From first-person adventure articles in travel magazines to storytelling TV adverts for tourism brands, narrative has always played an important role in travel content writing. Just laying out the cold hard facts doesn’t always do the trick – even the most avid of travellers need a little inspiration and encouragement to visit a new place, try a new service or buy a new product; being told to do so isn’t enough. That’s where telling a compelling story can help.<\/p>\n

Read on for examples of great travel narratives, and advice on how to use storytelling in your own content writing.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Truth and honesty<\/strong>
\nIntegrity is vital with travelogues, and readers should be confident that a writer has experienced what they are recommending. A travel article, guide or even blog written without first-hand experience cheats the audience. However, there are examples of fictional travel writing that work by 1) being honest about the fiction of the piece and 2) evoking a real authenticity, by reflecting real-life experience and by speaking to a relevant audience.<\/p>\n

A good example of a relatable fiction is in travel brand advertising. Travel agents Thomson have a campaign featuring Miles<\/a>, a raggedy and disenchanted one-eyed teddy bear, who finally finds a reason to smile during a holiday with his family. As luck would have it, his smile also bears a striking resemblance to the Thompson logo.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a classic story: sweet, simple and relatable in so far as the bear\u2019s humdrum existence probably isn\u2019t too far removed from that of your average nine-to-fiver. They too could find a way to escape the tiring repetition of day-to-day life. How? With a\u00a0holiday booked through Thompson. Of course,\u00a0the audience isn\u2019t explicitly told this. They\u2019re told a story and given just enough breathing room to come to this (truthful) conclusion by themselves.<\/p>\n