AFAR Magazine aims to make a positive impact on the world through high-quality storytelling that inspires, enriches, and empowers travelers. So, if you are a travel writer, send them a pitch.

They are currently redesigning the magazine, around editorial values that include inclusivity, optimism, radical empathy, curiosity, and joy.

AFAR Magazine publishes a range of reported features, personal essays, opinion pieces, photo essays, illustrated features, short fiction, poetry, and shorter middle-of-book pieces. Instead of more traditional aspirational lifestyle travel stories, they tell the stories of a place and the people who live there. The rate starts at $1/word.

AFAR.com publishes stories about air travel, cruises, culture, diversity in travel, food and drink, hotels, outdoor adventure, and sustainability, all under the idea that travel is a force for good. They also publish book reviews, e-commerce roundups, essays, evergreen stories, features, op-eds, and news stories. Most of their pieces are commissioned based on our current needs, rather than accepted via cold pitch. The rate starts at $0.50/word.

How to pitch to AFAR Magazine

All pitches should include:

• A synopsis of the story you’d like to report and write, with specifics including—but not limited to—any potential characters and sources, relevant news pegs, and estimated word count.
• A brief bio and relevant clips

Though they aim to respond individually to each pitch, they regret that sometimes we are unable to. If you have not heard back from them in two weeks or your story has a time hook, please feel free to follow up once.

AFAR Print Pitch Guidelines

The print magazine is published bi-monthly, and thus they only have room to green light a limited number of stories.

For feature stories, illustrated features, photo essays, and personal essays:

1. They are looking for richly reported stories that evoke a sense of place, inspire wanderlust.
2. Ideally teach the reader something new about the world.
3. Feature stories typically run from 1,500-2,500 words, though they are open to stories that are shorter or longer. 

Their middle-of-book formats include:

1. “Journey of a Dish,” where they explore the history behind a dish or drink (400 words);
2. “AFAR Answers,” where they answer reader questions about a specific travel topic (400 words); and
3. “The Future Of…,” where they explore developments in areas within the travel industry that dovetail with the issue theme (800 words).

AFAR.com Digital Pitch Guidelines

Travel News

Trends are key, too, but they aren’t just looking to cover a trend—they want to explore how it affects the traveler. Noticed a shift in the way airlines or cruise lines are conducting business, new places they are headed, or a particular consumer they’re trying to court? Let them know.

Culture

AFAR stories about culture—which encompasses literature and art, music and festivals, museums and galleries, UNESCO World Heritage sites and history—stoke curiosity in our readers. The best introduce travelers to exhibits, books, history, and artists they may never heard of before, or to introduce a new angle to a popular or well-known event, book, exhibit, or site. 

To learn about the rest of the AFAR.com Digital Pitch Guidelines visit their social media page.

Emails to send Pitches to:

Print

• If your pitch is related to a specific issue theme, please note the theme in the subject line of the email.
• Please send pitches for feature stories to Katherine LaGrave, Deputy Editor, at klagrave@afar.com.
• Please send pitches for middle-of-book stories to Mae Hamilton, Assistant Editor, at mhamilton@afar.com.
• Please send pitches for photo essays to Michelle Heimerman, Photo Editor, at mheimerman@afar.com.
• Please send pitches for illustrated features to Supriya Kalidas, Creative Director, at skalidas@afar.com.

Digital

• To pitch an air travel, cruise, or travel news story, email Michelle Baran at mbaran@afar.com.
• To pitch a culture story, email Mae Hamilton at mhamilton@afar.com.
• To pitch a destination inspiration story, please email Tim Chester at tchester@afar.com.
• To pitch a story about diversity in travel, please email Katherine LaGrave at klagrave@afar.com.
• To pitch a travel gear story or review, send a two- to three- paragraph email to Lyndsey Matthews at lmatthews@afar.com telling them why this brand/product should be covered by AFAR.
• To pitch a digital feature story or essay, please send an email to Katherine LaGrave at klagrave@afar.com.
• To pitch an outdoor adventure story, email Katherine LaGrave at klagrave@afar.com.
• To pitch a story about travel as a force for good, email Tim Chester at tchester@afar.com.
• If you’re interested in being considered for branded content assignments, please send a short bio and clips to Ami Kealoha at akealoha@afar.com.

Payment

AFAR payment ranges between $0.05-$1 per word depending on the type of category you pitch under. They aim to send payment within 45 days of an invoice, which can be filed once a piece has been published.

 If you interested in writing about food and earning $1 per word, then check out EatingWell Pitch Guidelines. Good luck.