Share
Travel writing could be quite tricky unlike writing on any other subject, of which you could do some research, collate and provide your opinion.
If you are to write on any other, the reader may be left to make his or her own conclusions as to the facts presented, which would not necessarily be based on what you have written.
What you write could border on either fact or fiction, whatever facts are available could be rewritten but fiction could be created.
This may not be the case with travel writing, where the reader should imagine him or her in your shoes with the illusion created that you have physically been there.
The reader would like to know the little intricacies about your travel experience because either the reader intends going there or has been there before.
The primary objective in travel writing is to induce the reader to consider that particular location or locations to be included in his or her next holiday.
If you could sway that decision in the reader, it would have served your purpose and the idea of writing the article could be considered a success.
There are many travel articles being written around the world, on many locations, so it would be similar to finding a needle in a haystack if you are to know whether you have been successful in your endeavor.
Hence it is a classic example of groping in the dark, without an iota of evidence to know, whether what you wrote, had any impact on any prospective traveler.
On that context we could consider the following as relevant if you as a travel writer would like to impress upon, create an interest and induce the reader to travel to the location.
Avoid muddy waters
This is not fiction hence beware of what you write especially when describing places of interest which would generally be a larger part of the article.
Don’t for a moment cast a doubt in the mind of the reader that you have not really been to the location and writing not with personal experience but borrowed experience.
It would not be lost on the reader if he or she is smart enough, which we should consider seriously that most are, to read between the lines and conclude that you have never been there.
Keep it free flowing
Keep the writing to an informal and free flowing style, after all this is a travel article and not one written officially from a corporate boardroom.
You may have to build a relaxed atmosphere around the article to enable the reader to shed the strict regime if there would be any to ensure imagination to run riot, in them.
People travel and take holidays to relax so leave out the dramatics, shove the reader into a happy and relaxed situation.
If there have been any serious incidents leave it to the news guys, you are not one, so take what is good and leave out the rest as it is beyond your brief.
In your own words
Try to impress upon the reader that you have been there and that the experience is all yours because only then would it convince others.
They could read between the lines and make their own conclusions hence there should be an element of authenticity about what you would write.
He or she would be reading the complete article with the idea that he or she wants to go on their next holiday to that destination hence there should be little things they could learn.
They would look for it and need to find that spark which would ignite their desire to visit the location and that would come from what you had written.
Balance the experience
Ensure that you balance the article with the right interests to cater to all segments because it would be read by a cross section of prospective travelers.
The article should cater to the young,elderly,the rich and the average keeping nobody out, which would ensure that your words reach a wider audience.
It should also contain a variety of interests from history, culture, sports, entertainment, and whatever else it could offer.
You may not know what the individual interests would be hence you need to cast the net far and wide to encompass every potential traveler.
Promote generally
A general idea of the location covering as much as possible of what is on offer preferably in a very relaxed way propagating much of a holiday destination rather than an official visit.
The reader should be engrossed from the beginning to the end about the place and a picture should be forming in the mind about what your words would foretell to him or her,
Cover as many places of interest as possible so that the variety would interest a majority of prospective travelers, providing more options in the article to reach a wider audience.
Try to understand what the readers would like which would not necessarily be what you would like hence the article should focus on them rather than you.
Be authentic
Be authentic in all that you write, without an iota of doubt being created which your readers may be able to see in your writing.
You should have been to the location to ensure 100% authenticity which could be far fetched sometimes to consider.
It is imperative, that the article should move the reader to take the initiative after reading it but he or she would not be, if it is not convincing enough.
Conclusion
Provide exactly what the prospective traveler would like to hear, that would be quite a difficult but you may have to come close to that.
Most travelers planning a holiday may not have a specific location in mind when they begin hence there is a chance for everyone.
It is how convincingly you place your location that the reader would be swayed and makes that much wanted decision.