Travel Editor (National Geographic)

Disney is hiring a Travel Editor for National Geographic, based in Washington, DC. This role sits within the editorial team at NationalGeographic.com, where the editor owns the full content pipeline for travel journalism, from story conception through commissioning, editing, and digital publication, with a strong focus on service journalism and the Destination Guides program. It suits an experienced digital travel editor who has a working roster of freelance contributors and knows how to balance editorial quality with platform performance.

About the Role

The Travel Editor operates within National Geographic’s digital content team, producing travel stories and destination guides that serve a broad global audience across text, video, and social formats. Day to day, this person is pitching story ideas, managing freelance writer relationships, reviewing performance data on existing guides, and working alongside photo editors and digital producers to bring content to publication. The role also feeds into recurring editorial franchises like Best of the World, which means the work spans both evergreen guide content and high-profile seasonal publishing moments.

Key Responsibilities

• Conceive, commission, and edit service-driven travel stories for NationalGeographic.com, working with a freelance writer pool to develop on-the-ground reporting into polished digital features.
• Define the editorial structure and format approach for destination guide coverage, including component types, media formats, and video integration.
• Track destination guide performance using audience data to plan content refreshes, new additions, and optimizations that improve utility for travelers.
• Develop and pitch ideas for video-based travel content and third-party platform distribution, including social media publishing formats.
• Collaborate with newsletter and social editors to support content promotion and audience development across digital channels.
• Partner with sales and marketing teams to generate editorial concepts in response to active advertising proposals and brand partnerships.

What You Bring

• Three or more years conceiving, assigning, and editing content for a digital editorial or journalistic publishing environment.
• Hands-on experience with digital production workflows including SEO, metadata tagging, and headline optimization for digital media.
• A proven track record developing actionable travel content grounded in real reporting and destination expertise.
• An established network of freelance travel writers and creators, with a clear sense of what separates good travel journalism from generic content.
• Experience working within a large corporate media environment is preferred, as is familiarity with video content development.
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent, with a concentration in journalism or media helpful but not required.

Why This Role

National Geographic remains one of the most recognized names in travel media, and this position puts the editor at the center of how that brand serves digital audiences at scale. The hiring range for this position in Washington, DC is $79,000 and above, commensurate with experience. Disney’s media portfolio gives this role reach across multiple digital publishing platforms, which translates into genuine visibility for the work produced.

Apply now for the Travel Editor position at National Geographic and bring your editorial experience to one of the most trusted names in travel journalism.