12 Tacky Travel Writing Clichés to Avoid

Every writer and editor has their personal peccadilloes about overused travel writing terms such as ‘off the beaten path’ or ‘sun-drenched’, but individual qualms shouldn’t mean a blanket ban on these phrases. These may all be overused clichés, but sometimes — to borrow another particularly well-worn cliché — they hit the nail on the head.

However, there are some words and formulaic travel phrases that are so overused, they are positively exhausted. Many of them are churned out so regularly in travel writing that they have lost all meaning, and no longer register with readers. And yet, thanks to writerly laziness, these hackneyed phrases keep on cropping up again and again.

We have named and shamed 12 of the worst offenders below; our very own dirty dozen of travel writing clichés.

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Not a quaff

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Style Guides: Why Every Brand Needs One

It is a dilemma experienced by every brand. You know the written content that your company produces needs to be consistent, but the quantity of content required means that you’re employing multiple writers to work on it. So how do you ensure everyone is (ahem) on the same page? The answer is easy: by creating your own style guide.

We look at why style guides are essential for all companies – and why they are particularly vital for travel brands.

When it comes to style guides, it’s okay to borrow from other publications

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How to Write Amazing Killer Headlines That Will Change Your Readers’ Lives!

When it comes to writing blog posts or web copy, your headline is your first impression. It is an ultimate do-or-die chance to grab attention and impress your reader. If you fail, everything else you’ve written is as good as wasted.

In the age of information overload, every Tom, Dick and Harry from Timbuktu to Slough is peddling content. But the truth is that no normal human being can possibly keep up with the constant onslaught. As a result, audiences have become extra discerning, quickly scanning and skimming through headlines to decide what is and isn’t of interest. The only weapon for content producers in the fight for clicks is an alluring, attention-grabbing headline. To help you reel in the readers, we’ve outlined the best approaches to writing killer headlines for your content…

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What Makes a Great Travel Pitch?

In our last travel writing advice post, we looked at ways to find fresh angles and original travel content ideas. But finding a good idea is only the beginning – once you’ve done that, you still need to market that idea. It’s time to write up that all-important travel pitch. For many aspiring travel writers, this is the most difficult part of the process.

While hopeful writers busy themselves wrangling their own thoughts, ideas and experiences into a saleable travel story, commissioners have to sift through what must seem like a never-ending influx of proposals. They too face difficult choices, having to discern what – if anything – will work for their readership and whether the freelancer will be able to deliver the job to their standards. To help both the commissioner and the commissionee through the arduous pitching process, we’ve collated six important questions – ones that writers should ask themselves before they press send, and ones editors can use to identify a winning pitch. Simply scroll down to read them all.

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