Do you love the idea of writing about exotic lands and people? Do you notice details of scenery and events? Are travel magazines piling
up under your bed? Does the sight of your suitcase lounging in your closet spur longings to pack up and see the world? If you’ve
answered yes to two or more of these questions, it might be time to consider the field of travel writing.
A career as a travel writer is a great way to get paid to see the world, but to be a successful travel writer you must combine the art
and love of traveling with the art of writing. As a travel writer, you must be able to engage yourself in the moment—to interact with
the people, the culture, and the places you visit. And you must be able to convey your experiences about those places to someone who has
never been there, and then peak his interest enough to consider going, too.
When exploring the field of travel writing, you must:
- Study The Markets.
You probably think the only publications interested in travel writing are travel books and travel magazines, right? Wrong. Travel
articles also appear in other publications.
Regional magazines such as Sunset ,
the magazine of Western Living,
contain articles featuring local attractions as do parenting and women’s publications.
Every issue of Pacific Yachting
contains an article making light of a sailing mishap. The writer usually pokes gentle fun at himself, not others and uses humor to
convey his vacation experiences.
And Family Fun
features round-up articles focusing on family vacations and activities for every age group while Travel and Leisure
features destination pieces.
Wondering where to look? Libraries are excellent places to start. Local newspapers have weekly travel sections. Many websites cater to
the traveling crowd. And blogs offer personal glimpses into the life of a traveler.
- Read And Learn.
A good travel writer must be able to write for a vast range of travel publications: from general information pieces about certain places
to lists of things to do to personal experience pieces.
Read travel magazines, travel books, and other publications that carry travel sections. Then as you read, analyze the writing. Do the
words draw you in with evocative word pictures? Can you imagine yourself in that place? To what senses does the writer appeal?
When you read magazines, pay attention to the kinds of articles they carry, how many travel pieces they accept, and what style of
writing they prefer. Then ask yourself, “What unique historical and/or cultural attractions would attract their readers?” If you can
answer that question, it will be easier to think about the kinds of articles you could write.
- Keep Honing Your Skills.
Never stop writing, studying, and learning. Everywhere you go is a journey—from a trip to the corner store to your annual vacation at
the lake. Observe, write and rewrite. Take satisfaction in honing your written words to razor sharpness until you are able to convey
your exact impressions.
- Start Close To Home.
Gain experience by writing about your hometown. When you write about the places you know, you’re writing from an insider’s point of view
and with that in-depth knowledge you can tell your region’s story.
Are you living in or close to a tourist destination? There’s fodder for your writing cannon right there. What makes your hometown
unique? Do you live in the mountains, near the ocean, or did a famous person come from your town? Romantics will want to visit your
town because of the charming teahouse overlooking the lake. Mountain bikers will come to ride the exciting trails just out of town.
From cheese rolling in Gloucestershire, England to the frog festival in Rayne, Louisiana, people have amazingly diverse interests.
Write about the personal experiences you’ve had. Have you recently gone away for the weekend with your spouse? The romantic bed and
breakfast inn where you stayed might appeal to others. Be specific in what attracted you. Was it the room’s cozy décor, or sitting
in the outside hot tub under the stars? Did you spend the day in town wandering through unique shops or out hiking along rocky beaches?
Perhaps you did both – your readers will want to hear about it.
What makes a good travel writer? A successful travel writer must write clear, concrete pieces and use good grammar and tightly written
sentences. When stretching your creative juices, it’s important to keep the following in mind:
- Keep A Journal.
One way to improve your travel writing skills is to keep a journal. In your journal, record your personal impressions of the people,
places, and things around you. Record the comments you hear, and your observations of people’s reactions.
On a ferry trip from Vancouver Island to the mainland, I observed a Chinese family o-o-h and a-a-h over the beauty of the islands
through which we passed. They gestured and pointed; their facial expressions and voices conveying delight although I understood none of
their words.
- Use Vivid Language.
Focus on location details. To help you focus on the details of your location, ask yourself questions and then jot down detailed answers.
When writing travel pieces, I often ask questions like: Are the streets clean or dirty? Does the air softly caress your skin or do your
lungs contract with the crisp sea air? Do you have to wait in line for hours to get to the special exhibit, or does the line move
quickly? Who are the people you see—mostly locals or visitors? From where do they come? What kinds of transportation are available? Is
the local bus service reliable and safe? Are the people in the tourist bureau friendly and helpful? These are the kinds of details that
make your writing relevant to the reader.
- Appeal To All Of The Senses.
Senses such as sight, sound, smell, taste and touch help readers feel as though they’re where you’ve been. Be specific.
Describe the contrast between the cold smooth top of your marble Parisian café table and the sandpaper-rough stones of Notre Dame. With
words, capture the burst of flavor on your tongue as you savor the local chocolate. In the markets of Quito, Ecuador, vendors arrange
their produce with artistry – pyramids of juicy red tomatoes, orange carrots lying neatly in rows and feathery green herbs bunched
together. There is a cacophony of sound as vendors call out to prospective customers. Smells of the earth mingle with the sharp clean
odor of fresh fish and the warm mustiness of the butcher stalls.
- Avoid Fuzzy Descriptions.
Fuzzy descriptions don’t tell a story and they don’t cause the reader to visualize what you’ve experienced.
Fuzzy descriptions such as, “we had a nice day” does nothing. Instead, go deeper by asking yourself, “What made it nice?” Was it the
wonderful sight from the top of the hill you climbed or dinner in front of a cozy fire? If the food was good, tell your reader why it
was good. Tell your reader about the tangy lemon mousse or the crisp potato cakes.
- Avoid Cliches.
Publishers and readers tire of hearing the same phrases day in and day out. Look for new ways to describe familiar scenes.
The sun sets every day everywhere in the world. So tell your reader what makes this particular sunset unique: colors, shapes,
silhouettes? What effect does this event have on the landscape? Does it soften the building lines or sharpen them? How are people
responding to the scene? Is a couple having an argument about where to eat while a spectacular sunset occurs?
- Avoid Overwriting.
One or two well-chosen words are more effective than three or four weaker ones. Too many descriptive words overload the sensory
capability of your reader so don’t exhaust his emotions.
- Begin With An Attention-Grabbing Lead.
The lead is the hook that gets your reader involved and keeps him reading after the first couple of sentences. An enticing beginning is
crucial and can be the most difficult part of your article to write.
- Use Questions.
If you ask a question such as “Why would anyone want to camp under the mouth of an active volcano?” make sure you can answer it and then
answer it in the body of your article. You don’t want your reader to get to the end of the article and not know the answer.
- Use Quotations.
Beginning an article with a quotation is a good way to pique curiosity. Using local idioms and dialogue causes the reader to be mentally
transported to the locale.
For example, “I’ve put a lovely doona on your bed,” said my hostess, “and I’ll bring up your hottie in a few minutes.” I smiled and
nodded a little uncertainly, wondering if we’d chosen a reputable inn after all. This was Australia and I thought they spoke English…”
- Use Anecdotes.
Jump right into the most exciting moment of your story. Beginning this way conveys a sense of immediacy, of showing and not telling.
Your anecdote might be humorous, romantic or full of suspense. It lets your reader know what you experienced and helps her experience
it, too.
If you use the following opening for example, your reader will want to know what you’re doing on the rock face and how you will get
off. “Spread-eagle on the rock face I had no place to go. My hands gripped the tiny outcroppings so tightly I was certain I would
leave fingerprints in the stone. I couldn’t look down for fear of losing my breakfast.”
- Use Descriptions.
Words can evoke scenes of beauty, squalor, boredom and confusion—whatever you want your reader to experience. Cliches, however, are the
bane of description. Try to think of a new way to write about “rain pounding on the windows.”
If you are writing a reflective piece, beginning with description is a good way to set the tone of your article, such as the sample
here: “From the air the jungle resembles a lush broccoli patch; the river breaks the deep green into multiple shades of emerald. Lush
ferns trail from riverbanks and overhanging vines sweep through the dark water. From the water shapes become more clearly defined and
I notice a long sinuous form near the canoe that I recognize as a water boa. Luckily, it seems eager to flee.”
- Target A Specific Audience.
When pitching an article to an editor, make sure you pitch the right publication.
An article on scenic drives won’t appeal to an outdoor adventure magazine, but it might appeal to a publication targeting seniors. An
event such as Charleston’s Annual Spoleto Festival would not be featured in an outdoor sporting magazine because attendees are not
likely to be interested in extreme sports. But they might be interested in visiting Middleton Plantation for its portrayal of life at
the time of the American Civil War.
More and more people travel every year. Before hoisting their backpack or loading their suitcase into the trunk of the car, they look
for timely interesting articles and information. Some of those articles could be yours.
About The Author:
Lorrie Orr is writer of inspirational and travel articles. Visit her at LorrieOrr.com.
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