Finding Focus


A Viet Kieu Visits Her Homeland for the First Time by Phuong Tran in Destination: Vietnam magazine.

What
Focus on the activities of a trip or area; what the traveller will be doing or seeing.
Article Ideas:

  • Includes "Best of..." articles.
  • Specialized magazines often feature travel features focussing on destinations catering to the magazine's subscriber base. Golf magazines include articles on golf courses from around the world and parenting magazines often feature articles on activities for kids at a particular destination.
  • For example, The 10 Best Restaurants in LA for Wine Connoisseurs or a descriptive article on skiing in Vale, or the best river rafting excursions in British Columbia.

Indigenous Markets in Guatemala by Nancy Hoffman at BootsnAll.com
Covers local markets of interest to shoppers.

The Smart Vacation: Family Learning Camps by Candyce H. Stapen in Family Fun magazine
Covers children 'learning camps' in six states.

Fishing the Cabo Tournaments by Tracy Ehrenberg in Baja Life.
Tournament fishing in Mexico.

Where
Focus on the destination.
Article Ideas:

  • Includes broad focus articles on a city, country, or region.
  • A narrow focus may look at a particular suburb or district of a city.
  • Includes definitive guides to a location: every aspect of a vacation is covered i.e. where to eat, sleep, tour, party, etc.
  • Includes essays on a city or country giving readers a flavour of the place.

Kruger National Park, South Africa by Peter Thomas at BootsnAll.com
Park facts and figures, attractions and best time to visit.

A Sip of Portugal: Touring the country's northern regions, where port wine was born by Bruce Schoenfeld in Travel & Leisure magazine

When
Focus on a specific time of travel or revolves around the history of an area.
Article Ideas:

  • Seasonal - looks at a specific season such as the Texas Winter Wonderland, or 5 Best Spring Skiing destinations.
  • Historical - a city or town's place in history.

Baja In Bloom by Jennifer M. Bierich in Baja Life magazine.
Spring time in Mexico's Baja region

How
Focus on the mode of transportation or provides how-to information. How a traveller gets to a destination becomes the highlight of the trip.
Article Ideas:

  • Articles on cruises, train travel, and sailing trips all focus on the transportation more than the final destination.
  • Good examples include 10 Tips to Choosing A Romantic Cruise or How-to Avoid Jet Lag.

On the Right Track: Scenic Train Travel: America's most scenic train routes by Don Phillips

The copyright of the article Finding Focus in Travel Writing is owned by Kim Applegate. Permission to republish Finding Focus in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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