Dusty Boots Journal Contribution Guidelines
Last updated: December 2025
At the Dusty Boots Journal, we believe the best stories aren’t found in brochures—they’re found in the dust of the back roads, the local brew shared with a stranger, and the lessons learned when things didn’t go quite as planned. We are always looking for authentic voices to join our community. Whether you are a seasoned nomad or a weekend wanderer, if you have a story that celebrates the soul of travel, we want to hear it.
1. What We Are Looking For
We love travel stories that:
- Highlight authentic, off-the-beaten-path experiences at home and abroad.
- Appeal to travellers with a sense of curiosity and social consciousness.
- Focus on people, culture, history and the environment, rather than major tourist attractions.
- Inspire readers to travel thoughtfully and sustainably.
Types of article we would like to see:
- Travelogues (short narrative stories about a journey or place).
- Listicles (e.g. “5 Hidden Gems Around Such and Such”).
- Reviews of budget hotels, home stays, charter flights, train/bus/boat journeys etc. Avoid the high-end. If the word ‘roulade’ appears in the menu, or if they put chocolates on your pillow, it is probably not for us.
- Practical guides (e.g. transport tips, cultural insights).
- Insights into community projects, especially if you have been involved.
2. Writing Guidelines
- Style: Conversational, engaging and descriptive — write as if you’re sharing with a friend.
- Tone: You can be casual, humorous or serious depending on the subject matter. Avoid stereotypes and clichés and please be respectful.
- Accuracy: Double-check facts, place names, and local details.
- Originality: Content must be your own work and not published elsewhere (unless agreed).
3. Word Count
- Typically 800-1000 words is a good length for an in-depth look at a place; anything beyond 1500 would be pushing the limit.
- Alternatively, aA quick article of 200-300 words with a photo or two can capture the essence of a place or experience, and would be most welcome.
- A good photo with a 30-50 word commentary will be welcomed into the Gallery.
4. Photos
- You are encouraged to accompany your story with photos. Please ensure photos are in .jpg or .png format and no more than 1MB in size.
- Include captions and photographer credit.
- Only submit images you own or have permission to use.
- If we believe your photo and/or caption breaches the privacy of any individual, we will ask you to change the caption, or decline to publish.
- We will not publish photos which we believe may breach any cultural or community values.
5. Editing
- We may edit submissions for clarity, length, grammar, or style.
- Titles may be adjusted to suit the website’s format.
- Not all submissions will be published, but we’ll do our best to provide feedback.
6. Artificial Intelligence
- We would prefer you didn’t use it, but can’t stop you.
- We would like to think that our contributors enjoy writing as an intellectual exercise, a way to stimulate the mind and to capture their memories in writing. A bot is no substitute for human creativity.
7. Payment
- At this stage, contributions are unpaid.
8. How to Submit
- Email your article (Word doc or Google doc) and photos (.jpg/.png) to: contributions@dustybootsjournal.com.au
- Include your photos as attachments in the email, with your preferred caption. Please do not embed photos in Word docs.
- Include a short author biography (50–80 words) and a profile photo (optional).
- A link to your website or social media can be included if you wish to promote your profile.
- Please allow 2–3 weeks for review.
9. Rights
- You retain copyright to your work.
- By submitting, you grant Dusty Boots Journal a non-exclusive licence to publish your content on our website, newsletter, and social media.
- You are free to republish your work elsewhere after 30 days (please mention it first appeared on Dusty Boots Journal).
10. Community Values
We believe travel is about respect — for people, cultures, and the environment. Please keep this spirit in mind when writing. We will not publish content that is discriminatory, offensive, negative in tone, or exploitative.
✍️ We’d love to hear your story!
Email submissions to contributions@dustybootsjournal.com.au.
Email queries to info@dustybootsjournal.com.au