Do writers need to leave the continent in order to write engaging travel writing?
Of course you need to experience the place, sleep in the bed, eat the weird sea urchin thing, suffer through the overly enthusiastic tour guide but no, you don’t need to cross oceans to be a travel writer. Sometimes the best stories are right under your nose. Take my local kebab shop, hands down the best falafels this side of the Pacific, and the owner? Used to be the personal chef to the Rolling Stones. That’s the kind of juicy nugget that gets readers hooked and maybe a free side of hummus if you’re lucky.
You have worked as a travel writing editor for many years. Did travel writing have a resurgence after Covid lockdowns lifted? How popular is it now?
Definitely. Editors weren’t exactly clamouring for travel stories when no one could leave their lounge rooms unless it was a gripping tale of what you wore to take the garbage out. But now? Travel content is back with a vengeance. Yes, magazines have merged and newspapers have haemorrhaged readers, but travel advertising is still one of the golden geese keeping the media afloat. People love to travel, love to read about travel, and positively froth over travel tips: especially Australians, who treat Bali like a second suburb and think a 14 hour flight is basically a brisk walk.
How can writers avoid merely depicting a scene?
Don’t just describe the scene, thread a story through it and sprinkle in the tastes, smells, and little disasters so readers don’t just see the place, they feel like they’ve spilt sangria on its floor.
How can readers know whether their travel story is only interesting to them?
The great existential question of travel writing, is your story actually interesting, or have you simply subjected innocent readers to 1,200 words about a goat you met in Greece who looked like your uncle?
Answer: Don’t ask your friends or your mum. They’re biased and will praise your story even if it reads like a mildly confused shopping list. Instead, test it on strangers. If their eyes don’t glaze over halfway through your tale of “the cutest Airbnb in Tuscany”, you might be onto something.
Readers want to be swept away. They want characters (like the overly familiar tuk-tuk driver who may or may not have kidnapped you), details (what did that fermented yak milk taste like?), and above all a story. With tension. And humour. And possibly mild digestive distress. If your most dramatic moment was a short delay to your flight, maybe just post it on Facebook and call it a day.
Should writers keep travel diaries when holidaying?
Absolutely, because after three cava cocktails and a questionable paella, your memory will be about as reliable as airport Wi-Fi.
Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan brings decades of experience and insight to the world of travel media. Currently the managing editor of First Class Magazine and travel editor of Ocean Magazine, she has also held the role of travel editor at Elle Cuisine and contributed regular columns to both the Sunday and Daily Telegraphs. Her writing has appeared in The Sydney Magazine, The Sun Herald and a host of other major publications.
As a sessional academic at Macquarie University and Western Sydney University, Nicole teaches subjects spanning creative writing to marketing and communications. She blends industry knowledge with academic rigour, offering students real-world expertise from someone who’s lived it.
Nicole’s experience straddles both sides of the travel writing fence. She’s worked as a journalist and in PR, giving her rare insight into what makes a travel story sell, and how to craft one editors and audiences want. With her deep knowledge, sharp editorial eye and passion for storytelling, she knows the travel world inside out and is generous in helping others find their place in it.
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