Freelance travel copywriter and content producer
Hi, I’m Mark Sariban, storyteller and director of Journeyism.
When you hire me to work on your copy, you’re getting a trained writer with more than 20 years of experience in creating travel content for magazines, newspapers and guidebooks. Over those years I’ve learnt to convey a strong sense of place – and a sense of purpose – through structured storytelling.
Until Covid came along, I was the long-serving travel editor at Vogue Australia. Along with producing features for Vogue’s monthly travel section, I created travel stories for Vogue.com.au and Vogue Brides. (I was at Vogue for 16 years all up.)
I’ve also been a staff writer and editor on Condé Nast Traveller Australia, Vogue Entertaining + Travel and Vogue Living. I’ve been the deputy editor of Air New Zealand’s inflight magazine and the editor of a business travel guide to Australia and southeast Asia. And I’ve backpacked across Japan with a laptop and a camera as a field researcher for Penguin’s Rough Guides travel guidebooks.
I’m a writer who knows how the travel industry works.
When I write your copy, I draw on a wealth of industry knowledge gathered over 20-plus years working with inspirational tourism business owners and many talented travel marketing professionals. I've presented a talk about travel storytelling to aspiring influencers at a Travel Bootcamp. I've led discussions on travel industry issues at a Pursuits thought leadership camp run by This is Beyond. And appeared on the TravMedia webinar panel Looking Beyond the Coronavirus Crisis alongside industry heavyweights.
And I’m a copywriter with advertising industry training.
I’m a graduate of the Australasian Writers and Art Directors Association’s AWARD School, where I learned from some of the advertising industry’s best copywriters the creative thinking techniques I apply to your copy.
What is Journeyism?
Journeyism is a sense of place. And a sense of purpose. It’s travel content with a difference. It’s about bringing a journalistic approach to your travel copy.
I believe that in travel and tourism, context is king. In other words, I think the why of your offering needs to lead the way.
Time-poor, distracted consumers want to know immediately why they should visit your destination. They want to know why they should choose to stay with you instead of one of your competitors. More and more, they want to know why you do what you do.
Journeyism is about clearly communicating the why of a travel experience to potential visitors (as well, of course, as the who, what, where, when and how).
A case study in Journeyism: weaving tribal folklore into a resort’s storytelling
Ahead of the 2025 opening of InterContinental Lifou Wadra Bay Resort, I travelled to the New Caledonian island of Lifou with the luxury resort’s general manager and sales director to consult with the chief of the Mou tribe.
As the ruler of the southern end of the island, Chief Maurice Boula played a critical role in the resort’s development. I formally introduced myself to the chief and asked for permission to talk to elders and the four tribal families who owned the land the resort was built on.
After the chief authorised my mission, I learnt about local folklore and customs through days of conversations and interviews with his subjects. Through this process I created a suite of content communicating the tribe’s stories to guests.
I also incorporated the tribe’s environmental values and social objectives, including a desire to provide stable employment to young people in their community, into the resort’s sustainability statement.
Gathering at Chief Maurice Boula’s meeting hut on New Caledonia's Lifou island to seek permission to tell the Mou tribe’s stories as part of a copywriting project for InterContinental Lifou Wadra Bay Resort. From left: with Camille Monvoisin, the resort’s director of sales; Mou land council president André Tanu; and Chief Maurice Boula.
What to expect when you work with me.
• When you get in touch, I’ll ask you questions to understand your business and your project. If you have a formal brief you can share with me, great. Don’t worry if you don’t: I’ll work with you to tease out what you need to achieve your goals.
• I'll send you a formal proposal that sets out the scope of work, suggests a timeline and quotes a project fee.
• If you’re happy with the proposal, I’ll invoice you an agreed amount upfront, with the remainder to be paid on completion of the project.
• The next step depends on the nature of the project. You might load me up with brand identity guidelines and a tone of voice document and leave me to it. Or we might kick off with a video call for a deep dive into the work.
• I submit draft copy within the time frame we’ve agreed on. My project fee includes two rounds of revisions, where you can ask for amendments and comment on the copy as it’s being shaped. Through this collaborative process we’ll arrive at copy you're happy to sign off on and roll out in your business.
• Good to know: unlike some copywriters and content producers, I operate under a company structure and carry public liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance. So you can expect a high standard of professionalism as well as a commitment to meeting deadlines and fulfilling contractual requirements.