The Craft of Travel Writing Certificate
Become a Travel Writer in One Month
Comprehensive training and personal support from working editors, to help you bring your travel stories to the world.
- 01Write the story only you can tell
- 02Refine it with an editor
- 03Earn your certificate
“I’ve had my second travel story accepted within the past two weeks, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this good luck has come after taking the Craft of Travel Writing course. I’m using aspects of the course every time I write and every time I pitch.”
“Thanks again for all the advice and knowledge shared in this group, as well as for a wonderful course. Very grateful!”
— Jeramie, Craft of Travel Writing graduate
Shared in the private Intrepid Times students’ WhatsApp group, where graduates and current students swap pitches, leads and encouragement. You’ll be invited to join as soon as you enroll.
Dear writer,
If you feel like you’ve been knocking on the door of the world of publication, trying to get in, then this certificate course will give you the keys.
As editors, we will show you exactly what the gatekeepers at travel writing publications like Intrepid Times are looking for today.
Across four engaging live workshops, you’ll deconstruct what makes a successful travel story. You’ll learn how to hook both reader and editor, avoid mistakes that lead to rejections, pitch like a pro, and tell the stories that only you can tell.
Throughout the course, you’ll work on your own professional-level travel story. You’ll get personal feedback, refine your story, and submit it to earn the Intrepid Times Craft of Travel Writing Certificate.
What this course is really for
You’ve seen things most people never will. This is where they become stories.
- To capture your experiences before they fade.
- To shape them with real craft, into something closer to art.
- To leave a record that touches readers around the world.
- To get published.
- To be a travel writer.
Editors are now pitched not only by writers using AI, but by AI agents themselves. One recently told us it “can’t board a plane,” so it explores cities on street-level imagery instead. That’s exactly why editors are hungrier than ever for writers who were actually there. An AI can’t board a plane. You can.
Where you are now, and where you’ll be by February
Today
- Stories in notebooks and photo rolls that no one else has read
- Unsure what editors are really looking for
- Pitches that disappear into silence
- Wondering whether you’re a “real” writer
Four weeks later
- A polished, professional-level travel story, refined with an editor
- You know exactly what the gatekeepers want, and why
- A pitch you can send with confidence
- The Intrepid Times Craft of Travel Writing Certificate, and lifelong priority submission to Intrepid Times
The part most courses leave out
An editor reads your story and shows you how to make it publishable
Nice travel stories are everywhere. Editors don’t publish nice. They publish stories that cut through: specific, structured, and impossible to have been written by anyone else.
You’ll submit your own travel story (up to 1,800 words) and receive detailed, personal editorial feedback within 7–10 days, the same eye we bring to every submission at Intrepid Times. Then you’ll revise it, submit your final draft, and earn your certificate.
Illustrative example of editorial notes
“The market in Oaxaca was bustling and colourful, full of interesting sights and smells. I had never seen anything like it.”
Editor’s noteThis is an overview, not a story. Zoom in on one specific moment. What happened, and what changed because of it?
Editor’s note“Bustling” and “colourful” appear in half the market stories we receive. What did you notice that no one else would have?
Editor’s noteStart in the moment, not the summary. Put the reader in your shoes from the first line.
“Before I could say no, the woman at the corner stall tipped a paper cone of toasted grasshoppers into my palm.”
An example written for this page to show the kind of guidance you’ll receive on your own story.
Live or self-paced
Join us live, or take the whole course on your own schedule
About half of our students never attend a live session. They follow the course entirely through the recordings, from every time zone and around jobs, families and travel, and they graduate with exactly the same feedback and certificate.
Join live
Wednesdays, 12 PM New York / 5 PM London
- Four small-group workshops, about an hour each
- Ask your questions in real time
- Interactive exercises with fellow writers
Learn at your own pace
Whenever and wherever suits you
- Full video and audio recordings, plus written notes, within 48 hours of each session
- Send questions by email or in the student WhatsApp group
- Need more time for your story? Extensions are available
Either way, you get the same thing that matters most: personal feedback from an editor on your own story, and the Intrepid Times Craft of Travel Writing Certificate.
Inside the workshops
The number one reason for rejection at Intrepid Times? Your story is not a story.
From Workshop #1
This course is built to fix exactly that. Every technique is shown through stories we’ve actually published, so you see what gets through an editor’s door and why.
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Five story structures that editors say yes to
Mission Accomplished, Into Trouble and Out of Trouble, Mystery Explained, Inner Transformation, and Witness to History, plus the three pitfalls that quietly sink most submissions.
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Four ways to make any story matter today
Even if it happened twenty years ago. A Moment of Change, A Lost World, An Allegory of Today, and A Timeless Experience, and how to answer an editor’s “why now?”
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Writing that puts the reader there
Sensory description, cutting the clichés editors are tired of, people and dialogue, and the “I” test that transforms a diary entry into a story.
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The professional side of getting published
The anatomy of a pitch, subject lines that get opened, when to follow up, building relationships with editors, awards, and finding your niche.
Your Certification
After refining your story with feedback from our editors, you will move forward and earn the Craft of Travel Writing Certificate. This is an achievement that will celebrate your commitment to turning your travel experiences into literary-quality stories that will inspire, inform, entertain and move readers around the world, and a vote of confidence in you as a writer.
Live workshop schedule
Four Wednesdays, January 13 – February 3
| Date | New York | London |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, January 13 | 12 PM | 5 PM |
| Wednesday, January 20 | 12 PM | 5 PM |
| Wednesday, January 27 | 12 PM | 5 PM |
| Wednesday, February 3 | 12 PM | 5 PM |
Approx. one hour each, including Q&A. Full recordings and notes provided for self-paced learners.
Here’s What You’re Getting
Four live workshops (including recordings). Bonus materials you can access immediately. Personal feedback. Certification and more. You get instant access to your student area immediately upon registration.
Orientation, Welcome, and Essential Skills PDF Guides
Instant access- Editor’s Welcome – How to Make the Most of This Course and Graduate with Confidence
- AI and Travel Writing – Our Policy and the Truth Travel Writers Need to Know
- Essential Skills PDF Guide: Captivate Readers and Editors with a Perfect First Paragraph
- Essential Skills PDF Guide: Travel Stories vs. Travel Guides – Know What You’re Writing
- Essential Skills PDF Guide: The Magic of Storytelling for Travel Writers – Enchant Your Readers
- Essential Skills PDF Guide: Building Your Platform – Create a Following for Your Travel Stories
- Bonus Workshop: Find Your Irreplaceable VoiceRecording · 73:44
Live Online Workshops
Join live or watch the recordings- Workshop #1: The Art and Tactics of Irresistible Travel StorytellingWednesday, January 13 · 12 PM New York / 5 PM London · What a story really is, five proven structures, and the pitfalls to avoid
- Workshop #2: Relevance, Newsworthiness, and Making Your Stories MatterWednesday, January 20 · 12 PM New York / 5 PM London · Four ways to make any story relevant, and answering “why now?”
- Workshop #3: Writing that Compels – Mistakes to Avoid and How to Edit Like a ProWednesday, January 27 · 12 PM New York / 5 PM London · Places, people and personality on the page
- Workshop #4: Professional Practice – Pitching, Getting Published, and Building Your BrandWednesday, February 3 · 12 PM New York / 5 PM London · Pitching, editor relationships, awards and your niche
- Bonus: Kurt Caswell WorkshopRecording · 79:44
Personal Writing Feedback, Certification, and Graduation
- Personal Feedback: Initial Article Submission InstructionsDeadline: Wednesday, February 10
- Assessment for Certification: Final Submission InstructionsDeadline: 7 days after receipt of your feedback
- Certification, Graduation, and Lifelong Priority Submission to Intrepid Times
“Breaking down story-writing technique using real-world examples through live lessons, writing a story with the knowledge that it will receive feedback to help me improve, and being part of a WhatsApp group of fellow writers… all these provided the tools and confidence I needed to take the leap into the world of travel writing.”
— Anna, Craft of Travel Writing studentYour instructor
Nathan James Thomas
Learn from the editor who decides what Intrepid Times publishes.
Nathan James Thomas is the founding editor of Intrepid Times and the Editor of Exisle Publishing. He is the author of two books including Untethered – Living the Digital Nomad Life in an Uncertain World, which The Times praised as “well written.” He has written for Lonely Planet, Roads & Kingdoms, Success Magazine, the New Zealand Herald, and numerous other outlets, and has interviewed close to 100 leading travel writers for the Travel Writing Podcast.
Originally from New Zealand, Nathan now spends much of his time in a small village in Greater Poland.
Bonus
Get Free Access to the Workshop “Find Your Irreplaceable Voice”
Learn how to write and publish the travel stories that only you can tell.
While direct registration for this event cost $75 at the time, it is included free of charge for all certificate students. The bonus includes access to the full recording and notes. You will find this, alongside many other bonus resources, in your student area immediately upon registration.
Your Roadmap to Certification
We’re thrilled to welcome travel writers to the Intrepid Times Craft of Travel Writing Certification Course. Enrollment is open now, with classes beginning January 13. Here’s what to expect:
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Immediately
Enroll and Access Your Student Area, Welcome Workbooks, Bonuses, and Networking
Register today to unlock all bonus materials, download quick-start welcome PDF guides on essential travel writing skills, and join our private WhatsApp group. Connect with fellow students, share ideas, and get encouragement as you prepare for the course.
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Wednesdays, January 13 – February 3 · 12 PM New York / 5 PM London
Live Online Workshops
Join four interactive workshops in a small group setting, each focused on a different aspect of the travel writer’s craft (see curriculum above). Allow one hour per session, including Q&A. Notes and recordings (video and audio) will be uploaded within 48 hours, so you can easily catch up even if you miss the live session.
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Wednesday, February 10
Initial Story Submission & Personal Feedback
Submit your first travel story (up to 1,800 words) and receive detailed editorial feedback within 7–10 days.
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One week after you receive your feedback
Final Submission
Incorporate feedback, polish your story, and submit your final draft for certification.
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One week later (late February)
Graduation, Certification, and Priority Publishing Opportunities
Celebrate your achievement! Successful students receive their certification, provided their story meets our professional standards. You may also submit your final story to Intrepid Times for priority publication consideration – while this is optional, many of our past graduates have gone on to (paid) publication on our platform and elsewhere. Read their published stories.
Small group course – spaces limited
Everything you need to become a travel writer
Classes begin Wednesday, January 13, live or self-paced. Instant access to your student area the moment you enroll.
- Personal editorial feedback on your own travel story (up to 1,800 words), plus assessment of your final draft for certification
- Four online workshops: join live in a small group, or follow entirely at your own pace Recordings & notes included
- The Intrepid Times Craft of Travel Writing Certificate
- Lifelong priority submission to Intrepid Times
- Bonus workshop: Find Your Irreplaceable Voice Previously $75
- Bonus: Kurt Caswell Workshop recording
- Four Essential Skills PDF guides, plus the Editor’s Welcome and our AI and Travel Writing guide Instant access
- Private WhatsApp group with fellow students
$490
Wednesdays, January 13 – February 3 · Live online or self-paced
Student Feedback
Read published stories by past students.
“The course did not just help me produce better travel articles but also enabled me to become a better writer overall.”
“If you want to have success in this business, you do not just need intriguing travel experiences and an imaginative voice, but you also need to know the system and be good at marketing yourself. The course can guide you through all of this – and perhaps even make you a better, more perceptive traveller.”
“The content was perfect, and so was Nathan’s delivery of the material.”
— Jens
“You explained so many things that I simply would not have identified, let alone considered.”
“You demonstrated with everything you said the difference between experience and knowledge.”
“I’m so glad I enrolled for the workshops. I enjoyed the course enormously and certainly encourage you to run it again and again.”
— Philip
“I have really enjoyed your course and am so glad that I decided to go for it.”
“You are an engaging teacher, great speaker. I found all the videos and other material so useful.”
“The actual writing has been the hard part of course.”
— Carlotta
“I’m gaining a lot from the course, it’s excellent.”
“Having a deadline is really making me write, which is also an amazing plus.”
— Liz
Common Questions
Am I qualified for this course?
Yes. No prior publications are required, just a love of travel, a passion for storytelling, and openness to feedback.
What are the requirements for certification?
Graduation requires completing all four workshops (live or via recordings) and submitting a final travel story that meets Intrepid Times’ editorial standards. You’ll receive ample feedback to help you reach this level.
What if I can’t attend the live workshops?
That’s completely fine. About half of our students follow the course entirely through the recordings. Full video and audio recordings and notes are in your student area within 48 hours of each session, you can send questions by email or in the WhatsApp group, and you receive exactly the same editorial feedback and certificate.
What if I need more time for my story?
We understand life gets busy. If you need an extension, email editor@intrepidtimes.com and we’ll work with you.
How much time will I need?
Plan for around three hours per week: one for the workshop and two for writing and editing. Bonus materials are provided if you’d like to go deeper.
Can you guarantee I’ll be published?
You’re about to get access to knowledge born from the front-line experience of editors and writers. We can teach you what we know; putting it into practice is up to you. Your success will depend on a range of factors, some you can control, some you cannot, and we make no guarantees of any kind whatsoever regarding the results you may experience after the course and when putting these techniques and strategies into practice. Like all worthwhile journeys, venturing out into the world as a travel writer is a risky undertaking; please keep this in mind before registering.
Enrollment is open · Spaces limited
Your stories deserve to be read
Four workshops, live or at your own pace. Personal feedback from an editor. A certificate that marks the moment you became a travel writer.
$490
Wednesdays, January 13 – February 3 · 12 PM New York / 5 PM London · Live online or self-paced
Enroll TodayThe world has more than enough content. What it needs is more stories from people who were actually there, told with care. I’d love to help you tell yours.
Nathan James Thomas
Founding Editor, Intrepid Times
