Travel writers need to travel to far away places in order to write travel articles, right? Not so, my aspiring writer friends. Isn’t everyone’s home town a destination for someone else? It sure is. And who better to write about your own home town than YOU? You live there and probably pass by interesting sites every day. Well then, write about them.
I’ll even bet your hometown has festivals, art fairs, rodeos, or even a zoo. Do people visit those? Of course they do and they are in need of guidance before they get there. See if you can write about an attraction or an event as if you were seeing it for the first time. Think like a traveler and then write.
My very first published article was about a Labor Day BBQ Festival and Contest. It was after the fact, but a publication picked it up for their issue the following summer. Publications always keep an ongoing list of articles and contributors at hand. In fact that publication liked my BBQ article so well, they asked if I could write about some other event happening closer to Christmas. It didn’t take me long to say “yes”.
Now, your first article may not end up being published, but don’t despair. The important thing is…you will have started to think like a travel writer. Happy writing.
~ Wendy V.
