So you say you want to be a travel writer? Wander around the world, bring back tales of those parts with you for magazines and newspapers, and get paid for it. What’s not to like? If you are serious though, you need to realize it is much more than just travelling and writing down details about the place that makes up a good travel doc. You need to put some soul into it. Here are 5 travel writing tips that show how you can go about achieving that.
1. Choose a Niche
You can start by picking a style and choosing your destinations, activities or cultures that bring out the passion in you. In today’s day and age, you need that special something to set you apart from the dozens of other writers all around you. Choose your preferred area and be an expert in it. Write like you are the master of the niche, and narrate your story with passion and authority. Once you have built a niche for yourself, you can also go about publicizing it on social media to garner more attention. Remember though, content is most important.
2. Start Small, Dream Big
While it might be your dream to get your travel writing published in the leading magazines, you should start with much smaller and achievable goals. If you want to make it big, you need to go through the channels in a systematic manner. If you have a local newspaper in your neighbourhood, pitch a story or two to them. See if they like it, and if they don’t, take the criticism in your stride and work towards improving your writing. Contact local and upcoming editors of smaller magazines and ask them for guidance. Work towards developing a healthy relationship with editors and producers so that you get your work published regularly, albeit in local media. Also, this will help you make contact with the big names in the industry.
3. Keep a Notebook
This perhaps will be your most valued possession once you go on your travels. A notebook is an indispensable item, particularly because you will want to document the various experiences you have, the places you visit, and the people you meet. Make it a point to note down all the locations you visit, the exact dates and times, the various hotels you stayed in and the interesting history of the locations. Also, document the people around you on a daily basis; you never know when you come across an interesting person who has a story worth telling. Document all the details as you are on your adventure, you might need them later.
4. Be a Photographer
In addition to writing down the details, you need to capture the essence of the place in photos as well. Things may be as simple as a lively marketplace or a traffic filled street. But once you capture those moments with a camera, these very photos will become what we call the “essence” of the place of visit. They should convey exactly what the mood and setting was, when you were visiting. Watch out for historic monuments or any other things for that matter, which are directly associated with the place of visit. The more natural the picture is, the better the result. You may have to wait for some time to get the perfect shot, but in the end, it is worth the wait.
5. Share
Finally, once you have your experiences written down and edited, it is time for you to share them with the world, and look for feedback. Share them on social media, have your friends and family read it. Also, it would be good if you have a person who has visited the same place read it, so as to check if your writing has captured the essence of the place in the truest sense.
Image credit: Mario Mancuso on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Pranay.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Pranay Kanagat is a freelance writer who has a love for writing on various subjects. In particular, he enjoys creative writing. He is also studying for an Engineering degree.[/author_info] [/author]