What It’s Really Like to Be a Travel Reporter: Salary, Work-Life Balance, and Career Advice
If you’ve ever wondered what a travel reporter actually does all day, you’re not alone. The job sounds glamorous from the outside—airports, hotels, new countries, and stories about exciting places—but the reality is a lot more nuanced.
In this post, you’ll learn what the role looks like behind the scenes, what the workload and pay can look like, and what it takes to break into travel journalism. Monica, a former travel reporter with nearly a decade in journalism, shares the kind of advice that helps you understand not just the job, but the career path around it.
What a Travel Reporter Actually Does
A lot of people picture a travel reporter as someone who is constantly on the move. In reality, the job is usually a mix of travel, writing, pitching, research, and turning one trip into multiple stories.
Monica started her role in March 2020, which she described as a terrible time to enter travel journalism. For a while, she wasn’t traveling at all. Instead, she wrote about education and lifestyle while the industry adjusted. Once travel opened back up, she was traveling about three or four times a year, with occasional weekend trips in between.That pace mattered. It gave her enough time to do the work deeply without losing her home base. She was able to maintain her community in Denver while still taking trips to places like Uganda and New Zealand.
A travel reporter’s week also doesn’t end when the trip ends. Monica explained that her team would go on longer trips, gather as much material as possible, and then spend weeks or months writing multiple stories from the same experience. One trip could become several hotel reviews, experience pieces, or profiles.
That means the job is less about “vacationing for work” and more about constantly extracting story ideas from what you see, hear, and experience.
The Best Part: Getting Close to People and Places
What made the job rewarding for Monica wasn’t just seeing beautiful places. It was getting access to people and experiences that most tourists never get.
As she put it, journalism gave her “a beautiful excuse” to ask personal questions and go deeper than a typical traveler would. Instead of taking a one-hour tour, she could spend a full day with a coffee farmer in Panama or shadow someone who studies lions.
That shift changes the whole experience of travel. You stop being an observer and become a participant in someone else’s world.
She also talked about how much she enjoyed hearing from all kinds of people—from everyday travelers with nightmare stories to CEOs and company founders. That range kept the work interesting. It also gave her a chance to turn short encounters into lasting stories that readers could connect with.
This is one of the biggest lessons from travel reporting: the destination matters, but the people make the story.
If you want to do this kind of work, that’s the mindset you need. It’s not enough to say, “I went somewhere.” You need to ask, “Who lives here? What do they know that I don’t? What’s the story behind this place?”
The Less Glamorous Side of the Job
For every exciting story, there were plenty of stressful moments.
Monica was honest about the fact that media is a tough industry. One of the hardest parts was balancing stories she cared about with stories that would actually get clicks. She could have a powerful, meaningful piece in mind, but if it didn’t line up with what readers were clicking on, the story could be hard to justify.
That tension between quality and traffic is familiar to a lot of journalists. It’s also one of the reasons travel writing can feel exhausting. You’re not just chasing inspiration—you’re also trying to package it in a way that performs.
There were also real travel headaches. Monica shared a story about being in Panama and getting a message from her next hotel saying they didn’t have a room for her. Suddenly, a fully booked trip had a major problem. On top of that, she often had to wonder whether she was in the right car, trusting the right person, or heading to the right place.
Those moments are stressful in a very specific way. They’re not like a typical office problem. They’re the kind of issues that make you think, “Did I plan this well enough?” while you’re already far from home.
On the desk side, the pressure was different. Sometimes traffic was down across the company, and the team had to work harder to come up with content that would perform. That required creativity, but creativity under pressure is a real challenge.
Salary, Career Growth, and Work-Life Balance in Media
If you’re thinking about travel journalism as a career, salary and growth matter just as much as the fun parts.
Monica started her first journalism job making $13 an hour in New York. Later, her salary grew into the low-to-upper five figures. She shared that one of her first salaried journalism roles paid $62,000, and by the time she left, she was in the upper $70,000 range.
That’s a solid salary for media, especially in a major city—but the bigger jumps didn’t usually come from annual raises. They came from switching jobs. Her biggest pay increases happened when she moved from one role to another.
That’s an important reality check. In many media careers, career growth can be slow inside one company. There may be some title progression—reporter to senior reporter, for example—but there’s often a ceiling. If you want a meaningful pay bump, a job change may be the most realistic path.
Work-life balance was another mixed bag. Her team operated in a pretty standard nine-to-five structure, which had benefits. At 5:30 p.m., she could shut her laptop and be done. No Slack messages. No expectation to stay online unless something urgent happened.
At the same time, that structure wasn’t very flexible. If she wanted to work later and take a morning yoga class or a long hike, that wasn’t really the model. So even though the role had a clear boundary between work and home, it wasn’t the kind of flexible schedule some people dream about.
Benefits depended heavily on the company. Monica had a solid package that included healthcare and a 401(k), but she noted that freelance work can look very different. In media, some jobs have great benefits and some have very little, so the type of employer matters a lot.
What It Takes to Get a Travel Reporter Job
If you want a role like this, Monica’s advice was pretty clear: don’t wait until you feel “qualified enough.” Start building experience now.She emphasized two big things: connections and experience.
You do not need to have traveled to 40 countries to be seen as a strong candidate. What matters more is how you see the world and how you tell stories. Monica pointed out that editors are often looking for people who can write about their own backyard just as well as they can write about a faraway destination.
That means you should start small and practical:
Write for your local newspaper or college paper
Pitch freelance stories
Self-publish travel pieces
Start a social account that shows your storytelling style
Reach out to people in the industry on LinkedIn or Instagram
She also recommended leaning into being new. When you’re starting out, you have a built-in excuse to be curious, awkward, and bold. Monica told interns not to be afraid to set up coffee chats with people they barely knew. In fact, that kind of outreach can open doors later on.
Another key trait is comfort with discomfort. A good travel reporter has to ask strangers questions, strike up conversations, and go after the story even when it feels awkward. If you’re not willing to do that, this probably isn’t the right fit.
And while a journalism degree can help, Monica said it’s not the only path. The skills that matter most can be learned on the job—especially if you’re willing to practice.
Skills That Make You More Competitive
Monica also shared that the job is becoming more holistic. It’s no longer just about writing.A stronger candidate today is often someone who can do a bit of everything:
Write clearly and quickly
Take strong photos
Create short-form video or Instagram reels
Understand SEO basics
Read analytics and trends
Adapt stories for different platforms
That doesn’t mean you need to be an expert in everything before applying. But having a few of these skills makes you more valuable and shows that you understand how modern media works.
She specifically mentioned SEO as a helpful foundation. Free trainings on Google Analytics and search basics can make a big difference, especially if you want to understand what readers are actually engaging with.
That’s important because the best travel reporters today aren’t just storytellers. They’re multi-platform communicators who know how to shape a story for readers, viewers, and search engines without making it feel robotic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a travel reporter do all day?
A travel reporter usually spends time researching, interviewing people, traveling to destinations, gathering story ideas, and then writing multiple stories from the same trip. The job is a mix of reporting, storytelling, and content planning.
Do travel reporters travel all the time?
Not usually. Monica said she traveled about three or four times a year, with some smaller trips in between. A lot of the work happens before and after travel, not just during the trip itself.
How much do travel reporters make?
It depends on the company, location, and level of experience. Monica said she started at $13 an hour early in her career and later earned a salary in the upper $70,000 range as a reporter in New York.
Do you need a journalism degree to become a travel reporter?
Not necessarily. A journalism background helps, but Monica stressed that experience, curiosity, writing samples, and networking are often just as important—if not more so.
Is travel journalism remote-friendly?
Sometimes, but not always. Monica said many media jobs now require being in a major city or office, though freelance work offers much more location flexibility.
-
Katie (00:05)
Hello and welcome.
gonna start by giving you a moment to briefly introduce yourself, your name, your role, job title, whatever you wanna say about your role.
Monica (00:15)
Hi, so I am Monica. I was a travel reporter for five years at a news organization. So I have been in journalism for going on a decade, which is crazy to say, but I'm really here to talk about my job as a travel reporter.
Katie (00:32)
That's so exciting. So you have the coolest job ever. How did you first hear about this company or find this job after you graduated?
Monica (00:38)
Was in my senior year of college, and it was spring semester, and I just feel like everybody was locking in their internships, their fellowships, their full-time jobs, and I was just feeling really behind because I didn't have anything lined up. So I was frantically applying to everything. I knew I wanted to do journalism or work in the media industry. I knew I wanted to leave Florida, which is where I was born and raised.
Outside of that, I was really applying to everything. So I stumbled upon a internship fellowship with this company, sent in an application, and really a combination of luck and my education and my background really landed me the role. So I did that for six months, didn't get hired full-time after the fellowship, worked at another startup for a year, and then ultimately I came back to the company I had interned at and started as a travel reporter.
Katie (01:33)
So when you went from the transition of your other startup back, was there anything that was making you hesitant about being a travel reporter or were you kind of full steam ahead excited about the role?
Monica (01:42)
So I had a positive internship experience overall, but there were a couple concerns. Like I was in the video editing world and I didn't want to do videos. I wasn't sure if the structure of the company or working at such a big company was ideal for me and my work life or my work style. So I had a couple orange-red flags pop up. Ultimately, it came down to being unemployed in New York City and needing a job, and so I
I said I was gonna apply to this travel reporter job, do it for as long as I could, see if I like it, and really just went in with an open mindset, being like I can always find another job and I can always shift industries, shift roles, but let's give this a go so I can have a salary and thank God I did because it ended up just being such a fun, fun time.
Katie (02:29)
So we said that you were a travel reporter, a travel journalist. What does that look like? Are you traveling every day, every week, or what kind of travel are you doing for that role? How that work?
Monica (02:38)
So my job had a lot of twists and turns. I started in 2020. I started in March of 2020 becoming a travel reporter, which was a terrible time to enter the industry. And so for a while I wrote about education, I wrote about lifestyle. It really was a full year of experimenting with a bunch of different forms before I actually started traveling. And once travel opened up again, I was traveling, I'd say about once a
And looking back, that felt like such a great pace to me. So having one big trip once a quarter really allowed me to establish a community in my home of Denver, maintain friendships, maintain relationships while also having this great balance of being able to visit cool and exciting places. So I was traveling about three or four times a year and then would have weekend trips or small things in between those bigger trips.
Katie (03:33)
So when you're not traveling, What did your week look like?
Monica (03:35)
Yeah, so I've spoken to other travel reporters. I think everybody does it a little bit differently. Every media company has a different plan. My structure was really go on a pretty long trip, get as much content, get as many story ideas as you possibly can, and then come back, work on those stories, work on stories outside of that and just share these travels for weeks for months after I came back.
So I think typically as a travel reporter, a lot of people might go on one trip and have one story to write about after it, or they might go on one weekend trip and do one hotel review where I was really going on trips and I was coming back and writing four or five hotel reviews and writing about four or five different experiences. And that was fun. I think there were points where after weeks and weeks about writing about the same trip, it got a little bit repetitive where it got
a little bit tiring to write about. And so then that was where I would add in stories about flight attendants or I would write profiles about cool travelers. I had a beat for a little while that was talking about flights gone wrong. So I would write about people who had been on disastrous travel nightmare stories. It became this balance of writing about my personal experience and my personal trips while also sharing other traveler experiences.
Katie (04:50)
So when you did this, was there a part of the job that felt most rewarding to you or what do you feel like you got the most passion from in this role?
Monica (04:57)
I mean my job was so cool and the fact that not only did I get to go to really cool places, not only did I get to travel to Uganda or spend a couple weeks in New Zealand, those were awesome, awesome experiences. But what was really cool was getting to go to those places and just inserting myself into people's lives. I think as a tourist often you're kind of seeing experiences from
The outside, or it takes more effort to really get to know somebody who's living where you're visiting. But as a journalist, I got this like beautiful excuse to ask personal questions to just insert myself right away so I could travel to Panama and be like, hey, you're a coffee farmer. Can I spend the whole day on your coffee plantation? And can you show me the ropes? Where as a tourist, it might be an hour-long tour you would get. And so I really got to dive.
deeper into the experiences and the people behind the experiences that I was visiting. And so I think that was the most rewarding thing was really just getting to be like, hey, you research lions, take me out for a day and let's go see what a normal day looks like. And that's not something that a lot of people get to do.
Katie (06:08)
So contrary to that, is there anything that you felt was less glamorous or you were surprised about?
Monica (06:13)
I feel like the media industry is ultimately a tough place to be in. And so I think there was a lot of pressure of creating content that wasn't only impactful and not only really inspiring, but was also just something that people wanted to read. And so it was this challenge of having stories that I thought were really, really cool. And stories that I thought people wanted to read and that not always aligning with what people were quote unquote clicking on.
And so there were moments throughout my career where it felt really challenging to find that balance of having headlines that felt exciting and clickable while also telling powerful stories that maybe weren't driving traffic. And I think there are media companies that have different business models.
And I think we're all just kind of trying to experiment to figure out what works. And so I understood why that was my structure, but it definitely put some strain on the way I told stories.
Katie (07:11)
No, that totally makes sense. Do weeks were they pretty consistent with the amount of workload that you had or did they they vary from a super busy week to maybe a less busy week and how did you manage that balance?
Monica (07:20)
I
think obviously weeks where I was traveling or gearing up to travel were really intense and jam-packed weeks. My travel days were 12, 14-hour days where I was really just trying to maximize as much time in a space and in a place where I was. And so those were long, long days, and those were long weeks, and they were so rewarding. But in the typical structure of my work week, for the most part, I would say it was pretty consistent.
in terms of my workload and my expectations. I think there were weeks where traffic might have been down across the company. And so it was really a team-wide effort to be like, hey, we all need to pitch in. We all need to hunker down and work hard this week. But overall, it was a pretty consistent pace of work.
Katie (08:05)
And then was there any time that you have or that you remember that was either the hardest part of your job, everything went wrong, or just a really stressful moment that you had on the job?
Monica (08:13)
In terms of traveling? Absolutely. I feel like there were a lot of travel moments where I was like, I didn't think this through, or this thing fell through. I remember sitting in Panama at dinner one night and getting a message from my next hotel saying that they didn't have room for me in the hotel. And I was like, Wait, this was all booked. I need a place to sleep tomorrow night. What is the game plan? And so I feel like I have a lot of stories about that of being like
Am I in the right place? Am I in the right car? Am I really trusting this person to drive me where I need to go? So those are really stressful moments, but those feel like a little out of the box for a typical job. I think the stressful moments within the desk aspect of my job, really just came down to having stressful times of trying to figure out what was working when it felt like algorithms were against you or it felt like,
just like traffic was in a slump. And so it really felt like trying to think out of the box, trying to get creative. But being creative and having the energy to do that when there's a lot of pressure around it was tough. I think there were a couple periods of that at my job where I really felt it.
Katie (09:22)
Yeah, definitely. Post COVID, everyone's thought on work is can I do this job remotely or what does it look like? So in this industry or in your role specifically, is it common to have a remote job? Do you see a lot of them asking for in person or what do you notice there?
Monica (09:35)
I think a lot of industries during and shortly after COVID were like, you can work from anywhere. And then now in twenty twenty six they're kind of backtracking and being like, We want you in the office. We want to be seeing you face to face every day. And I do think the media industry has followed that trend a lot where a lot of jobs now you do have to live in a major city. They do want you in headquarters in New York City or wherever it may be. And that's I mean, especially as a travel reporter, it's
Tough to be like, wait, I want to be all over the place and I want to constantly be exploring. And I feel like successful travel reporters also have this like instinct of always exploring. So I do think those jobs exist. And I feel like a lot of travel reporters ultimately transition into a freelance role. And that's where you can really work from anywhere if you're freelancing. So I feel like that feels like a natural shift for a lot of people.
But I do think if you're looking for that full time salaried position, there's a good chance you'll have to be tied to an office.
Katie (10:35)
Awesome. So kind of going a little bit into the work-life balance aspect of it all, do you feel like with this role it was always forty hours a week? Was it flexible at all or kind of what does it look like in terms of the work-life balance aspect?
Monica (10:48)
At my company, the travel section was rooted in the lifestyle section. And so when I first started, there was really this push for every part of life to be a story. We were lifestyle, so it was like you're cooking dinner, what lifestyle story can you come up while you're cooking dinner? You're going on a neighborhood walk. How is that a staycation? How can you turn your lunchtime walks into a story about taking five minutes to explore your city?
I think when I first started, I felt the weight of writing about life 24-7. I would wake up and be like, I'm brushing my teeth. Is there a story with this? I'm laying in bed and I'm like, what's my pillow? Should I have a better pill? Is there a pillow I can write about? And I think that was very hard at first to be like, my gosh, this is something I'm always thinking about.
At what point is life not content? I think it took a little bit of time to really find that balance of if I'm thinking about something a lot just naturally, there might be a story there. And so being able to shift my thinking pattern or my reflection pattern on this is something I'm always thinking about. Other people are probably thinking about this. How can I write about this? Or what is the story here?
Or, I'm asking these questions. Why am I asking these questions? Or other people asking these questions? But I think it became really this balance of reflecting and seeing what stuck out, what was actually content, versus trying to turn every little thing into content. And so that was hard. But I think outside of that, I worked on a team that really appreciated work-life balance. my team operated very nine to five.
I think there are pros and cons to that where it was great to know that 5 30 rolled around and I was no longer on my computer. I could shut my laptop and nobody was gonna slack me. There was no expectation that I was gonna have to log on unless I saw something that was breaking and wanted to cover. So I really did appreciate that. But then the flip side was there wasn't a lot of flexibility to be like, hey, I would love to work 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and take a morning yoga class.
And so that was tough, but I think we all kind of learned the balance of appreciating that and finding moments to take a little bit of a longer lunch break for a yoga class. And I think there was a little grace there, but I don't know. I I go back and forth because I think there are such pros and cons to both. And I feel like you and we talk about it a lot.
Katie (13:08)
Well like what's the perfect balance? And I don't know. I get both sides.
Monica (13:11)
Yeah, right. I love being able to shut my laptop, put it aside and not think about it again.
Katie (13:17)
Yeah.
But it'd be nice to go for a walk when it's really nice out, especially when the weather's perfect.
Monica (13:20)
Yeah, or go for the hike that would take three hours. I
Katie (13:23)
Then when it's dark out, finish your work, you know.
Monica (13:25)
work. Yeah. So obviously I want the best of both worlds.
Katie (13:30)
I mean, yeah, that's the dream.
Monica (13:32)
Yeah.
Katie (13:33)
So kinda going into who makes a good person for this job, when you were in it, what were things that separated you from people when you were succeeding versus folks that are plateauing and just what characteristics of a person would make them successful at this job?
Monica (13:46)
Yeah,
I think the biggest thing that made me successful was just being willing to always ask questions and always listen. It's funny because I think a lot of people in general operate in the I'm scared to start up conversations or I'm scared to approach strangers and it was nice to have a job that forced me to do that. But I do think that there are people who don't want to do that and who don't
Do that. And I think maybe if you're not willing to put yourself in those uncomfortable situations, then I think maybe work on that practice if you want this job, because I do think that's where you get the best stories, is where you're really willing to ask tough questions or willing to approach a stranger and ask them for their favorite travel advice. And I think that can be uncomfortable and awkward sometimes, but I also think it results in some of the best stories. And so I think.
having that skill is really important and if that's something you don't see yourself ever wanting to do, maybe this isn't the best choice for you. I mean, I think this industry is hard to be in. I think it feels really uncertain. And I think if you're looking for a job where you can make a lot of money and not think twice about your career and just kind of have a job, I think this is a hard
space to be in for that. The people I know and the people who tell the best stories are some of the most passionate people in my life and they really care what they're writing about. And of course travel's really easy to care about. So it lucked out for me. So I guess speaking on a broader journalism front, I just think you have to be dedicated in care. And it's a tough job to have if you're just looking for a job that brings home a paycheck.
Katie (15:27)
Yeah, definitely. Do you feel like there's a common mistake as you saw new hires be hired or people in the interview process if you were a part of that the people were making when they were trying to enter this field?
Monica (15:38)
The one thing I always told interns when they got to the company was don't be afraid to make a coffee chat with somebody that you have nothing to do with. Yeah. I think being a new person at a company is the perfect excuse to meet everybody and start conversations and be awkward and new essentially. It started feeling harder when I was three years into this role, being like, hey.
We've been coworkers for three years. I've seen your name on Slack for years at this point. We should grab a coffee. And everybody's always open to that. So I think you should be doing that even if you are three years into your career. But being a newbie is the perfect thing to lean into. And so I think just really owning that and really just stepping into a role with questions and curiosity is really important.
And then I think when it comes to applying, that same thing goes. Reach out to people on LinkedIn, start making connections. Go in with curiosity and honesty about the industry and what you're passionate about instead of just trying to land a job or trying to land an internship would also be my advice.
Katie (16:44)
Was there a moment in this role where you sat there and you were like, This is the right job for me or this is the wrong job for me? And what kind of made you think that?
Monica (16:50)
I think anytime I was leaving for a trip or getting to talk to somebody cool, I was like, this is the right job for me. And they were like moments that were hard. I did the vast majority of my trips by myself. And I was traveling to places where English wasn't the first language. And I am terrible with languages. And I was visiting places off the beaten path, which I was constantly questioning about how I found this place and
Was it real? how am I ending up here? And I think a lot of people I think that's a tough thing to do, to eat dinners by yourself, to be by yourself for that long period of time. And that's one of the skills I'm so happy I gained from my job. But I think it's a hard thing to learn. And I do think it ultimately is a skill that most people can take on or grow into. Every time I
was on a questionable road and ended up at my destination, I was like, yeah, this is why I do this. anytime I ended up having a really moving conversation with somebody, I was like, yeah, this is the coolest job ever. And I'm so lucky to be doing it. Those moments were endless. And I think what was cool about it too, or what was exciting about it, was being able to come back and then relive all of those memories through telling those stories.
So it wasn't just getting to go on a trip, but then it was getting to make these memories permanent through my writing.
Katie (18:07)
Like you're so good at that and I've heard you on calls where you like light up and I'm like, Wait, she's having so much
Monica (18:12)
I love talking to people. that's what's so cool. I don't know, talking to people about their travel nightmare stories was a blast. And I think we all enjoyed it. Having a space for people to vent about their negative experiences and feel heard and seen was really cool. So those are people, you and me, everyday people. And then also getting to talk to CEOs or people who run companies and really step into that whole sphere. So the range
of stories I got to hear and the questions I got to ask was always so fun.
Katie (18:40)
It's honestly impressive. And I I feel like you get so many different insights, which is just cool to add to value to life. So our next kind of area, pivot, is into the career progression and kind of pay side of it. earlier you mentioned, hey, this isn't just to get a paycheck. So do you feel like in your field you've seen a lot of room for career progression or what does that look like?
Monica (19:00)
I don't know, I have mixed thoughts about this. I think it's fun to career progress between or across publications. And I think that's really how you do grow and progress in the industry. It felt a lot harder to progress within my specific newsroom. It's funny because for some people, travel reporter is the end game where you're like, I want to be writing, I want to be telling stories.
for the rest of my life, where I think there's a second set that's like, wait, no, I want to become an editor, or I wanna become a managing editor, or I wanna climb this editorial ladder. And I think both of those have ways of being challenging. As a travel reporter, if you decide I only want to tell stories and write stories for the rest of my life, there aren't a ton of those roles. There's not really
A ton of progression, you can become a senior reporter or a correspondent. There's progression within the title, but it Does reach a maximum point, therefore also tends to reach a maximum pay. So then you turn to switching publications and things like that. But if you're writing about something really niche, those roles aren't open that often. And then I think the flip side is climbing the editorial ladder.
is a whole other obstacle. And if you're trying to stay at your publication, how does your publication go about that? And what spots are open? Or is it something where you're shifting to another place? So yeah, I think because the media industry's a little tough to be in, it's really tough to grow in as well. Or at least that was kind of how I felt and that was my experience.
Katie (20:35)
Yeah, 'cause when you started your career back as an intern to now, has the pay increased dramatically, slightly, or what has that looked like over the years?
Monica (20:43)
So I started, I think, making thirteen dollars an hour in New York. So go ahead. So really grew drastically.
Katie (20:50)
Good, okay, happy other.
Monica (20:52)
But in terms of actually being a salaried reporter, I definitely had some salary growth. But my biggest jumps were made switching jobs. One big jump was switching from my fellowship to my first startup. Mm-hmm. And then
My next big jump was switching from my startup to being a travel reporter. My main salary jumps were legally important. Yeah.
Katie (21:19)
Yeah.
Monica (21:20)
Like that's where I got the most money.
Katie (21:21)
Definitely. 'Cause were you like if you're talking about your salary, are we talking the range of you're making twenty to forty, forty to eighty, eighty to one twenty, or above. Or whatever you're comfortable sharing, obviously.
Monica (21:33)
My first
journalism job, which wasn't as a travel reporter, I made sixty-two thousand dollars in New York. Then by the time I left, I was in the upper seventies. And I think that felt pretty fair and on par. I mean, that felt like a really solid salary for the media. I think it was a little tough sometimes to live in a big city on that salary. Yeah. I think working for a big industry, I was paid pretty fairly. I think I was working for a small publication.
Fighting for a salary would have been a little bit harder, but I think
base salaries were good, it was really tough getting the salary increases year over year or position over position. Definitely. And so I think that was the biggest struggle was I had this base salary that felt really like a great starting point or a very like livable wage. And so that was really exciting. But then when it came to like growing that salary, it felt like it might take a job shift or
an industry switch to really see a drastic increase in my income. Yeah. Versus a few thousand dollars every year.
Katie (22:38)
No, that totally makes sense. So as you've had these roles, you've mentioned how you've grown in them. What do you see as doors that have been opened through the roles that you've had thus far?
Monica (22:47)
I mean, I think having a journalism background really sets you up for a lot of roles. I can talk to people, yeah. I can tell stories, and I think that caters to like jobs and public relations and advertising. I'm doing marketing now, which is crazy. And so I think having that really fundamental journalism background has really helped open those doors and helped career growth or career opportunities.
expand, which has been really nice. And then I think ultimately just having my background helped me as an individual. Yeah. Know how to talk to people, know how to ask questions, know how to stay curious and shape stories. And I think that lends itself in my day to day life, but also just a career life as well. Yeah.
Katie (23:31)
For sure. I mean that's such a good growth, even just personally, it's such a huge value add.
Monica (23:35)
Yeah.
Katie (23:36)
So is it common to see a benefits package? Do you usually get any form of benefits with these roles or is that less common in this industry?
Monica (23:44)
I think what's hard in media is that there is such a wide range of jobs. I feel like there's such a wide range of jobs where you can be working at a smaller nonprofit newsroom, you can be working at a major publication, you can be doing freelance work, and your full-time job can be a freelance journalist. And with such a wide range of opportunities comes a wide range.
of benefits and pros and cons to each. And so by working at a major company, I had a great benefits package. I had pretty solid healthcare. I had a 401k plan that was also great within the context of the industry. So my benefits package was really solid. And then as I was trying to figure out next steps and if I was trying to figure out if I wanted to be a freelancer, being a single individual freelancer felt
Really hard to do without benefits, with having to pay for health insurance on my own or having to figure out a retirement plan by myself that's self funded. Yeah. So I feel like there's just a range and there's no one answer. Definitely. Of this is an industry that has great benefits, or I don't know. It really just feels like it depends on the company you're working at. Yeah.
Katie (24:58)
For sure. So as we're wrapping up, I wanna know what it takes for someone to get the role like this. So in your experience when you're applying to roles or for this role specifically, is the degree the most important? If so, what area? Prior experience or is it connections or what gets you the job?
Monica (25:16)
Yeah, I think the biggest thing is, well, I guess the two biggest things you just listed off are making connections and having some experience. I think when I was talking to people in the past who have wanted similar jobs, go out and see if you can freelance a story. Go out and see if you can self-publish your own travel stories. Start an Instagram page that shows that you're passionate about this.
Bring your experience and it doesn't have to be, I've traveled to 40 countries, I'm a qualified travel reporter. That's not what people are looking for. people are looking for stories in your own backyard and they're looking at how you see the world, how you're sharing that world versus where you're sharing that world, if that makes sense. So I think experience and passion is really, really big. And being able to have a couple published clips, if it's even for a local newspaper or
your local college newspaper, like that is invaluable. So really encouraging people to do that. And then I also think just making connections and building connections so that when one of these coveted roles opens, you already have those established connections and you already have one foot in the door. I think that's really important too. So not being afraid to go to networking
Events, not being afraid to follow strangers on Instagram and start conversations, not being afraid to message people on LinkedIn. I think those are the two things. And sure having a journalism background is helpful, but I don't think it's a requirement to be a successful journalist. a lot of those skills you can learn on the job.
Katie (26:46)
Then my final question is let's say I'm someone who really wants to apply for this role. are there any skills or programs or areas that I should really brush up on or practice or take a course in prior to applying?
Monica (26:57)
I think in terms of becoming a reporter, it's being looked at more as a holistic job where you're not just writing, but you're writing and taking photographs. And now you're creating Instagram reels and becoming a personality tied to a lot of your stories. And so I think the more you can broaden your skill set of being like,
I'm not just coming to offer writing skills, I'm coming to offer writing, photography, videography, which is a whole other conversation. But really being able to have a couple skills locked in, I think is really helpful and show that you're a diversified storyteller is important. So I think that would be my biggest advice.
Katie (27:36)
Yeah, the only other thing I was thinking about is you often say abbreviations that I have no idea what they mean. Is there anything you need to go into with your media management or you have what's it called? See what I'm talking about? You log into your CMC, your
Monica (27:50)
My C V S. Okay, yeah.
Katie (27:55)
Is
there anything like that or like a software that you need to be familiar with? Or not really. That kinda changes roll to roll.
Monica (28:00)
think that's something that you can really learn on the job. And I think having SEO foundational skills is helpful. There's a lot of free trainings out there that you can take to really gain understanding of Google Analytics or understanding of industry trends. And so I think having that's a great point. I think having that knowledge and being up to date on the platforms is really helpful and really important when entering a job interview.
definitely have some foundational knowledge on metrics and trends and what people are reading or watching or clicking. And I think that combined with being a diversified storyteller creates this holistic reporter that's looking at at stories from multiple lenses.
Katie (28:41)
Awesome. Well thank you so much. You really provided such good insight. I feel like your interests were super thought out and helpful. But thank you for joining today and thanks everyone for listening.
Monica (28:49)
Thanks for
having me.
Outro (28:52)
Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode. If you'd like to be featured on a future episode, please go to snacktimedia.net or reach out at whoareyoucallingaprofessional@snacktimemedia.net If you like this episode, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Hope you have a great week. See you again next week. Bye everyone.