Who am I and what qualifies me to write all this?

My name is Lottie Gross and have been a travel writer and editor since 2012. Until 2017 I was the web editor at a global guidebook publisher, then I helped an independent digital publisher launch this travel site. I'm now a freelance travel writer working with magazines, national papers and international publications.

"How did you get into travel writing?" is a question I get asked a lot. That’s not because I’m an ultra-experienced travel writer with countless guidebooks and hundreds of national commissions under my belt. I’m most definitely not.

I’m not the next Paul Theroux or Bill Bryson. I’ve not travelled to all seven continents and I can’t speak two different languages, let alone twelve or twenty.

But my relative inexperience is exactly why I’m qualified to answer that question. Because I can hopefully give you the freshest insight into this fast-changing industry.

Maybe once upon a time, in the ‘golden age’ of travel writing (whenever that was – it seems to span a variety of generations according to my conversations with colleagues), there were editors who really would just call you up and ship you off to wherever they wanted to cover next. But today it’s a very different climate.

I don’t know about what it used to be like. But I do know about what it’s like now.

I’ve been on both sides of the coin: I’ve been a staffer at the head of a website, commissioning writers and finding ways to make money and keep editorial integrity, and now I'm freelance, offering my writing and editorial services to a variety of publications that I respect.

By no means do I know it all, but I hope to be able to provide insight from my colleagues and friends in the industry to give some well-rounded, practical advice.

If you’re still dubious, head here to find out how I became a travel writer and figure out whether or not my advice might mean anything to you.