National Geographic Travel Journalism
By Evi Goossens — travel storyteller & creative freelancer
Reading time: 1/2 minutes
Over the years, several teachers told me that writing “just wasn’t for me.” I had an unusual way with words, and spelling definitely wasn’t my strength. Even though I secretly enjoyed writing, I trusted the teachers I looked up to and believed what they said about me. Writing isn’t my thing, I convinced myself.
Turns out, writing Dutch newspaper articles and a psychological thesis… those were not my thing.
My first big trip changed everything. They say that if you do something every day, you naturally get better at it. I took that literally and started writing daily. From long stories to short fragments — every single day something about my trip made it onto the page. What began as a way to remember my travel days slowly grew into something I was getting better at. And something I actually loved.
After my first backpacking trip, I started my business and this website, giving my travel stories a place to live. But I quickly realized that something was missing: direction. Structure. A way to tell stories with purpose. With a dream of one day creating documentaries about sensitive travel topics, I decided it was time to ask for help.
Within ten minutes of searching, I ended up on the website of National Geographic Netherlands, who offered a travel journalism course. I didn’t have to think long about it — sometimes you just know something is right. Not much later, I was signed up and sitting in their classroom.
Every two weeks, I drove to Amsterdam for lessons from real travel journalists — people who had been in the field for years. We learned how to structure a story, how to find the emotion in it, the art of show, don’t tell, and how to photograph a narrative. Each session inspired me more than the last, and after sixteen weeks I held my certificate in my hands.
I officially completed the National Geographic travel journalism course — with a head full of new knowledge and even more motivation to continue this path. I’m curious to see where it will take me, but for now I’m enjoying what writing gives me: no fear or shame anymore, but hope and inspiration. A drive to get better and to put everything I’ve learned into practice.
