Welcome! I am so glad you’re interested in working with me.
This is where you’ll find out all about what I do and who I’ve worked with (please see my Writing page for examples of my work). When we work together, you’re getting a passionate writer with an eye for the interesting and unusual and a heart for finding great stories. All of my collaborations come with snazzy publication reports six months to a year after the partnership and/or media event.
I look forward to traveling the world with you. Let’s get to work & tell some stories!
Media Collaborations & Partnerships
I have been working with tourism bureaus, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), government agencies, tourism marketing companies, tourism companies, and independent tour operators all over the world for the past ten years.

As a freelance writer and photographer, I am always willing and excited to work with tourism bureaus, nonprofits, and travel organizations to help you tell stories that make your destination shine.
How Do I Work?
When you partner with me, you’re getting an award-winning writer who has not only written for a wide variety of print and digital publications, but who has also extensively studied digital writing and the contemporary tourism industry. As such, I am aware of and sensitive to the representation of places and people and I strive to write with care, inquisitiveness, and compassion. Because I am a freelance writer (and don’t worry, I do use social media–with relevant and official hashtags!), what you’ll get with me are articles that span publications, breadth and depth of subject, and a range of interested readers.
Depending on the length and type of trip we do together, I can put together a proposal, send you ideas and refine them with your feedback, and give you an idea of what kind of coverage you can expect from me. For multi-destination trips, I always write and publish at least one article from each destination we visit, ensuring that you will get a full picture of our trip experiences. I also post updates and photos along the way on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Please let me know if you’d like a recommendation about my work or my professionalism. I would be happy to connect you with any of my previous partners!
What Do I Write About? Where Do I Publish?
My success rate in placing articles after a trip is very good. After a recent two-week trip to Eastern Europe with Viking River Cruises, for instance, I successfully placed 11 articles, ranging in content, destination, genre, and readership. Viking also featured my photography on their Instagram. Articles included (among others) a profile of an unusual beer-drinking ritual for Roads & Kingdoms, the scoop on a weird new food tradition and a profile of a female paprika farmer for Paste Magazine, a narrative essay on walking Budapest for Panorama: Journal of Intelligent Travel, and hotel reviews for properties in both Bucharest and Budapest for Hotel Scoop. As with any partnership, Viking River Cruises and the specific itinerary were credited in every article.
Together, these pieces reached tens of thousands of readers, many of whom might never have considered cruising to Eastern Europe before. I invite you to check out the full publishing report to see how it looks when it’s all put together!

Though I can’t always promise 11 articles (that will depend on the length and intensity of the trip!), you can rest assured that you will get so much more than a blog post or two summarizing our trip or a listicle describing what to do in a destination. Instead, I’ll tell stories to diverse audiences that illuminate your destination in surprising and unconventional ways (I mean, I’ve even written about Rasputin’s man parts, which are rumored to be preserved in Russia’s first sex museum). You’ll have to read the story!
What About Social Media?
Yes, I use social media (I’m a writer, yes, but I’m also a millennial). Mostly, I use social media while traveling to generate interest in a destination, and after a trip, to promote the associated stories and photography. I also use official hashtags and tag locations. My followers are overwhelmingly educated, international, well-traveled women from the US, Canada, and the UK who are looking for travel experiences that are meaningful, curious, and unexpected.
My stories and photography are also promoted by the publications I write for, so the numbers you see below only represent my personal brand’s following. For example, Paste Magazine, who I routinely write for, has 235K followers on Twitter, many of whom will see my stories when they are published. Even Hotel Scoop, a niche accommodations site I sometimes write hotel reviews for, has 50K combined followers on Facebook and Twitter.
With that in mind, here’s who follows little ol’ me (as of March 2022):
Instagram: 3.6K
Facebook: 1.8K
Twitter: 1.7K
What Kinds of Trips Do I Do?
I enjoy all kinds of trips–independent trips, small-group trips, regional trips, international trips, large-group trips–as long as they give me the freedom to explore the destinations and follow my own instincts for a good story. I understand the value in all kinds of media trips and tend to find inspiration no matter where I am, whether I’m on a giant cruise ship, hiking with a group of backpackers, or being bussed around Malaysia with 150 new friends from around the world.
Have I Been Interviewed Before?
Absolutely! See some of my recent interviews with folks in the biz here.
- Travel Style: Kristin Winet, Johnny Jet
- Teacher & Travel Writer: How Kristin Winet Does It All, Twirl the Globe
- Eight Travelers Who Will Make You Want to Volunteer on the Road, Travel Through Life
- Problems & Solutions with Traditional #Travelwriting, Travelscope blab
- Traveler Tuesday: Kristin Winet, Misadventures with Andi
- Kristin Winet: The Busy Travel Writer, Write Life
- “One Thing” Interview with Kristin Winet, 8/2/12, Stars on the Ceiling
Prior Press Trips:
Carnival Cruises, Orlando to Bahamas (Nov. 2018): 4-day ocean cruise to the Bahamas with Carnival to explore creative, close-to-home weekend getaway
Sweet Home Alabama & Visit Mobile (Mar. 2018): Week-long FAM (familiarization trip) to Mobile, Alabama and the Gulf region to promote Mardi Gras & #sweethomealabama
Viking River Cruises, River of Gold (August 2017): 9-day river cruise to promote Porto’s wine regions and other elements of agritourism (i.e., olive oil & desserts)
Tualatin Valley Tourism Bureau (Portland, Oregon) (Nov. 2016): Independent press trip to Oregon to promote Wine Enthusiast‘s “Wine Region of the Year” and local area vineyards
Miami CVB, Circa39 Hotel, & Miami Culinary Tours (June 2016): Day trip to Little Havana with Miami Culinary Tours to report on Cuban food trends
Fathom Cruises, Voyage to Dominican Republic (June 2016): 7-day ocean cruise with Fathom Cruises, subsidiary of Carnival Cruises, to promote new “social impact” cruise line
Viking River Cruises, Passage to Eastern Europe (May 2016): 12-day river cruise to promote Eastern European itinerary to Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary
Israel Ministry of Tourism & Geoffrey Weill Associates (Oct. 2015): 10-day FAM with the Ministry of Tourism to Israel for a Culture & History Tour and to promote #visitisrael
Viking River Cruises, Waterways of the Tsars (May 2015): 12-day river cruise to promote Russian itinerary to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and river villages in the Golden Circle
New Orleans CVB (May 2015): Independent press trip to promote b&b options on Esplanade Ave. and sight-seeing in the French Quarter
Tourism Victoria, B.C. (Jan. 2015): Independent press trip to Vancouver and Vancouver Island to report on artifacts in the Royal B.C. Museum and high tea at the Grand Pacific Hotel
Malta Tourism Authority (August 2014): 3-day independent press trip around Malta and Gozo, one of Malta’s older, smaller islands, to explore their agritourism initiatives and burgeoning wine industry
Art is Everywhere with Springhill Marriott and Ogilvy & Mather (June 2014): Launch of Manhattan Beach’s Springhill Marriott’s new campaign, Art is Everywhere, to explore the unexpected places where art comes alive (in the streets, in a glass, on a plate, on a building), and promote the launch via social media #artiseverywhere
Costa Rica Tourism and TAM Travel (Nov 2013): Independent press trip to the northern region of Guanacaste to increase awareness of Costa Rica’s northern state as well as contribute to efforts to promote environmental sustainability, nature tourism, holistic wellness resorts, and cultural diversity
MSA Partners and Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) (Oct. 2013): Food/ingredients FAM trip to highlight rice-related cuisine trends in Japan
Tourism Malaysia and Colours of 1Malaysia (May 2013): Large group FAM to participate in the annual cultural awareness festival, Colours of 1Malaysia and cover destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Mulu, Miri, and Langkawi
Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways (Nov. 2012): Small group (5) trip with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Thai Airways (TG) to increase awareness about new flight routes to Thailand
Taiwan Tourism Bureau (May 2012): Independent trip with Taiwan Tourism Bureau and Intertrend Communications to increase awareness about Taiwan’s potential as a destination for North American travelers
Additional Sponsorships:
- Delsey Luggage
- The Westin Jekyll Island Hotel, Georgia
- The Orenco Hotel, Hillsboro, Oregon
- The Degas House, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Harbour Air Seaplanes & Grand Pacific Hotel, Victoria, Canada
- Dahlonega Spa Resort, Georgia
- Taste of Ko’Sin & Sheraton Wild Horse Spa Resort, Arizona
- Arizona Inn, Arizona
- La Princesa de Penasco Resort, Mexico
- Talus Rock Retreat, Sandpoint, Idaho
- Springhill Marriott Huntington Beach, California
- Red Agave Resort, Sedona, Arizona
- Elden Trails B&B, Flagstaff, Arizona
- The Carmel Garden Inn, Carmel-By-the-Sea, California
- The Cheshire Cat Inn, Santa Barbara, California
- Antelope Lodge, Alpine, Texas
- L’Auberge Wellness Resort and Spa, Sedona, Arizona
- Esplendor Resort, Rio Rico, Arizona
- Biltmore Inn, Asheville, North Carolina
- Lodge on the Desert, Tucson, Arizona
- Coeur d’Alene Resort, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Advertising:
Get in touch with me if you have a product or service you think my readers would enjoy. I’d love to hear from you! – Kristin