Traveling is an amazing experience that helps us grow, learn, and develop on a personal level. We get to explore different cultures, customs, natural beauties, and architectural wonders. But, the best thing about traveling is that you get to share your experiences with others.
If you’ve had your fair share of travel adventures and want to help others enjoy it as much as you did, you can write a travel guide. If you want to do it, but aren’t sure how we’ve got you covered. Just keep reading to learn about the 7 best tips for writing a travel guide.
Let’s break it down together.
1. Structure Matters
A travel guide is supposed to be this handy little instruction book that makes someone’s stay in an unknown place so much easier.
But, if you complicate your travel guide and make it hard to understand, you won’t be of much help.
This is why it’s important to create a structure that helps the readers get around:
- clearly labeled sections
- short paragraphs
- lists & bullet points
People probably aren’t going to read your travel guide cover to cover. Instead, they’ll look for specific information they need in a given moment.
This is why the structure of your travel guide will make it or break it.
2. Check Your Facts
Everything that you write in your travel guide has to be 100% accurate. You don’t want to share information that is untrue or unreliable.
This is why you have to:
- find the credible sources of information
- double-check everything before putting in the guide
- cross-examine several sources
- do a live check wherever you can
It would be best if you take a live tour of the place you’re writing about, to make sure you’ve got all the facts right. A single wrong address or misspelled landmark can ruin the credibility of your tour guide.
3. Explore Endlessly
To be able to write a great travel guide, you need to do, see, and try out everything the chosen destination has to offer. While you can dig for information online and follow the flyers and pamphlets you get, it’s best that you explore on your own.
Exploring the place implies:
- wandering without a clear goal
- following your instincts
- trying out everything that comes to your hands
- being adventurous
Set out and start walking around the city to see where it takes you. Forget about the instructions and let your intuition take you to new discoveries.
4. Team Up With a Local
If you’re writing a travel guide about a place you’re not local to, it could be a great idea to ask for consulting help from a local.
Locals know the spirit of the place and all those secret spots you don’t get to read in any other guides or online.
So, ask a local to help you:
- write anecdotes
- select the best spots
- describe the best routes
- learn about the history of the place
- learn about safety
A local can help you look at the place with a different set of eyes and capture the true essence of it in your travel guide.
5. Use Vivid Descriptions
One of the goals of your travel guide is certainly to entertain the readers and get them interested in the place you’re covering.
It’s important that you bring it closer to them by using highly descriptive language. This is why you should:
- use vivid descriptions
- include all the details and peculiarities
- awake all their senses
Write about the smell of an open-air market in Belgrade, natural beauties in Maui, or the sound of the mornings on a Greek island.
Help your readers imagine what’s it like to be there and give them a strong reason to pack their bags and follow your footsteps.
6. Write Conversationally
You want your travel guide to be like a fun tour guide who has all the facts but doesn’t bore you to death with all the information you don’t care about.
This is why you write your travel guide to be:
- not too formal
- not too technical
Instead, try making it more conversational and understandable. This way, people will have less trouble understanding it, and they’ll enjoy using it so much more.
7. Watch Your Writing Accuracy
If you want people to perceive you as a reliable professional, you’ve got to write like one. Writing accuracy will tell them a lot about you and your credibility.
This is why we strongly recommend that you:
- proofread several times
- edit to perfection
- remove all spelling or grammar mistakes
The best way to achieve the perfect level of accuracy is to use several proofreading and editing tools:
- online writing tools such as Grammarly
- writing services such as these helpful websites for students
- asking a friend or colleague to read and proofread
Be thorough and detail-oriented to create a perfectly polished travel guide that shows professionalism and credibility.
Final Thoughts
Writing a travel guide can be quite a challenge and an adventure. Still, if you do it for your love for traveling and put your heart and soul into it, it’s bound to be a success.
Use the tips listed above to write a great travel guide and share your passion for traveling with all the other curious and adventurous souls out there.
