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How to Write a Travelogue

© Kim Applegate

Travelogue: a film, videotape, or piece of writing... about travel, especially to interesting or remote places, or about somebody's travels in particular. Encarta Reference

Travellers enjoy talking about fabulous cities, peculiar customs in exotic lands, and odd adventures only a foreign country can offer. Sharing our escapades with an eager audience is a fabulous bonus to travel.

As writers, travelogues become a tool for outlining travel article ideas and pinpointing interesting anecdotes sure to make our manuscript sizzle. Both travelogues and travel articles are written to entertain and inform. A travelogue however, is less formal in it's structure.

A travelogue, similar to an article, can be laid out in different ways.

• Documenting a chronological narrative of a trip. On our first day we stayed in a quaint hostel on Paris' infamous Left Bank...

• Organized by topic. The Best of Cozumel - Hotels Restaurants Attractions

• By city - In Paris stay at...., eat at... and be sure to see.... In Rome stay at...., eat at..., etc.

• Or any other organizational strategy to fit your particular trip.

All travelogues are designed to impart useful and usually timely information. We worry less about information becoming dated and go for the gusto in detail. Write about the hidden café that may be gone in the coming year or the surly hotelier who hopefully will be on the dole next week.

Travelogue Tips

• Use headings to organize your thoughts and your travelogue. List the subjects you want to cover then write descriptive paragraphs about each topic.

• Use bulleted lists. If a lot of description isn't needed then simply list your ideas. For example, list a number of famous sights you think must be seen in a city.

• Push your words and ideas to create drama, action, and excitement about your travels. Strive to entice others to follow in your footprints.

• Proofread, proofread, proofread! Spelling and grammatical errors are unacceptable in any piece of published writing.

A travelogue is a great start towards a published travel article. Challenge yourself now! Choose a particular vacation, city, or tour you enjoyed and organize an outline. Flesh out the particulars and you are on your way to a wonderful travelogue.

Enter your travelogue in the Awesome Possum Travelogue Contest for a chance to win a great prize and writing fame!

Awesome Possum Travelogue Contest details