10 Signs You’re Meant To Be A Travel Writer
Does the idea of traveling the world to collect stories appeal to you? Have you ever browsed Travel + Leisure for hours on end? Maybe you’ve planned out hundreds of trips just for fun?
It’s clear, then, that you’re meant to be a travel writer. Being a travel writer is no easy feat. Along with the competition of other writers and the growing number of popular travel blogs, it can be a difficult scene to break into.
But if it’s your calling, you’re dedicated, and if you believe in sharing stories with the world, then what’s stopping you?
If you find yourself agreeing with any of the following signs below, then sharpen your pencils and book your plane tickets because you’re meant to be a travel writer.
1. You love anecdotes
Some people love anecdotes at the beginning of essays, articles, and stories whilst others hate them. [bctt tweet=”A good travel story usually begins with an anecdote.”]
If you find yourself savoring these little enticing morsels at the beginning of stories (or better yet, you enjoy collecting your own anecdotes), then you have a knack for tying in narratives to a bigger picture, which is a skill needed for travel writing.
2. When you think of traveling, you get excited about the stories you’ll find and the ones you’ll create
Some people travel to experience themselves in a new environment, and some travel to experience the world. A mark of a good travel writer is the ability to do both.
If you can look out into the world and see it for what it is and at the same time have the ability to look inward and see how it changes you, you might just have what it takes.
3. You have a million journals
Millions of people journal each night and don’t dream of becoming travel writers. If your journals are filled with the stories you come across, vivid details, and emotion, you will probably make a great travel writer.
4. You have a copy of either Into The Wild, Eat Pray Love, or Gulliver’s Travels are it’s completely worn
Is it any wonder that travel writers enjoy reading about the adventures of others? Whether fiction or non-fiction, you love to read about exploration and adventure, and you easily lose yourself in stories.
5. Paying attention to little details comes easy to you
Details are crucial when it comes to travel writing. Little details are what make the story come alive. If you find yourself remembering little details in your memories, you might make an excellent travel writer.
6. Experiences are more important than material things to you
Plastic souvenirs mean nothing to you, and you couldn’t care less about shopping to buy things. The one thing that excites you when you enter a colorful market is the people who are selling things.
You want to know about them and the trinkets and food they’re selling in order to learn more about the world.
7. Sometimes, you daydream of being Anthony Bourdain’s sidekick
Or maybe you’d prefer to tag along on adventures with Andrew Zimmern, Elizabeth Gilbert, or Alex Honnold.
8. If you ever won the lottery, you would pack a bag and travel the world with your pens and journals
People who weren’t meant to travel will buy houses and cars, but you’d buy plane tickets and writing tools.
9. Getting lost excites you
Stress is usually the emotion that sets in certain people when they’ve gotten lost. Getting lost gives you a burst of energy and adrenaline, though, because you’re meant to be a travel writer.
10. When things don’t go according to plan, you stay optimistic because you know that there are stories everywhere
Whether you’re stuck in a city for an extra night or you’ve found that the hostel lost your reservation, you never worry because you know that no matter where your feet take you, you’re bound to find marvelous travel stories.
Calling all world travelers! Have you ever dreamt of being a travel writer? What’s a personal travel story you’ve always wanted to share? Share your answer in a comment below.
