I can’t think of a better book to kick off Journeys in Travel Literature than Lonely Planet: How to be a Travel Writer by Don George and Janine Eberle. If you love to travel, there’s a good chance you keep a travel journal, publish a blog, or are thinking of starting one. There are now over 30 million active travel blogs worldwide.
How Hard Can Writing A Travel Blog Be?
I had an epiphany as I planned a two-week trip to Croatia late last year. My book project was dead in the water, so I figured I would start a travel blog instead. How hard could it be, right?
How To Find Your Voice
For years, I reported on defense and foreign affairs issues before transitioning into a better-paying but mind-numbing career, writing press releases and ghostwriting articles as a publicist. But not all writing is created equal. I quickly realized I needed to segue into the travel writing genre.
The problem was I had suppressed my writing voice all those years and now needed to find it.
“Be you,” implore authors George and Eberle in Lonely Planet: How to be a Travel Writer, the first book I read.
“Relatability, sincerity, and authenticity are the gold dust of blogs. Find your authentic voice.”
Geraldine DeRuiter/The Everywhereist weighed in with more invaluable advice. “Oddly, the more personal the content of the blog became, the more it resonated with people,” she wrote. “I think we all inherently latch on to personal stories.”
Travel gems from noted travel writers and bloggers are generously scattered throughout the book, making it a handy resource for wanna-be travel writers.
The book was published in 2017 by Lonely Planet and is available as a paperback and on Kindle.
A few links no longer work; otherwise, it’s stood the test of time with a roundup of some of the most popular blogging platforms, examples of travel blogs “that hit the mark, monetizing your blog, and much, much more.”
An Engaging Read
Lonely Planet: How to be a Travel Writer is an engaging read. It’s very positive and motivating. I wouldn’t be surprised if the estimated 30 million travel bloggers climb to 40 million soon.
For recent writing tips from Don George, please read the post: Rediscovering the Soul of Travel Writing & Photography.
Lonely Planet’s book is available on Amazon as an eBook.
For more travel book reviews from Travel The Four Corners, please see “Journeys in Travel Literature.”
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