Travel Writing: A Glorious Land of Exciting Contrasts

by Frank Barrett (Travel editor for The Mail on Sunday)

Travel writing is easy, isn't it? Just string together 1200 words on your last holiday. Then, when it's published, pick up a cheque for £400 or £500 - next thing you know free tickets for business class flights and complimentary nights at tropical fun spots will come flooding in your direction.

But how easy is it? How do you turn your seven-night holiday in Corfu into a travel feature that people will want to read - and, more importantly, produce something that a travel editor will want to buy?

Here are some key points:

What is the point of the feature?

Avoid the bland overview: 'Corfu, an island of contrasts' ('... from the peaceful mountains to the busy nightlife of Kavos, the island has something to suit every taste and every pocket...'). The feature has to be about something; it has to tell a story.

Your piece needs and introduction that will hook the reader's interest and a narrative that will draw them through to the end.

Think of the piece as a short story - it will have characters, a plot, certainly dialogue. You're not so much making a documentary: you're rather creating a drama.

You are not writing your school essay: What I did on my holidays.

'We got up at eight o'clock and then we went to the beach. We had something to eat at one o'clock and then we went to the beach. We had something to eat at one o'clock and then went to the zoo. Then we had our tea and went to bed. The End.'

You'd be surprised how many people submit diary-style pieces like this!

The key thing is to entertain the reader.

If they aren't immediately interested in what you have to say, they'll turn the page. Containing useful information is important but if you haven't made the piece gripping, your useful information is wasted.