Many of us dream of traveling the world for a living but few of us figure out how to make it happen. Northland writer Diana Lambdin-Meyer is one of those lucky few.
“I’ve always enjoyed traveling,” Lambdin-Meyer stated. “I was 12 years old at the time of our family’s first big vacation and I can remember every detail. I went to Europe for the first time when I was 15, and by then I was hooked.” Her interest in travel writing came from her husband Bruce, a photographer. “As we started talking about getting married we also talked about how much fun it would be to quit our ‘real’ jobs and just travel the world taking pictures and writing stories.” She sold her first travel story three weeks after their wedding. The story was about a backpacking trip to the Adirondacks. “His photos, my text,” she said.
The couple has been documenting their travels together full time since 1995, adding stamps from destinations such as Wales, Anguilla, Canada, New Zealand, Egypt, Alaska, and many others to their passports. Closer to home some of their favorite destinations include the Katy Trail, Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake, Tallgrass National Prairie, and the Flint Hills in Kansas. All are recommendations for day or weekend trips.
Of selling stories Lambdin-Meyer said, “I never write first, then sell, because each outlet and editor has unique needs and quirks. Sometimes I query before I visit a destination, sometimes afterward. Many factors come in to play,” she stated.
Lambdin-Meyer advises anyone interested in travel writing to develop a niche. “I’ve encountered a lot of people who say you can’t make a living as a freelance travel writer. Well, I’m here to say they’re wrong.” She says traits such as motivation and self-discipline are essential, as are learning to write and tell stories, and to read and dissect other good travel writing. Other helpful skills include learning to read a map and to speak another language or two.
“Work at it every day and be professional in your efforts. Meet your deadlines and turn in clean copy.” Lambdin-Meyer’s final bit of advice to those interested in travel writing, “push your comfort level.”•
