I had never written for a travel publication before, but have always been interested in reading personal travel stories that included helpful tips.

When I was invited on a short excursion to St. Petersburg, FL, I knew I would want to write about it. My first solo trip in years without my partner and kids in tow was bound be eventful and I resolved to see as much of the city as possible in the few days I spent there.

Before I left, I visited the city’s website, and searched online for local places to get my nails done, find my usual healthy snacks, and pick up any toiletries I might unknowingly leave behind. I was not sure if I would be penning a personal essay, a reported story, or a feature – but I knew I could not find a story sitting around the hotel lobby with other tourists.

Not knowing where I would publish my story, I left home with the intention of thoughtfully exploring my destination and capturing the entire experience.

There has been an emergence of female-focused travel sites reflecting a growing trend. Road and Travel Magazine recently reported women influence 85 percent of all travel decisions and comprise 40 percent of all business travelers.

The U.S. Travel Association predicts older females will dominate senior traveling in the long term and Conde Nast Traveler reported a spike in adventure travel trips booked by female consumers. Women are traveling more often and we want to share our stories.

I sold my first travel article to ShesWanderful, a women-focused site that boasts a travel community. Not only did I share my personal experience of traveling alone as a survivor of sexual assault, I did so with an audience that understood the inherent dangers of solo travel for women, and could benefit from my personal safety tips.

I had the freedom to candidly write about a topic I knew intimately while collaborating with female editors that handled the topic sensitively.

Pitching was simplified due to the wide-range of topics that appeal to women. They feature stories about everything from breastfeeding while flying to testing new feminine hygiene products on the road. I knew my story would reach built-in readers from their online community and hopefully help someone.

Women-centered travel sites are the perfect place to submit pieces that are gender specific and written from a feminist perspective.

Here are a few female-focused travel sites currently seeking writers:

ShesWanderful
Pays $50 USD per piece
Submission Guidelines (https://www.sheswanderful.com/write/)
ShesWanderful.com is the digital publication for Wanderful, an online travel community for women. Submit personal essays, features and profiles about travel, global issues, global entrepreneurs and travel bloggers.

Journey Woman
Pays $35 USD per piece, plus an additional $100 to authors of their top 2 trending articles each month
Submission Guidelines (https://www.journeywoman.com/writers_guidelines.html)
JourneyWoman.com is a travel site for women that accepts “female-centered” travel stories from women and men. Priority is given to articles that include travel tips and they also accept love stories and listicles.

On She Goes
Pays $150 to $250 USD per piece
Submission Guidelines (https://onshegoes.submittable.com/submit)
OnSheGoes.com is a travel site for women of color who love to travel, or aspire to travel more frequently. They accept essays and reported articles from new and experienced travelers.

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Shanon Lee is a Survivor Activist & Storyteller with features on HuffPost Live, The Wall Street Journal and the REELZ Channel’s Scandal Made Me Famous. Her writing appears in publications including The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, ELLE, Marie Claire, Woman’s Day and Redbook. A military brat that has lived everywhere from Cuba to California, she continues to have a passion for domestic and international travel.