Are you a content creator who is eager to share your travel wisdom with Passport & Plates readers? If so, welcome to the contributor page! It’s great to have you here.
Before you email your pitch, check out my guest post guidelines to make sure this is the start of a beautiful friendship blog partnership.
Firstly, what’s in it for you?
Up to 3 do-follow links back to your blog from Passport & Plates (DA 38) and promotion of your post on all the social media channels and to my email list. But, if you’re interested in ghost-writing instead, send me an email with your pitch along with your rates!
Now, onto the guidelines (for reals this time).
Writers should be experts about the destinations they pitch.
I’m looking for writers who are incredibly well-versed in the destination they’re pitching. I’m talking weeks, months, or even years exploring a destination so readers have true local tips and recommendations.
What I’m Looking For
There are a LOT of travel blogs out there, each with its distinct style. On Passport & Plates, it’s all about insanely detailed travel information with a side of matter-of-fact observations and cheesy jokes. Kind of like how a friend would give you travel tips.
So when it comes to your submission, your voice and the depth of travel information you share is key!
Destinations
Currently, I’m accepting pitches for destinations within the United States, Mexico, Canada, Central & South America, Europe, and The Middle East.
I’m currently prioritizing content about:
- United States: California, USA National Parks, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Texas, New York and major US cities
- Puerto Rico
- Mexico
- Costa Rica
- Peru
- Canada
- Turkey
- Spain
- Portugal
- Egypt
- Oman
- Qatar
- Lebanon
Topics & Types of Posts
Here are the types of posts that I’m currently accepting:
- Weekend getaway itineraries to major cities: I’m looking for detailed 3 day “city break” itineraries for someone looking to spend a few days in a new city. Here’s an example. And another.
- One-week itineraries: These can be road trip itineraries like this one or other travel itineraries. Please include details like favorite things to do, eat, and where to stay.
- Restaurant and food guides: At Passport & Plates, I believe that one of the most important (and fun!) things to do is try local cuisine. I’m looking for either restaurant recommendations like this or a guide to the must-try foods (example here). Please keep in mind that I do not eat pork or alcohol and do not recommend either on this site.
- Winter guides for major cities or national parks: I’m looking for detailed round-ups for winter destinations that have cold weather activities, with specific tips based on personal experience. Here’s a winter city example, and here’s another one.
- Day trips & weekend trips near major cities: What are some of the coolest places to visit near a major city? How can our readers get off the beaten path? Here’s an example.
- How-to guides: How does someone get to a popular, but hard-to-reach gem in your city or town? Here’s an example.
Style Guidelines
See something on the list that you can write about? This is what a submission for Passport & Plates needs:
- Your writing should be light-hearted. Write like you’re telling your bestie about the destination. Keep it fun, throw some jokes and observations in there. There should be a personal feel to your writing.
- Your blog post should be incredibly informative. Posts on Passport & Plates are long and for good reason: they’re chock-full of useful, researched, and fact-checked information. No matter what you’re writing about, you should cover all angles and avoid leaving questions for readers to search for elsewhere.
- Your recommendations should include facts and context. Readers want to know why they should visit a destination or site. What’s the history? What makes it unique or noteworthy? What’s the story?
- Your post should “SELL” destinations and experiences. By the end of your post, I need to want to go there immediately. Tell me what makes it special and convince me that I must visit. This also goes for everything that you recommend.
- Your recommendations and tips should come from a place of knowledge. Give the readers the tips and information that locals know: which popular tourist attractions are worth visiting, and which can be skipped? Is there a not-so-secret spot that has the best views in the city? Spread the knowledge!
- Your post will need to be built around a competitive keyword. Before you start writing, I’ll work with you to determine a specific keyword that you’ll design your post around. I will also provide you with an outline.
- Your post should be relevant to Passport & Plates readers: millennials without kids living in the USA and traveling on a budget(ish). They are interested in responsible travel, cultural travel, soft adventure, and foodie travel.
- Your post should NOT be a story about your personal experience. Please do include a few short personal anecdotes in your post, but overall, Passport & Plates readers are looking for informative travel resources.
If I love your pitch, I’ll be looking for a piece that follows these guidelines. I might request a few edits before I’m ready to publish your post on the site.
- At least 2,500 words. I feel strongly that short posts just don’t sufficiently convey the depth of information readers are looking for. Posts should be information-filled and resourceful.
- A short bio about yourself. Readers want to know who you are and what makes you a destination expert. Feel free to plug your social media, website, or blog in here as well.
- Include relevant links to other sites. If you list a business or attraction in your post, include a link to their website (or a TripAdvisor review, or some other relevant link).
- Include photos, either sourced or your own photos. Photos should help tell a visual story. If you don’t have great photos, no worries. Please provide copyright-free stock photos with links (Pexels, Pixabay, and Unsplash are great resources).
- You’ll work with me through 1-2 rounds of edits. Most submissions only need a single round of edits and you’ll know exactly what to change and why. The goal is to ensure that readers are getting the best, most relevant content!
Send a Pitch!
Have an idea? I want to hear it! You can pitch Passport & Plates using the below directions:
- Send an email to passportandplates@gmail.com with PITCH as the first part of the title, followed by your topic
- Include a detailed pitch about the topic and a link to your portfolio
- Include some background information about you and why you should write the article
- State if you provide your own images or if they’ll be sourced from creative commons
Here’s what to expect when you email me:
- If your pitch is a good fit, I’ll be in touch and provide you with a keyword and an outline to create your post around. Please make sure your post fits this keyword and the outline otherwise I won’t be able to publish it.
- After 1-2 rounds of edits, I’ll put the finishing touches on your post and let you know once it’s live.
- After the post is published, it will stay up permanently and be updated regularly (as needed). If you spot something that needs to be changed, please email and let me know!
Please note that I will try to limit edits to your post as much as possible, but I reserve the right to make changes to fit the tone on Passport & Plates. Whenever possible I will ask you for edits before I make changes.
Oh, and this is important: once you’ve created a blog post for Passport & Plates, you cannot republish it anywhere else, including on your own site.
Okay, phew. That’s everything! Thanks for reading and looking forward to reading your pitch!