For Contributors
Plain English first. You write it, you own it. We publish it with your name on it. You keep the right to use it elsewhere after 90 days. We keep the right to keep it on the site. If something changes, we talk.
At a Glance
The writing is yours. TE gets a licence to publish it — not ownership. You can republish it elsewhere after 90 days.
All pieces published under your own byline. You can request to publish anonymously as "A TE Contributor" — but never as Nilabh or under the TE brand voice.
If you received a free stay, flight, or payment in connection with the experience you're writing about, you must disclose it. Undisclosed commercial relationships are grounds for rejection or removal.
Pieces must be substantially written by you from your own experience. AI-assisted editing is acceptable. AI-generated travel writing submitted as personal experience is not.
These terms apply to anyone who submits writing to Travelescape (TE) for publication — whether as a Tier 1 TE Desk contributor, a Field Dispatch writer, or a Circle member contributing a reflection.
By submitting a piece to TE, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not submit.
You retain full copyright in your submitted work. By submitting a piece for publication, you grant Travelescape a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual licence to publish, display, and archive the piece on travelescape.in and in related TE communications (such as the Circle dispatch).
This licence does not transfer ownership. TE may not sell, relicense, or commercially exploit your work beyond publishing it on the site and in TE's own communications.
When republishing after 90 days, please include a note: "Originally published on Travelescape — travelescape.in"
All pieces are published under the contributor's real name unless anonymity is specifically requested in writing before publication.
If you request anonymity, your piece will be published as "A TE Contributor" — not as Nilabh or under the Travelescape editorial voice.
TE will include a short contributor bio (one to two sentences) beneath your piece. You may provide this bio yourself or TE will draft one for your approval.
TE will not change your byline, misattribute your work, or present it as written by someone other than you.
TE reserves the right to edit submitted pieces for length, clarity, punctuation, and brand register.
What TE will not change without discussion: Your core voice, your factual claims, the emotional substance of a piece, or anything that would change the meaning of what you wrote. Any significant edit will be shared with you for approval before publication.
If TE and a contributor cannot agree on edits, TE may decline to publish the piece. In that case, the contributor retains full rights to the work and no kill fee applies unless the piece was formally commissioned (see Section 07).
TE reserves the right to decline any submission at its discretion, without obligation to explain the editorial reasoning.
All pieces submitted to TE must:
Pieces that do not meet these standards will be rejected or, if already published, removed. TE will notify the contributor before removal except in cases where content is harmful or illegal.
Payment terms are agreed individually per piece or per contributor tier before submission. Agreed payment is made on publication, not on acceptance.
If a piece is accepted but publication is delayed more than 90 days through no fault of the contributor, TE will either publish within a further 30 days or release the contributor from the exclusivity window, whichever the contributor prefers.
Payment covers the licence described in Section 02 only. It does not transfer copyright.
TE is an independent studio operated by one person. Payment rates are modest but honest. They will increase as TE's revenue grows. Contributors who join early will be treated as founding contributors when rates are reviewed.
A commission is a written agreement (email is sufficient) in which TE specifically requests a piece from a contributor on a defined brief. Unsolicited pitches that are accepted are not commissions.
If TE commissions a piece and then declines to publish it for editorial reasons unrelated to the content standards in Section 05, a kill fee of 50% of the agreed payment applies.
No kill fee applies if:
Once a piece is published, TE retains the right to keep it on the site indefinitely as part of its editorial archive.
All removal requests must be made in writing to contact@travelescape.in
Contributors are invited to join the Unscripted Circle as part of their contributor relationship. Circle membership is separate from the contributor relationship and governed by TE's general Terms of Service.
Your WordPress author account on travelescape.in gives you the ability to submit drafts for editorial review. It does not give you the ability to publish directly. All posts require editorial approval before going live.
If your contributor relationship ends, your author account will be returned to a standard subscriber account. Previously published pieces will remain live under your byline (or as "A TE Contributor" if you have requested anonymity).
By submitting a piece, you confirm that:
If a third party brings a claim against TE arising from a breach of these warranties, the contributor agrees to cooperate with TE in defending that claim and to indemnify TE for losses directly caused by the breach.
TE accepts no liability for a contributor's own use of their work outside of travelescape.in.
These terms are governed by the laws of India. Any disputes arising from these terms will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
TE may update these Contributor Terms from time to time. Updates will be reflected by revising the date at the top of this page.
Contributors with active relationships will be notified of material changes by email. Continued submission of work after changes have been notified means you accept the revised terms.
If you have a question about these terms, a pitch to share, or just want to say hello — write to us directly.
contact@travelescape.inSubject line: TE Essay Pitch — [your name] · Nilabh reads every message.