Hello, travel writers,

Nina is off this week at Travel Classics, which means you’ve got me (Stacey) this week. And I’ve got something very important to discuss with all of you: The word “exchange.”

A few months ago, I started noticing that this word crept into my email over and over again. “We’d love to invite you to see this hotel/destination/restaurant/meet this person in ‘exchange’ for coverage.”

While I am extremely confident the PR people putting this in their emails were well-intentioned, it’s a word choice I refuse to let slide by. Because what we do is not an “exchange.” It’s journalism.

Our job as travel journalists is to literally unpack a place for people—to share with them the destinations that are worthy of spending the few precious days off they have each year with money they saved up over months or maybe even years. It’s our job to highlight the pretty places, the dangerous places, the eco-friendly places, the spots ideal for families, solo female travelers, LGBTQIA+ friendly spots, and on and on. We write stories for our readers. Not for the betterment of one particular brand. That would be an advertisement.

As travel journalists or journalists covering soft beats, we often work with PR people whose interests are getting great coverage for their clients. It’s a symbiotic relationship, but it’s important to remember that we do not work for their clients. We work for our editors, and more importantly, our readers.

Yes, you should have a plan to pitch publications after a press trip. Yes, it’s important to have great working and professional relationships with our friends in PR. But to ensure the ethical boundaries stay in place, I implore you to push back on language like this that may make you feel like you owe something you don’t. That’s why every time I see that word, I now reply with:

Hey, TK PR PERSON,
Thank you so much for this lovely invitation. I just want to importantly note that I can never describe my work as an "exchange.” The publications I typically pitch do not guarantee coverage, ever. An exchange would have to be the client purchasing an ad. But I am happy to present this to my editor for consideration prior to the trip to gauge interest, and plan to pitch heartily upon return, as that is the only way I make a living. Here’s a link to my portfolio of work in case the client would like to view the kind of storytelling I do.

I will also gently remind people that taking a press trip is not a “vacation” as it’s time away from my normal work and family, and if I come back from a trip and don’t pitch, I don’t eat. And (sadly for us all), going on a trip doesn’t pay my bills.

In my dream world, words I’d love to hear instead are:

We love your approach to storytelling and believe our client would be a great fit with your voice. We’d like to invite you to experience a place/hotel/restaurant to pitch to your publications (our client’s dream mention is in TK magazine/website, but we understand the media landscape is always changing, so we will support you in any way we can to place the story after the visit.)

Words matter. Especially ours.

Now, off my soapbox and onto the jobs!

Don’t forget you can subscribe to our job board for WAY more jobs each week, including calls for pitches, full-time, part-time, and copywriting roles, updated daily, for just $4/month or $40/year.

Need more advice or want to brush up on some skills? Check out our classes and remember that our students are always welcome to reach out with questions at [email protected].

REMEZCLA: Looking for 4/20 ~ music ~ related pitches. Open to listicles, conversation pieces, and interviews; they just have to make sense for the brand and the music section. See more.

National Forest Foundation: The National Forest Foundation is looking for story pitches for its Winter/Spring 2026 issue of Light & Seed magazine, which will focus on how technology and innovation intersects with National Forests and Grasslands in the U.S. See more.

Trafalgar: Is looking to commission a US-based travel writer for an article for Trafalgar's The Real Word blog. The theme is "How learning a few local words transformed my travels. See more.

Business Insider: Is looking for pitches for first-person essays across a wide range of topics. See more.

Gizmodo: Is looking for some smart people to write about midrange phones, wearables, and midrange laptops—for news and reviews. See more.

Betches: Is looking to connect with tv & movie freelancers/cultural commentators for future stories! See more.

USA Today: USA TODAY Entertainment is seeking a Style & Beauty Reporter to cover the trends, personalities, and cultural conversations shaping fashion and beauty in the entertainment world. See more.

The Pioneer Woman: The Pioneer Woman is looking for an ambitious and creative Lifestyle Editor to help shape the future of one of Hearst’s largest and most beloved lifestyle brands. See more.

Vox: Is hiring an editorial director. They'll oversee some really exciting sections, including climate and Future Perfect (our section on the best ways to do good in the world, including global health, philanthropy, AI, animal welfare, and more), and The Gray Area podcast. See more.

GQ: GQ is looking for a digital-first associate editor to help expand its grooming and style content online. See more.

The New York Times: Well is looking for a creative and ambitious reporter to produce outstanding stories about fitness. You'll capture the latest in fitness culture. You'll guide readers as they make decisions about their physical health. And you'll write everything from reported features, profiles and enterprise stories, to service and explainers, to visual pieces and reporter videos. See more.

See you in class,

Stacey & Nina

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