How to get featured in Travel + Leisure

How Travel + Leisure decides what to cover

Travel + Leisure, published by People Inc., covers destinations, hotels, cruises, airlines, and travel advice in print, online, and on social platforms. Its editors are organized by section and region in print and by beat online. Its pitching guide says editors favor stories that add to the conversation, especially about places that are misunderstood or changing, and voices that feel new.

For hotels, cruise lines, and destinations, coverage tends to follow genuine news: openings, renovations, new routes, and a fresh reason to go. Annual awards and rankings are also central to the brand.

How to pitch Travel + Leisure

T+L publishes a detailed guide on how to pitch. The core advice: pitch the editor whose beat matches your idea, not everyone at once. Digital pitches should be a short blurb of four to five sentences with a strong headline, not a prewritten story. Print pitches should be a paragraph covering the topic and angle, scope, why it should be covered, and why you are the right person. Social pitches have their own editor and format.

The guide also lists what editors do not want, and several items apply directly to brands: a forwarded or copy-pasted press release, a pitch with no real angle, a pitch that justifies a press trip, and a story that recently appeared in T+L or a competitor. If an editor declines, do not resend the idea to a colleague.

For hotels and destinations, the practical approach is to give editors a story they can report: what is new, who it is for, and what a traveler would experience that they could not before. Offer hosted visits only on terms that respect T+L’s disclosure rules.

Contributed articles and op-eds

T+L does not publish brand-contributed articles or op-eds. It assigns freelance writers, who must disclose affiliations with travel companies, tourism boards, or government entities. The guide notes that print stories rarely come from press trips.

Frequently asked questions

Can you pay to be featured in Travel + Leisure?

Editorial coverage is not for sale. Advertising and branded content are sold separately and labeled.

Does Travel + Leisure accept guest posts?

No brand guest posts. Freelance writers pitch editors through the process in T+L’s pitching guide.

Who should I pitch at Travel + Leisure?

The editor whose beat or region matches your story, as T+L’s pitching guide advises. Use one editor at a time.

A PR-led agency pitches T+L editors with reportable news and honest terms for any hosted travel. Our media relations work follows those rules for hospitality and destination brands.