Tips for travel writing

If you fancy entering this year's travel writing competition, launching tomorrow in Saturday's Guardian or just want to improve your work check out these handy tips from the Guardian Travel team Writing courses to inspire you, from Croatia to Scotland

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1 inShare1 Email Gemma Bowes and Guardian travel writers The Guardian, Friday 23 September 2011 13.03 BST

Don't tell - show. Describe the colours, sounds and smells of what you see as vividly as you can. Photograph: Atlantide Phototravel/Corbis/Massimo Borchi

Write in the first person, past tense (or present if the action really justifies it), and make your story a personal account, interwoven with facts, description and observation. Many writers start their piece with a strong but brief anecdote that introduces the general feeling, tone and point of the trip and story. Something that grabs the reader's attention and makes them want to read on. Don't start with the journey to the airport start with something interesting, not what happened first.

 Early on you need to get across the point of the story and trip where you were, what were you doing there and why. If there is a hook a new trend, discovery or angle make that clear within the first few paragraphs. Try to come up with a narrative thread that will run throughout the piece, linking the beginning and end; a point you are making. The piece should flow, but don't tell the entire trip chronologically, cherry pick the best bits, anecdotes and descriptions, that will tell the story for you. Quotes from people you met can bring the piece to life, give the locals a voice and make a point it would take longer to explain yourself. Quote people accurately and identify them, who are they, where did you meet them? Avoid cliches. Try to come up with original descriptions that mean something. Our pet hates include: "bustling markets"... "azure/cobalt sea"... "nestling among" ... "hearty fare" ... "a smorgasbord of...". Don't use phrases and words you wouldn't use in speech (such as "eateries" or "abodes"), and don't try to be too clever or formal; the best writing sounds natural and has personality. It should sound like you. Don't try to be "gonzo" or really hilarious, unless you're sure it's working. Check your facts! It's good to work in some interesting nuggets of information, perhaps things you've learned from talking to people, or in books or other research, but use reliable sources and double-check they are correct. Write economically don't waste words on sentences that could be condensed. Eg say "there was a..." not "it became apparent to me that in fact there existed a...". Moments that affected you personally don't necessarily make interesting reading. Avoid tales of personal mishaps missed buses, diarrhoea, rain unless pertinent to the story. Focus on telling the reader something about the place, about an experience that they might have too if they were to repeat the trip. Five more tips from Guardian travel writers Author Giles Foden says he always feels travel writing benefits from a cinematic approach, in that you need to vary the focus wide lens for setting and landscape; medium lens for context and colour; zoom lens for detail and narrative and switch between the views in a piece. It may

sound a bit precious, but it's a very handy tip for varying the pace of an article. Andy Pietrasik, head of Guardian Travel Travel journalism should add to the wealth of information already out there in guidebooks and on websites, so try to seek out the more off-the-beatentrack places to eat, drink, visit often the places locals might frequent. Revealing a new or different side to a destination will give your story a richness that you won't get with a description of a visit to the tourist cafe in the main square. Isabel Choat, online travel editor What sets good travel writing apart is detail, detail, detail. Which cafe, on what street, overlooking what view? You must sweep the reader up and carry them off on the journey with you. Paint an evocation of where you are so we can experience it along with you. Be specific and drop "stunning", "breathtaking" and "fantastic" from your lexicon, otherwise it's just a TripAdvisor entry. Sally Shalam, Guardian hotel critic An important rule of creative travel writing is to show, not tell, wherever possible. Readers want to feel as if they're eavesdropping on a conversation, or being shown something secret and magical. People don't like being told what to think. If a child wearing rags made you sad, for example, describe the child, their clothes, the way they carried themselves. Assume readers are sentient. If you write it well, they will "feel" what effect the encounter had on you. This is much more powerful than saying, "I felt sad." Mike Carter, Guardian contributor and author of One Man and his Bike My golden rule when writing a piece is to include as much visual description as possible. It's easy to presume a lot, but your readers don't know what you've seen. So explain it as vividly as possible. Don't ever describe something as "characterful" or "beautiful" this doesn't mean anything to anybody but you. Describe things as if you were explaining them to a blind person. To say a building is "old" isn't good enough; explain the colours, the peeling stucco, the elaborate, angular finishes on windowsills, the cleaning lady in a faded blue smock who was leaning out of a second-storey window with a cigarette dangling from her mouth. There is a thin line between elaborate, colourful, evocative writing and pretentious tosh, but it's better to lean towards the pretentious tosh side of the spectrum than to be dull and presumptuous.

How to Write Travel Stories That Sell

Writing by tonyhall

How do I get paid for my travel writing? Its a common question here at TBA. And fortunately, weve got an expert lined up to answer all your questions. In this MASSIVE guest post, Leyla Giray from Women-on-the-Road.com reveals how she became a successful travel writer and how you can, too! She originally released this as an eBook but was kind enough to share this info with Academy members (so be sure to thank her in the comments!)

Become a Travel Writer In 6 Easy Steps:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Angling Your Story Getting the Facts, Getting the Story Letting the Story Speak for Itself Turning Your Reader into a Viewer The Irresistible Story The Most Important Lesson of All

Enter Leyla

Ive worked my way across Africa by writing. And Asia. And the Caribbean. Ive worked from palm-fronded beaches, desert oases, icy mountaintops and tropical rainforests. I rode camels in Morocco and elephants in Thailand, swam with stingrays off the coast of Eritrea, got lost in the Amazon, fetched my own water and built my own cooking fire in the heart of Zimbabwe. I have been privileged to see the world at my pace, combining my love of travel with my love of writing. And you will too if youre serious about writing stories that sell. Now dont get me wrong it was a bit like roses: beautiful, but with a few thorns along the way. Its not easy to make a living as a travel writer: it takes hard work, a reasonable command of the English language, and a helping hand from those who have done this before you. So if youve always dreamed of travel writing and thought you couldnt think again. During these six lessons Im going to share my hard-earned arsenal of tricks with you.

If you apply them and work at learning your craft from the ground up, youll be getting closer to writing and selling your travel stories. And what comes next is the freedom to travel and see the world, in a way you never dreamed. Are you ready for the first lesson on how to be a professional travel writer? Lets get started on the magic ingredients essential for a saleable story, one that an editor will be happy to pay you for. Back to Top

Lesson 1: Angling Your Story

Question mark made of puzzle pieces by Horia Varlan

Getting the angle or the peg is one of the most important decisions youll ever make when you write a story. Without an angle, you have no story. You know what youre seeing and what you want to write about. Now you have to figure out how to slant it. Let me explain.

Paris is a big city.

Thats a description.

Even though Paris isnt the worlds biggest city, it looms large in the heart of romantics everywhere.
Not a great sentence, but it tells the beginning of a story it has an angle, an idea, a perspective, an approach. Writing a travel story isnt about delirious descriptions or lists of must-see sights. Editors can find these on any website or guidebook. Your job is to provide a little extra, a twist that will make something old seem new, or something common seem exceptional. Do you know how few travel writers actually realize this? Many writers think a good description, well-written, with plenty of colorful adjectives, makes a great travel story. Most editors, on the other hand, are looking for something more. One technique I use to find new story angles when Im writing about a place is to insert a word right after my destination. Let me show you how. Were writing about Paris, right? So why not try: Paris romance

Each one of these could easily yield a dozen story ideas.

Another technique I use is to ask these questions: Whats new about this? Whats first about this? Whats biggest, smallest, oldest, youngest, best or worst about this? Whats special about this? These are the things that will sell your writing. Editors want to learn something from your piece: if they learn something, so will the reader. They want to feel excited and inspired by looking at a place through a different lens. You can provide that difference. I hope this makes sense! In case it doesnt yet, let me give you another example from my own experience. On a trip to Thailand I didnt write about my itinerary, nor did I provide a long list of tourist attractions. Heres what I explored instead: #1. Scrumptious Thai food what it is, how to prepare it, how to shop for it, best restaurants, eating utensils, etiquette, unusual food specialties, the difference between Royal cuisine and common cuisine #2. Relaxing beaches where to bliss out, visiting The Beach film set, massages on the beach, best beaches, living cheaply on the beach, and the safety of beaches after the tsunami #3. Shopping in Thailand amazing Chattuchak Market, antique shops, tailored clothes at Thai prices, the history of Thai silk, Jim Thompsons story #4. Spiritual Thailand best meditation retreats, reflexology on every street corner, Thai temples and what they mean #5. Poverty child beggars, refugees from Burma, deforestation in the North, prostitution in broad daylight, trafficking of women and children (these arent technically travel stories, but I care about these issues so I wrote them and sold them) When you set out to write a travel story, remember its not one story, its many. Imagine writing your own stories from each of these angles, and selling each to a different paper, magazine or site I pretty much did and Ill show you how you can too a bit later. So when youre thinking of writing your travel story, ask yourself: can I find multiple angles?

Paris food Paris fashion Paris language Paris history Paris museums Paris flea markets Paris streets Paris fountains Paris chocolate Paris pastries Paris theater

If not, youre shooting yourself in the foot. Youll have fewers stories to write and to sell, so youll make less money. Imagine all that research about Paris just to sell one or two stories on the city as a destination. Not really worth it, is it? Ive given you plenty of ideas: now its time to come up with some of your own!

ASSIGNMENT #1: Practice finding angles Choose a destination you can get to easily or that you know well. Make a list of possible story angles. Dont stop until you come up with at least 20 interesting story angles for your destination. Then choose another destination and start again. Once youre confident, challenge yourself: choose difficult destinations. The more boring your choice, the harder youll have to work to find a great story angle. Remember youre laying important groundwork by doing this.
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Lesson 2: Getting the Facts, Getting the Story

Euros and Magnifying Glass by Images_of_Money

Do you ever ask yourself how to get all the facts you need? It happens to travel writers all the time. We travel to a destination, take copious notes, then come home to write, only to find huge gaps in our knowledge. Theres only one way to avoid that: do your researchbefore you go. Thats right. Find out everything you can about your destination before you ever step on the plane. And dont worry, your spontaneity wont be ruined, on the contrary. By knowing as much as you can beforehand, youre leaving yourself free to observe and absorb rather than trying to write every little detail down. So how would I get started on my research? Say my destination is Montreal. In winter. (Yes, people do visit then.) Heres what my research path looks like.

Head to the library

The first thing I do is go to my local library and check out a few history books to get the feel of the place history of Canada, of Quebec, Indian and colonial times.

Tales of everyday life in times past, especially in winter, are great tidbits youll want to sprinkle through your story. What did people use for fuel? What did they wear? Eat? How did they spend the winter?

Read like a local

I then read some literature written by Montrealers or about Montrealers authors like Mordecai Richler, for example modern fiction but also historical novels, something that will tell me why things are the way they are. Whats the story behind the Jacques Cartier bridge? What was the historical role of Old Montreal? Why is ice hockey so popular?

Lay the foundation

I then move to more general information. Ill first buy or borrow a recent guidebook or two and read through to get the big picture. Then, Ill follow with a lengthy search online: official tourist office sites, Wikipedia, the CIA Factbook, blogs by Montrealers any useful source of general information. A word of warning though: by relying too much on the Internet, youll come up with the same information everyone else has including mistakes. This is lazy writing and can be dangerously inaccurate.

Read the news

I read the news, papers like the Montreal Gazette, magazines with websites, and national publications with Montreal content. I need to get a sense of what a community thinks is important not to mention the practical value of news. Will there be a strike during my stay? An election? Is there a crime wave? And of special importance in winter whats the weather like?

Map it out

I always want lots of maps not the Google printout kind, either. I want the hard, foldable ones that crunch in my hand, so I write to the Tourist Office they often have free maps of the area, especially if you tell them youre a travel writer.

Local brochures a goldmine for travel writers

While Im at it I also ask for any brochures to make sure I havent overlooked any obvious points of interest. Youd be surprised at how many tourist brochures actually contain offbeat information you wont find anywhere else. I may even set up an appointment to interview the head of the tourist office if I think its useful to my story. Too much work? Not if you want to sell. And now, the best for last

Talk to people
Shy?

Youll have to get over it because some of your most memorable words will come from other peoples mouths. Youll never know where a story will lead you if youre not open to sharing yourself with others and vice versa. And anyway, it makes travel so much more fun when the tourist becomes the storyteller! But who should you talk to? First I look around my own networks, online and in person. Then I approach helpful travel forums like BootsNAll or Lonely Planets Thorn Tree. I usually find hundreds of helpful posts and if I dont, I just post my own questions there.

ASSIGNMENT #2: Learn to research Choose a destination near you, one you dont know intimately. Choose a story angle. Map out what your research would look like: What questions would you need to answer? What would you read? Who would you contact? What else would you do? Be as specific as you can because when you get your first assignment, this is exactly what youll have to do. And then do it for another story. And another, until this becomes second nature.
The research is essential. Once youre on the road, youll be able to concentrate on whats around you. Youll be free to let your creativity take over, safe in the knowledge that all the facts you need are already neatly tucked away. A final word on research: get it organized. It wont be of much use if its scattered all over the house. Choose a system, manual or electronic, and be disciplined with your filing. Back to Top

Lesson 3: Letting the Story Speak for Itself

Journalist Day 4 by Sleeping Sun

The best travel destination in the world wont help you write and sell a story if you dont have an angle (remember Lesson 1?). And like it or not, one of the best ways to get an angle not to mention authenticity and credibility is by interviewing people. People like talking, sharing information and being taken seriously. If you want to become a travel writer, youve got to learn to interview people. It isnt enough to do all the research and describe it beautifully you need someone who knows the destination. This can be an expert or just someone who has experienced what you are about to describe.

Im about to share with you some of the ways you can 1. Decide whom to interview. 2. Actually arrange the interview. 3. Conduct the interview. 4. Write it up once you have it. We have but one goal here: to get your story written and preferably sold, turning you into a successful travel writer with a lucrative travel writing career. And heres how you can use interviews to reach that goal

Find the right people for your interview.

Remember the Montreal in winter piece? Youve found several potential angles (Lesson 1), done your research (Lesson 2), and now you need to bring it all to life and make it real by getting the real story from the experts (Lesson 3). In other words, youll talk to people in the know people who will tell you what they know about your chosen destination. And both of you will have fun doing it. Here are some potential interviewees for your story: Tourist board officials to get the official story: theyll tell you what there is to do in Montreal in winter, the underground shopping arcade, hockey games and ice castles anything officially touristy. Normal people on the street called a streeter or vox pop: you could ask, What is the best thing about winter in Montreal? What is the worst? How can you have fun here in winter? Why dont you move to a warmer climate? Answers to these questions could lead your story into an entirely new direction. Local tour guides take the tour and interview the guide: What do people like most on the tour? Whats the least popular sight? Chances are their tastes will match those of your readers. Winter lovers: ice sculptors, figure skaters, ski instructors, hockey players, everyone who makes a living out of turning winter into something fun A local historian at the university: Why did people settle here despite the climate? How did cold and winter influence the history of the city? Are there any interesting anecdotes linking the citys history to winter? A celebrity or personality who still lives in Montreal and who hasnt migrated to a warmer climate why on earth is s/he still there? And when you return home are there any famous Montrealers living in your city? What do they miss most? (If there are no famous expatriates, any Montrealer will do!) Interviews will make your story that much more real. You dont need many for some short pieces, a single interview with a two-sentence quote will be enough. For longer stories, you may need two or three interviews.

How to snag the interview.

You should get your potential interviewees to WANT the interview, to desire it. What? WANT to do the interview? Absolutely. Youd be surprised how many people love being quoted. Lets go back to our list of potential interviewees: Tourist board officials: dont worry, its their job to be interviewed. Just call their public relations or media office, tell them youre a travel writer (sounds nice, doesnt it?) and what

youre writing about. Theyll organize it. If this is your first stab at interviewing, your friendly tourism official is a great way to start. They actually want to share their information with you. Everyday people on the street: just walk up to them and ask. Tell them who you are and why youre asking. Youll probably get one person out of five to talk to you you only need a few. And, people often like to see their name in print so it may be easier than you think! If youre too shy to stop people on the street, walk into a caf and find someone who looks like they have a bit of time on their hands reading a free newspaper, for instance, or gazing at everyone else. Local tour guides: ask before you take the tour a tour guide might need permission from his or her manager. Youll rarely get a No, especially if you mention youll be quoting so and so, a tour guide for X company in your story. They get a plug, and you get the interview. A local historian at the university: the public relations or press office of the university will be delighted to arrange it for you. Why would they have a press officer if theyre not looking for publicity? A celebrity: youll usually have to track down their agent. Search the web for such things as contact celebrities or find celebrities and youll end up with more sites than youll be able to use. Will they talk to you? Not always, but more often than you think. The good thing about interviewees is that if one person says No, you simply move on to the next on your list until you get a yes. Persistence is part of the job.

Conducting the interview.

Interviewing is part art, part skill. The good news is that the skill part can easily be learned. An interview is a conversation, led by someone curious (that would be you!) Imagine youve just met someone and you want to get to know all about them. What do you d o? You ask questions. Prepare a few beforehand just enough to get the ball rolling.

What do you think about? How do you feel about? What is the best? What is your least favorite? When is the best time to visit? What brought you to the? What is the most interesting thing about? How many? Who? When? Why?

Just be curious, and the rest should naturally flow. As for recording the words of wisdom youll pluck during an interview, there are three ways I can think of: 1. By taking written notes the most common way and the least intimidating for the interviewee

2. By recording sound with a professional device or a simple MP3 (make sure your subject doesnt object) 3. By recording pictures with a digital video camera (again, check that its all right) Each has its advantage but the more elaborate you get, the more intimidated your subject will feel. Unless Im actually producing a piece for radio or television, I simply take notes. Write down your quotes accurately. Get the persons exact title. Spell his or her name properly. And always, always get a contact email or number so you can check things later. Youll need to theres no such thing as getting everything right, all of the time, especially the first time.

How to use your interview.

The biggest problem in writing up your interviews will be what to leave out, not what to use. You may interview someone for half an hour and only use two sentences. In fact, this is more the rule than the exception. Let me give you an example. Youre interviewing the head of the Montreal Tourist Board. Youll be asking all sorts of questions how many people visit the city in winter, why, what are the selling points, what clothes to bring, what to avoid. You might extract a few facts and figures from the interview and sprinkle them throughout your story, not as quotes but as background information. For example, you may tell your readers what clothes to bring, what temperature to expect, and how to get around despite the cold and snow, all of it based on information from your interview. Youll follow those facts with the interview segment itself, which might run something like this:

Few people think of visiting Montreal in winter, and thats a shame, said Jane Doe, President of the Tourist Board of Greater Montreal. If anything, our city is more fun in winter than summer where else could you learn to make an ice sculpture, skate a Figure 8 with an Olympic medallist as teacher, build an igloo, or shop indoors all day without having to step outside?
Can you see how short that is? And can you see how well the quote captures what you need to say? Quotes provide color and texture to your story. You can park the more boring facts elsewhere.

ASSIGNMENT #3: Choose one of the many story angles you developed in Lesson 1 and map out your interviews. Make a list of potential interviewees. Then make a list of 10 questions you would ask each of them. Try to imagine which bits youll use and where theyll go. Youll see an article beginning to take shape in your mind.
Interviewing someone is all about putting your common sense to work. Know what you want, then ask for it. But be open-minded. You never know how someone might answer a question and what path that answer might lead you down if you only listen. Back to Top

Lesson 4: Turning Your Reader into a Viewer

7dcp1020714-mitchies-camera by Wolfgang Lonien

This guide is dedicated to setting you apart from the crowd to showing you how to write saleabletravel articles. If you can think up the angles, do the research, approach people for interviews and write up your story you may have what it takes to make a real living out of this. But theres one other step How often have you heard this?

A picture is worth 1000 words.

I hear it from editors all the time: give me visuals! Sometimes photos (and video, if youre submitting to a website) make the difference between a sale and a rejection. If you cant recreate your story through pictures, your editor may look for someone who can. Your success or failure as a travel writer depends on just a few factors and a visually appealing story is definitely one of them. Imagine a beautifully written travel piece that tries to describe an African sunset splashing orange rays shimmering over the horizon Very nice, but wouldnt it be even better just to show one? For example:

Better than 1,000 words, right?

With the range of affordable digital point-and-shoot cameras now on the market, its almost impossible to take a bad picture. Here are a few simple rules that almost guarantee youll take great travel photographs.

10 Simple Tips to Take Professional Photos

#1. Do your homework before you go. There might be a festival or special event taking place during your trip a great photo opportunity you wont want to miss. #2. Spend a bit of time on composition. Get in close remove the non-essentials from your picture. Keep your backgrounds uncluttered and simple dont distract your viewer. #3. Never bisect your photographs. In other words, dont cut them in two, for example with the horizon across the middle. Use the rule of thirds instead. Put your horizon in the top or bottom third of your picture. Faces too: position someone in the left or right side of your photograph, not in the middle. Leave that silly frontal look for a passport picture. #4. Take colorful shots, but beware not too much color. Force the eye to focus: a bright flower against a plain background will show up far better than a bright flower against a multicolored background. #5. The edge of your photograph may be straight, but the world around you isnt. Find landscapes that curve or follow a line to soften the eye. If you do shoot a horizon, dont shoot it at an angle. Unless you have a steady hand youll need a tripod or something to support your camera. #6. Nothing is as compelling as a photograph with people. Just make sure you ask permission first (you dont legally need a release if youre using a photograph editorially as part of a newspaper or magazine story under what is known as fair use; you only need a release for advertisements or if youre using the photograph to make money directly on a mug or poster, for example. But many editors actually dont know this and demand releases anyway so be prepared to provide them if it means the difference between making a sale or not. #7. Photograph people going about their daily routines. Avoid the group or head shot. Theres nothing as boring as a group of people standing around staring at the camera. #8. Be aware that some places apply strict rules to photography. I was once chased around a Nigerian market with a machete because I tried to photograph a vegetable seller without her permission. In some countries many things are out of bounds, from military buildings to airports and sometimes even schools. Check first. #9. Choose your camera wisely. Nothing too complicated you need something simple and easy to carry. Just make sure its sturdy. With digital photography you can check your photographs on the spot and if you dont like what you see, shoot again. Dont forget to carry a spare battery and memory cards they do corrupt. Or get lost. And back up at the end of each day. #10. Finally read the manual! Dont wait until a glorious sunset to decipher instructions. Youll need to know how to override auto controls, correct for motion blur or achieve a specific effect like light or dark before you take your photographs.

A quick word on photo guidelines

Magazines and websites usually have guidelines for photographers. Some magazines (fewer every day) still insist on 35mm slides, while the rest want high-resolution digital shots. Guidelines are different for each publication, so check before you submit.

Where you must stop first on any trip

I cant let you go without giving you one last tip: when you get to your destination, your first stop should be the postcard shop. Have a look at what the pros are shooting especially the angles and composition and do the same, not to copy what you see, but to use the image to inspire up your own. If youre interviewing someone, place them in that picture. If these postcards sell by the thousands, your similarly-framed shots should sell too. Once youve got the basic shot wrapped up, then you can experiment. But get your main shot first.

ASSIGNMENT #4: Time to think visually Choose a destination youd like to visit and make a list of 10 photographs you might take there. Explain how each shot would contribute to your story. Include not only landscapes and sights of interest but people as well. Who or what would you shoot? Why? Why one shot and not another? Write captions for each story. Will they add information to whats already in the photograph?
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Lesson 5: The Irresistible Story

Money by 401K 2012

Weve talked about the importance of finding a story angle, researching the story, snagging great interviews, and taking fantastic photographs Now, learn how to make your story so compelling an editor wont be able to resist it and will payto publish it! In case you havent noticed, this entire guide is focused on getting an editor to: 1) read your story, and 2) to buy it. And if the editor doesnt first read your story, she cant buy it. If she does read it, shell have to like it so much shell be desperate to buy it (and isnt this exactly the response you want?) I cant say it any more clearly: your career as a travel writer depends on whether an editor reads your story, and then buys it. And it all starts with a gripping headline. Heres what I mean. 1. Keep it short. The shorter the headline the better. Keep it to five words, seven at most. Make every word count. Draw pictures with your words.

Poor: Many Different Styles of Cooking Coexist in Dubai Better: Dubais Delicious Diversity 2. Keep it active rather than passive. Poor: Man is Bitten by Dog Good: Dog Bites Man 3. Keep it honest. A flashy headline is great but only if its true. I write the headline afterIve written the story. Others do the opposite. No matter, as long as the two match. Dont make promises or raise expectations in the headline that you fail to deliver in the story. 4. Go for the familiar.

Sounds of Silence on Cape Cod

Plays on your knowledge of music, and notice the cadence of sounds?

Le Tour du Chocolat
Even if you dont speak French theres a good chance youll know this is about travel, France and chocolate.

Out of Africa, the Wisdom of a Warrior

Plays on a movie and on rhythm and alliteration (note the constant consonants W and W). These three headlines from the New York Times travel section play on familiarity things you may know or have heard of, but not necessarily in the same context. Still, theyre familiar. 5. Keep it gripping. A headline grips the readers attention but it must also grab the editor. Use poetry and alliteration. Make your headline sing and dance. Use numbers. Use superlatives. Use active verbs. 6. Keep it clear. Theres little worse than an ambiguous headline, especially one trying to be funny or to deliver puns that fall flat and only confuse the reader. Have a look at these bad headlines and youll see what I mean. Stay away from being clever you rarely will be. If you cant think of anything brilliant or creative, just be clear and succinct tell the reader what to expect in the story, and then deliver. Here are a few examples of clear headlines that deliver on their promise: Comfort Food at Comforting Prices in Paris (New York Times, 2004) 9 Days in Switzerland, by Trail and by Rail (Marco Polo Magazine, 2004) Wild Ways: Beyond Victorias manicured gardens (Islands, 2003) For sail: A slower, smaller option (Chicago Tribune, 2003) The High Cost of Low Fares (Conde Nast Traveler, 2003) So lets just recap: what goes into a good headline? It is short. It is active. It is honest. It grabs you. It is specific. It is clear. It feels familiar. It leads into the story. Heres what your headline should not be: It shouldnt be vague or general. It shouldnt ask a question it doesnt answer. It shouldnt be passive.

It shouldnt be clever just for the sake of it. It shouldnt be too cute rhymes, puns and humor only work if they are extraordinarily good. By now it should come as no surprise that writing a good headline can be harder than writing a good story and may take as much time to write. (Adam: If youre stuck on headlines, check out

these 101 headline templates.)

ASSIGNMENT #5: Get a copy of your weekend newspaper travel section and look at the headlines. Are they any good? Do they fit the criteria for good headlines? How so? If not, how could you improve them? Now choose a travel destination and a great story angle. Write three headlines for your story. Once youre satisfied, do it again for another story. The headline is crucial: it can sell your story. Not that easy, is it?
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Lesson 6: The Most Important Lesson of All

Recycle jute bag by lydia_shiningbrightly

Its now time for me to share my number one technique to guarantee you actually make money travel writing rather than just feed your passion. If you dont apply this lesson, you may become a wonderful travel writer but you wont make a living at it. The secret to making money as a travel writer is to sell the same story over and over again in other words, to recycle it! Its the only way to make a decent living. Most travel writing doesnt pay much so you have to stretch every trip as far as you can. Remember how in our first lesson we discussed finding new angles to old stories? This is a similar technique but it goes a step further. Not only do you find lots of angles for a single story, but you also market to several publications. If you visit the Alps on a skiing trip, you could easily query a skiing magazine with an obvious skiing in the Alps story. But thats just one story. Now imagine this: You query food magazines with stories about cheese fondue, tartiflette and raclette, and other popular Alpine after-skiing foods. You query backpacking magazines with stories about hiking Alpine trails, ultralight backpacks or how to survive at high altitude. You query winter sports magazines about winter hiking in the Alps, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.

You query an architecture or building magazine about Swiss chalet architecture. You query a popular nature magazine about unusual Alpine flowers. You query a real estate magazine about how to rent or buy or renovate an Alpine chalet. You query a sports clothing and equipment magazine about whats cool and unusual on the international slopes this year. You query a transport magazine about picturesque private trains still operating in the Swiss Alps. You query mainstream travel magazines, websites and newspaper travel sections with destination pieces covering the region as a whole (Alps), broken down by country (French Alps, Italian Alps, Swiss Alps, Austrian Alps, Northern Alps, Southern Alps) or resort (Zermatt, Val dIsere). I can think of dozens more. And since youre in the region, why not write some great destination pieces on one of the nearby cities like Geneva or Lyon? You get the picture. Take one trip, and resell it dozens of times simply by changing the angle and the market. Thats recycling. Its quite straightforward. First, check the publications writers guidelines (Ive prepared this fun little guide that demystifies guidelines for you). Then, download a sample query letter, adapt the content to your chosen publication and send it to the appropriate editor. Repeat for each submission. The trick is to think this through before you travel so youll know what to look for once youre there. Unless youre planning a food story, you might not ask a chef for the secret ingredient in his tartiflette or the tourist board about the history of fondue.

ASSIGNMENT #6: Pick one of your best story angles and sit with it for a bit. Make a list of 10 new stories spinoffs based on that original story. Each special feature of your destination can become its own story. You should easily be able to come up with 10 ways to recycle your original story with a new target audience in mind every time. If you can do this over and over again for a dozen stories, youll be ready to sell.
Back to Top You now have everything you need to get started on your travel writing career. I hope youve enjoyed the book, but its so packed with information I could have easily made it three times as long that you should probably go back and reread it several times. Id like to wish you all the best in your quest to become a travel writer! If you want to see the world and get paid for it, youve taken the first few steps. Dont get discouraged if you dont succeed immediately I didnt, and neither did most writers I know. It takes practice to develop the craft of writing, and the best way to practice is to keep writing, keep submitting, keep rewriting and eventually keep selling. Any questions on how to become a travel writer? Let me know in the comments below!