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How To Become A Great Travel Writer

By on April 13, 2016
How To Become A Great Travel Writer - Writer's Life.org

Travel writing is one of the most competitive and popular topics to write about. Let’s face it, dreams of jetting around the world to stay in stunning hotels, wandering beautiful beaches and trying local delicacies is pretty appealing right? And if you can get to the top of your game someone will actually pay you to do all of that, just for writing about it - it certainly doesn’t sound like a bad career choice if you ask me!

However, breaking into travel writing can be tricky, and if you are hoping to give it a go, there are several things that you need to know before you sit down and put pen to paper.

Firstly, know you area. Now that is not to say you have to be a seasoned traveller to become a travel writer. Obviously it helps if you have been to the places you a writing about, but if you are just setting out with limited time and money this may be difficult. If you can’t jet off and explore just yet, then make sure you do some thorough research before you start. Read a lot about the area before you start, and make sure you are fully clued up on the cuisine, culture and things to see and do. Watching videos is another great way to immerse yourself in a place and really understand the atmosphere out there.

When it comes to writing your article you need to understand and follow the same basic structure every time. There are the typical questions that every reader will want to know when reading a travel article, and you must answer them. The where, when, who why how and what are all the basic ingredients that should form the basis of the article. This is true of many feature articles and news stories - you need to give you reader this information to engage them and keep them reading.

Get a good brief. Travel articles come in all shapes and sizes, some editors are looking for factual, non-flowery pieces that simply describe things in a matter of a fact way, packing the content with useful, factually accurate information and nothing more. Others however, are looking for a piece full of anecdotes and rich, descriptive language which tells a story and helps the reader to truly imagine what it would be like to be there, perhaps persuading them that they need to book their ticket right away! Getting a solid brief from an editor means that you know what kind your article should be and write it up accordingly.

Knowledge and passion are usually desirable, and should come across in your writing. The vast majority of travel articles are written in order to persuade the reader, to make them interested in that particular place, and ignite a desire in them to visit it themselves. Even if you have been asked to write a more factual piece there is still room for this to come across.

As with all articles your lead must be succinct and attention grabbing, and you must immediately make it clear where you are talking about. The when is where you can bring in details about the season, the who is the writers perspective and an opportunity to connect with the reader, they why explains the reason the writer is in that particular destination. The how is the story line, and the what is the details - the facts, the stories the people.

End your article on a high, summarising what the article is about in an interesting way, and, if required ensure you have a strong and clear call to action so your readers know exactly what they need to do next!

Travel writing is a fantastic industry to write for and can lead to some truly wonderful, life-changing experiences. So if you are hoping to become a travel writer, follow these tips and see where it takes you.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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