Since the advent of the internet, everyone and their uncle has been offering advice on travel writing. Most of this advice is well meaning, but much of it is outdated, ineffective or just misinformed. Therefore, it needs debunking.
Pooling the extensive travel writing knowledge of our writers, we’ve come up with a shortlist of questionable tips that are regurgitated online again and again. So, without further ado, here are four bad tips that are best ignored.
In travel writing, endings matter. They are the last words the audience will read and, when done well, they have a tendency to linger. A good ending is the feeling or image that survives, the thing that keeps the story alive and kicking in the reader’s mind long after they’ve finished the article.
In our last writers’ blog, we dealt with the all-important opener. This time round, we’re turning our attention to the equally important conclusion. It may come last, but the ending should never be an afterthought.
Travel writing endings need to not only alert readers to the fact that the story is over, but they also need to reinforce the main points of the article. The chronological end to your experience is usually not the best choice (embarking on a return flight does not make a good finale); you’ll need to come up with something better. Anyone who regularly reads travel content will be aware that the quote has become a fairly standard way of wrapping things up. And although a juicy end quote can be extremely effective, it’s a trick that is fast becoming overused.
With that in mind, here are three other travel writing techniques that can help spice up your finale.
Never underestimate the power of a good opening line. First paragraphs — even just first sentences — will dictate your reader engagement. While the headline hooks your reader’s attention, it’s the introduction that reels them in.
Travel writing relies heavily on storytelling (we spoke about this already in a previous blog post), but it’s important to remember that good stories don’t always begin at the beginning.
As the New Year is fast approaching, we have been busy writing a number of seasonal travel blogs, articles and destination guides for a wide variety of travel clients. Our festive travel content writing has ranged from this blog on Christmas activities in southwest England to this microsite about how to enjoy a winter sun cruise this season.
But when it comes to complete luxury, it’s hard to beat our feature article about partying on private islands…
Produced by us for the very first issue of Private Air New York Magazine (Winter 2014/2015) – a new publication spin-off by our long-term client Private Air Luxury Homes Magazine – it was published in early December 2014.
The article focuses on eight of the most beautiful and exclusive private islands in the world, covering everywhere from Fiji to The Bahamas, Zambia to Cambodia, and the kind of New Year’s Eve parties you could enjoy on them.
Fancy being whisked off to another world of exclusive luxury? Then scroll down to read the article now…
