BootsnAll Expert Travel Articles Program

Is there some aspect of travel that you know better than just about anyone?

Can you write an authoritative article on that subject?

BootsnAll is expanding our paying articles program into new territory. We know there are many excellent writers out there who are travel experts, and we’d like to allow you to share your expertise on whatever subject or subjects are dear to you.

These articles need to cover a subject thoroughly and it has to be a subject that isn’t terribly unique. In other words, they have to be about topics that others will be curious about when they are planning a trip of their own.

Word count: 1,200+ words

Pay: $30 for any published article, and a one-paragraph “about the author” mini-bio at the bottom.

Publication rights: We are looking only for articles that aren’t yet published, and BootsnAll owns all future rights to the paid pieces you publish through us. If you prefer to maintain future rights, please submit your article through our unpaid articles program.

Note: If your article is already published on your own blog or site, it’s ineligible for consideration. We are looking for fresh material only.

Here are some examples that could work:

• Booking and riding ferries in Greece
• Getting around New Zealand (covering all main options)
• Finding good and cheap hotels in Russia
• Traveling in Japan without knowing the language
• Finding jobs working on ships
• Getting jobs at hostels

We are open to any ideas you might have. BootsnAll has a large library of helpful travel information, and some of that is listed in our Traveler’s Toolkit. We want to keep expanding this section in order to help as many travelers as possible. If your article has a similar tone, we might be interested in paying you for it.

Here are some examples of articles that fit this project:

TEFL from a teacher’s perspective
How to sleep in airports
Amsterdam layover guide

Here is our first official “Expert Article” in this program, and a great example of how they need to be put together:

Overnight bus tips from an expert

Notice how it’s well organized and easy to scan. We’ve discovered that most articles aren’t read start to finish, at least unless the reader knows what to expect down the page. Breaking a topic into sub-sections with headers like this is very important for pieces like this.

How to proceed

If you have an idea for an article that might fit this project, please email us at features@bootsnall.com. You don’t need to write a formal query letter, just send the idea along with whatever details you might think will convince us that it’s worthwhile. We might have a slightly different idea for you instead, or some things that we’d want you to cover, but this is mostly about sharing your expertise with other travelers.

We’ll respond to every submission, and if we can use your article we’ll get back to you with a deadline and publication details.

How this differs from our Feature Articles Program

In the case of our Feature Articles Program, articles need to be broadly appealing and heavy on photos. They are mainly meant as short-term entertainment. With our Expert Travel Articles program, we are looking for subjects that other travelers will continue to need help with, so this is more of a long-view project. These articles might be longer than features, but they need only minimal photos and they come from your existing knowledge of the subject.