- read: read about travel in magazines, newspapers and books. but don't stop there. read about what people are doing. for instance, let's say you've read that there's a new interest in vacationing by sea kayak. sure you could do some research and write about the sport, but as a travel writer, you want to see it as a topic that will interest other travelers. why not call a sea kayak equipment store, talk with the sales folks and an instructor, and get the names/phone numbers/e-mail addresses of some people who have taken up the sport. know the 5 w's and the h on the topic and then you can write a travel article about the people who kayak (that's the who), why they go, where they go, when they go, and how they do it. depending on the slant of your article, you may want to take a trip to baja california, catalina island, or around the san juan islands by kayak and write about the adventure. as you read, watch for spending trends. are more people flying first class? are more folks traveling to destinations in order to help people who are less fortunate? are groups of women traveling and where are they going? is more being spent on air travel than car travel, or vice versa?
- ask: ask those you know and complete strangers about where they travel, how they travel, and why they travel. find out about favorite vacation spots, worst travel memory, or the best places in your area. ask the question: if you could go back to anywhere you've visited, where might that be? let the responses to these questions get you thinking about the destinations or trips people really take. editors want to publish this type of material.
- study people: more baby boomers and generation x-ers are taking family vacations. club med-style resorts (once x-rated) are becoming g-rated. if you want to write for women's magazines and family magazines or travel books for a wide-ranging readership, then look at what families are doing together. so where do these people take their kids? why? are there better locations for families with kids less than five years old? better locations for older teens? from this moment on, you may now snoop into other people's lives to find out their likes and dislikes of travel and locations in order to spark article and book ideas. it's okay. you're a travel writer.
feb 8 2018 ∞
feb 8 2018 +