Elements of Good Travel Writing Travel writing
• centers on a key event.
• uses background information that builds up to this event.
• may incorporate research to enhance the background information— even if the writer didn’t know the information things at the time of the trip.
• clearly describes the location and focuses on elements that are key to the story or experience.
• clearly describes any important people so that readers feel as if they know them a little.
• uses dialogue where possible to help the story “happen” for the reader.
• mixes reflections on the experience with the retelling to help the reader see the importance of the experience.
Beyond 'What I Did on Vacation': Exploring the Genre of Travel Writing." ReadWriteThink, International Literacy
Association and National Council of Teachers of English, 2020,
www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/beyond-What-vacation-exploring-1086.html.
Accessed 16 Sept. 2020.
Zara is a student at UWCSEA who records her travels on YouTube. Zara narrates her videos considering the elements of good travel writing.