I would like to write better Trip Reports.
I am not interested in writing for pay, just for friends and family.
Does anyone know of an online class? Does the Rick Steves organization teach anything like this through its guidebook contributors? Or does anyone know of an in-person class in NzyC?
An unusual request, but thanks!
What an interesting question. Have you checked your local community colleges to see if they offer any courses on travel writing? I remember seeing one at a local school awhile back that was offered as an enrichment course or something of the like.
I also have learned that the more you read, the better you will write. I recommend Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux, and Ryszard Kapuściński. Lonely Planet published a book awhile back: Lonely Planet: How to be a Travel Writer by Don Georg.
Reading up on cultural anthropology also helps, particularly ethnography. Helps you better describe what you are seeing and experiencing.
Hope this is a helpful start!
Piggy-backing on what Milo said about the more you read, the better you will write, Cameron Hewitt from Rick Steves' wrote "The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler". It was a thoroughly enjoyable book and I recommend it highly.
Thank you for your generous replies. I welcome more.
Instead of focusing on travel writing, much of which is about selling articles, look for ways to improve your travel journaling.
Do a websearch on the subject including Youtube videos. There are many.
One such article is from our fearless leader:
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/the-zen-of-journaling
There are also a few books on the subject. Writing Away by Lavinia Spalding and Globejotting by Dave Fox. Both are older but contain some good information. See if your library has copies.
The Gotham Writers Workshop has a class on Travel Writing. It's offered both in person and as an online class. Not cheap.
https://wp.writingclasses.com/courses/travel-writing/
If you want to mix a vacation with learning, Book Passage, a wonderful bookstore in Corte Madera, CA--just north of San Francisco--holds an annual Travel Writers and Photographers Workshop. I atteneded about 25 years ago.
https://bookpassage.com/travel
When I was studying journalism, I remember my features instructor telling the class that this type of writing is nothing more than talking on paper with a little grammer thrown in. Think of your audience as saying "tell me a story."
When you sit down to write, don't expect a polished version in the first draft. You should just be getting your information down. Then go back for the polish. All real writiing is re-writing.
Hi there, I don't know if you've seen this, but Mardee started a thread about trip report writing here, lots of good suggestions from Forum members! https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/tips-for-writing-a-trip-report
Thank you. I am floored by the helpful responses. I had expected to be told I was posting in the wrong place. Perhaps that happens only on Fodor or TripAdvisor.
I applaud your desire to improve your skills. This is great advice from FrankII:
Think of your audience as saying "tell me a story.”
I started a blog, which is sort of a trip report, over 14 years ago when we moved to Rome as way to efficiently keep a couple of hundred friends, family, and colleagues up-to-date without having to write each and every one an email now-and-then. I do think of it as story-telling. They don’t want to know how many museums we saw or every meal we ate; they wanted the stories — especially funny and self-deprecating ones — and insights. My focus was often on life abroad but also on our frequent jaunts. Now I still blog whenever we travel abroad.
The best trip reports here in the Forum are like that: they read like stories or a letter home, not a daily diary.
What a great topic! I love writing in a journal while traveling.
Thank you, Frank II, for reminding me about Rick's article The Zen of Journal Writing. https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/the-zen-of-journaling My journals include Rick's recommendation to, "Throw in sketches, mementos, little paper souvenirs like maps and old tickets — anything that takes you back to that moment."
A lot of great ideas in this thread!
What a great idea and some excellent suggestions. I think I learned from reading other contributors’ reports and identifying what I enjoyed as a reader. I thought Mardee’s post, mentioned above, had a great set of tips.
I’ve enjoyed reports presented by day, by topic, or by theme as long as they are organized and the writer’s personality, preferences, and/or tips for other travelers engage and inform me.
NYCMOM, for me the amateurish errors and faux pas are what make it real and enjoyable. Sit, write, express, enjoy. If i want more I will read Conde Nast.
I don't claim to be an expert but I do have a suggestion. At the end of each day I sit down and spend a few minutes just thinking. What did I do today? What stories can I tell? What struck me as different here from home.? And then I open up the mail app on my phone and just talk. Using voice to text is much quicker than typing. Sometimes it gets words wrong, but that's OK I can figure it out later. And send it to myself. When I'm home and over jet lag I go back and build a trip report. And now I have access to lots of daily details and thoughts that I probably would have forgotten or that would have run together.
Also there's no rule that says I have to wait until the end of the day. In practice I do a summary at the end of the day but after visiting a museum or during lunch I also reflect on the day so far and dictate to myself emails on the go.
I've always written Trip Reports for this forum by writing for myself with a little bit of useful info for others thrown in. If I didn't do it that way I'm not sure if would be any fun. I like to stick to what amused me and hope it's appreciated by others. Add your thoughts, instead of writing what you did, write about what you thought about it, what was interesting. Let your personality shine through.
Take a look at The Best American Travel Writing which was an annual book anthology series for examples of good travel writing. I have always enjoyed those. You can probably get them from your local library, used bookstore, Amazon, etc.
Great suggestions here!
My suggestion is to allow your authentic voice to come through in your writing. There are as many ways to write an interesting trip report as there are travelers. The key is that the trip report reflects you and your interests.
For a foodie, we are going to read a lot about the different meals and restaurants. A history buff will focus on the sights that were important in certain historical events or periods. A transportation enthusiast will cheerfully share how he/she got around. Then there are the detail minded people who report every $ spent and how it was spent. All of these can be interesting reading as they reflect the perspective of an individual traveler. I learn something from all of them.
One practical help is to journal is some manner as you are going along. I use Polarsteps to record narrative and photography. I share it with a limited number of people who must be invited by me to see it. Usually family and close friends. It also serves as an archive and I can quickly refer back to former trips in an organized manner.
