How to Pitch Vacationer Magazine

Greetings… Travel Journalists, Writers, and Content Creators! We’re excited you want to pitch a story for Vacationer Magazine. We aim to inspire and inform LGBTQIA+ travelers to help them travel better, smarter, and more safely. Our primary commitment is to tell stories that showcase the diversity of our community and to highlight our unique travel experiences regardless of how we may identify ourselves.

That means we want to hear pitches about angles and stories that are inclusive of all sectors of our community, including lesbians, queer women, transgender, bears, and queer people of color who travel. One thing we will not do is tell our readers that they have to change who they are to travel.  

So, before you pitch your idea, please take a look at the following guidelines:

• Check out our website. Take a look at our existing content on the website to make sure your pitch or idea is not similar to the content we’ve already published. It will also offer you some insight into Vacationer’s tone and writing style.

• Tell us who you are. In a quick sentence or two, tell us a little about yourself, how you identify, and if applicable, provide examples of your most recent work. You can attach a few clips to your email via a PDF(s) or just add links to examples of your writing.  

• Be concise. Tell us the who, what, when, where, and why –– and it shouldn’t take you more than a paragraph or two to do so. Include a suggested headline, your angle, your sources, or the name(s) of the featured person(s), and why this story is relevant now. 

• Don’t pitch destinations. Instead of pitching a specific destination, pitch specific stories or angles that make that destination unique. Avoid reaching out and asking “if we need anything.” Consider a few ideas and pitch the ones you believe would fit Vacationer Magazine.

• Consider travel-related topics. We encourage pitches about seasonal and evergreen content, but we also consider pitches that focus on travel as it relates to food, art, history, architecture, entertainment, shopping, travel products/gear, nightlife, Pride celebrations, and other annual queer events. And we’re always excited about highlighting smaller queer-friendly towns as well as new or existing LGBTQ+- and QPOC-owned businesses.

• Do your research. We understand being busy, so treat this as an in-person elevator pitch. In your pitch, provide interesting facts and insights about your selected topic to sell your idea and grab the editor’s attention. 

• Change the story angle if it’s not new. If other publications have covered the same topic, think about how you can tweak your pitch to provide our readers with a fresh, or different angle. 

• Disclose story exclusivity. If you’re pitching an interview with a queer personality or celebrity, please include whether the story is exclusive and if you already have access.

• Review your pitch email message. Before sending your pitch, please double-check your spelling and grammar, and make sure you have provided the correct links and PDFs if you are attaching examples of your work. It’s your first impression so make it count.

• Our rates. We are a start-up publication, so at this time, we are unable to match rates similar to mainstream travel publications. Our standard rate is typically $100 (£ 78) for a well-written 700-800 word article, but it can extend up to $200 (£ 150) for a longer article. Rates may also depend on the type of content submitted which can range from listicles to well-researched travel guides and interview-focused reporting. As we grow, we will revisit our rate structure.  

These pitch guidelines are subject to change based on how we shift our editorial strategy. That being said, the guidelines will be updated on a regular basis.

Please send pitches to vacationer@grayjonesmedia.com. If we haven’t contacted you a week after sending your first email message, rest assured that we have reviewed your pitch, and your idea may not be the right fit for us at that particular time. Feel free to pitch your content idea elsewhere.

Good luck! We can’t wait to work with you!