A good travel article is shaped like a good short story, with a clear beginning, middle and end.
(Don George, The Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing)

• not necessarily in chronological order
• may be structured around a theme or a narrative
• thematic pieces are less chronological

The beginning (1st half of 1/3)

• The doorway to the story
• Sets the story’s scene
• Where we are
• Why we’re there
• The quest / challenge ahead of us
• The theme of the piece
• The ‘characters’ who will accompany us or we will encounter
• Must ‘hook’ reader
• Set ‘active questions’ – tempts reader to want to know more
• May jump straight into the action – medias res (in the middle of things)
• The writer sometimes only finds the beginning at the end!

The middle (2/3 of story)

• The long and winding road
• Destination is brought alive for the reader
• The writer’s experience is a filter / conduit for the reader to vicariously experience the place – use all the senses!
• If thematic structure used: ascending series of examples reaching overriding point
• If narrative: chronological series of anecdotal incidents that embody the angle you have chosen (eg the delights of Cantonese cooking)
• Choose incidents that bring the point / angle to life.
• Keeping with the short story analogy, the middle should rise in tension to a dramatic / thematic climax.

The end

• Bring the focus of the story to a satisfying conclusion
• The aftermath of the climax
• A reflection on the inner experience; lessons learnt etc
• A summing up of whether or not goals / expectations have been achieved or met.
• Tie the story back to its beginning
• Deliver your reader back to the world.

You can read more travel writing tips, including potential markets at The Crafty Writer.

Essentially there are two kinds of travel articles: travel guides and travelogues.

Travel guides

Travel guides tend to be external, focusing on what to see, where to go and how to get there. They are or may be:

• quick wrap-ups of ‘must sees’
• Numbered lists: eg “The 5 best sunshine destinations”
• Often focused on the general traveller – lowest common denominator
• An overview of a place rather than detailed description
• Make extensive use of text boxes and sidebars for info
• Use tourist info brochures/websites/guidebooks as source material – be careful not to plagiarise!
• Usually uses 2nd Person point of view (POV) rather than 1st (but occasionally can). 3rd Person is too distancing.

Short journeys
If you use a narrative structure (telling the story of the journey), focus on short periods of time: weekend getaways or city breaks are good subjects for general articles.

Longer journeys
If you try to cover a longer journey in the travel guide style then it becomes: ‘and then we saw … and then we went … and then we did … then we went to bed … and then … and then… and then we came home.

Solution? Narrow your focus. One highlight, surprise find, unusual encounter.

Travelogues and travel features

Travelogues are literary accounts of a journey written as a memoir – these may be written up as books, essays, blogs or articles. When ‘packaged’ for a magazine, the travelogue becomes a travel feature. They are or may be:

Internal rather than external, focusing more on the writer’s experience of the destination. The best travel writing incorporates both.

• A narrative journey: The article is structured as a journey of discovery.
• The writer becomes a travelling companion (see Bryson) rather than just a guide.
• The writer uses his / her own experience as a lens on a destination
• Always written in 1st person.
• Very narrowly focused either on subject or theme
• May be presented as a quest: eg the quest to find the perfect curry; the quest to find a legendary guitar maker
• An inner journey: the writer contemplates a spiritual, emotional or metaphysical change that has taken place as a result of the journey or encounter.
• Plays with timelines
• More ‘literary’ in tone and style than a mere travel guide
• Utilises the senses
• ‘Fictional’ writing techniques (eg dialogue, shifts in timeline, characterisation, mood setting)

For more on how to structure a travel article see writing travel articles.

Whether you call it a writing holiday, writing break, writing getaway or even a writing safari, you will be getting the same thing: an opportunity to work on your writing while someone else worries about the boring stuff like cooking and cleaning.

Some getaways offer intensive residential courses led by tutors across a host of writing disciplines. Others provide a variety of ‘arty’ pursuits, including writing, packaged as part of a luxurious pampering experience. So what’s important when considering which one to choose?

Kicking back or knuckling down?

Be honest about the needs of your body, soul and mind. Courses can be exhausting, so be prepared to put in some work. If you really just want a rest with a bit of writing on the side, then perhaps these aren’t for you. On the other hand, if you want to develop your writing skills and are using this getaway as a springboard to publication one day, then too many non-writing activities can be a distraction. Not to mention all of those bottles of wine!

Doing the grand tour

If you would like to couple your writing holiday with a tour of a beautiful part of the world, then many getaways provide you with this.

Social networking

Most getaways offer you an opportunity to balance spending time on your own and developing relationships with other people. However, some holidays are more group-focused than others. Friendships that develop on these sorts of courses may very well continue after the holiday ends, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Food for thought

Lots of writing getaways market themselves on the food they provide. Writing is of course a sensory activity, and for me this is an essential part of the experience. But it may not be for you. Some holidays provide full board, others don’t, and this of course will be reflected in the cost.

Choose your tutors

Check out the credentials of the tutors. Do they cover the genre you are interested in? Do they have a track record in helping writers achieve their potential? Remember, not all published writers have the ability to release creativity in others.

Know your experience levels

Writing getaways cover all experience levels. Some specialise in writing for beginners, others for more advanced practitioners. You may be frustrated if you go on a course below your skill level or disheartened if you’re a beginner and end up with a bunch of nearly-published authors.

For a list of some of the writing holidays currently on offer visit The Crafty Writer