Travel writing was once something reserved for the pages of books, and glossy magazines, though today we live in an age where anyone can create their own platform, and become a travel writer purely based on their own means.

Travel writing is certainly a more practical career goal than it used to be, though whether you’re writing for blogs, newspapers, or creating travel guides, the ability to create well written, quality content is still something you need.

Fortunately, if you’re passionate about writing, this is a skill that can be honed. If you’re looking to sharpen your travel writing skills, the following are 6 strategies that have worked for me.

How to Improve Your Travel Writing Skills

Read Great Travel Writing

One of the best ways to improve your own travel writing is to familiarize yourself with the work of others. Identify successful travel writers, and leaders within the field, and block off some time to read through their work.

Sign up for subscriptions to magazines like National Geographic, make a daily habit of reading the travel section in publications like the New York Times; when you absorb work from advanced writers you’re able to understand the craft behind it.

Make sure that you’re not just reading one type of content though; exposing yourself to a range of different writing styles and topics means that you’ll pick up new techniques, and maybe even some fresh inspiration.

Start Writing

They say that practice makes perfect, and this is definitely the case in travel writing. No-one’s first ever piece of writing is award winning, but it’s important that you have the confidence to just start.

The more you write, the better your writing will be. And it can often time to develop your unique voice and style, so the sooner you start writing, the sooner you’ll start producing good writing.

If you’re worried because you’ve never written anything before, you could pick up a writing manual, or think about taking an online course. Learning by doing is great, but sometimes you want a straightforward explanation of the basics.

Take Notes on the Go

Great travel writing is about bringing an experience to life; how a destination made you feel, perhaps how something smelled, and often it’s the small details that really transport the reader there with you.

But when you’re constantly on the go it can be difficult to recall those small details a week, or even a month later. So it’s important to take notes and document your experiences in the moment.

Take note of the things around you, whether that’s by traveling with a notepad and pen, or a sound recorder / dictaphone. Record how you’re feeling right then and there in the moment.

Having these type of notes will go a long way to bringing the memories back to life and making your article stand out.

Expand Your Experience

You can’t truly be a great travel writer if you haven’t experienced anything first hand. That first hand experience is crucial to being able to write a really authentic article, and accurate portrayal of a destination.

If you do travel quite frequently, but still find that your writing is stuck, consider pushing yourself outside your usual box of experiences.

If you find you always play the typical tourist, on your next trip make the effort to talk to locals. Being able to include a local perspective will make your writing more diverse.

If you’ve only ever stayed in hotels, perhaps you could look into a home stay experience, or book a bunk in a shared dorm room. This could be the fresh type of experience you need to inspire your creativity.

Don’t Rely on the Internet

There’s nothing unique or creative about content on the internet. For any search term, the top page of Google will bring up 10 articles that are usually carbon copies of each other, and quite often the facts might be incorrect.

It’s very important to write as much as you can before consulting the internet, so that your ideas and story structure aren’t influenced by something that’s already out there.

The internet is a fabulous resource for ideas, inspiration, comparisons, and fact checking (when fact checking make sure you use reliable sources and double check that they are correct), but relying on it can often stunt your creativity.

Don’t Get Too Fancy

Having a wide vocabulary is essential for a writer, though it’s important to stay true to your own writing style and personality, and not go over the top or try too hard to be fancy.

Don’t use phrases or words that you wouldn’t normally use in conversation, and don’t try to be too clever or formal, or force humor if it’s really not you. The best travel writing sounds natural, and captures the writers personality.

It’s also important not to waste words or throw in empty fluff just for the sake of meeting a word count. Condense your sentences where possible, avoid cliches (because they’re so cliche!!), and instead focus on filling your writing with detail.

Don’t use words like “stunning”, “fabulous”, or “amazing” – these are empty words that don’t mean anything anymore, and are incredibly overused. Be specific, and aim to come up with original descriptions that actually mean something.

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Check out this article for inspiration and travel writing tips – ideas, strategies and examples for how you can improve as a career travel writer.

Check out this article for inspiration and travel writing tips – ideas, strategies and examples for how you can improve as a career travel writer.

Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.