Travel Writing Tips

Being an prolific and effective travel writer can be overwhelming, so I’ve put together this series of A-Z Travel Writing Tips.

Each article provides a concise list of prompts from A to Z, which provides your travel writing the TLC it needs. We cycle through all letters in the alphabet in turn, and provide links to additional resources and examples of how to implements each tip.

See the grid at the bottom of this post to view other letters in the series.

In this edition of our A-Z travel writing tips we’re looking at Clichés, Conversational, Cadence, Cycle back to the beginning

is for Clichés

When you’re writing travel books or travel guides is so easy to fall back into the comfort and familiarity of a clichés. So what is the definition of a clichés?

It’s a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.

There are different types of clichés you may find yourself overseeing.

• well-worn phrases that we’re familiar clichés (hidden gem)
• the use of adjectives and adverbs that don’t actually describe anything tangible (cozy, charming, quaint, etc.)
• and words that are used in the wrong context (this hotel is perched on the cliff edge [it’s a building, not a bird])

Let’s looks at some common travel writing clichés: Hidden gem, bustling market, hearty meals, vibrant landscape, breathtaking views, quaint setting, mouth-watering, sun-drenched….

If you’re using an adjective that describes a given, what value is it adding to your writing. For example, a bustling market, vibrant market, colorful market. None of these add any value, because it’s an assuming that every market is colorful, vibrant and bustling. So if you want to portray a market with those elements, take a look at the scene and pinpoint exactly what element sticks out, what makes the market you’re visiting unique?

Using a show vs. tell technique can help you avoid a cliché. If you’re first thought is that your hotel lobby is cozy, rather than telling your reader that, describe the grand fireplace, the plush chintz sofas, the Tiffany lamps casting a subtle orange glow on the room, and the aroma of hot chocolate. This way they can envisage themselves sinking into the sofa in front of the fire, reading a book, and sipping on a hot drink.

Other sets of clichés to be attracted to are outdated words that you wouldn’t actually say in day to day conversation. Writers may add these to their writing to sound eloquent, but they end up making you sound pretentious. When was the last time you talked you your friend about an “eatery” you visited for dinner? Show it like it is, rather than using words that don’t actually convey a mental image.

Here’s some additional articles to help you avoid a travel cliché.

• Travel Clichés to avoid. – Traveller
• 15 Travel Cliches we all use but shouldn’t  – Travel Blog Academy
• The most overused words in travel writing – The battered suitcase

is for Conversational

Read It Out Loud – Make It Conversational. A great way to test out how your travel story “sounds” is to read it out loud.  Does it sound like the way you normally talk to people? 

We normally speak in short sentences.  Are your sentences short enough that you don’t run out of breath while you’re reading one?  (If you do, it’s too long.)

 But don’t make all the sentences short – that makes your travel story sound choppy.  Vary your sentence length.  Make some of your sentences short and some longer – mix it up and give your readers some variety.

Keep reading aloud and rewriting your article until it sounds conversational and natural.  Make it sound like you’re talking to a friend.

is for Cadence

Having short and long sentences helps to vary the “cadence” or pace of a story.  From a reader’s perspective, it speeds us up … or it slows us down. One way to use cadence is to add drama to your writing. When drama is building in your scene, you can help it along by using shorter sentences, which will quicken the speed your audience reads your content. Conversely, if you’re writing about a contemplative train journey you took, using longer sentences will lull your audience into that same contemplative mood.

Cadence is one element of your writer’s voice. The language and cadence you use, coupled with your unique perspective and the way you choose to tell your story (humorous, approachable, ironic, etc.) are building blocks to creating a piece of writing that identifies the writing as uniquely yours.

is for Cycle Back to the Beginning at the End

Your article needs a beginning and end in order to feel complete, and when you tie the two together it makes your article feel cohesive and well thought out. So when you’re looking at ways to wrap up your article, don’t forget to circle back to the beginning to help you craft the conclusion to your story. If you let your ending just trail off, or feels like it has an abrupt ending, it can make readers feel unfulfilled and uneasy.

Your opening contained a hook to draw your readers in. It may have been a thought, and idea, or a question, but it was an element that intrigued them enough to keep reading. Your ending needs to reiterate the points you made in your article, but it shouldn’t simply be a restating of the same information, instead you can use memorable imagery, some facts, or a personal anecdote to illustrate your point of view and to create a sense of closure for your reader.

For example, if you started your article with a preconceived idea of a new destination, your middle could share experience and anecdotes so that the reader can see that you’ve changed your point of view, and then the end of your article can summarize how this new insight has impacted you.

A simple example of this, is a recent collaboration segment I contributed to an article about How to Get Started Travel Blogging for Encounter Travel.

The beginning revealed that when I started my travel blog, I blogged under a pen name because I didn’t want anyone to know I was sharing my life online. The rest of the article explains my travel blogging adventures, and ends with: I’m the proud owner of eight travel and writing-related blogs, and I no longer care who knows it!

Even though it’s a short article, it shows my transformation, and the ending ties back to the beginning.

is for Canva

Let’s also give a quick shoutout to Canva – an invaluable graphics website with drag-and-drop feature and professional layouts to design consistently stunning graphics for your website, blog, and social media…and much, much more. You can even use it to design your reader magnets, book covers, and any other document which relies on images.

Discover an alphabet’s worth of Travel Writing Tips

Read the Article Listen to the Podcast	Read the Article Listen to the Podcast	Read the Article Listen to the Podcast	Read the Article Listen to the Podcast	Read the Article Listen to the Podcast
Read the Article Listen to the Podcast	Read the Article Listen to the Podcast	Read the Article Listen to the Podcast	Read the Article Listen to the Podcast	Read the Article Listen to the Podcast
K	L	M	N	O
P	Q	R	S	T
U	W	X	X	Y
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