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 Humor, Headlines, and How to get Started in Travel Writing.

is for Humor

Humor is part of our everyday lives and interactions, and if you don’t maintain a sense of humour when traveling you’ll end up stressed out. Sociologists believe that that our ability to laugh and different situations serves two essential life functions. It’s bonds us to people we’re trying to connect with, and it lessens tension and anxiety. Just look when some disaster hits, it isn’t long before the gallows humor and jokes start circulating.

As a travel writer you will already be familiar with a metaphor. Look a this example from the memoir Cancer on $5 a Day:

… this stupid hospital gown is riding up my ass. I try to pull it down and it snaps right back up like a window shade. I cross my legs and suddenly I’m Sharon Stone.

You can’t beat real life scenarios as fodder for laughter, and if you exaggerate specific elements within the anecdote you’ll heighten the humour. You can even add self-depreciation to endear your audience to you and your situation. You can also poke fun at stereotypes, habits or situations that are familiar and universal. The whole point of humour is to let everyone into the joke, it they don’t get it, it’s not funny.

It’s becoming increasingly common to see travel writers who use a humorous approach to travel writing to transform what would otherwise be conventional travel journeys into something absurd, e.g. Tony Hawks’s 1998 book, Round Ireland With a Fridge or Peter Moore’s 2005 Spanish Steps: Travels with My Donkey.

If you need help with writing humor, take a look at Humor Writing: How to Think, Write, Speak, and Be Funnier! on Udemy, hosted by travel writer Dave Fox. Each lesson includes specific writing techniques and exercises to incite maximum laughs.

is for Headlines

It doesn’t matter how fabulous your travel article is, if it doesn’t have a good headline, it will die a death and it won’t get shared or tweeted. Attention grabbing headlines can be challenging but don’t let it hold up your writing process.

1. Create a rough draft headline, and use this as your roadmap for keeping your article on track.
2. Write the first draft of your article.
3. Adjust your headline to fit the scope and key message of your content.
4. Go back and tweak your article to support your headline.

Often when we start writing, our content can veer into a different direction completely so it can be a complete waste of time to polish you headline, when it’s only going to change after you’ve written your piece.

Here’s some headline formulas that’ll help you create attention grabbing headlines.

How to [action] [benefit]

People search online to find out information, and when you phrase your headline using this simple method, it lets you address their need and deliver on the promise of helping them out.

• How to see Dublin’s highlights in one day and keep smiling
• How to get from Bangkok to Phnom Penh for less
• How to eat Pho like a local

The Secret of [benefit]

This one is quite a popular tactic, used frequently, but that’s because it’s successful.

Share insider knowledge and translate it into a benefit for the reader.

• The Secret of Saving Money on European Flights
• The Secret of Protecting your Holiday with Low Cost Insurance
• The Secret of Getting Around Munich in Rush Hour

Here’s how [target audience] can [benefit]

This is a classic tactic, and works because you’re focused on a specific target audience, and showcasing the benefit your article will provide them with.

• Here’s how baby boomers can save hundreds on travel insurance
• Here’s how backpacker’s can spend longer in Cambodia
• Here’s how single parents can enjoy cruises with their kids

Who Else Wants [goal]?

Starting a headline with “Who Else Wants …” is a classic social-proof strategy that implies an already existing consensus desire.

• Who Else Wants a memorable trip to Paris?
• Who Else Wants a First Class Ticket for Less?
• Who Else Wants to discover this secluded Thai beach?

Now You Can Have [your desire] [reap the benefit]

A classic “have your cake and eat it too” approach to headlines.

• Now you can see more of Venice and avoid all the crowds
• Now you can travel on a budget and still travel in style
• Now you can travel light but still be stylish

Do/Can/Will [goal]

When you ask a question, you immediately involve your reader. If they’re not sure how to answer the question, they’ll be intrigued to find out the answers.

• Do you make these three common backpacking mistakes?
• Can you travel for two weeks with just carry-on?
• Will this Japan itinerary leave your breathless?

What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]

This approach acts like a challenge to the reader, and can make their feel like their missing out if they don’t read it.

• What everybody ought to know about finding cheap tickets online
• What everybody ought to know about dressing stylishly in Milan
• What everybody ought to know about London’s vegetarian restaurant scene

is for How to get started in Travel Writing

Here’s three key tips that will help you start your travel writing journey. These are designed to help you get noticed, and become a better travel writer than your peers.

1. Choose a Niche: There’s so much competition within the travel writing industry, that unless you’re a big name, you’re not going to be able to stand out. But the #1 way of getting noticed is by choosing a specific niche to write about. But when I say specific – I mean really specific. You can’t craft out a name for yourself by becoming a general writer about Paris – but if you choose something more specific – Paris for Artists, or Paris for Parents, or Second Hand Paris, that allows you to become laser focused about writing really specific content that will appeal to a really specific audience. As soon as you narrow your audience down, you make it easier to rise to the top of the content pile.
2. Build a Portfolio: If you want to get somebody (a magazine, newspaper, website, or book publisher) to pay you to be a travel writer, you’re going to have to show that you can write. So before you start reaching out to anybody, build an online portfolio of your travel writing. The easiest way to do this is to launch your own blog>, and publish articles.
3. Have a Point: Make sure the articles you write have a point. Before you start writing, ask yourself “what do I want my reader to learn from my article?” As soon as your article has a point, it’ll help you to determine what to include and what to leave out and it’ll stop your content from becoming a meandering mess. A well-constructed article leaves your reader with a sense of satisfaction, and creates a tighter piece of travel writing.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the A-Z series. Look out for the next letter in the series.

Discover an alphabet’s worth of Travel Writing Tips

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