FAQs

How long does it take for an application to be approved?
Where are your meetings held?
What kind of speakers and programs do you have at your meetings?
Can I attend a meeting before I decide to apply for membership?
What kind of networking opportunities will membership in BATW give me? Will it help me network with editors and publishers?
Will my bio be added to your website if I am approved for membership?
Is the BATW directory sent to editors and publishers?
Does BATW actively market members’ work to editors and publishers?
Does BATW have press trips?
Why do I have to submit clips with my application?
I’ve been a writer for a number of years, but I’ve never written any travel articles. Do I qualify for membership?
What is the difference between a Provisional member and an Active member? Are the benefits the same?
How will being a Provisional member help me become a travel writer?
Do you provide one-on-one mentoring, or do you have travel writing classes?
How can I find answers to questions about information on the BATW website?
If I’m a member and I want to send announcements to the website, where can I find “Submission Guidelines“?
If I’m a member, how can I access the members’ directory?
How can I edit my profile in the members’ directory?
I have a membership question which is not answered here. Where can I e-mail my question?

1. How long does it take for an application to be approved? If you have included all information requested on the application form it should only take a few weeks for a decision. If you have not heard back after two weeks, feel free to contact the Membership Chair at membership@batw.org.

2. Where are your meetings held? Our meeting venue changes monthly, depending on our program. Meetings are usually held at Bay Area hotels, restaurants and attractions. This gives our members a chance to get a first-hand look at a variety of different venues. Our hosts usually give us a tour of their property after the meeting.

3. What kind of speakers and programs do you have at your meetings? Our programs vary from year to year and they have included our very popular editors panel, round robin discussions, presentations by CVBs and tourism professionals, a photographers panel and a guidebook writing panel, as well as presentations by Associate members and their clients. We’ve had some great press previews including a visit to Mare Island and a behind-the-scenes tour of Marine World. We were also one of the first groups to see the new Asian Art Museum. We are very responsive to our membership, and our program director crafts programs to suit the changing needs of our members.

4. Can I attend a meeting before I decide to apply for membership? Yes, prospective members are welcome at most of our meetings, but you must RSVP in advance. Contact the Program Chair program@batw.org if you are interested in attending a meeting.
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5. What kind of networking opportunities will membership in BATW give me? Will it help me network with editors and publishers? We have excellent informal networking at the meetings. In fact, the networking that stems from just getting to know more journalists is well worth the price of membership. Some members are able to get leads and assignments from BATW contacts. Many of our members are editors and publishers. To be honest, BATW gives folks the networking opportunity — what they do with it is up to them. If you don’t attend meetings or you just sit in the corner, well you are not going to have much of a networking opportunity.
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6. Will my bio be added to your website if I am approved for membership? Short bios, including a link to your website(s), are published on the password-protected part of the BATW website, which can be accessed by BATW members.

Your biographical information will be also added to the next printed BATW directory, which is published and distributed to members bi-annually, with annual updates available in in-between years for about $10. New members receive a copy of the current directory when they are accepted.
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7. Is the BATW directory sent to editors and publishers? No, it is only available to members. We would add however, that some of our members are editors and publishers.
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8. Does BATW actively market members’ work to editors and publishers? No. That is up to each individual member. Each person knows what kind of editor or publisher they want to approach, and everyone has different preferences. Members often exchange this type of information with one another.
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9. Does BATW have press trips? We generally offer at least two to three BATW-only press trips per year. These are hosted by CVBs and PR professionals who approach BATW for the opportunity to share their destinations with our membership. Membership in BATW in itself does not guarantee you a space on BATW press trips, as journalist selection is ultimately left up to the host. Industry-wide press trips are also routinely announced in the BATW Newsletter.
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10. Why do I have to submit clips with my application? So the membership committee can determine your eligibility and decide which membership category best matches your qualifications. Active membership is appropriate for published travel writers, while a Provisional membership is available to those who have not published travel-related pieces but who are actively seeking to learn about the industry. Associate memberships (which do not require clips) are appropriate for CVBs and other PR professionals.
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11. I’ve been a writer for a number of years but I’ve never written any travel articles. Do I qualify for membership? You would qualify as a Provisional member, as mentioned above. Provisional membership allows you to be part of BATW for two years, after which you would be expected to have published and would then upgrade to Active membership. Those who remain unpublished after two years would be invited to reapply for Active membership if their publishing status changes in the future.
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12. What is the difference between a Provisional member and an Active member? Are the benefits the same? Both Provisional and Active members are invited to attend monthly membership meetings. Both receive the monthly newsletter and both are invited on press trips at the discretion of the party hosting the press trip. Guests are rarely invited on press trips (but again this is at the discretion of the press trip hosts). The one difference between Provisional and Active membership is that Provisional members do not receive a press card from BATW. This is an exclusive privilege of Active membership.
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13. How will being a Provisional member help me become a travel writer? Networking opportunities, educational meetings and our newsletter all offer great ways to become more informed about the travel writing industry.
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14. Do you provide one-on-one mentoring or do you have travel writing classes? Neither, although we do have a professional development section on the members only section of our website that will help new writers. We are a group that focuses on the business of travel writing, rather than the business of “teaching” travel writing. New members are fully encouraged to take up writing classes or correspondence courses, many of which are available though colleges or on-line courses. We have all been where new writers are and are always happy to answer the odd question about writing when it arises. For this reason we have presented seminars in the past on such subjects as basic photography, guidebook writing and digital photography.
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15. How can I find answers to questions questions about information on the BATW website? Mouse-over “Help” in the menu bar (under the wide photograph at the top of the screen), and on the drop-down menu click on the item that will answer your question.
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16. If I’m a member and I want to send announcements to the website, where can I find submission guidelines? Mouse-over “Help” in the menu bar (under the wide photograph at the top of the screen), and on the drop-down menu click on “Submission Guidelines“.
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17. If I’m a member, how can I access the members’ directory? Mouse-over “Help” in the menu bar (under the wide photograph at the top of the screen), and on the drop-down menu click on “Accessing Member Directory“.
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18. How can I edit my profile in the members’ directory? You can edit your profile in the online directory at any time using these instructions. Information in the online directory is used for periodic updates of BATW’s printed membership directory. We will remind you via email to update your directory entry before a new printed directory is published.
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19. I have a membership question which is not answered here. Where can I e-mail my question? Send your question to the Membership Chair at membership@batw.org.
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