Best Kept Secrets of Successful
Travel Writers

chillibreeze writer — Ramya Iyer

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Matthew Gavin Frank, the winner of The Best Travel Writer Award 2008 and 2009, said in one of his interviews, “Surrender. To the strange land — especially to strange people — and the strange food, just surrender.” Those are the exact words that echo in my mind, while I write this piece. Travel writing is more than just the writing. The idea is to have the right approach to travel in the first place, to be able to open oneself to the unknown. To start with, one needs to have a basic sense of life on the road. And travel, not travel writing should be one’s priority. You will be able to write only what you seize, what you grapple, what you grasp. Hence, the primary plan is to learn to see the right things, to be able to discover their worth, and to appreciate them with abandon.

As a Writer

Research: The ultimate clue to good travel, and thus travel writing is to be open to the experience, to soak in what you are learning and then communicate to your reader what you have seen, felt and discovered. Hence, the less surprised you are the more astounding things you will be able to capture on the road. It is especially important that you research your travel and destination well. Read articles and reviews of people who have already been there and done that. The amount of information on the internet can be intimidating but if you are patient, you can find some very helpful trinkets on the web. Be prepared but expect the unexpected.

Personality: You may wonder what a writer’s personality has to do with his writing. What your writing depicts is your personality, intelligence, wit, and your style. It is thus very essential that you develop these to what you would like yourself to be appraised as. The first thing that would strike you about a traveler, be it a travel writer or a TV presenter, will be his persona. It is vital that you are approachable. People should be able to just respond to your smile and feel at ease; that’s when the true tales begin and you will truly experience the place and its people.

Story Angle: Unless you are going to be the first person landing on Uranus, you’d better find a good story angle. A destination is a story. Write the story. Travel writing is part reporting, part diary and part providing traveler information, so no one wants to read only about ‘how to get there’ and ‘the tourist attractions’. Take your reader somewhere new and show them something fresh.

The Writing

The Lead: Treat your article like a story. The first paragraph needs to leave the reader dangling with an unanswered question on his mind, propelling him into the next paragraph and sometimes beyond, for an answer.

Paint a Picture: Be expressive and generous with the description. Paint a picture for your reader. Don’t use big words like “endearing abode” or clichéd epithets like “splendid”. Keep it simple and explain how it is an endearing abode or what makes it splendid. For example, if it is a church you are talking about, you need to illuminate to your reader, what the churches look like, thus painting a picture of the church with your words. More importantly use your personal voice and humor. Do the unexpected.

People Love Stories, People Read Stories, People Make Stories: It is important that you give your reader what they can easily relate to. What better than stories about people just like them! A reader wants to discover the people in your travel article much more than the natural beauty or the economical stature of the location. So give him that. Include a lot of local people in your story. Write dialogues, conversations and quotes from these people. Quotes lift stories. It also brings a sense of immediacy. Your personal experiences is what you reader wants to dwell into. Also, don’t forget to talk about the culture, the local cuisine, the music and overall, the whole experience.

Be Crisp: Here is where your personality comes into play. Don’t give out all details. Elongated, extensive narratives by self-centered writers who think everyone wants to know the diminutive details of their day, including their digestive problems, is a total turnoff for a reader.

Balance is the key: Balance out the information and the description. A good write up has 3/4th description and 1/4th facts. Though writing a story is essential, equally essential is the information on the best way to get there. And if you have made mistakes in your travel, you should guide your reader, mistakes they can avoid. Hence, it is important that your write-up has strong and helpful information.

Travel is a healthy addiction. In travel is the ability to snap oneself out of one’s comfort zone, which is enlivening and enlightening. The transmission of your experiences in words and pictures is what travel writing is. So happy travelling and happy writing!

Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com).

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in October, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Ramya Iyer has a post graduate diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from Xavier Institute of Communications and works as a freelance writer and editor with a couple of online magazines and websites. She also works as a freelance event manager with event management Companies. She writes features, especially profiles and has a knack for research. She is learning photography and is an active volunteer, working with children. She is currently based out of Mumbai as well as Pune.

Best Kept Secrets of Successful Travel Writers

chillibreeze writer — Ramya Iyer

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Best Kept Secrets of Successful
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