A Proud Night at the TravMedia Awards 2026

Last week I found myself in a room full of some of the best travel writers in the business, waiting to hear who'd taken home this year's TravMedia Awards. I was there as a finalist in the Freelance Writer of the Year category, sponsored by Visit Switzerland, and honestly, just being on that shortlist felt like a win in itself.

The category was stacked. I was nominated alongside a genuinely brilliant group of writers, and looking around the table at the calibre of work being celebrated, it struck me just how much talent there is in this industry. It's easy to feel like you're beavering away at your laptop in isolation, so a night like this is a real reminder that you're part of something bigger.

Veron Kaye hosted the evening, keeping things moving with warmth and humour throughout, and the whole event had that lovely mix of glamour and genuine camaraderie that the best industry nights manage to strike. Plenty of familiar faces, plenty of new connections, and not nearly enough time to catch up with everyone I wanted to.

When it came to my category, the award went to Dom Tulett, who went on to be named overall Travel Writer of the Year. It was thoroughly deserved. Dom's work has that rare combination of heart and craft, and seeing it recognised on the biggest stage of the night felt right.

I won't pretend I wasn't hoping to hear my own name called, but there's a genuine pride in simply being nominated among writers of that standard. It's validation that the work I've been putting into accessible travel writing, and travel journalism more broadly, is landing where it matters. Awards like this don't just celebrate the winner; they shine a light on everyone doing good work in a category, and that recognition means something.

It was an excellent night from start to finish, one of those evenings that reminds you why you got into this line of work in the first place. Huge congratulations to Dom, to all the winners, and to everyone who made the shortlist. Here's to the next twelve months of stories worth telling.