What do you like to read about in trip reports?

I think you'll do fine. Your writing style is conversational, well written, and easy to read. You could do a daily highlights post, or concentrate on something that catches your interest even if you don't do the details of the whole day. Or a combination of both. You could do quick posts daily, and come back later with more.

I like janettravels on here, or Dave from Ventura. Sorry I'm not taking the time to find theirs and post links. Most people that are interested in travel want to see pictures, so do your best to get good ones. Both Janet and Dave have good pics.

I hate travel blogs that sound like "we went to the Louvre from 10 am until 11:45 and saw the three important works of art there and then I walked 150 m to the Tres Chic Bistro and had the lunch special for 13,10 that included a beverage and sat in the third table from the left..." with no pauses or paragraph breaks. I stop reading those pretty quickly. If you're going to post on this site's trip reports section, it's best if you start one thread and add posts to it. Don't create multiple threads with "Day 7, part 5" titles as that's too hard to follow.

It's just like your English teachers taught you-write about what interests you. Include relevant information, personal impressions, photos, good stuff, bad stuff, funny stuff. Be who you are and try to sound like yourself. And put a link on here so we can read.

I like reading all of that! But I particularly like details of the logistics involved. For example, how did you get from the airport to your hotel? How was that? Did you have a choice of methods and you kind of wish you'd chosen the other option? Tedious stuff like that. :)

Have a fantastic trip!

Thanks, Karen & Teresa!! I wasn't sure if I should post my (possibly annoying) questions here only, or also in trip reports - so I'm glad you saw this and answered! I am the writing and reading (and photo-taking) person in my family but I've learned that sometimes my enthusiasm isn't of big interest to others (I get it - many reasons, stresses, other priorities don't always match mine at the same time).

I will start a page before we leave and come back to it for updates. I have gone through several pages of trip reports and I agree the multi part pages are hard to follow and get out of order if people reply to Page 3 and not Page 1 or 2.

I'm so excited!!!

Why don't you go to the trip reports section and read a dozen or so and get an idea of what strikes you as a report that is well done as far as detail. Use your own style and let your individuality guide you in your composition. Then, the reader can take it or leave it.

I like reading posts that contain impressions of things that we discuss here. For instance: how did the clothes you take work out, what didn't you need, Thoughts on train travel and what that was like , Restaurants you liked, unusual things that happened, etc. I don't like to read: "We departed the plane and had to wait 45 minutes and then hailed our taxi, and was dropped off at our hotel. Stood 10 minutes waiting behind everyone else, climbed the stairs to our elevators and dropped our bags. Decided to take a shower before heading out........." I never finish after those types of reports.

I guess I like reports that are helpful to others traveling, more than reading about personal feelings of awe at seeing something. Not that those aren't wonderful for family and friends to read...but people that I don't know I don't care much about that. I'm basically looking for information that will help my trip. I know that sounds sort of selfish, but those are the ones I enjoy reading more. OK...ducking and running now.

P.S. I think that is a very thoughful and helpful question.

I just want to emphasize two technical matters Karen pointed out.

Be sure to keep your trip report all in one thread by replying to your first post; DON'T break it up into separate threads, as they quickly get separated and can't be followed.

Be sure to break up the paragraphs (which you did very nicely in this post!). Run-on megaparagraphs are very hard to read, and I find I stop quickly even if the content is interesting.

Other than that, post what you want. I do agree that I write different things in my e-mails to friends and family from what I write here. For instance, I didn't e-mail home with details about a vegetarian buffet in the Luzern train station that wasn't in Rick's book, but I was sure to post it here. For people just reading about my experiences but who aren't going, nitty-gritty like that is irrelevant, but for someone going, it's very useful. Same with bus number changes, things I expected to be closed that were open and vice-versa, etc.

I'm big on anything you learned that you didn't know before the trip. Did you check out options and decide one worked better? Did you learn of a common etiquette lapse American tourists make because we don't realize we're making it? Did you learn that a particular day isn't the best time to visit a museum? Was construction/restoration going on that isn't listed in the guidebooks? That kind of stuff.

The trip reports I enjoy reading most are the ones that do more than simply recapitulating the Gospel According to Steves. Mainly, reading about destinations other than the one's he already covers in detail. I don't always agree with the man, but there's reasons he's a professional writer and most of us are not...

And yes, Harold makes a good point. To keep your report readable, please reply to your own existing thread, rather than starting a new one with each entry.

I agree with keeping it all in one thread as well. If you write it up when you get back, it works really well to do it in a Word document first and then it's easy to add to your original post in sections.

I like details about what you did and enjoyed as well as what worked for you and what didn't. I also like to know what people encountered that they didn't expect.

Of course your main logistics will have been done by the organizers of your tour so notes to yourself on what worked and what didn't will be good to give them feedback on!

To me, the bottom line is you should do a Trip Report that pleases you! I read lots of them on Trip Advisor and the most interesting ones are the ones that reflect the poster's personality and what was of interest to them.

I like hearing the stories and what made your trip different and meaningful for you. Of course, it can be helpful to hear about logistics, particularly anything that is out of the norm or involve something new such as they have added a new tour on such and such. Or the dry summer means that.... At any rate, the only other advice I would have is make sure your note-taking and keeping track of everything doesn't keep you from seeing things and enjoying yourself. I found a great time to review my photos was before dinner with an ale. We usually had a late dinner, 7 PM and I often had at least an hour or so as I was speedy with my dinner primping. :)

Pam

These are all very good tips, ideas and suggestions - thank you for taking time to share your thoughts on this question. I had originally mentioned it in some other thread and Chiani (I apologize if I misspelled that user name) suggested I start a new thread to ask for feedback. I'm glad I did it!

I have been reading the trip reports for several months and I read some word for word, and others I can't follow - or maybe they contain some bit of info that I can't relate to since I've never been to these locations.

We will be part of a big group tour, which will probably have unique dynamics that are very different from those who travel independently or with smaller tours like RS tours. I have a feeling I will come back to report that next time we will go smaller on the group size, or maybe see fewer places in a similar timeframe - but I might be surprised and love the big group (and I hope we do love this trip vs. feeling stressed out because there are so many of us. We will see!!

To add an additional question about pictures, what are some of the online photo sites people like and that are easy to share via a link to the site (Shutterfly, Flickr, those types of sites)? And can we post links to photos? I read we can't link to blogs, but not sure about pics.

Down to 8 days!! And today was busy and productive and I crossed off many important work and personal items that are time-sensitive and would be difficult to deal with when I'm gone, so that has me feeling good at the moment. I have a feeling each of these remaining days will be hectic and busy but my lists are helping me keep on schedule and add in unexpected extras that have popped up.

Thanks and I'll keep on reading and getting ready for this adventure!

I agree with everyone here... To add to others, I like:

A little humor
Funny experiences
Stories about interactions with locals
Highlights of good food you had (with photos)
Restaurants/Cafes you enjoyed and why

I think the best thing I have found when writing is to do what is meaningful to me, and to write the way I want to remember my trip. Then, if I post parts of it, if someone else enjoys it, that's great, but first and foremost it should be the memory of my trip and what it is important for me . Unless you are a travel writer (which I assume you are not) it should be personal. If you really want to remember all the details then add them, but it is the impressions you personally have about your trip and your insights that make it uniquely yours. I would assume RS might have a personal journal that is not a guide book. Sometimes I will have fun with my journal writings and write in the third person.... not too personal but I like reading it this way. It's like watching myself travel... My daughter said when she wrote her journal from Guatemala (in Spanish) that she wrote it as though she were talking directly to you, ie.."you won't believe how beautiful this is"... I find most of the blogs are trying to sound like a guide book... I am sure they are great for the person who took the trip, but its like looking at every photo someone took on their trip...TMI.

This has made for a very interesting thread!

I agree with Terry Kathryn. You should write for yourself. Different aspects or focuses appeal to different people, so there is no "one size fits all." Write what you feel like writing - and some people will enjoy and appreciate it, and some people won't. And that's okay! Your thoughtful approach to this question suggests that you will do a great job.

Good luck and have a wonderful time on your trip.

When I write my trip reports, I try and add information that I think might be useful for anyone else who might be interested in visiting the same towns or attractions that I visited. How did I get there, was it easy, what kind of a train ticket did I use, was it crowded, did I think it was worth my time and money, do I think others will enjoy it, what was special or different about it? Often, I post links to my hotel, tour, museum, or restaurant that I enjoyed to benefit others. I also post reviews on Trip Advisor, both the good and the bad. Anything unique that probably isn't in a guide book is what I like to add, as well as my own personal views.

I enjoy reading trip reports from Tom, Nigel, and Pam, to name a few, and many others.

Jo... you however, are the great tour guide, historian, art lover etc.... so you have the gift for all those details that I could never begin to remember:) And by writing what is important to you makes it invaluable to others who need this information! Along with the passion from someone who loves Frankfurt!

Great thread, getting ready for my 1st RS, 14 day BOE, I really appreciate, the personal tips on clothes, packing, pertinent information that I can use. I have traveled a lot, especially with medical missions, yet can always learn something new. One exciting thing, my just college graduate granddaughter, is just today heading to Southeast Asia, for 3 months. Got her travel enthusiasiim from her grandma!

As someone just starting to plan a trip I like knowing some logistical stuff. I really enjoy when people add in their prep stuff in a trip report. Also really like knowing about what you packed that worked and what you would leave behind next time Love, love love hearing about shoes and clothes. ( I may or may not have a pinterest board dedicated to clothes for Europe trip...)

I also like getting real numbers on prices. So many people make comments that such and such was really expensive or really cheap; but everyone's definition of cheap or expensive is different. Not every little thing, but it would be nice to know if you talk about a certain meal ballpark how much it was or how much is all this yummy looking gelato I keep seeing.

Thanks for asking look forward to seeing your report. Have great trip.