Contribute
Every While It Lasts story starts with a reason to be somewhere at a particular time. We welcome pitches from writers with a story to tell and PR and tourism partners who can help us find the next experience worth planning a trip around. Read the guidelines below to see what we’re looking for and how to get in touch.
For writers
Before sending your pitch, please read our writing guidelines and editorial standards, which explain our editorial expectations and submission requirements.
We’re looking for writers who can put readers in a place and give them a compelling reason to go at the right time. Bring us a clear angle, a sense of curiosity, and the details that help someone turn inspiration into a trip.
Tell us what’s happening, why it’s worth the trip, and when readers need to be there. We’re interested in stories about wildlife and natural phenomena, culture and food, festivals and events, and sports and adventure. The timing should be central to the story, with enough lead time for readers to plan.
We’re especially interested in:
A story about Greece’s olive harvest, for example, should explain where travelers can participate, when the harvest typically happens, and what they can learn from the growers. Give us a clear picture of the experience you’ll report and why it belongs in While It Lasts.
Good to know
We are not currently able to offer payment for contributions. As freelance journalists ourselves, we believe writers should be paid for their work, and building a budget for paid assignments is a priority for While It Lasts.
Until that funding is in place, contributions are unpaid. We understand that this arrangement will not work for every writer and encourage you to consider whether it fits your needs before pitching.
Writers retain copyright to their articles and grant While It Lasts permission to publish and keep their work on our website, and to use excerpts to promote the article through our social media channels and newsletters.
Photographers retain copyright to their images and may continue to use and license them elsewhere. By supplying photographs, contributors grant While It Lasts permission to publish them with the article and use them to promote that article through our social media channels and newsletters. Contributors must own the photographs or have permission to authorize these uses.
Selected articles may also be distributed through While It Lasts’ syndication partners for republication by other outlets. Contributors authorize this distribution and republication of their articles and accompanying photographs. Photo credit must accompany each image and identify its creator.
We accept original stories that have not been previously published, including on personal blogs or other websites.
We prefer stories grounded in firsthand experience. We also consider reported stories from writers with access to knowledgeable local experts and relevant sources. Be clear in your pitch about your experience with the destination or subject, who you plan to interview, and how you will report the story.
Personal observations must reflect your own experience. Quotes, facts, and practical details must be accurate and supported by sources that editors can verify.
Human perspective and connection are the foundation of While It Lasts. We do not accept articles written or rewritten by generative AI, or AI-generated quotes, sources, or personal experiences.
Submissions containing AI-generated writing will be rejected, and we will end our working relationship with the contributor. Writers are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and authorship of everything they submit.
Writers
All pitches must be sent with the subject line:
WIL: NEW PITCH – your topic here
Co-Founder · Editorial Director
Pitches related to Wildlife, Natural Phenomena, Sports, and Food.
Co-Founder · Editor-in-Chief
Pitches related to Festivals, Culture, Adventure, and Events.
For partners
Help us find the experiences travelers need to plan around. We welcome pitches from publicists, tourism boards, hotels, tour operators, guides, and organizations with a compelling connection to a particular season, event, or brief window of opportunity.
We’re interested in stories with a clear reason to visit at a specific time. Tell us what’s happening, what makes it worth experiencing, and how travelers can be part of it.
Relevant opportunities include:
A useful pitch gives us enough information to assess the story and its timing. Please include:
Please pitch well ahead of the experience whenever possible. We need time to report and publish, and our readers need time to plan.
Partners
We consider press trips, hosted stays, tours, and other reporting opportunities that fit our coverage. Acceptance of hosting does not guarantee publication, a particular angle, or favorable coverage. All coverage remains subject to our editorial judgment, and relevant support will be disclosed.
Selected While It Lasts stories are distributed through syndication partners and may be republished by other outlets. Syndication is determined on a story-by-story basis; we cannot guarantee placement or a specific number of pickups.
We welcome opportunities to speak with the people who know a place best. Meaningful access, local knowledge, and time to experience the subject firsthand help us produce stronger stories.
Read our Editorial Standards for more on hosted travel, disclosures, and editorial independence.
Partners
Please direct your pitch to the editor whose coverage best fits your idea. We love traveling and reporting together, and we’re also available individually. If an opportunity spans our coverage areas or would suit us both, please let us know. For hosted invitations, specify whether you can accommodate one or both editors.
Co-Founder · Editorial Director
Wildlife, natural phenomena, food, and sports.
Use a subject line that identifies the destination or experience and its timing, such as “PR Pitch: Oaxaca’s Día de Muertos Traditions, October–November.”