Author Archives: Melissa Steel

About Melissa Steel

Melissa is a staff content writer for World Words. A fiercely proud Edinburgh native with a masters in journalism, she's written about travel and culture for varied clients... (Read bio)

Devon’s Summer Fest Fun – Newsletter Content for Discovery Holiday Homes

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Don’t let anybody tell you Devon is just about sandy beaches, bleak moors and clotted cream. In this newsletter content for holiday rental agency Discovery Holiday Homes, we look at the county’s very best summer festivals.

There really is something for everyone this summer in Devon, whether you’re a crime fiction buff or a jazz music lover. There’s the International Agatha Christie Festival, which usually features workshops and murder mystery-themed events. It runs from 11 to 20 September at Torre Abbey and celebrates what would have been the famed author’s 125th birthday. There’s also the Teignmouth Folk Festival, held in South Devon between June 19 and 21. There will be the usual English folk fare like Morris dancing, but also performances with their roots in America’s Appalachian region. Other festivals include Glas-Denbury Music Festival (July 10 to 11), a child-friendly alternative to the hedonism of soundalike Glastonbury festival, and the Tiverton Balloons and Music Festivals (July 10 to 12), which somehow manages to combine hot air balloons and wonderful jazz music into a single fun-filled weekend.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. From a festival devoted to the deliciousness of crabs to a world-class regatta, Devon has a whole host of fun to offer visitors this summer. Scroll down to see all our seasonal recommendations.

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Travel Writing Tips: How to Write In an Interesting Way About Your Home Town

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The first few months were so romantic. Dinner at all the best restaurants, drinks in all the coolest bars and moonlit walks along cobbled streets. But, over time, the relationship began to fizzle out. Without realising it, you’ve ended up spending your evenings in, only venturing out to pick up the occasional pint of milk from the local corner shop.

Sound familiar? It probably does if you’re a travel writer trying to write a piece about your home town. The day-to-day routine of living in a busy metropolis can turn the bright spark that made you fall for a city into a damp squib.

How can we rekindle the magic that once made our stomping ground so alluring? How can we write as if seeing the highlights of our city for the first time? Here are some tips from the experienced travel writers at World Words.

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Hotels Among the Vines: Great Vineyard Tours – A Blog for From the Grapevine

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Have you ever read a wine label, noted its far-flung origins and been seized by wanderlust? Then you might want to consider visiting a vineyard resort. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of them from which to choose.

This is something that we highlighted in our most recent travel blog article for From the Grapevine. We wandered off the beaten track and into a host of fantastic vineyard resorts that combine lip-smacking wine with spectacular destinations. Among the lesser-known wine hotspots were a New York vineyard with a delicious range of pinot blancs and a chateau in Galilee with a wine list boasting the best in regional vintages. We also looked at vineyard resorts in better-known wine regions, such as a hotel in Mendoza, Argentina with beautiful wine-themed rooms, a complementary tasting and its own personal vineyard. And then, of course, we couldn’t miss the luxurious lodge in Matakana, New Zealand, which offers a wonderful vineyard along with majestic views across the mighty Pacific.

If our summary of the blog has tickled your oenophilic tastebuds, then simply scroll down for our pick of the five best vineyard resorts in the world. They all combine fine wine, great accommodation and breathtaking scenery…

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Cultural Sensitivity and Travel Writing

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After returning from a trip, travellers are usually consumed by an overwhelming desire to tell everyone about the amazing experience they have had. This is what a travel writer is paid to do in the most eloquent way possible. However, it can also be the hardest part to master when it comes to depicting and representing other cultures.

Cultural sensitivity should be paramount when writing travel content, but it is often sorely overlooked. Mariellen Ward of the Breathedreamgo travel blog has discussed the dangers of cultural imperialism (or the belief that your way of life is better) in travel writing, while photographer Bani Amor has criticised colonialism in travel literature.

As a graduate in Social Anthropology, and an experienced travel writer, I am aware of the complicated politics of writing about location, ethnicity and society. Although there is no one-size-fits-all phrasebook to help travel writers avoid all controversy, here are my top tips to help any well-meaning travel writer traverse this complicated terrain.

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