small team but we do read every email. If we’re interested in commissioning your story, we’ll get back to you within a week.

Our word rates for written pieces vary by destination. We will negotiate a rate in response to a successful pitch. We have separate rates for photo and video content.

We aim to send payment within 40 days of an invoice. An invoice can be filed once a piece has been published, or beforehand at the discretion of your commissioning editor.

And that’s it! We’re looking forward to hearing your pitches. Chat soon!