Working with Travelfish

Travelfish.org is always on the look-out for new contributors. If you think you've got what it takes, please read on.

Travelfish.org is a regional travel website focused on providing impartial, independent and original travel content for backpackers and independent travellers to Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

This is part-time, contract-based work -- ideally suited to those who travel frequently and enjoy it.

The requirements

1. Must be a native English speaker.
2. An eye for detail, an ability to work quickly and write well.
3. The ability to speak at conversational level in the language of the country you are researching would be very useful.
4. Considerable past travelling experience -- your main readership will be backpackers and independent travellers.
5. Familiarity with the country you wish to research in -- we'd expect you to have travelled extensively there.
6. An ability to reliably meet deadlines -- this is very important.
7. Must own a digital camera.
8. Must have easy access to an internet-enabled computer and be computer literate.
9. While not essential, past writing experience is an asset.
10. Be an active member of the Travelfish community.

The task

The researching and writing of content and the updating and/or expansion of existing content.

Content required includes:

1. Background information and orientation
2. Accommodation listings
3. Restaurant and bar listings
4. Attraction and activities
5. Transportation information

Guidelines

You'll be supplied with a list of what we want covered for each task. This is up for discussion and negotiation -- we look forward to hearing your opinions on what you think should be included or discarded.

You'll be supplied with an easy-to-use template for new destinations.

You'll be given a clear deadline.

Deadlines

Deadlines must be met.

Fees

An agreed fee is payable on a per-destination basis. This fee is all-inclusive and negotiated before a task is assigned. Payment is made at the end of the month the submitted text has any revisions finalised.

Fees are low -- you will need other employment to pay off your mortgage.

A little-touristed destination with few points of interest will attract only a nominal fee -- the lowest fee payable is A$200. Busier destinations can attract fees as high as A$3,000 or more, with an average fee being around the $500-$1,000 mark. All regions have a mix of well-priced and less-so destinations. Researchers are expected to cover both the better-paying and the lesser-paying provinces in their region.

More money

Opportunities also exist to write feature stories relevant to the researcher's region. These are of 800 words in length and require at least two photos. Features are assigned on an ad hoc basis. We pay A$0.15 per word fee and do not pay additional fees for snaps.

Payment

Payment can be by:

1. Direct deposit to an Australian bank account.
2. Payment by an Australian dollar denominated cheque.
3. Wire transfer to an account of your choosing -- we pay the outgoing wire fees -- you are responsible for fees your bank may levy.
4. We do not pay by PayPal.

Expenses

The researcher is responsible for all expenses except cases where a substantial expense is required to undertake research. This will be covered on a case-by-case basis.

Other rules & requirements

All work MUST be original. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in immediate termination and forfeiture of all payments due.

The research is for Travelfish.org and Travelfish.org alone. You are not permitted to research and write listings for other parties on the same trip. You're welcome to do other writing -- travel stories and so on, but the listings are for Travelfish.org alone.

No comps (freebies) whatsoever can be taken while on a research trip -- not even a free beer -- there are no exceptions to this rule. Evidence of comps being taken will result in immediate termination and forfeiture of payment. Ideally the research work will be undertaken on an anonymous basis.

FAQ

1. Where is Travelfish.org?
We're an Australian company, though we're based in Southeast Asia.

2. How do we communicate with researchers?
Email, msn, yahoo messenger, skype and in dire emergencies, telephone. We travel frequently, so we'll no doubt cross paths.

3. What about work in other countries to the one I start with?
One you've demonstrated you can do the work, if you're off on a trip to another country we cover, there will be the possibility of further work.

4. What if I'm not a native-English speaker, but still can write perfectly?
Sorry, but we're only considering native English speakers at this time.

5. Am I credited with the work? You'll be listed on the contributors page, but only under your initial! However if you need a reference for further work, we will be happy to supply one.

What's next?

Still reading? If you'd like to apply, please do the following:

1. Join Travelfish;
2. Start contributing to the site - via forum posts, reviews and destination reports;
3. Continue doing that for a while;
4. Drop us a line after a month or so and let us know you're interested.
5. Or, send Samantha a charming email with some writing samples (no attachments!) explaining why you need to start working with us straight away. You can reach Sam at sambrown@travelfish.org.

Got another question? You can contact us here.