5 Tips for a Successful Freelance Trip with Kate Bradley Byars

A pack trip to the Bob Marshall Wilderness started with only one confirmed pitch, but by the time I left “The Bob” I had content and ideas for what would become five printed items in three publications.

Last week I ventured on my second out of state story gathering trip since returning to fulltime freelance life. It caused anxiety. It breathed new life in me. It let me check off the Grand Teton National Park on my list of parks visited. It was exhausting.

I know several freelancers who make their living without travel, or with minimal travel. Heck, I’ve been able to do a great deal of work and rely on the source to submit photos or using stock images. But for me, travel has always been an integral part of telling the stories I want to share about this Western horse life, including photographing the sources and having boots on the ground to accurately portray the lifestyle through print.

As an assistant editor at Western Horseman, travel was a regular part of our story gathering plan. Each editor would develop ideas, propose them and a budget for the travel required to obtain the photos and interviews. Typically, a trip would be jam-packed with chances to get a story in that area to maximize the cost to the company, and then the stories would be spaced out over the next print year.

As a freelancer, I have continued to plan, propose and gather stories out of state using the same mentality as when I was on staff. There is one big change – the travel budget comes from my pocket! Earlier this year I paired a photography clinic with Chris Dickinson with gathering a feature and two smaller departmental stories for Western Horseman, offsetting the cost. Last week, my trip gathered four stories for two magazines, and it yielded more ideas.

Taking the leap to spend the money on a story gathering trip isn’t always in the financial cards, but it can be just what a freelancer needs to reignite creativity. Here are my suggestions on how to plan, execute and profit off a story gathering trip.

1. SET A LOCATION

First, start with one major story that you know will be accepted—or have already proposed and had it accepted by a magazine. This can be generated from your list of ideas OR from your desire to travel to a certain locale. For me, it was a bit of both on this last trip.

Once I set a location through one source of ideas, then, I build the trip from there. For example, I know that if I fly into Bozeman, I can drive about a 5-hour radius around there and gather stories in both Montana and Wyoming. But if I have two ideas in Boise, Idaho, then another in far southwestern Montana, and another in Bozeman, I’ll book a flight into one airport and out the other, traveling the distance between those two airports.

How did this trip get going? One feature was accepted for my idea on a ranch in Livingston, Montana. Then, I reached out to another source I visited with prior to COVID and prior to my year as the communications manager for NRCHA, and they were still game to work with me, but they weren’t in Texas anymore. That source was in Moose, Wyoming—5.5 hours from my feature and taking me through two National Parks to get there (we’ll get to this more in tip #5).

Building on my trajectory, I started researching ideas near Cody, Wyoming, and the surrounding area. This landed me two more story ideas. Now, it was time to dig deeper.

Visiting South Dakota I was able to pose with Frenchmans Guy. Don’t be shy about taking photos that help you make memories while on the road!

2. RESEARCH

Authenticity is key in this Western horse lifestyle. Finding quality sources isn’t as easy as snapping your fingers. The Montana ranch I visited for a feature was a source I started researching and put on my idea list back in 2019 after seeing Filson do a short Instagram video on them. The idea had a green light before the pandemic stopped travel way back in 2020. I stuck with it, though, that time allowed me to nail down other sources that fit into a trip.

How do you generate ideas? Sometimes, the cosmos step in and a past source will contact me with a name or idea to pursue. I use Google in the most generic way – “Montana ranch horse breeding,” “Wyoming guest ranches,” “veteran run horse programs” – then I really delve into a hit that seems like a possibility. Following different media on social also helps, companies like Yeti, Filson, Simms or other outdoor companies can lead to an idea or a ranch that has branched into hunting/fishing but still has a solid foothold into ranching. Be open to a lot of research to find the right source that provides authenticity and presents a positive story about the Western lifestyle.

Here is the tricky part: I don’t contact all the sources I propose to an editor before sending in the pitch. In my more than 12 years at this profession, I found that if a pitch isn’t accepted, telling that source leaves a negative taste in their mouth and they are less likely to work with you in the future. When I do pitch, I have a solid plan on how to approach a source and what track I’ll take in an article. This has thus only backfired once, and that was recently, and only with an Instagram “influencer,” not with someone in the ranching industry.

3. PITCH WITH PURPOSE

Once research is done, pitch away! Be clear that you’re traveling to the story source and when you’re traveling. You don’t want an editor to accept a pitch thinking you can deliver before your travel window. Also, knowing you’re flying out to a source may give the editor ammo to toss in extra to help cover the travel budget.

When a pitch is accepted, I do two things. First, I reach out to the accepted / main source. I started contacting these sources in May and traveled in September. There was a flood, then a fire, that delayed my trip to Montana and Wyoming. Sources will work with you and, in the case of attending an event like a branding, help you coordinate. Second, I buy a plane ticket. This is the biggest cost for my trips, that and a rental car. I look at my first-choice airport then look at my second-choice airport. Sometimes, flipping your trip to fly into a busy airport on Monday and out of a small airport on Friday is budget friendly vs the other way around.

No one likes to waste money, right? I start legitimately planning the trip and have even added another story pitch while planning if I discover an idea. In my mind, I still work hard to have the trip maximize my time and effort, just like when I was being held accountable for every cent spent at WH.

Bison are my spirit animal. A free few hours allowed me and then-publisher Darrell Dodds to drive through Custer State Park in South Dakota. A short detour that was incredibly fulfilling!

5. SEE THE SIGHTS

A work trip doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Remember, you’re the boss of your freelance life! Even when I worked for Western Horseman, my superiors encouraged me to take that scenic route or stop in a someplace special. I’ve seen some wonderful places with and without coworkers in tow and checked off bucket list items alongside my publisher and editor. It’s ok to not rush through the trip and to experience it fully, heck that can add to how you write about the stories you gather.

This time, I drove through Grand Teton National Park, adding an hour to my trek from source two to three, and it was worth it. While I didn’t see a moose (it is my life’s pursuit to see one in the wild) the park was stunning and the mountains, the drive and the entire experience put my in a great mood headed to sources three and four.

There is an upside to traversing the area before arriving at a source and that is having fodder for small talk. It helps break the ice and it gives you an idea of what the local environment it like. Plus, adding a National Park to my list of places visited is always high on my priority list!

To wrap it in a bow: a freelancer can make a living while spending money and time on travel assignments. Just not every month, in my opinion. Start thinking about one of those pie-in-the-sky destinations or stories you want, and then look for accompanying spots to stop and gather another story. I think you’ll be surprised how easily you can make a trip happen when you put your mind to it. And when you do head out into the West, remember to enjoy it!