Salman Rashid

Travel writer, Fellow of Royal Geographical Society

Travel writing at your own expense
02 April 2013

Writing generally does not hold any attraction for young people because there is no money in it. Travel writing, the least of all because of all the associated difficulties. Here you travel at your own expense and then the dividends are poor. I was fortunate to have my journals pay for my travels. But I no longer write for Herald and The News on Sunday which had been footing my travel bill since 1993 when we first began together, has a changed policy. Consequently, to establish oneself, a young writer will have to be essentially either very rich or sponsored by some agency as it used to be in Victorian times. Failing that, I don't see anyone wishing to be a full time travel writer in Pakistan.

[The Punjab University English Department has this year begun a course in travel writing. There are only two students there; a girl and a boy. Both are very keen readers and that is the making of a researcher.] The two young people currently taking the travel writing course both have promise. But I don't really see them pursuing travel writing as a profession. The way is really way too hard.

Labels: About, Travel, Travel Literature, Travel Writing

posted by Salman Rashid @ 11:27,

2 Comments:

At 2 April 2013 at 15:36, Anonymous said...: Travel Photography and Travel Writing .. No doubt very fascinating but Equally tough .
At 2 April 2013 at 19:20, Kausar Bilal said...: Though times are not favorable now for travel writing, but the beginning of a Travel Writing course shows that thing are changing dramatically but on a slow pace. Hope for the best!
Best of Luck!