Travel Writing Tips by John Greeves
Travel Writing Tips from well-known writers even though many of us are homeward bound these days. How many of us yearn for that holiday abroad and a safe return to some sort of normality? Perhaps now, families will revert to the pattern of the nineteen fifties when ‘staycations’ was the norm although it was called ‘factory fortnight’ back then, with very few of us venturing abroad until the advent of the package holiday in the 1960s. Part of the charm of any travelling is to capture the experience and nuances of a place, the people and the way of life, but how many of us have really been remiss even about our own locality in visiting that location or place that foreign tourists flock to in our own backyard. We’ve all meant to... but for some particular reason, we’ve never got round to it.
Travel writing, needs craft and guile especially for those seeking publication, although there is no reason why many of us shouldn’t try to develop the way in which we see and react to different places and experiences through words rather than the indiscriminate eye (lens) of the mobile phone. Several top travel writers offer their top tips for successful travel writing whether you hope to publish it commercially or simply write for yourself.
Many of us take numerous photographs these days and then are unable to recall anything about the photographs, if we look at them six months later. How much better to record your travels in a personal journal, or in a compelling travel article or blog that others may wish to read and encapsulates an enduring image for you.
Andrew Eames is one of the most experienced and prolific travel writers around. He worked for The Times and went into guidebook publishing and was ranked 6th in the top 50 of travel writing. His advice is:
With journeying abroad limited in opportunities, in these difficult times, many spectacular locations in Britain exist to explore in Great Britain. We have for instance 136 permanently inhabited islands around our coast, tracts of ancient woodland, mountains moors and rivers, as well as 11,072.76 miles of mainland coastline. Then there’s history galore (take your pick) and actual physical experiences to rival any we may find abroad, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t try recording in words as well as in photographs what we really experience.
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The idea is king: strong ideas sell articles
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Bite-size is the watchword these days.
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Make sure it is deliverable. If you promise a glorious article then find it can’t be done, that newspaper /magazine won’t commission you again.
Dea Birkett is a writer and broadcaster. Her weekly Travelling with Kids column appeared in the Guardian for over five years and is author of seven books including ‘Serpent in Paradise (short listed for the Thomas Cook Travel - 14 -
