How to Travel Like a Travel Writer Even If You Are Not One, Yet

Would you like an adventure travel lifestyle where you join an archeological expedition in Central America or photograph penguins in Antarctica?

Or is eating local street fares, like grilled Thai chicken satay smothered with silky peanut sauce or finger-licking flaky, buttery spinach and feta cheese filled spanakopita more up your alley?

This could be a day at the office for a travel writer. We’ve all seen images of the comfortable laptop nomad in a hammock leisurely composing stories while overlooking the most turquoise ocean waters imaginable. That begs to question:

Is Travel Writing The Dream Job For You?

Tips For Aspiring Travel Writers

Travel writing like anything else worth doing requires time and effort. But why not try it out to see if you like to pursue it further?  There is no need to go through the lengthy process of applying for writing assignments or sending out letters to magazine editors at first. This is just a trial run.

Even if you are not a travel writer yet, act as if you are one. For example, singer, songwriter Beyonce’s altered ego, that she claims possesses her on stage is Sasha Fierce. So, in your case, your altered ego can be that of a travel writer, so just play along will you?

Travel Writing Post Summary

In this post, you will learn:

• What does a travel writer do
• What to do before leaving on a trip
• The essential mindset of a travel writer
• How to keep a travel journal
• Photos to make along the way
• Tools to bring to add to the travel writing experience

What Are Examples Of Travel Writing?

Travel writers’ foremost search for stories. They travel with the intention to collect material and experiences to write excellent and honest content about places worth visiting.

They pay close attention to a place’s historical sites, the culture, street fashion, and the local food scene. Their stories combine personal tales and often swoon-worthy images to inspire readers to see the world.

Some travel writers specialize in a genre, for example, food, so they can peek behind the scene in certain restaurants and chat with the chef. Many times they also enjoy complimentary tastings, hotel stays and vacation packages. Why? Because establishments know that a published travel story has the potential to bring more clients to their “shop”.

If this sounds like something you would like to try, then test it out on your next trip. If you don’t have a planned trip yet then discover the areas where you live.  Go on day-trips with the insatiable curiosity and eyes of a travel writer.

Seven Travel Writing Preparations To Do Before You Leave On Your Trip

1. Do Your Research

Before you go to your planned destination, spend the time to research the place, its history, culture, and famous sites as well as the weather and the best seasons to visit. Gather information from guidebooks, travel magazines, and well-known newspaper’s archives, or check out a library’s databases. Gain a solid understanding of a place but also allow for spontaneity, surprises and wow factors.

2. Brainstorm Story Ideas

Brainstorm story ideas. Are you a fashion damsel that loves to people watch, maybe write a story from that angle? Can you write a piece about something that relates to your current career?

For example, I operate a boutique event and culinary company so can write about exotic food, like the snails I ate in Thailand, simmered in a spicy curry coconut broth. I already know about ingredients, and food cultures so it’s easier for me to write about that versus something totally unfamiliar.

What do you already know? What do you love to do on a trip?

3. Organize Your Research and Itinerary

Assemble your research on an app such as Evernote, an Excel sheet, or in a 3-ring binder, whatever suits your style.

I like to quickly find my materials and travel brochures so I organize travel stuff in a binder, something I learned to do while working as a global event planner. I use three ring binders with a plastic pocket overlay so I can customize the front and back cover with a title, picture and important information. Use binder dividers to categorize airlines, hotels, ground transportation, car rentals, restaurants, excursions, and your travel budget.

4. What To Include In Your Research

Include addresses and phone numbers to lodging, essential famous sites to visit and their open hours, just so you don’t have to search for it later. For example, some museums, such as the Borghese Gallery in Rome, Italy, with its famous Bernini sculptures, have limited visiting hours. In that case, book the tour or appointment before you leave. Figure out beforehand the best times to visit tourist attractions to avoid crowds.

5. Add Ideas As Time Goes On

Keep on adding research to your note taking system, such as potential hot spots, and out of the ordinary experiences that to try. For example, is a tour to a reputable elephant sanctuary on your bucket list?

6. Make Connections With People Before you Leave

Connect with local people before you leave. You can join interest groups on Facebook or meet people on Instagram. I’m surprised how many new friends I’ve connected with on both Instagram and in Facebook groups.

7. Travel Off The Beaten Path

Don’t just take the beaten path. Plan how you can see a place from a different point of view. For example, on my recent trip to Thailand, I spent a day with veterinarians and accompanied them during farm visits. I learned a lot about cattle; cross-breeding, and long-eared cows, just from this experience. This was totally different from hanging out at the beach in Phuket and hoping to find a beach chair among hoards of tourists.

Join Interest Groups At Your Travel Destination

Once at your chosen destination, you can find people who speak your language by joining a Meetup group. Expats within certain interests patronize Meetups or other ex-pat or digital nomad groups, and they can fill you in about the best eateries in town, hangouts, and so forth.

Hire A Local Guide

When in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we connected with a man going from Chiang Mai to the mountain resort Doi Ang Khang, which was our planned itinerary as well. We found the guide via a referral, so we did not pick up a complete stranger.

The man, who actually works in Doi Ang Khang, knew the best route to get up and down the steep mountain roads and how to operate our not so powerful rental car in, at times, seemingly vertical terrains.

The guide also arranged inexpensive lodging for us in a primitive cottage, and the next day, took us to the Myanmar border to visit the Palong and Musur tribes. We learned about agriculture, the growth of Arabica coffee and Oolong tea, tried both beverages. We also bought handwoven clothes from the weavers. The guide even negotiated reduced clothing prices but they were so low so I would have paid full price regardless.

Keep a Travel Journal

Keep a small travel journal to jot down your day’s activities, highlights, and daily spending. This comes in handy if you later decide to blog about your experiences or even when friends ask you how much it cost to travel to your chosen destination.

You can also track daily events on your phone via an app such as “Day One Journal”. It’s a quick way to add text and photos, plus it records locations you visit each day. Consider though that some remote places might not have Wi-Fi, so bring a pen and paper as a backup.

Take Many Pictures

You can use your smartphone to take images, a small portable camera, or a DSLR. It depends on what you are comfortable carrying around. I used my cell phone on my last trip to Thailand. If you are interested in how to take better pictures, check out 10 Tips To Better Mobile Photos. 

Quick iPhone Photo Bonus Tips

• You can focus your iPhone camera by pressing at an area on the screen where you want the camera to focus. So if you are taking a portrait, press on the person’s face in the viewfinder and the phone will focus on that area.
• If you need more light exposure scroll the iPhone screen upward or downward to remove exposure from a scene.
• When you take pictures, make sure the horizon line is straight unless you deliberately want off-kilter images. You can use editing apps to straighten photos but that also shaves off parts of the image.

Summary: What You’ve Learned

To recap, in this post you learned how to travel as a travel writer, what to do before you leave, the mindset to bring, how to connect with local people who speak your language, keeping a travel journal, how to take pictures and what to pack.

If you like travel writing, begin a writing portfolio to show potential clients and keep your travel photos or sketches on Flickr. You can keep up to 1000 images on Flickr until you need to upgrade to the paid version.

Please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts about this.

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