Submission Guidelines
GENERAL
Both in print and online, SUITCASE Magazine exists to change the way we travel while reflecting the curiosities and concerns of the modern traveller. We use culture as an entry point into global destinations, producing beautiful, inspiring editorial. By sharing stories from around the globe, ultimately we hope to help break down stereotypes and connect people.
We’re always looking for new and exciting ideas and contributors, whether you’re a writer with a knack for finding fresh angles and destinations, a photographer with an idiosyncratic eye, or an illustrator who can bring long-form stories to life. Now more than ever, we are striving to diversify our talent pool to include more contributors from under-represented minorities, not only to better serve and reflect our global audience, but also to bring about change in the industry.
While we’d love to respond to every pitch, due to the high number of submissions we receive we can only get back to those we wish to move forward with.
You can pitch to our editorial team at submissions@suitcasemag.com – but beforehand, please read our submission guidelines below to give yourself the best chance of getting your pitch commissioned.
When pitching, please bear in mind our content pillars: locality, sustainability, community.
Please do NOT send follow-up emails – we will get back to you if we’re interested in hearing more about your pitch.
PRINT MAGAZINE
Submissions for Volume 41: Horizons are NOW OPEN
From losing yourself in the broadness of a wild landscape to witnessing lights shimmering on a skyscraper-studded skyline, the feeling of freedom is a gift that often only travel can give. As summer gets underway, we’ll be exploring the best places in the world to liberate both your mind and body: iconic marine sanctuaries; urban parks; hotel rooftops offering fresh perspectives on their cities; the mountain trails offering unexpected gastronomic joy. Kick off your shoes and join us as we explore the planet’s most soul-expanding spaces in the vol.41 issue of SUITCASE.
Due to the high volume of pitches we receive, we regret that we are only able to reply to those we are interested in but thank you for taking the time. Please do not send follow-up emails.
What we're looking for (print and online)
- Smart ideas that respect our audience’s intelligence. We’re not afraid to engage with serious issues or make a serious point, and welcome pitches that are more expansive, creative and challenging than you might normally associate with a travel magazine.
- Stories that explain how travel intersects with another field, such as art, design, literature, food, politics, environment/conservation, technology, community, activism, etc.
- Stories with a point of view and an angle as opposed to just destination overviews. For print in particular, we’re looking for narrative, first-person pieces with a sense of personality, time and place.
- Original ideas that are tailored to our audience and tone. Don’t tell us about a group press trip you’ve been invited on – it’s likely our editors are also on their mailing list – unless you think you have a different angle suitable for SUITCASE.
- Stories that involve subcultures and interesting characters, or provide a new lens with which to view an unfamiliar (or perhaps familiar) destination.
- Think pieces that tackle topics such as sustainability, politics and the zeitgeist with a travel slant.Some examples of similar pieces we’ve published include:
What we're NOT looking for (print and online)
- Hotel reviews – we largely do these in-house, particularly in the UK
- London content – our team is based here, so we generally have this covered
- Fiction – we don’t publish short stories, poetry or otherwise
- Pre-written spec articles – we want to know you’ve pitched with us in mind
- Stories that have already been published elsewhere – unless you can demonstrate a new angle tailored to our readership
- Clichéd travel angles e.g. “the new Berlin”, life-changing experiences (unless they genuinely were), gap-year travel diaries
- Fashion shoots – while we used to shoot fashion photography for print, we’ve since moved exclusively to travel photography (except for special projects)
- Interviews, especially in Q&A format – we generally do these in-house, unless you have exceptional access to someone relevant/high-profile
- Stories about the Maldives, Dubai or any other flash/chain resort-y destinations, unless you have a more meaningful or interesting angle
- Destination Inspiration – this online column is always written in house
- For print in particular, we tend to avoid round-ups and listicles, news stories (as we’re quarterly, these date quickly) and content on anywhere recently covered in print
How to pitch
Before sending us a pitch email, please consider the below:
- Don’t just suggest destinations you want to cover or pitch a broad guide – tell us the core of the story and why it matters
- Explain why you are pitching the story to SUITCASE rather than another publication – why are we the right home for it? How does it fit with our other content and tone?
- Explain why you are the right person to write the piece – are you an expert in the subject matter? Have you lived in a particular place? Do you have some other reason for wanting to cover it?
- Write the pitch in the same language and tone as you plan to write the article
- Include when you can deliver a first draft and an estimated word count
- For print in particular, explain how photography could be covered for the story (are you travelling with a photographer? Is there a pre-existing bank of great images? Do we need to commission someone? If so, do you already have someone in mind?). As our stories are so visual, we will rarely be able to commission a piece without this information
- Indicate if you require any logistical support – is this based on a trip you’ve already done, one you intend to take, or one you need us to set up?
- If you already have commissions for the story elsewhere, explain where and how your piece for us will be different
- Include examples of similar articles you’ve done, either linked in the main body of the email or attached as a PDF. You don’t need to include your CV.
Photographers / illustrators
If you’re interested in being on our database of freelance photographers and illustrators, please email us including the following:
- Link to your website/portfolio (if there are particular projects you’ve worked on that you think are relevant for us, please highlight them)
- Any special areas of interest (could be a type of photography such as portrait, travel, interiors etc or areas of interest like architecture, food, tech, nature, adventure)
- Where you are based
If you have any specific destinations or stories you’d like to pitch, please refer to the above guidelines.