{"id":9559,"date":"2019-09-06T07:44:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T11:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=9559"},"modified":"2023-08-22T11:08:32","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T15:08:32","slug":"write-travel-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=9559","title":{"rendered":"5 Powerful Tips to Write Travel Stories Only You Can Tell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Packing up your writing gear<\/span> and heading somewhere warm and sunny for vacation? Or just a trip back home? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t matter where you\u2019re off to \u2014 there will be a story waiting for you. (And plenty of travel writing jobs<\/a> and outlets to consider sharing your experience with once you’re home.)<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our travels are made up of great stories \u2014 ones filled with drama, cultural misunderstandings and frustration, as well as serendipity, joy and transcendence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

[sps_reusable_block post_id=43047]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 tips for travel writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Writing about these stories will not only fulfill your storytelling itch, but also improve your general writing skills. Whether it\u2019s refining your powers of observation or enhancing your ability to reflect on meaningful experiences, writing about your travels can be a masterclass in everything from memoir to nature writing to world-building.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 5 tips for writing a travel essay.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. State your quest<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every journey is a quest, whether you know it or not.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask yourself: How did it start? What are you aiming to do or achieve?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your quest can be as abstract as \u2018find myself\u2019 or as specific as \u2018swim in the Atlantic Ocean.\u2019 It can be as monumental as \u2018change my life completely\u2019 and as small as \u2018replace the glass ring my best friend gave me in 1999.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This quest doesn\u2019t have to be the ONLY reason you\u2019re going to this new place. It can be part of the reason, or become important once you arrive and spend time in this place.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about it: all good travel memoir books and essays have a quest at their center.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In <\/span>The New Mecca<\/span><\/a>, George Saunders is trying to form his own impressions of Dubai outside of the media\u2019s portrayals of the city.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In <\/span>Vietnam\u2019s Bowl of Secrets<\/span><\/a>, David Farley is after the secret recipe to a dish found only in the Vietnamese town of Hoi An.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all know that Elizabeth Gilbert has a suite of deep quests in her famous travel memoir <\/span>Eat, Pray, Love<\/span>. She wants to move on from the crippling male relationships in her life and find a deeper meaning to her existence.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you start writing about your quest, your readers will want to know: does she achieve her quest? Does she get the thing she wants? Keep your reader guessing until the end.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Plant a question in the reader’s mind<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the difference between a well-read story and a not so well-read story?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening. <\/span>Plant a question for the reader as early in your opening as you can<\/b>. The question doesn\u2019t have to be life-or-death or profound. It can be very simple.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such as:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I suppose I should have warned Rand.<\/span><\/i> (from <\/span>Pranzo in Italy<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a very short and simple opening. But do you want to know more? Of course you do! You want to know what she should have warned Rand about. And who is Rand anyway?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question needs to provide enough intrigue to keep the reader interested. There\u2019s a fine line between creating curiosity or puzzlement, so don\u2019t aim to befuddle your reader. You must also answer your question at some point in your story.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as you plant a question, the reader is going to be curious about what happens next. It\u2019s simply human nature to want to know the answer. It\u2019s all in the way you phrase the opening.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Tell the story of what drew you to this place<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What were your impressions of this place before you arrived? Dive deep into your memory to uncover some specific basis for these impressions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was it the video game Carmen Sandiego and the sounds of those foreign cities names: Jakarta, Katmandu, Kuala Lumpur? Was it a religious studies class freshman year, where you watched a video about monks in Sri Lanka? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could be literally anything. Even having no impression is an impression\u2014how did this place slip your radar completely?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may think this information doesn\u2019t matter. After all, everyone wants to go to a place like Hawaii, don\u2019t they? Sure, it\u2019s a dream trip for many. But what is that dream for YOU? Only you can tell that story.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing about your initial impressions of a place and how it met or didn\u2019t meet your expectations will make for a much richer travel story.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Tell a small story<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t try to write about everything that happened during your summer in Sri Lanka or even your week in Hanoi. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose a very small story instead.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For my travel memoir, my story covered the two years I spent in the United Arab Emirates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, A LOT happened. But each chapter is made up of a small, specific story that illuminates something larger about that two year experience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some examples of the small stories I told within my book:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n