September 2, 2026

Tell Us Your Nepal Story: Traveller Story Submission Guidelines

For travellers sharing a personal experience of Nepal

You came to Nepal. Something stayed with you. We would like to hear about it.

NepalNOW collects stories not only from writers and people who live here, but also from travellers who have experienced Nepal for themselves. You do not need to be a professional writer. You do not need perfect English. What matters is that the experience is real and the story is yours.

1. What are we looking for?

We are not looking for travel guides, destination reviews or lists of things to do. We are interested in something more personal:

What happened to you in Nepal?
What surprised you?
Who did you meet?
What stayed with you?
What did you misunderstand at first?
What made you laugh or challenged you?
Was there a conversation you still remember?
Did something change the way you looked at Nepal – or at your own life?

Sometimes the best travel story happens over tea. It does not need to be a dramatic adventure.

2. The traveller is part of the story – not necessarily the hero

First-person writing is encouraged. Use ‘I’. Tell us what happened to you. But remember that the Nepalis you meet are not supporting characters in your adventure.

Instead of:

Our amazing Sherpa carried our bags and always had a smile on his face.

Go deeper:

Who was the person? What was their name? What did you talk about? What did they know that you did not? What did you learn from them?

NepalNOW wants encounters between people, rather than stories about foreigners observing ‘the locals’.

3. Stories we would love to receive

A memorable encounter with someone.
A meal and the story behind it.
Getting something completely wrong.
A moment of unexpected kindness.
A conversation on a bus.
Learning something from a guide.
Walking into a festival you did not understand.
Discovering something beyond the famous sights.
Returning to Nepal years later.
Travelling slowly enough to notice something.
Seeing the mountains for the first time.
Discovering Kathmandu beyond the apparent chaos.
Learning about a religion or philosophy.
Understanding where your food came from.
Spending time with a family or community.
An experience that changed your assumptions about Nepal.
One small moment you still think about.

4. What we generally do not want

‘Top 10 Things to Do in Nepal’ articles.
‘Why Nepal Should Be On Your Bucket List’ articles.
Ultimate travel guides.
Hotel or tour-company reviews.
Day-by-day trip diaries with no central story.
Lists of attractions.
Generic descriptions of beautiful scenery.
Stories written mainly to promote a blog, business or social-media account.
Generic AI-generated travel articles.

There are many places on the internet for this content. NepalNOW is looking for the story within the journey.

5. Be honest

Your Nepal experience does not have to have been perfect. Perhaps something confused you. Kathmandu may have overwhelmed you. You may have struggled with altitude, misunderstood something or found yourself uncomfortable with an aspect of tourism. Tell us.

A good story does not need to say: ‘Everything was amazing.’ It needs to say: ‘This is what happened, and this is what it made me think about.’

6. Remember: you are seeing someone else’s home

Nepal may be your adventure. For somebody else, it is Tuesday.

Be curious and respectful.
Do not treat religious ceremonies, poverty, rural lifestyles or unfamiliar customs as exotic spectacles.
Do not assume something is ancient because it looks old.
Do not assume something is authentic because it happens in a village.
Do not assume someone wants their photograph taken simply because they smiled at you.
Use people’s names where appropriate rather than simply calling them ‘locals’.
Treat the people you meet as people, not characters in your adventure.

7. Ethical storytelling

Take particular care when writing about children, poverty, personal hardship, illness, death, disasters, religion, marginalised communities and private moments. Dignity comes before a good photograph or dramatic story.

If somebody shared something personal with you, think carefully about whether they expected it to become public.

8. Keep it simple

Around 400–900 words is ideal. A strong 350-word story about one remarkable encounter can be much better than a 2,000-word account of an entire holiday.

Write in your own voice. A simple structure is:

Where were you?
What happened?
Who was involved?
Why has it stayed with you?
Did the experience change the way you understood Nepal?

9. Photographs

Please send 3–10 photographs if you have them. They do not have to be professional. Phone photographs are absolutely fine.

For each image, tell us where it was taken, approximately when it was taken, who took it and who appears in it where relevant.

Please make sure you have appropriate permission to share identifiable photographs, particularly involving children, private spaces or sensitive situations.

10. Facts, names and language

Check names, place names and facts where you can. If you are uncertain, tell the editor rather than guessing.

You do not need perfect English. NepalNOW can help edit for clarity while keeping your voice.

11. Using AI

Using AI to help clean up grammar or organise your writing is fine. The experience, observations and story must still be yours.

Do not ask AI to invent conversations, observations, people, facts or experiences that did not happen.

12. What to send us

Your name.
Where you are from.
When you visited Nepal.
Where this story happened.
Your story – ideally 400–900 words.
3–10 photographs, if available.
A short sentence about yourself.
Your Instagram or website – optional.
Any names, spellings or details you are uncertain about.

Please also confirm that NepalNOW has permission to edit and publish your submission and accompanying photographs, subject to the final publication terms provided by NepalNOW.