Travel writers: types and style

Travel writers are born or made? What are the types and how does the style of communication change? Starting to tell an adventure or an experience requires preparation and an introspective journey to understand which type of writers you belong to.

Preparing for a new trip is a very important moment for those who want to tell it later. In addition to the choice of clothing to pack, you also start thinking about the useful equipment to be able to document every moment and a question arises: “what type of travel writer do I want to be?”

Especially at the beginning, it is not an easy decision, it requires awareness because our uniqueness is hidden in the way we narrate the journey. Some already know the answer and are confident of their narrative style, while others await the journey to find their own style.

If the ideas are not clear, the departure becomes a crucial phase in which the suitcase inevitably fills up with anything that can be useful for documenting the adventure. To begin to understand what type of travel writers you are, ask yourself: do I carry a notebook or a computer on the road? This first choice helps in understanding which tool can be better to facilitate you in writing.

Travel writers, in fact, can be of different types.

• Diarist
• Journalist
• Writer
• Blogger

THE DIARIST

Take a notebook on the road where he collects notes and thoughts with a precise style: writing them in first person. The ego becomes the protagonist of every adventure and emotion. The diarist is not only a writer, he can also be an artist and his diary can become a travel book with all the drawings created admiring different panoramas. Again, the only point of view that prevails is his.

THE JOURNALIST

Although equipped with a notebook for notes, he differs from the diarist in style: his job is to collect stories of places and people through interviews. His style will be recognizable but, compared to the diarist, he will not be the protagonist of the story, the others will be. Furthermore, the journalist’s story will always be true and realistic.

THE WRITER

Explore the places with attention and curiosity to collect stories and information that become useful narrative elements for writing a book. Compared to the journalist, the travel writer uses real and truthful information to combine it with his imagination and creativity. Very often books combine real elements with events completely invented by their authors.

THE BLOGGER

There are many types: Influencers tell their adventures through social media like Instagram and Facebook. Sometimes they even have their own website. Their style is mainly visual, built with beautiful photographs and reduced texts that usually alternate the first person with the story of places. Compared to journalists and writers, their story is immediate, live and is shared and lived on the spot. Youtubers use video as a tool to tell and tell the world by combining writing and video editing techniques. Their reports live on platforms such as Youtube, Vevo and are shareable on social media. Blogger: in addition to social media they have their own website where they delve into the information and stories collected on the go through articles that combine photographs and videos within them. Their writing style can mix multiple genres.

Identify the different types of travel writers and their style, do you understand which category you belong to?

Sara Panizzon

Viaggio e racconto il tuo territorio scrivendo di turismo, marketing territoriale e storytelling nel mio blog TripOrTrek