RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. – Visit Greater Palm Springs (VGPS) has announced the return of the bespoke “Meet the Mentors” program for a third year. Following the successful iterations that have brought together 12 mentor and mentee pairings over the last two years, Meet the Mentors will return to pair the 2025 class of aspiring travel writers looking to jump-start their careers with accomplished journalists in the industry. Through this special program, VGPS will provide selected participants with memorable travel experiences in the destination, mentorship from real-world travel journalists and the opportunity for attendees to get their work published on the VGPS blog. This year’s media mentors have bylines in countless top travel publications including Fodor’s Travel, Good Housekeeping, AFAR, and more. Additionally, prior junior journalists who have participated in the program have gone on to produce editorial work for outlets including Essence, Queerty, and more.

Now through Jan. 6, 2025, Visit Greater Palm Springs invites aspiring journalists from across the United States to submit an application for the opportunity to participate in the program, which will include a hosted trip in Greater Palm Springs April 14-17. Following the Jan. 6 deadline, a panel of judges from VGPS and the team of expert mentors will select six participants for the 2025 cohort. The successful candidates will be notified by Jan. 24.

“It’s been an honor to welcome a dozen aspiring travel journalists to Greater Palm Springs for the last two years and we are eagerly awaiting our next group of driven and passionate writers for 2025,” said Colleen Pace, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer for Visit Greater Palm Springs. “Nurturing interest in the tourism industry is a core goal of our organization and we look forward to bringing together a group of talented mentors and hungry mentees for a career-shaping experience in the desert.”

Once selected, mentees will be paired with experienced travel journalists, serving as their mentors during a customized trip to Greater Palm Springs this April, delving into the intricacies of travel journalism. From mastering journalistic inquiries to perfecting editor pitches, participants will explore the nine desert cities of the destination with each duo receiving a personalized itinerary tailored to their interests. The trip itineraries will span a variety of topics, including wellness, outdoor adventure, sustainability, as well as showcasing the region’s diverse businesses and attractions. Following the trip, mentees will collaborate with their mentors to craft articles reflecting their experiences to be published on the Visit Greater Palm Springs website.

To apply for the Meet the Mentors program, interested parties need to apply HERE by Jan. 6. Applications are open to all backgrounds and abilities. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and live in the United States. This program is geared toward brand-new and aspiring journalists, so applicants should not already have a professional career in travel journalism/published pieces in mainstream travel publications.