1. Travel a lot- Unless you actually traveled on that dusty road, chances are you won’t be able to have that zing in your travel writing that will attract your reader’s to carry on reading.
A good travel writer must be curious about new places and people and should be completely bitten by the traveling bug! A wanderlust that is difficult to satisfy! So first and foremost, travel a lot and visit new places if you want to make your mark as a travel writer. If you are writing for a site, then write in such a way that you would if you were actually there at the spot!
2. The second thing is to write – Writing is the best way to improve your craft, be it writing for a blog or travel writing. Keep writing and you will definitely see the improvement in a few weeks. Travel writing is no exception an if you keep on practicing the art, you’ll get better by the day! If nothing else, you’ll at least have an account of your trip, something to read back after a few years.
3. Research your destination well – This of course is mandatory. If you want to write about a particular place, you better read up all you can about the place, its geography, history and local customs and incorporate as much as you can in your travel writing. A good knowledge of the region or culture will lend authenticity to your write up.
4. Focus on unusual details – Certain tidbits or local traditions can be an interesting starting point for building up your story on the destination at hand. Always look for some small intere4sting fact or detailing that other people have missed. Something that makes the place truly unique and attracts readers to visit it. Never miss out on the details. God lies in the details, remember! It could be something weird, funny or out rightly disgusting….but anything eye-grabbing will do.
5. Research your markets – If you are writing to friends or a travel blog, you probably know your audience already. But if you’re writing for magazines, newspapers, or a web site, make sure you’re familiar with the target audience. For example, if the readers are young and adventurous you can emphasize on the adventure activities in the place but, if the target audience are retirees or families focus on family spots or places the old and children can enjoy alike. Therefore it is very important to keep the target audience in mind before you start writing about a particular destination.
Travel writing is an art that can be learned easily provided you have two things- an insatiable desire to visit places and know different areas of the world and secondly, an ability to see and note down the details that would interest others!