Write For International Living Magazine and Enjoy Retiring Overseas

International Living is Looking for Writers…

Here at International Living, we believe in one simple idea…in the right places overseas, you can live better, for less.

A healthier, safer, freer, more affordable retirement can be yours in one of the many retirement havens around the world.

We live in a world full of opportunities…for fun…pleasure…financial security and profits…romantic discoveries…and adventure. It’s a world full of things you can do to make your life more exciting—and more profitable—and we’d like you to write about them for us.

International Living Magazine

International Living Magazine aims at providing a scope and depth of information about global travel, living, retiring, investing, and real estate that is not available anywhere else at any price.

What do our readers want?

You are writing for our readers. Our readership love beaches, mountains, and countryside. Some of them love the city. They want to live overseas, either part-time or full time, and most of them want to learn about ways to stretch their dollars and simplify their lives…

Are you already there? Then our readers want your story.

Our readers like profiles: These stories are meant to inspire. This could be your story or that of someone you interview. It’s a profile of an individual or couple living the dream. They’ve moved someplace new—full or part time.

Our readers want advice about retiring overseas: Can you pass along useful how-to tips, money-saving ideas, ways to “prep” for a move or adjust to a new life? Pull back the curtain and share with readers a recommendation or some guidance they wouldn’t easily figure out on their own.

Our readers are interested in healthcare: Do you have a first-person account from somebody who has just benefited from healthcare abroad? Or perhaps a how-to piece about insurance or special facilities available overseas.

Our readers are interested in practical solutions: Can you write a practical article about some aspect of moving or living overseas? The article should answer a question our readers have about the practicalities of living overseas, and should have information contained in it that the reader can act upon, or learn from.

Example Solutions stories:

  • The guide to stress-free renting in Lisbon

  • It’s easier than ever to get a Colombian visa

  • Roatán: How to build and furnish your own tropical island home

The bit you really want to know about….

Payment is upon publication and International Living buys all rights. As regards photographs, if we use one of yours we pay for one-time use and you retain the rights.

Before you get in touch…

Get to know our style. You can sign up to our Daily Postcards free of charge. Make sure you read some of these and have a look at the other content on our website before sending an article or pitching an idea.

When you are familiar with our style you can send article ideas to our editors: submissions@internationalliving.com. All editorial requests will be reviewed and considered when we plan our issues. Not all requests, however, can be answered personally due to the high volume of inquiries we receive. You improve your chances if you take the editor’s advice…

A few tips from our editor…

  • We are not a travel magazine. We are the niche publication for living and retiring overseas. No descriptive, run-of-the-mill articles. That’s not to say we won’t accept articles on gastronomy in Paris, or sight-seeing in Rome. But you’ll have to work harder to get the inside track, to find the facts that no one else has. Be original.

  • Make recommendations in your article. We want your opinion. Tell our readers how to do things, how to catch a cab, order a meal, buy a souvenir, start a business, buy real estate, find a new place, a hidden gem.

  • This is the age of the internet. But before you get mired in the online research, remember, our readers can Google, too. Original tips and advice will stand out and put your article on the top of the pile.

  • Never start a story at the beginning.

  • If you are writing someone’s profile use lots of direct quotes. Readers want to hear from your interviewee. It makes for a much stronger story.

  • Don’t be boring. Whether you have 850 words or 1,600, use them wisely. Pack the important stuff in. Don’t waste 200 words explaining how to catch a bus.

  • The best writing seems effortless because it’s easy to read. But it’s actually the hardest to write. The key to this is editing—re-read your articles with fresh eyes and a red pen in your hand.

  • Always proofread your article before submission. Print it out. The human eye works better from a printed copy. Better yet, sleep on it. You’ll be amazed how many mistakes you can catch the morning after over breakfast.

  • One of the best places to get article ideas is on our Ask the Experts area. Find out what our readers are talking about.

Daily Postcards

Every day, the International Living Daily Postcard brings stories from expats living their dream lives around the world to our over 185,000 readers.

If you’re a U.S. or Canadian citizen living overseas, we want to help you tell your story.

Don’t worry if you’re not the new Hemingway—we’re not just looking for professional writers (though professional writers are encouraged to get in touch, too). We’re more interested in what you have to say than how you say it.

What are we looking for?

We want to hear your story—whatever that may be.

Imagine you’re talking to your friends back home. What do you want to tell them about your experience overseas? What are the most important things you can tell someone about your life in another country?

You might want to tell our readers about how and why you chose your new retirement destination…how your life has changed for the better…and what it is that you love about the place you now live in.

You might be excited about the cost of living…the rich culture of your new hometown…or the warm and friendly community you’ve joined.

Maybe you’d like to tell us about how you’ve availed of low-cost healthcare and dental care…have discovered a new-found love of the everyday things that you were too busy to appreciate back home…or how you’ve taken up a hobby you always wanted to try, now that you have the time and money.

Whatever it is that you find remarkable about your new life overseas, that’s what we want you to tell us about.

Submitting your idea

Before you get in touch, get to know our style and the types of stories we tell.

To submit your ideas and articles, email: postcards@internationalliving.com

Postcards are generally a minimum of 600 words in length. But if you need more space to tell your story, take it! The important thing is saying what you need to say.

If we publish your postcard, we will pay you a one-time rate, including any photos you may wish to include.

Please note, all editorial requests will be reviewed and considered. However, due to the high volume of inquiries we receive, not all requests can be answered personally.

International Living Website

The International Living website is a comprehensive resource of essential information to help you find your dream retirement overseas. We offer readers up-to-date, informed, and reliable advice on the best places in the world to live, retire, and travel.

We share stories from expats living their dream lives around the world in a variety of ways, including:

  • Expat advice

  • Travel tips and hacks

  • Listicles (for example, Top 10 Things… The 15 Best…)

  • Itineraries

  • Slideshows

  • How to’s and step-by-step guides

  • Video

What are we looking for?

What are the most important things you can tell someone about your life in another country, or a place that you have traveled to? What do you wish you had known before you went there? These are the first person, boots-on-the ground accounts we want to share with our readers.

Think you can contribute? Consider the following questions before you make a pitch.

  • Is your story original and does it have one clear idea? In the age of the internet and Google, what makes your story stand out?

  • What is the story about and why will our readers want to read about it? Be specific when you pitch a story idea. A destination is not a story idea. An article about Paris: that’s been done a thousand times before. But an article about the five best hidden restaurants in Paris: that’s more like it.

  • Is this topic timely?

  • How can we tell this story with video?

  • Why are you the person to write this? If you don’t have personal experience of the topic of the story you’re pitching, we won’t consider it for publication. Our readers want insider information from the people who’ve done it before. We want your opinion. Tell our readers how to do things, order a meal, buy a souvenir, find a new place, a hidden gem.

Before Submitting

Answering the questions above in your pitch will give you a better chance of catching the eye of our website editors.

If possible, include links to examples of your previous work.

Before you reach out with an idea for an article, make sure you understand our content, our style, and whether your idea fills a gap in our content. Take a look at our website. See what we have published in the past and get a feel for the topics we cover and the style of writing we like.

If we publish your article, we will pay you a one-time rate based on word count. Please note, all editorial pitches will be reviewed. However, due to the high volume of inquiries we receive, not all correspondence can be responded to personally.

To submit your ideas and articles, email: digitaleditor@internationalliving.com