Travel is something most people enjoy. But have you ever thought about turning your passion for travel into a career?
The book "Starting with a Love for Travel" is divided into five sections, exploring different facets of the tourism industry. It features interviews with various stakeholders including renowned travel writers, travel agencies, airlines, and tourism bureaus. Through the stories of 15 interviewees, it showcases the diverse aspects and changes in the tourism sector, explores emerging trends, and uncovers fresh ideas.
The pre-sale of the book "Starting with a Love for Travel" has reached 86% of its target goal—thank you for your support!
The title "travel writer" sounds impressive and is a dream job for many. While words may have value, what is life really like for a travel writer in Hong Kong? What motivates them to embark on their journeys? Is the work as glamorous as it seems? In the first part of "Starting with a Love for Travel," I interviewed three writers—including journalists, travel book authors, and well-known columnists—to see how they’ve carved out their paths.
Update: "Starting with a Love for Travel" is now available for purchase at Traveler Stores
Transformation Story: From Travel Blogger to Travel Journalist
Many people imagine that being a travel journalist means traveling around the world, eating the best food, and staying in luxury accommodations. While these may be part of the job, they are certainly not the whole picture. Behind the "food, fun, and frolic" lies a heavy responsibility.
"The difference between being a magazine journalist and a travel blogger is huge. In the past, when blogging online, I would visit a place and then slowly organize my thoughts and experiences. But this approach doesn’t work for magazines—you need to plan your layout in advance, figure out what information you need, and then go."
So, can travel journalists travel all the time? Can they go to Europe? Can they go to South America?
The Tough Road to Publishing: The Story of a Popular Korean Travel Writer
"Where there's no pain, there's no gain" is a phrase that perfectly fits Cyrus. With no connections or background, she has successfully published one travel book after another—thanks to her persistence and hard work.
The reason Cyrus is considered diligent is that she truly puts her heart into managing her blog and social media pages. She shares content almost daily. And her posts are far from superficial—they are well-written travelogues based on her personal experiences, shared with fellow travel enthusiasts.
Having traveled to so many countries, Cyrus’s favorite destination remains South Korea. She studied there for a year and learned Korean. Later, she published a personal travel guide to Korea, becoming a popular Korean travel blogger with over 10,000 followers on Facebook.
"When publishing the book about Korea, I approached many publishers. After months of effort, I finally found the right partner."
To many, being a writer and publishing books may seem like a glamorous endeavor. But in reality, in markets like Hong Kong and Taiwan, very few people can actually make a living through writing. For writers, royalties usually only start coming in after the book is sold—and typically amount to just 5-10% of the revenue. For a book priced at HK$100, that means just HK$5–$8 per copy. Even selling 1,000 copies only brings in a few thousand dollars—and selling that many copies is no easy feat. So how did Cyrus manage to succeed?
From Travel Journalist to Author
If you ask me who to look up to in the field of travel writing and journalism, without hesitation, I think of the veteran Chen Junwei.
The industry knows Chen for his dedication and insightful writing. He studied psychology in university but ended up joining the newspaper industry, starting with food columns in the supplement section—and thus began his "one-way journey."
When he first started, Chen wrote about food. Then, by chance, the newspaper needed someone to cover a story in Europe. The situation was sudden, and since a Schengen visa was required to travel to Europe at the time, Chen was sent on the assignment—it lasted just three days.
"It was an international brand launch event with over 200 journalists from around the world. But I managed to stand out, get in front of the VIPs for a photo, and secure a great spot."
Chen certainly lived up to expectations. This trip also made him realize that while he enjoyed traveling for pleasure, he was also good at working while traveling. However, transitioning from journalist to author wasn’t without its struggles—from full-time journalist to freelance writer, it was somewhat accidental...
With years of experience in the newspaper industry, Chen understood the demands of publications. Even during his travels, he contributed to various newspapers and magazines—though not without facing challenges...
The truth, full story, and more fascinating tales are all in the book "Starting with a Love for Travel." Purchase it at
http://travelerstores.com/
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