Do you really need to travel to be a good travel writer? In today’s world of virtual armchair traveling, probably not. However, to be a good travel writer, you need to have the soul of a traveler. Otherwise, most of what you say could just be a sequence of what to do and what not to do. Sans soul, travel writing is relegated to a boring monologue or a recitation of facts. If you want the person reading your piece on travel to want to go, you have to infuse your writing with soul. That, together with a great sequence of what to see and what to avoid stirs up a reader to want to go visit.

First off, you need to know everything about the place. If you’ve been, try and find out more about stuff than just the sights and the usual places one goes to. Then put down all the hard facts – the whys, whens and wherefores. This is the base on which you are going to build your travel piece so make sure it’s recorded well, is easy to follow and detailed. Then ask around for the ‘extras’ that make that place special. If you’re there on the spot, ask the travel guides, the locals, the bartenders, the little old ladies on the street. It’s amazing how much you can get once you can get them to talk.

If you’re doing research on the Internet for your travel piece, do more than just the ‘must-see’ bits. (That’s absolutely necessary because that is what every traveler wants upfront.) Then go to the little visited places on the Internet – like the reviews about the place, the funny experiences people had, what they say about it on their blogs. Here’s where you’ll find those nuggets that spice up a travel piece and make it come alive.

Now write it all down in a logical sequence – spicing it up with those little bits to bring your piece alive – to give it soul. Done well, it raises the level of travel writing from a factual record to something that speaks to the heart, telling it about wonderful places all over the world that must, just must be seen and experienced.