{"id":62482,"date":"2022-03-15T12:07:11","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T16:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=62482"},"modified":"2022-03-18T11:42:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T15:42:10","slug":"travel-writing-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/travel-writing-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Writing: 5 Tips to Set Yourself Apart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you want to be a travel writer? What can you do to set yourself apart? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The travel writing industry is booming. However, there are five common traps that travel writers fall into. If you avoid these traps, you will set your writing apart from the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some tips to set yourself apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Travel<\/strong> Writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Travel writing describes a place, the people who live there, and what it\u2019s like to be there. But these features should reveal a deeper truth about the city or its people. What\u2019s special about this place and its people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are our travel writing tips on what traps to avoid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Switching attitudes<\/strong>: Writers often start by casually telling readers about their experiences in a new place before changing to a more detached travel guide style. Pick one tone, and keep it consistent throughout the piece. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: To avoid switching attitudes, experts recommend following one narrative thread throughout your travel writing<\/a>. Doing so will link your piece from beginning to end, creating cohesion. With one main narrative thread, you\u2019ll also be less likely to explore different facts about the place that will cause you to sound like a typical travel guide. For example, in \u201cHeart of Dark Chocolate<\/a>,\u201d the author begins the piece by describing first tasting Bolivian chocolate and how that compelled him to travel to Bolivia to discover the source of the chocolate. Through this narrative thread, we learn about Bolivia, the rainforest, the cuisine, and the people there.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) False<\/strong> novelty<\/strong>: Keep in mind that you are not the first or only person to visit or live in this place. Many people have already visited Paris and described the city\u2019s fashion and the Eiffel Tower\u2014what makes your experience of this place different from everyone else\u2019s?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Write Original Stories by Traveling Without Expectations<\/strong>

To avoid false novelty, you should rethink how you travel<\/em>, not just how you write<\/em> about<\/em> traveling. In his essay \u201cHow To Write About Africa<\/a>,\u201d Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina exposes the hurtful and demeaning common attitudes of travelers who visit Africa. He implies that many travelers go to Africa with an idea of what Africa should be<\/em> and then write about experiences that confirm those biases, rather than experiencing anything meaningful about Africa. This kind of travel results in travel stories that discuss the same experiences, descriptions, and tourist destinations.
  
Experts agree with Wainaina\u2019s idea\u2014they find that by expecting<\/em> certain experiences, travelers may actually be less likely to find authentic, original travel stories<\/a> or even enjoy their trip for what it is. Instead, focus on learning<\/a> about this place and its people, rather than supporting existing ideas or expectations about what that place already is or isn\u2019t.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3) Using<\/strong> clich\u00e9s<\/strong>: Writers often describe busy Middle Eastern \u201cbazaars\u201d and \u201cexotic\u201d safari trips. These are unoriginal, overused descriptions, and Zinsser advises against using them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: As you write about your travels, consult this list of common travel clich\u00e9s<\/a> to eliminate from your piece, including \u201ca breathtaking view,\u201d \u201coff the beaten path,\u201d and \u201ca blend of old and new.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Stating<\/strong> the obvious<\/strong>: When describing a new place, writers often state the obvious, such as discussing the desert heat. Heat is a standard characteristic of a desert, so telling the reader this detail is redundant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Zinsser doesn\u2019t discuss it here, but stating the obvious is a form of clutter. It creates redundancy and uses more words than necessary. But adding unexpected<\/em> details does add value, like if there was a random thunderstorm in the desert.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) Lacking<\/strong> humanity<\/strong>: Travel writers often describe the things you can do in a city or the typical food there, resulting in a detached and impersonal tone. But these features don\u2019t reveal any deeper truth about the city or its people. What\u2019s special about this place and its people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: When thinking about Zinsser\u2019s idea of travel writing as understanding the humanity of a place and its people, consider Erich Fromm\u2019s distinction between looking and seeing<\/a> to improve your ability to find and write deeper truths about a place and its people. He relates looking<\/em> to an interest in lifeless, immobile artifacts<\/a>. But unlike simply looking<\/em> at something, seeing<\/em> implies a recognition of the life or humanity in something. Seeing requires embracing your own humanity, openness, and interest in the world. So rather than trying to use your writing as a form of looking, write with the intent to see<\/em> the life of a place and its people.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you want to be a travel writer? What can you do to set yourself apart? The travel writing industry is booming. However, there are five common traps that travel writers fall into. If you avoid these traps, you will set your writing apart from the rest. Here are some tips to set yourself apart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":62621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,34,30],"tags":[588],"class_list":["post-62482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-communication","category-work","tag-on-writing-well","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nTravel Writing: 5 Tips to Set Yourself Apart - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Travel writing describes a place, the people who live there, and what it\u2019s like to be there. 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