Being a travel writer has a smidge of glamour to it, doesn’t it? Going to exotic locales and snapping that perfect Instagram photo for your travel business sounds like a dream job.

Writing can be artistry at its finest. Or it can be content creation. “Content,” to me, implies there’s no artistry involved. It’s just clickbait circling your wallet like sharks around that plastic patch in the Pacific Ocean.

That’s how I feel about a lot of travel websites these days. They’re always spamming you and trying to manipulate you into giving up your money to them. And I get it, people need to pay the bills. That’s just the society we live in.

And now with AI coming into our world, things seem to be getting, well, less human. Less authentic.

So if your dream is to become a travel writer, or a travel professional, how can you set yourself apart from a plastic, oversaturated marketplace?

AI is Intelligent, but Not Emotionally Intelligent

Keeping up with the times and constantly evolving your business is essential to staying afloat, or even thriving. Using AI is great at summarizing and coming up with alternative names for things.

For example, I could have used AI to come up with a title for this blog post like, “How Artificial Intelligence is Shaping the Future of Travel Content Creation.” This is an actual title an AI gave me as an alternative to the current one. It’s not bad.

To set myself apart from everyone else using AI though, I can do some things AI is not that great at.

For example, AI is not that great at feelings. AI doesn’t have that emotional intelligence, it’s not truly original and creative, it can’t form human connections, its understanding of humor is limited, and it can’t describe its subjective, emotional, and personal experiences, because it doesn’t have any.

But for us human beings, we can do all those things. And that’s how you and I can set ourselves apart from the AI swath of infodumping out there on the web.

Learning from Old School Advertising

Getting clicks, and especially action, is difficult. The human eye likes to create mental shortcuts and skim over things.

But if you can create something eye-catching, even if the eye focuses for a second longer, you are closer to your goal of getting that attention, or action.

I remember when I was a beginner print advertising designer, I pored over books on how to create eye-catching ads. One thing I was taught is that if you can get someone to look for longer than a second at something, you’ve inched closer to your goal of getting someone to pick up the phone, so that you can (hopefully) make that sale.

Luckily, in a sea of content that all looks the same, standing out is possible. One of the ways we did this in print advertising was to use a lot of white space around an image or text.

A big mistake a lot of businesses made was trying to jam as much text and starbursts in their ads as possible, saying things like, “Trucks for sale only $24,999 this Trucktober!!!” and with a long disclaimer of fine print attached.

Instead, I would encourage these businesses to use an image that inspires customers to picture themselves in the driver’s seat, along with a lot of minimalism and white space around the ad.

This idea was often shut down.

And why? Because businesses were terrified of deviating from what all their competitors were doing.

But guess what? By doing exactly what the sea of competition is doing, you just did the opposite of setting yourself apart from the crowd. You didn’t do anything eye-catching. You just lost a sale to one of the other thousand businesses doing the exact same thing.

How to be Different and Get Attention for It

Travel writing is a little different from print advertising, but there is some overlap. Here’s how to set yourself apart:

1. Specialize in a niche. I am still always honing in on and trying to discover my niche. Here are some examples of niche writing topics I enjoy writing about, that I also think people would search for in a search engine:

• nature travel
• cruises
• luxury travel
• beaches
• road trip travel
• theme park travel

Ideally, I would pick one or two of those, but I have a hard time choosing one niche because travel, in general, is so interesting to me.

A niche can also be a location. Some locations that I know a lot about, care to write about, and that people are searching for, include:

• USA
• Canada
• Western Europe
• Northern Europe
• Australia
• New Zealand

Again, ideally I would pick one or two of those places, but I keep finding interesting nuggets of wisdom I’m dying to share about many of these regions. Find your niche of expertise that makes you special, and that people will likely be seeking out with a search engine.

2. Tell a story. Humans are natural storytellers and creative beings. Cavemen created tools to get the job done. Humans have created stories to inform, or entertain, for a long time throughout history. We’re naturally attracted to good storytellers.

   So find a story within yourself that you think other people might be interested to hear, and that might pertain to their own lives. It’s a lot like how I told you my story about my time in print advertising. It probably piqued your interest more than if I had just written an informational wall of dry text.

3. Use visuals. Humans are also quite visual. What captures attention? Big, inspiring photos, infographics, cartoons, and more and more with the younger generations: video. Despite the popularity of video, a lot of this is the part of marketing that hasn’t really changed much from my print advertising days. So don’t forget when writing about your cruise on the Seine, to include an inspiring photo or video capturing the feeling you think others would be attracted to.

4. Be a social creature. Sure, use Instagram or YouTube, but interact and create relationships with your audience. They’re more likely to trust you than a complete stranger, and the more we trust people, the more we’re likely to listen to their advice. Create a conversation with the people taking the time out of their day to reach out to you. Forge emotional connections. After all, human beings are social creatures, in general. We need each other to cooperate and form coalitions. Forming relationships is a weakness of AI.

5. Give concrete information people are looking for already. I cannot underestimate how important it is that, when giving your expertise away, you should be thinking along the lines of what your reader is looking for, not what you want them to read. If someone is searching for, “How to book an African safari” and your niche specialization is African safaris, write an article called, “How to Book an African Safari.” You might want to write an article titled, “My Favorite Books of 2025,” but if nobody is searching for your favorite books of 2025, it’s unlikely anyone is going to find your writing. Think about the questions you can answer that people are looking for already.

Nobody in the Universe is Quite Like You

AI is good at a lot of things, but like the stars in the sky, no one celestial being is exactly the same, and neither are you. Celebrate what makes you human, and that’s how you can set yourself apart from the rest of the endless content on the internet.

Enhance what makes you authentic in your writing, and make yourself something AI truly can’t be: a real artist.

Have you ever thought about how best to write your own travel plan? This article tackles things that you might not have considered when writing your personal travel itinerary for your dream destination. The following is an example itinerary step by step, from start to finish.

Example of how to write a travel plan to Rome, Italy for 10 days for 2 people:

1. Brainstorm a list of attractions you’re interested in. Look for inspiration online. This very website is a great resource for that, with grand photos of what could be and facts on each attraction so you can gauge your interest.

   Attraction	City
   Trastevere	Rome
   Colosseum	Rome
   Pantheon	Rome
   Trevi Fountain	Rome
   St. Peter’s Basilica	Vatican City
   Vatican Museums	Vatican City

2. Decide how physically active you are. A lot of this will depend on the physical proximity of each attraction to the others. If a museum is right next to another museum you want to visit, you could easily see both in a day. But the following is a general rule of thumb:

Easy. Are you the type of person who likes to take things a little slower, for physical reasons or just to relax? Plan for one attraction per day.

Moderate. Are you moderately physically active or like a bit faster of a pace? Plan for two attractions per day.

Hard. Are you physically fit or just enjoy a rapid pace of sightseeing? You could challenge yourself with three attractions per day.

Planning for more than three attractions per day is, of course, possible to do, especially if the attractions are right next to each other. But you might want to really soak up and enjoy each sight, so I’d say the above is a general rule of thumb for planning purposes.

3. Write day-by-day with your new attraction list. Include the time to fly to your destination. Also include any time to recover from jet lag. I allow myself one day of catching up on sleep, but this will vary from person to person. I’ve read that you should allow one day of catching up on jet lag sleep for each time zone crossed. But for me, going from Seattle to Rome is 9 time zones. I don’t need 9 days of jet lag recovery days, so I’m just putting down one.

   Day	Attraction
   Day 1 - 9/1	Seattle -> Rome flight day
   Day 2 - 9/2	Seattle -> Rome flight arrives
   Day 3 - 9/3	Jet lag recovery day

4. Include where you’re staying each night. For me, since I’m just staying in Rome, I’ll write that I’m staying in a Rome hotel for each night.

   Day	Attraction
   Day 1 - 9/1	Seattle -> Rome flight day
   Day 2 - 9/2	Seattle -> Rome flight arrives Rome hotel
   Day 3 - 9/3	Jet lag recovery day Rome hotel

5. Include your attractions for each day, depending on your level of desired physical activity. I’m seeing one attraction per day for this example because I like to take my time on a trip.

   Day	Attraction
   Day 1 - 9/1	Seattle -> Rome flight day
   Day 2 - 9/2	Seattle -> Rome flight arrives Rome hotel
   Day 3 - 9/3	Jet lag recovery day Rome hotel
   Day 4 - 9/4	Trastevere, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 5 - 9/5	Colosseum, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 6 - 9/6	Pantheon, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 7 - 9/7	Trevi Fountain, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 8 - 9/8	St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City Rome hotel
   Day 9 - 9/9	Vatican Museums, Vatican City Rome hotel

6. Include a day to fly home at the end of your itinerary, leaving plenty of time to get through airport security.

   Day	Attraction
   Day 1 - 9/1	Seattle -> Rome flight day
   Day 2 - 9/2	Seattle -> Rome flight arrives Rome hotel
   Day 3 - 9/3	Jet lag recovery day Rome hotel
   Day 4 - 9/4	Trastevere, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 5 - 9/5	Colosseum, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 6 - 9/6	Pantheon, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 7 - 9/7	Trevi Fountain, Rome Rome hotel
   Day 8 - 9/8	St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City Rome hotel
   Day 9 - 9/9	Vatican Museums, Vatican City Rome hotel
   Day 10 - 9/10	Rome -> Seattle flight home

That’s it. You are now armed with the knowledge to create your own plan, based on on your own personal pace of sightseeing. Now go out there and see the world according to your flashy new travel itinerary!

A lot of the time, we end up spending more on travel than we’d like. Often we miss things we hadn’t factored into the plan. To prevent yourself from getting sticker shock, here’s an example of how you can write your own estimate. Be prepared for how much you should save up for your next vacation!

Example of how to write a travel plan to Rome, Italy for 10 days (2 people):

Travel item	Cost	Note
Airfare	$2,500	main cabin, round trip
Taxi	$0
Gas	$0
Rail/bus tickets	$50
Public transport	$0
Cruise	$0
Car rental	$0
Shore excursions/tours	$200	guided tours
Hotel	$2,000	1 queen room, $250/night x 8 nights
Admission/tickets	$200	3 museums and a show
Food & drink	$400	breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks
Shopping/souvenirs	$200
Travel insurance	$250
TOTAL	$5,800	per person total $2,900
		per person, per day total $290

Remember, this is the total for two people. I like to break down the estimate into how much we’re going to spend per person, per day. Often, smaller numbers are easier to fathom. If, in this example, $290 per day per person is too much for your personal comfort, come back to this budget and rework some numbers until you do feel okay with the final price. Perhaps a better destination would be a domestic trip and not an international one after all. Maybe you decide to go with a budget hotel because you don’t mind a less luxurious stay.

There are lots of different ways to create a tailor-made estimate for yourself. This is a simple example, but I’m sure you can apply it to more complex cases.

There’s the cost of a cruise, say it’s advertised at $3,000. But then there’s the other costs that come with taking the cruise; the airfare to get to the port(s), the hotel cost, not to mention the jet lag recovery days you’ll need to factor in, adding to the hotel stay cost.

After all of this, consider that your $3,000 cruise might actually cost closer to $5,000, once you factor in all the things you might have forgotten: shore excursions, or tours, taxis, food, souvenirs, and perhaps travel insurance.

Most importantly: are you comfortable with the cost per day, per person? Usually this measure is a lot easier to grasp. If you’re going to be spending $200/day, per person, on a trip, does that sound worth it for benefits of a vacation, or does it make you uncomfortable to spend so much? If you feel uncomfortable, it might be an indicator that you should cut some costs, or maybe even go back to the drawing board and find a more affordable trip.

The following is a list of costs to help you budget and figure out any additional costs you may be forgetting when pricing your next personal trip.

Example of a land trip to Paris, France for 1 week in September 2025, 2 people:

Travel item	Cost	Note
Airfare	$3,400	main cabin (2 people total)
Taxi	$0
Gas	$0
Rail/bus tickets	$50
Public transport	$0
Cruise	$0
Car rental	$0
Shore excursions/tours	$250	food tour
Hotel	$1,250	1 queen room, $250/night x 5 nights
Admission/tickets	$200	3 museums and a show
Food & drink	$400	breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks
Shopping/souvenirs	$200
Travel insurance	$250
TOTAL	$6,000	per person total $3,000
		per person, per day total $429

As you can see, costs can really add up. That $200/day trip you imagined you’d be going on could actually be over double that. If this isn’t what you had in mind, consider reducing the number of days you’d like to go on your trip, a different location, or maybe something local that doesn’t require renting a car or taking a flight.

While seeing the world can be a pricey endeavor, keep in mind there are lots of ways to cut costs while still having a fun time traveling. You can use this template to get a better idea of your own personal expenses next time you are planning a vacation. It covers most of the costs of a trip, but your own individual excursion might have a few different figures to consider.

It’s hard to quantify what makes a region safe or unsafe as a tourist. And yet there are credible organizations and journalists that have sought to quantify it. A cause close to my heart, as I, too, like to quantify what’s difficult to break down into numbers, so we can compare and contrast data.

Some people forget or don’t factor in safety abroad. Maybe they think it’s perfectly safe to stay in a tourist area. Maybe they don’t know that not all countries are alike in safety and enforcement of the laws that protect safety.

Regardless of these ideas, you should have peace of mind when traveling, and not have to worry if your possessions get stolen, or your personal safety is compromised in some way.

Here is a list of the top 10 safest countries to travel:

1. Switzerland
2. Iceland
3. Norway
4. Denmark
5. Canada
6. Ireland
7. New Zealand
8. Australia
9. Portugal
10. Austria

The following are some sources I use when determining where I want to travel, and where I am least likely to travel:

• US News
  • These Are the Safest Countries In the World
• Forbes
  • The 15 Safest Countries To Travel, Ranked In A New Report
  • The Safest Cities In The U.S., Ranked In A New Report
• Global Peace Index
  • Global Peace Index
• USA Today
  • This North American country tops the list of the safest countries for travelers

Here are some ways to keep yourself safer when traveling:

1. Try not to draw attention to yourself.
2. Keep your hands on your belongings.
3. Email yourself copies of things like your passport, and insurance information, in case they get stolen. This will make it easier to get replacements.
4. Always tell family or friends your location and keep them updated on any changes so they know where you are, if needed, in an emergency.
5. Keep emergency services phone numbers handy.
6. Don’t let strangers know where you are staying or if you’re alone when traveling.
7. Avoid signals of wealth, such as flashing large amounts of cash or expensive jewelry.
8. Don’t drink to excess or do any illicit drugs in the country you are staying in.
9. Do your own research. Most importantly, do a search online about safety precautions you should take, for example, on https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html, a US Department of State website, you can learn just that. Type in the country you want to go to, and it will list a level. For example, if you type in “Canada,” it will tell you “level 1: exercise normal precautions”. Some countries, it will list “level 4: do not travel,” such as a war zone, or a place with high crime rates.

Who I Am and My Objective

I’m someone relatively new to the whole travel rewards credit card game. While I have heavily researched the topic, I still have yet to explore the extensive list of perks that come along with being a cardholder. However, I’m very excited to find all the nooks and crannies of this mysterious world that has opened up to me.

There’s a lot of information about travel rewards. So much so, that all that data can be overwhelming. However, I’m fascinated by the topic, and I’d like to explain a bit about how this system works, in plain English.

How Does a Credit Card Work?

Every day, you might be spending money, on say, your morning latte before work, on your debit card. You tap your card, the money comes out of your checking account, and the transaction is essentially over. Easy enough.

With a credit card, you tap your credit card, you withdraw cash on credit, and the card accrues this as debt you pay later. Think of it as a short-term loan.

Sounds kind of scary, doesn’t it? After all, who wants debt? We’re all taught debt is bad, and you should have as little of it as possible.

There is truth to this adage, but it’s not the whole picture. Let’s explore the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Bad, and the Ugly of Credit Cards

If you don’t pay your debt to the credit card, or to your mortgage, or your student loans, etc., on time, in full, then you can accrue interest added to your debt. And that can get scary if it gets out of control. You can also make the minimum payment on your credit card, on time, each due date. But the rest of your balance will accrue some interest, though not an interest penalty, which is a higher percentage of interest.

How to Avoid the Bad and the Ugly of Credit Cards

If you pay your debt, on time, the entire full balance, you don’t accrue interest added to your debt. Ideally, in this age and time, you can set up automatic payments through your bank and credit card company (which are sometimes one and the same), and pay the balance in full, on time, every due date. It’s also very important that you have the funds in your account to pay off the balance in full, otherwise you can accrue a financial penalty.

Credit Cards Sound Scary. So Why Would I Want One?

You might be thinking, “So I acquire debt, which is a risk, when I could just use my debit card? Why on earth would I want a credit card then?”

Meet the Rewards Credit Card System: The Good

Credit card companies and banks know that people don’t have an incentive to use their debt services, which carry risk, for no good reason. This is one of the reasons they created loyalty rewards programs.

Loyalty rewards programs work like this: You apply and receive a travel rewards credit card. In exchange for placing your purchases on the credit card, you get points, miles (which are worth a real cash value, typically 1 point equals a certain amount of cents), a credit, cashback, and more, that you can redeem for discounts and rewards toward travel.

What Kinds of Rewards and Discounts Can You Receive with a Travel Rewards Credit Card?

Every card is different, and it’s important to really read the benefits and drawbacks, as well as research reviews from credible sources. However, some cards offer things like discounted or free hotel stays, airline tickets, complimentary upgrades (say, to first class on an airline, or a room upgrade at a hotel), lounge access (including free meals), free checked bags, different travel insurances, a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS credit, and more.

Why Would a Credit Card Company or Bank Want to Offer Free Travel?

Credit card companies, banks, airlines, cruises, tours, hotels, etc., want your loyalty to their brands, and most importantly, what makes the world go round: your money. Offering perks and discounts is a beneficial marketing and revenue strategy to them, because you’re incentivized to be loyal to their brands that way. And in such a crowded market for your money and loyalty, these programs have proven lucrative for their brands.

So, Should You Get a Travel Rewards Credit Card?

This is a highly personal and financial decision which goes beyond any information or opinions I could give. In fact, I’m offering information and an honest review from my perspective, not advice. I’m not qualified to give such advice: if you want professional advice, seek a Certified Financial Planner.

The bottom line: If you believe you will pay your balance, in full, every due date (auto-debit helps immensely), and you know yourself to be a financially responsible person, then you might want to research and look into getting a travel rewards credit card.

However, if you know you won’t be able to achieve the level of financial responsibility required to earn the rewards and perks of a travel rewards credit card, or won’t use them, you probably don’t want one.

Why I Have a Travel Rewards Credit Card

After speaking with a Certified Financial Planner, and weighing the pros and cons of owning a travel rewards credit card, I determined that, with my level of financial means and responsibility, I wanted to get such a credit card.

The way I see it, I’ve been able to book free hotel stays and airline tickets, as well as explored the perks of exclusive lounge access at the airport, and free checked bags, which is a lot of benefits to me. However, I’ve also done a very large amount of research through different credible sources to get these discounts and perks. Some people might not have an interest in what I call “playing the game.” For me, it’s fun. I like learning all the benefits of my rewards programs and using them to my advantage.

Only you can determine if a travel rewards credit card is right for you. I hope my honest review of the travel rewards credit card system has piqued your interest, and that you’ll do your own research on the topic, including perhaps with a professional.

Important Disclaimer

With my opinions, I’d like to state a major disclaimer: I am not a professional Certified Financial Planner, or you, my dear reader. Only you, and perhaps a professional, can decide whether or not a travel rewards credit card is a sound idea.

However, while I can’t offer advice, I can offer some of the information I’ve found in my own research, and give my honest opinion on my personal experience with travel rewards credit cards. I don’t receive any money from credit card companies, or banks, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, etc. I’m not trying to sell you something, which I think is rare on the internet. Very rare. These are my honest opinions, and they are just that: my personal, honest opinions.

Thank you for reading this very important section.