What makes a powerful piece of travel writing? There are many techniques, but all stories must open with a compelling introduction
Here are seven tactics for a strong start to your next piece of travel writing.
Paint a picture
When travel writing, describing a particular scene in detail brings it alive; it helps readers feel like they’re there. Think like a 360-degree camera, and capture the scene from all angles. What’s above and below you? What can you hear? And how do you feel?
Here’s an example from a travel story I wrote about Egypt:
“It’s 5am – still dark and cool – as boys tug at my elbows, bodies jostle against mine and men shout instructions in Arabic above the roar of flaming gas. This is a rude awakening, not the tranquil hot air balloon ride I’d anticipated. But the chaos dissipates the moment we drift upwards into the sky – a moment I almost fail to notice as I’m so distracted by the beauty of my surroundings. As dawn breaks, casting a glow like burning embers over the land, our basket soars 600m above the Valley of the Kings.”
Open with a quote
Starting a story with a quote – especially one that’s funny, shocking or mysterious – draws readers in.
I practised this in a travel story about Bhitarkanika National Park in India:
“No, no, no,” laughs my Indian guide, Nira Mohapatra, shaking his head.
“Are you sure?” I say, biting my lip.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Nira reassures me.
“So there are no leeches in Bhitarkanika National Park?” I ask again. I had a flashback to a hike I’d done in South India just three months before, when leeches the length of rice husks wriggled madly through my breathable trainers.
“Oh, you mean leeches?” Nira says, finally understanding me. “You could say this park is full of them.”
Offer an anecdote
Starting with a short, interesting or amusing story about a personal incident eases readers into a story. It also helps them connect with you, the travel writer.
In the travel writing example below, I wrote about a luxury cruise in the Adriatic Sea. I knew my target audience – British travellers – would relate to the pleasure of feeling warm in autumn:
“Feeling ticklish, I look down and spot fish nibbling my feet. I’m delighted: it’s October, and warm enough to paddle.”
Ask a question
Asking a question is an effective way to start a travel story. That’s because it sparks curiosity – readers continue reading to find out the answer. So you must remember to answer the question you pose.
I used this technique when writing a travel story about Masada in Israel for Wanderlust:
“Picture the scene: an 8,000-strong Roman army, equipped with shields, swords, catapults and arrows, marching towards a plateau in the middle of the Judaean Desert. Outnumbered, the 960 Jews living on top of the mountain have only rocks to defend themselves – but the advantage of elevation and a sophisticated food and water storage system. Who do you think won?”
Read the story to find out the answer…
Ask three questions in a row
Starting a travel story with three consecutive questions engages readers. It creates mystery, urgency or curiosity.
If I was writing about my experience of being shaken awake on a Via Bariloche bus in Argentina, for example, I might start with this:
“What’s that smell? Why is everyone getting off the bus? And where’s the driver?”
(Answers: smoke, there was a fire and the driver was spraying a fire extinguisher).
Travel writing can start with a case study
A case study is a single person’s experience. There are several benefits to opening a story with one.
Case studies tend to highlight conflict, goals and resolutions, which give an introduction a story arc.
They also create an immediate emotional connection. Readers are more likely to care about villagers’ homes being bulldozed by developers in Mozambique when they’re attached to a person, rather than abstract information.
Case studies make complex themes such as sustainable travel relatable. They act as a transition into a broader analysis of trends or practical advice.
A case study also helps differentiate your article from others, which often begin with the writer painting a picture. This makes your story memorable. Readers are more likely to remember a barefoot girl called Maria in Antigua, say, than facts about poverty in Guatemala.
Joshua Zukas uses this technique in a story about starving dugongs in Thailand for adventure.com:
“When rescuers found an orphaned dugong drifting in the shallows off Krabi in April 2019, she was no more than a few months old. Videos of Marium, as she came to be known, bonding with her carers went viral, and soon millions of Thai people were following her recovery. But despite devoted care, she died just four months later from an intestinal infection caused by ingested plastic.”
Travel writing can include statistics
While statistics can bore, a surprising statistic is an effective way to engage readers.
I implemented this strategy while writing about the boom in rollerskating for National Geographic Traveller:
“Pre-pandemic, one of London’s oldest skate shops, Skate Attack on Turnpike Lane, converted five pairs of ice skates into rollerskates – every day. Now, that’s jumped to 50. Roller Nation, a rink in Bruce Grove, reports a similar explosion of interest. In 2020, 10% of visitors owned their own skates – that’s since rocketed to 70%.”
The more shocking the statistic, the better. Numbers are particularly effective when they’re emotionally loaded rather than just informative. For example, death tolls, medical odds, risk probabilities or visitor surges. Kate Leahy employed this approach in a story about overtourism, also for National Geographic Traveller:
“When locals in the charming Austrian lakeside village of Hallstatt staged a blockade of the main access tunnel, brandishing placards asking visitors to ‘think of the children’, it highlighted what can happen when places start to feel overrun by tourists. Hallstatt has just 800 residents but has opened its doors to around 10,000 visitors a day – a population increase of over 1,000%.”
None of these seven techniques are better than the others. The trick to quality travel writing is to vary your introductions. I’ll delve into how to end a travel story in a future post.
If you’ve found this travel writing guide useful, please share it on social media. This post offers travel writing tips on how to start a travel story once you have an idea. But if you’re stuck for inspiration, read my post on how travel writers think of ideas for travel stories.