Customer Reviews

Teach Yourself Travel Writing (Teach Yourself: Writing)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author offers good solid journalistic information, geared toward the travel writer. Who, what, where, when and why, "show don't tell", hooking the reader with a good lead and other writing conventions are covered with great care in this book.

Even though it's called "Teach yourself Travel Writing" don't expect writing exercises to be part of the format. It turns out that "Teach Yourself" is simply the series name of the publisher. But the author does cover photography basics, article types, research, travel protocol and more besides the general journalistic practices. There is even a chapter on guidebooks.

Although I bought a copy only a short time ago (11/2007) some of the material seems to date back to the 1990s. When was the last time you used a dot matrix printer? Laptops and pdas are not mentioned and digital cameras are hardly mentioned. However when it comes to basic writing techniques and standards and how to do research, this book is very good. A glossary of terms at the back is quite helpful.

p.s. I now realize that the reason there was obsolete material is because the book I bought (which is exactly the book shown in the picture with the same cover and same price) is actually the first edition, copyright 2001, 2003. If there is a 2nd edition (2006)Amazon is obviously not selling it! I don't know if that is the publishers fault or Amazon's fault but it's very annoying to get a book that is obviously outdated when there is a newer one available...somewhere. Perhaps in England!

Barbara Hudgins is the author of "Crafting the Travel Guidebook: How to Write, Publish & Sell Your Travel Book".

As an avid traveler for years, I have kept a diary of all my trips. This book has enriched my journeys and become my guide to achieving a secret goal that I have always had to write about my travel experiences and try to get them published.

I recently had the opportunity to take "Teach Yourself Travel Writing" on a trip. Although I have no intentions of being a travel writer myself, I thought perhaps I could get a few ideas
and capture the essence of my experience. I was not disappointed. "Development of an Article" was very informing.
I have since given this book to several of my traveling friends. It makes a nice "Bon Voyage" gift.

This book is very much about the mechanics of travel writing.
The author writes well, but if you are already writing this is probably not the book for you.
Strictly for someone starting out - and in that case, this would be an excellent guide.

This was my first time reading about travel writing and it was a quick, easy read. Good practical suggestions. Geared more to travel fluff than to travel literature, but that's okay... we need to learn how to do it all.

I never considered writing about traveling until I read this book. I learned some practical tips while traveling: for example how to pack utilizing my suitcase in an efficient way and what to wear. The author suggests dressing in clothes that are appropriate according to the customs of the area, which helps myself and those I am interviewing feel more comfortable. This is a must read for anyone wanting to publish their travel writing and for the average traveler who just needs some tips to make their experience more enjoyable.