Travel writing

Chapter 12 (Professional Feature

Writing ~Bruce Garrison)

Importance of travel writingFirst, second, or third-largest

industry in 29 statesOther states: local tourism$582 billion in 2000 (60

million travelers)Books, magazines,

newspapers, printed material, newsletters, online publications

Factors for travel writing

Location with natural beautyPlace traveler has never beenFreedom to decide what to do

during the tripOpportunity to experience

local history and cultureOther recreation areas,

dining, nightlife and shopping

Topics for travel writing

Airlines/rail/cruise industry, luggage, rentals, restaurants, hotels, tips from experts, letters from readers, travel books, food, shopping, personal care, wine, weather, business travel concerns, travel products, global events …

Audience for travel writing

Must simultaneously address two audiences:People who have not been to

the place you write aboutPeople who have already been

there

How to succeed

Write about places to visit, historical places, annual festivals, national parks, cities, resorts, inns, places to stay, restaurants with views, easiest and cheapest ways to get there. Convey the richness, color, excitement, fun, moods, atmosphere, admission prices, times for an attraction. Also relate personal experiences (best place to park in a busy neighborhood)

Do your research

Read the travel section you want to write for. What kind of stories and photographs are published? Maps? Supplementary material? Where do they come from? Does the section contain more than basic “destination pieces”? What else? What sources? What is the writing style? Narrative or first person?

Contemporary issuesEthics involving Subsidized

and Sponsored Travel: Other sources pay for travel (hotels, airlines, restaurants, tourism commission, chambers of commerce).

Some publications won’t accept; others accept if you credit the sources

Contemporary issues

Use of Subjectivity: Should writers follow a news style and be objective? Or should they have a personalized, subjective style that will appeal to more readers?

Contemporary issuesPublic Policy Issues in Travel

and Recreation: Topics include public and private travel and recreation issues and controversies, many focusing on public spending, the environment, development matters, and quality of life concerns

Travel and leisure trends

The idea: What is the general idea of leisure? What constitutes travel and vacationing patterns in your region?

Types of leisure: What are the prevailing community types of leisure activities or vacations? What seem to be the different philosophies about leisure time usage in your area?

Travel and leisure trendsPriorities: How do your readers

spend their personal funds on travel and leisure? How do they spend their time? Is it local or on the road? Simply, what do people think, feel, and do about their non-work time?

Social problems: Travel/leisure needs of different sectors of the community or market?

Promotion: Roles of community, government, private sector

Travel and leisure trends

Development of attitudes: You will not only want to know the characteristics of leisure, but you might benefit from understanding how these priorities have been developed. What ar the conditions leading to decisions? What does government policy toward travel and recreation or leisure have to do with it? What are the influences of the private sector?

Writing styles

Experienced traveler-turned writer. Narrative writing. Remains descriptive. Good vocabulary, precise adjectives and adverbs. Emphasis on first-person experience. Friendly, casual, own reactions. Recreate dialogue. Put people and places in the story. Avoid clichés.

Five basic approaches

Destination articlesAttraction articlesService articlesPersonal experience articlesRoundup articles

Destination articles

Destination stories simply tell readers the basics about places they might go on a trip. What’s there? What’s there to do? What sorts of accommodations are available?

Attraction articles

More specific than destination articles. These tell readers about a particular place, such as a park or a historical site

Service articles

Explains how to travel better by letting the reader understand the mechanics of traveling. This includes articles about buying airline or cruise line tickets or negotiating customs and other legal hurdles in a country known for its tight import and export and immigration rules

Personal experience articlesMay do the same as any of the

three previous approaches, but they interject a personal experience perspective, including such things as emotional responses to the experiences. These stories have high levels of anecdotal content

Roundup articlesGive readers a summary view

of a subject by theme. An example might be the “10 bargain deals for this winter’s Caribbean cruise season,” in which the writer assembles information from different places and summarizes them in listed or other organized formats

Article enhancement

Web sites related to your story: Basic information such as contacts, maps, operation hours, directions, and prices

E-mail sources ahead of timeLocal business organizationsUse visitors bureausUse sources at your hotel

Article enhancement

Go to the libraryBuild your own travel libraryContact specific site sourcesUse a wide variety of sourcesCall to confirm appointments

and visit dates

Destination article fact boxDirectionsParkingDays and hours of operationsGeneral informationContactLodgingFood and other facilitiesSouvenirsToursSpecial upcoming events

Travel Industry sources

HUMAN SOURCES:Local editors, reporters, tourism

directors, hotel staff, public information officers, managers of attractions, residents of area you visit, tour guides, shop merchants, World atlas, history section at a local bookstore, U.S. atlas, hotel, motel room guest books, travel sites, airline in-flight magazines

Travel Industry sources

WRITTEN SOURCES:Tour books (annuals), local

authors’ books, local newspaper files, national, regional travel magazines, Auto association guide books, attraction press kits, local telephone directories, local authors, local historians, local museum directors, cab and bus drivers