To be a good journalist, you have to be highly interested in the world around you. That doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an international expert, there are great journalists just focused on the cities they live in. But of course, many would at least like the experience of heading abroad, reporting on some of the most pressing stories taking up headlines space. For that, you need to travel.
Often, this means learning how to travel once again, and not just for recreation. Stories can break within a short amount of time and with little notice, and while a journalist will generally be able to use expenses and have their company pay for their world trip, good planning and management is still important.
In this post, we’ll discuss five of the most common travel techniques experienced journalists use to get from A to B around the world, no matter if they’re covering a beer festival in Germany, a war front in the Middle East, or a celebrity scandal in the heart of Hollywood. With that in mind, please consider the following advice:
Pack A Travel-Ready Bag You Can Grab And Go
There’s no such thing as a perfect travel bag, but having a rucksack or bag with all pockets you can refer to with your eyes closed will does help a lot. It should also be one you can keep your vitals safe in, like your laptop or camera satchel. It’s good to pay for quality here, and to use a GPS tracker like the airtag to know where it is at all times. It also needs to be comfortable enough to carry around for hours if needed, with space for a couple changes of clothes, your chargers, hygiene gear, and a pair of sturdy shoes. Sometimes people like to keep a spare pouch for documents, pens, cash or receipts for obvious reasons.
The pack should be ready to go at a moment’s notice, so throw a pack of tissues and painkillers in there too while you’re at it. If you’re rushing around covering stories or hopping between taxis and train platforms, there’s no time to waste sorting through your stuff. Knowing exactly where everything is helps you keep your head straight. You can also secure it with a combination lock or tag. Just make sure you use the same routine no matter where you are. Travel is so much easier when you can pack or pre-pack with your eyes closed.
Know Where To Drop Your Stuff Before You Start Moving
If you’ve arrived early, or your hotel won’t let you check in yet, or you’re moving straight from one place to another, it helps to know where you can store your bags without dragging them across half the city. For instance, if you’ve got your laptop and notes on you and can’t risk leaving them just anywhere, you may wonder where to go.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a small job or you’re chasing a bigger story, it’s good to look for luggage storage in New York style, somewhere convenient near a station or a busy central hub. That will make it easier to keep your hands free, and your head clear, and that gives you more time to settle in, take a few notes, or catch up on a little sleep if needed. Anyone who travels quickly and often will truly start to notice how much that breathing room counts.
Keep Digital Copies Of Everything You Don’t Want To Lose
Of course, as a journalist who needs all their equipment handy, there’s nothing worse than being in a rush and realising you’ve left something important at the hotel, or that your notebook’s gone missing, or you spilled a bottle of water in your bag and everything’s soaked.
It doesn’t take long to take photos of your travel documents, or upload your notes to the cloud, or send yourself the last draft of a story, which is why travel journalists (or journalists travelling) learn to continually back up and digitize their work. You might prefer pen and paper or a physical notebook, and that’s totally fine, but it’s good to have a backup.
This should also apply to contact numbers, addresses, or media permissions if that’s relevant to what you’re covering. We find that journalists can learn this the easy or the hard way, but the lesson does need to be understood.
Pick Accommodation Based On Reliability
Now, if you’re trying to cover a story, you’re not travelling for leisure, which means you probably won’t be spending much time lounging around or enjoying the view from the balcony. It’s important to find a space that has the amenities you need but is relatively affordable and secure.
Location is, of course, the main priority. A journalist who has immediate access to the area of their story, or at least doesn’t have an hour commute each way, can be a golden principle to keep. Reliable Wi-Fi helps too. You might not always be able to go for the cheapest option, which is why making a case for a particular spot to an editor and financial department looking to save cash is generally important.
Map The Transit Options Properly Before You Land
Journalism degree or not, big cities can be a maze if you’re not used to them, especially if you land at a busy time and you’re not sure how far things are from each other. Taxis and ride shares are the general advice for journalists, but they’re not always affordable, and walking isn’t always possible with bags or in the heat.
Mapping your public transport options, such as looking at how local buses, subways, or trains work gives you a bit of a head start. Better still if you can save the routes in your maps app or download the city’s transport app ahead of time so you can easily pick up the weekend or weekly pass and move through quickly. Or, if you rent a vehicle on the budget of your tavel expenses, that can be a nice balance too.
With this advice, we hope you can feel easier traveling, knowing the experienced tips expert travelers use.
