Who doesn’t like traveling? Everybody does! But, in the daily grind of life, they forget to take a break. They need a little inspiration to hit pause, pack their bags and head out. And that inspiration can come from your writing!
Travel writing is probably one of the toughest subjects to deal with. No, not because of the lack of information available or the language. It has a unique style of writing that alot of writers find daunting. Hence, even you are a great content writer, it wouldn’t automatically make you a great travel writer.
When you write travel blogs and articles, your words must evoke emotions. It must transport your readers to the place you are talking about. They must be able to visualize and feel every word written. You know what will actually be best? If you could travel to the places you are writing about and provide a first-hand information!
The tourism industry employs 42.9 million people and is one of the fastest growing sectors in India. This sector contributed to 9.4% of the nation’s GDP in 2017. In about 10 years, the Indian tourism industry will become the 3rd largest in the world. And the sector has already made inroads into the online world with several online travel operators. Online travel businesses like any other business will have to invest in SEO blog and article content writing in order to gain visibility on search engines. You can capitalize on this demand by becoming a travel content writer. Prepare yourself for this draconian task with the help of the following do’s and don’ts.
Do’s of travel writing
1. Crisp sentences: Everybody travels, and therefore, the travel content must be written for the laymen. As people from different educational background will be reading your content, you need to write it in a way that can be grasped by them all. They should not have to refer to the dictionary to understand what you’ve written. This will kill the flow of reading! Make sure to use simple, easy words and keep the sentences short.
2. Emphasize important attractions or features of a specific destination: Going through your content, people will make a decision whether they want to travel to that destination. Therefore, you must highlight special attractions of the place or the special features that make the place unique. You need to motivate and encourage people to plan a trip to that particular location through your words.
3. Conduct thorough research: It is important to carry out an in-depth research before you start to write. In your research, you must not only focus on the regular attractions of that particular place, but also unbeaten tracks that people can enjoy. You must make sure to offer readers with something new. Also, research will make sure that the information you are offering is accurate.
4. Add links: To make it easier for the readers to take an action, you can include helpful links. For example, you can put links to popular hotels, sites for booking flights and so on. So, after reading your content, the readers will be able to immediately plan a vacation without any hassle.
Don’ts of travel writing
1. No jargons: Easy-to-understand text is what readers expect when they’re surfing the Internet or going through travel blog sites. So, do not use jargons and bombastic words. Express yourself in simple terms and this will certainly help to enhance readership. It will also be good for SEO efforts as Google now give more importance to the user experience.
2. Do not write biased content: You cannot gauge from before who your readers will be. And since travel is a common interest, in all probability, your reader base will be made up of people from different religion, caste, creed and gender. So, you cannot differentiate among them. Biased content must be avoided at all costs.
3. Don’t stop yourself from using pictures: As your content must make your readers visualize about the place, you can help them with their imagination by including breathtaking pictures. Make sure the pictures are in tandem with your writing and optimize them for SEO.
4. Don’t hesitate to interview locals: Actually traveling to the place that you are writing about obviously helps to create a better impact. If you do get the opportunity to travel, make sure that you interview the locals and put their thoughts and opinions in quotes. This will boost the credibility of your article or blog.
So, start sharpening your writing and storytelling skills to write for the travel industry. If your content will be optimized for SEO, make sure to go through the SEO blog and article writing methods. All the best!
Are you a travel content writer? Do you have any tips for the budding writers? Please share your views in the comments below.