travel writing

KEY FEATURES OF TRAVEL WRITING

• Viewpoint: travel writing often documents the personal experiences of someone exploring a new place or country so is often first person.

• Perspective: an outsider’s perspective is common when reading travel writing, particularly if the destination is new, exotic or remote. Alternatively, the piece might be written from an insider’s perspective and is inviting you to visit or share an experience in a different part of the world.

• Structure: look out for chronologicaltimelines, past – present structures or a linearjourney of discovery. Guidebooks will have clear headings and subheadings and will probably include box-outs and the like.

• Information: travel writing often seeks to be informative and can present you with facts and figures, names and dates, historical or architectural or geographical information and more.

• Description: if the writer is trying to make the destination tantalising, or to help transport the reader, you might find examples of visual imagery, vivid description, even figurative comparisons, helping you visualise a far-off place.

• Visuals: photographs, maps, or floor plans of famous locations are all visual features that you might encounter in travel writing, particularly guidebooks.