Writing your Travel Guide

The core part of travel writing in guidebooks is straightforward, informative, and full of facts and details. But it doesn’t end there. You can also include anecdotes or travel narrative sections that will help your reader connect to the destination you’re writing about.

If you’re new to travel blogging, you might not have settled on a writing style yet, but the more you write, the more your natural writing style will evolve and develop.

There are many elements to consider when defining your personal writing style. As you read through these, you’ll recognize some you’d be comfortable adopting, and others that would just feel alien to you.

The key to choosing your writing style is that it feels natural and effortless. As soon as you try to force a writing style that isn’t you, you’ll run into issues.

Point of View

Veteran editor Dave Lambert says, “No decision you make will impact the shape and texture of your story more than your choice of Point of View.”

Most travel writers create articles written in the second or third person, to make their content seem more objective, and to avoid being the centerpiece of their articles. But for travel guides you can write in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.

If you plan on using the 1st person approach in your travel writing, then you can present your experiences through your point of view. You can be the main subject and even take part in the action you’re describing. You’ll be able to relay your thoughts, feelings, and opinions, but your content is more likely to be considered highly biased.

1st Person Point of View Pronouns

• I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours
• Content: shared from your point of view
• Example: I enjoy eating at the Telephone Bar in the East Village; it’s one of my favorite places for brunch.

2nd Person Point of View Pronouns

• You, yours
• Content: directed at your reader
• Example: Eat at the Telephone Bar in the East Village, and it could easily become one of your favorite places for brunch.

3rd Person Point of View Pronouns

• He, she, it, they, them, their, etc.
• Content: from an outside observer’s point of view
• Example: The Telephone Bar in the East Village is a local’s favorite, and they flock to it each weekend for brunch.

The point of view you use is a personal writing style choice, but the key is that your point of view is consistent throughout the book.

Point of View consistency

The most confusing thing for a reader is to have the author flip between 2nd and 3rd person point of view. Either continue directing your content at them, or provide them with an outside observer’s point of view, but don’t alternate between the two.

If you choose 2nd or 3rd person point of view, it’s sometimes appropriate to briefly use a 1st person point of view to put yourself at the destination. I use this approach in my travel guides to add a personal perspective or to recount an anecdote or travel tip. I call attention to these changes in point of view by indenting the content, so it’s clear to the reader I’ve switched the point of view. This makes the core text flow with a consistent point of view.

Think of it like a TV program that’s interrupted by commercials: your reader can skip the personal anecdotes, or pause, knowing that they’re “different”. Their flow is interrupted but with an intentional shift in focus.

If you only use 1st person interruptions sparsely you can include them as part of the core text (preferably within brackets/parentheses). If you consistently pepper your text with anecdotes or tips, then it’s best to identify them using simple formatting (call-out boxes, indentation, italics, or bold, etc.). This way it’s clear to your reader your change in point of view is intentional and not just sloppy writing.

You can add travel narrative sections to talk about your experiences or emotional reactions to a place or destination, and it will be clear to your reader that you’ve jumped out of the core text to interject your first-hand experience.

Point of View for Approachability

From personal observation, when I chat with a friend I switch between 1st and 2nd person point of view, and because I want my travel guides to ooze that same friendly feel, I use this same approach. I convey the facts and details using 2nd person and add travel tips and short anecdotes to illustrate a point or convey a personal experience.

Using the 1st person point of view more sparingly is more impactful for the reader, and this way they can focus on the content rather than you. Then when you interject a personal anecdote, it stands out.

If you’re mixing points of view 1st and 3rd person or 1st and 2nd person, ask yourself whether you’re providing details and information, or your perspective. This will help validate your choice of pronouns.

Writing Exercise:

To help you decide which point of view to use as the primary one throughout your travel guide, try writing the same summary in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person. Here are your writing prompts:

• Write an entry for the last restaurant you visited.
• Write an entry for the last historical sight you visited.
• Write a How to Get from A to B entry. This can be something as simple as how you get from your kitchen to your car or front gate.

Writing in the 1st person will be easy, but try 2nd and 3rd person point of view to see if you gravitate to one over the other.

Click here for my A-Z of Travel Writing Tips

Read more articles in my How to Write a Travel Guide Series

I’m putting the finishing touches on my How to Write and Self-Publish a Travel Guide Series, which details a step by step approach for writing and producing your own travel guide. It’s part of a four-part series aimed at helping travel bloggers achieve passive income based on their passions and existing content.

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