[image:John McPhee]
It’s something we think about every time we sit down to write a blog post and ultimately what all writers are looking to achieve. Simply put, outstanding stories.
So what makes some travel stories soar and others flop; get shared and re-tweeted or down-voted into obscurity?
An important part of any travel story is how you paint the picture. Travel is a tangible, colourful experience that’s hard to put into words. It’s the same feeling as when you go to take a picture of a beautiful sunset but the picture almost never does it justice. Successful travel writing is that 1/100 pictures that’s the winning shot. It drops you into the setting from the get-go without any hesitation and invokes an emotional response.
And it’s true what they say about the attention span of the average person. It’s practically non-existent so you better put your best foot forward if you hope to get them to read until the end. There’s an art to simple, beautiful travel writing. Listing everything you did in a trip won’t cut it. Instead, focus in on an anecdote that speaks to a broader theme or subject of travel. Or offer up helpful tips that are actually helpful, not simply to pack your running shoes because the hike to the top of Machu Picchu is arduous because, well…duh.
The best piece of advice to take is to write with purpose. The hook, angle, piece of advice or opinion that engages readers and stirs up an emotional response is the story that will resonate, firmly putting you in the hall of great travel writers.
