Travel Guide vs. Travel Narrative
Travel books come in two main categories: the travel guide book and the travel narrative.
When you start looking at the tone and slant of your travel guide, one of the structural elements that you need to consider (after you’ve fully explored your travel guide concept) is decide whether you’re going to include any narrative elements into your book.
But don’t get too hung up on whether to include travel narrative in your travel guide too early on in your writing process. This distinction between Guide and Narrative is just something to have in the back of your mind as you start planning your travel guide.
Travel Guides:
Help readers find the best sights, activities, restaurants, hotels, and attractions for a given destination, and can be written to advise, share knowledge or inspire.
The Travel Narrative:
Entertains readers by allowing them to share, and experience, a travel destination through your eyes.
Hybrid Guides:
You can easily write a travel guide that blurs the lines a little, which includes some narrative elements into your travel guide.
Case Study: My Travel Guide mix
I wanted my travel guides to have the personal touch, and although they are primarily Travel Guides, I include personal recommendations and narratives to connect with my audience. This approach has been successful for me, and many of my Reader Reviews on Amazon have the common themes:
“just like sharing a journey with a friend”
and
“like listening to insider tips from a friend”
This is precisely the tone I was aiming for.
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If you’re a travel blogger who wants to turn their travel blog into an ebook or paperback destination guide, leave me a comment below.
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.
Waaoohh amazing resource, learning content marketing for the tour and travel niche. This head be a heads up to me, i love theidea of travel guide as i helps giver travelers a good insight of destinations. Thanks Jay Artale for sharing!
Ssemusu Khamis recently posted…Uganda the Pearl of Africa
Now more than ever, the world needs travel guides and travel narratives, so that we can encourage more armchair travel.
Jay Artale recently posted…Use Freebooksy or Bargain Booksy to promote your Nonfiction Book