FOUR PROVEN "BARGAIN TRAVEL" ANGLES EDITORS LIKE

By Jennifer Stevens in Colorado Springs, CO

Everybody likes to save a buck. Editors know that. And so writing about smart ways to travel for less makes a lot of sense.

You'll see articles about saving money in just about every travel publication you pick up.

Point is: There's a market for this stuff.

How do you tap into it?

Here are four proven angles -- four ways you might consider approaching your own money-saving travel articles:    

1. "Name a City on $150 a Day" -- You'll find variations on this tried-and-true theme, of course: "The Heavenly Amalfi Coast: Italy for about $125 a night" from Budget Travel or "A True Southern Belle in Savannah: Three Nights' Stay From $299" from Frommers.com, to name just two.

You can keep the scope of a piece like this narrow and simply profile a bargain hotel. Or you can broaden it to include affordable accommodation, restaurants, and activities, too.  

2. Luxury for Less -- "Bargain" needn't be synonymous with "cheap." What you should be looking for are good values. If you can save a reader $150 a night on a $500-a-night resort, that's a good value, even though $350 a night isn't exactly cheap.

For a more affluent audience, then, "luxury for less" stories are a good choice. The Sunday Times (UK), for instance, recently ran a piece on the world's best-value spas, called "How to avoid the rip-off rub." And in the Washington Post I found an article titled: "Expatriate Games: Travelers Are Heading to Buenos Aires for the Culture -- and Staying for the $250 Rent."

3. Take a seasonal approach -- there are usually bargains to be had in the off-season. Think about what sorts of things may be available near you.

I live in Colorado, which most folks think of as a winter destination -- snow skiing and all. But the truth is:  The summers here are fabulous. And there's lots to do -- from a jazz festival in Vail to a wild flower extravaganza in Crested Butte. Lots of destinations can be positioned as "bargains" when you consider what there is to do in the "less-expensive" months.

4. Offer a practical tip -- A useful, money-saving tip is something any traveler (or editor) will appreciate. So if you've discovered that it's best to reserve rental cars at a particular website… write about it. If you've found that a high-end hotel in a city near you offers fabulous "weekend getaway" rates… then let people know.

Articles like this -- how-to articles, really -- can be short-and-sweet. And they're the sort of thing editors like to have to fill little holes here and there.
 
Take the front-of-the-book in the U.S. Airways Magazine. The department is called "All Over the Map," and you'll find there short tidbits about unusual products, unique places to visit, and good bargains on offer.

[ED. NOTE: Jennifer Stevens has spent the balance of the last decade gallivanting through Latin America and the Caribbean -- to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, and beyond writing about the best locales for overseas travel, retirement, and investment. She is the former editor of International Living and is author of AWAI's Ultimate Travel Writer's Program.  If you missed her at our last travel-writing workshop in Denver, you can get a full copy of her presentations here.]

OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:

* GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED -- Can I take my husband on a free press trip?  How do you cash checks under a pen name?  Is there a conflict of interest in writing about a place your friends/family own?  When is the best time to write your article - while you are traveling or when you get home? Try The Ultimate Travel Writer's Virtual Workshop today.

* TAX SAVINGS EVERY FREELANCER SHOULD TAKE -- Find out where you can save... what the IRS really needs to know... how to make the most of those deductions for travel, meals, entertainment, home office, and more including practical worksheets you can use to make sure you're paying as little as possible to Uncle Sam.  You'll find "The Writer's Tax Guide: A Money-Saving Manual for Travel Writers and Other Freelancers" here.

* RETIRE...AND GET PAID TO TRAVEL -- Get the details and your free report here.

* TURN YOUR PICTURES INTO CASH  -- If you can take a simple picture you could make $200 - $2,000 a week taking snap shots in your own backyard... on your family vacations... or anywhere in the world you care to travel.  You don't need fancy equipment. And you don't need to know a thing about photography to get started.  Here's everything you need to know about this fun and lucrative side-business.

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