How this New York Times contributor self-funds & still makes money
David Farley lets us in on his strategy for going without press trips.
We’ve all wondered how those NYT writers make this industry work for them — that no press trips rule is a kicker. Here in the UK, rates are so low, paying your own way and not being out of pocket is nigh-on impossible. But David Farley, a regular contributor to the New York Times travel section, is giving us the lowdown on how he affords to go without press trip support.
I’ve been a food and travel journalist for about 25 years, writing articles for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and Food & Wine, among others. I’ve also penned a few books along the way and taught travel writing at NYU and Columbia University. For the majority of my career, all of my income has been generated by writing (or teaching writing) — combining travel + food, travel + culture, travel + history — as well as writing about the restaurant landscape in New York City where I live. If you want to know more, have a look at my website.
What’s the piece you’re telling us about and who was it for?
Here’s the rub: I don’t take press trips. I find that it’s really hard to write a deep dive destination piece from a FAM trip, particularly of the group variety, where there’s an itinerary the group is expected to follow and maybe only a small percentage of that itinerary will be related to what I’m there to explore and write.
