How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW). Active membership is open to qualified writers, editors, photographers, bloggers, and broadcast/video/film producers. An applicant for Active membership residing outside the U.S., Canada or the Caribbean will be considered eligible for membership only if his/her work is published primarily through North American media. Associate membership is open to public relations representatives in the travel industry.
Applicants for Active Membership must submit a $50 non-refundable fee with submission of the application and $200 upon acceptance. Applicants for Associate Membership must submit a $100 non-refundable fee and $400 on acceptance. In addition, dues will be assessed annually and will be prorated for the initial year. The membership year is January 1- December 31 and dues are due by September 15 of the previous year.
Whether you apply as an Active or Associate, you must have a primary sponsor who is a member of SATW. A secondary sponsor is also required. That person may be an SATW member, or you may submit two written references from professionals in the travel industry. References cannot be relatives, colleagues within your own company, or anyone who presents a conflict of interest. References must have professional knowledge of your work and explain why you are a good candidate for membership. It is essential that you contact your sponsors for permission before listing them on your application. Your application is not complete until your sponsors/references have completed the required forms.
Your application must include a signed and dated copy of SATW’s Code of Ethics. Your name will be posted before the SATW membership for a 30-day comment period. Member comments alleging unprofessional conduct that is contrary to SATW's Code of Ethics and professional responsibility will be investigated and can lead to denial of your application.
Next, your application will be reviewed by a committee representing both actives and associates from all geographic areas of SATW. This committee adheres to legally-mandated guidelines approved by the Board of Directors. You may be contacted by an administrative employee of SATW no more than twice if the committee has questions or needs additional information.
Our goal is to act upon your application and provide a decision to you in less than 90 days. If at any time you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact SATW headquarters at info@satw.org.
Sponsors
Sponsors are encouraged to re-familiarize themselves with the membership requirements before agreeing to sponsor an applicant. Both the primary and secondary sponsor should review the candidate's full application, master credits list, clips and other supporting material. The application process moves much faster if sponsors are thorough in their reviews and alert applicants of potential problems before submitting to Headquarters. Frequent issues include missing contact information for editors, grossly inaccurate circulation figures or AUVs, and outdated materials. Sponsors, please click here to access the online sponsor form once you have reviewed all applicant material.
Online Applications
When you are ready to apply, click here for the Active (journalist) Application form or click here for the Associate (publicist) Application form. Unfortunately, it is not possible for you to save your application and return at a later time to fill in details. Therefore, you may wish to print out an application as a working document prior to beginning the online application procedure. Freelancers should consult the point chart and fill out the Master Credit List on paper so you will have this information on hand for the online form. For circulations of major magazines and newspapers, please click here for Magazines or Newspapers. Assistance on Absolute Unique Visitors may be found on sites such as Quantcast.com or Compete.com.
Printed Applications
Print and fill out the Active (journalist) application (PDF) or Associate (publicist) application (PDF) and mail with payment and supporting materials to:
SATW
Society of American Travel Writers
11950 W. Lake Park Dr., #320
Milwaukee, WI 53224-3049
USA
