what are the types of travel writing

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Types of travel writing. What path do you choose?

• 11/07/2022 11/25/2022

In any discipline, there are specific standards and rules. When we talk about a text coming out of a writer’s mind – and here we include travel writers – we think about the fact that it has ‘erupted’ freely, imaginatively, and very personally. However, every writer needs to know that any good text follows the rules of certain structural conventions. Travel writing can be divided into several categories, and it is quite important for a person who wants to become a travel writer to know and use the types of travel writing as such, as this is one of how he will prove his professionalism.

Knowing the types of travel writing will make discussions with the editors to whom you will send your texts more accessible. If an editor tells you they want an article about beach destinations or a humorous essay about how a train journey through India went, you’ll know what they expect. When you ask yourself what the length of the text you have to write should be, you’ll have an idea if you know exactly what category it falls into. Once you’ve established what type of travel article you’re working on, you’ll be able to develop the topic and add details or situations, depending on the nature of the article.

A person aspiring to become a travel writer has a highway with many lanes in front of them. It is up to the individual which path he wants and can walk in, just as there is the possibility of walking in several simultaneously because the genre allows for the development of such paths.

Narrowing things down somewhat, from a certain point of view, we could define five major types of paths for travel writers to follow : travel journalism, travel blogging, travel guides, travel memories, and the travelogue. Let’s take them one by one:

1 Travel journalism

Travel journalists go to various global destinations intending to discover and report facts. The result is objective travel articles, which usually tell the stories of other people and places rather than aiming for a personal narrative. Travel journalists can be freelance writers or work full-time for a newspaper, magazine, website, or news agency.

The Internet is full of travel sites eager to publish quality travel journalism and ready to pay for quality stories. If you have had unique encounters on your travels that may result in a remarkable story, submit your proposal to such a publication, and you may have the chance to bring it to life.

2 Travel blogging

Travel bloggers share first-person accounts of their travels. In recent years, many people have become travel bloggers simply because setting up a travel blog is simple and can be done with little investment. You can even create a blog for free.

Blogging is the fastest way to publish a travel story and showcase your writing style. If it’s valuable and has an audience, you can build an audience large enough to monetize your blog, and it will end up producing enough to self-fund your travels. You can also use your blog as a portfolio for collaboration with serious travel publications or other travel entities.

3 Travel guides

Travel guides are indispensable to the travel industry, as tourists worldwide rely on them when visiting a new place. You can start a travel writing career with travel guide writing, and you don’t even have to travel far to do it. You need to explore the city you’re staying in to the fullest, then take turns exploring neighboring towns or nearby tourist areas. So, you have to speculate as much as you can about the presentation of each potentially exciting tourist spot.

4 Travel memoirs

Writing travel memoirs involves reflecting on past travel experiences and how these experiences have shaped your worldview. Depending on your goals, you can self-publish your travel memoir as an “on-demand” book or propose to a publisher to see if they find the project interesting enough to publish it widely.

5 The Travelogue

A travelogue is a diary of one person’s journey to another place. It is both a narrative account describing personal experiences and a collection of factual details that other travelers might find helpful. It incorporates practical advice, vivid descriptions, actionable information, and genuine emotions.

Travelogue takes readers through your journey with words, pictures, and even videos.

An exemplary travelogue is as engaging as a story, practical as a guidebook, and visually and emotionally appealing as a magazine article.

Conclusion about the types of travel writing

If you’re at the start of a travel writing career, think about which of these roads you’d most like to take. Each has its paths, streets, and boulevards that you can flood throughout your career with quality writing. The important thing is to begin to know every meter of them, to understand how to dodge potholes, to be aware of crossing intersections, and, in general, to step on them – figuratively, of course – like a king acclaimed by the crowds on the sidelines. 

Regarding the types of travel writing, any of them can be successful, as long as – after all, as in any profession – you treat it professionally and add the ingredients along the way that can bring you fame and money.

You may also like: 7 tips on how to make a travel story attractive to your readers

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