Storytelling 101: How to Write Travel Stories People Actually Want to Read

“First we went to the Louvre, and it was nice. Then we had a baguette, and it was good. Then we went back to the hotel because we were tired.”

Does this sound familiar?

This is the "And Then" trap. It is the default mode of travel writing, and it is undeniably, painfully boring. It turns the most exciting adventures into a dry itinerary.

If you are keeping a travel journal—whether on TripMemo, a blog, or in a leather notebook—you are a storyteller. And stories need more than just a chronological list of events. They need life.

This guide will teach you how to turn your "trip reports" into compelling narratives that transport your readers (and your future self) right back to the moment.

Rule #1: Start in the Middle (In Media Res)

Most people start at the beginning: “We woke up at 7:00 AM and packed our bags...” Skip that. Unless you were packing your bags while your hotel was on fire, nobody cares.

Start in the middle of the action. Start with the smell, the conflict, or the surprise.

Boring: "We took a long train ride to Venice. We got off and found a boat."

Compelling: " The water in the canal was darker than I expected, smelling faintly of salt and ancient stone. As the gondolier shouted something in rapid-fire Italian to a passing boat, I realized: We were really here."

Drop the reader into the scene. You can fill in the context later.

Rule #2: Show, Don't Tell

This is the golden rule of all writing, but it is critical for travel. "Telling" is summarizing. "Showing" is describing evidence.

Telling: "The food was spicy."
Showing: "My lips went numb after the first bite, and I reached for the milk before I’d even swallowed."
Telling: "The market was crowded."
Showing: "I had to turn my shoulders sideways to squeeze through the aisle, apologizing to every third person as elbows bumped and bags snagged."
Telling: "It was beautiful."
Showing: "The sun hit the snow-capped peaks, turning the white jagged edges a soft, bruising purple."

Exercise: Go through your last journal entry. Find every adjective (beautiful, delicious, loud) and replace it with a sentence that describes why it was that way.

Rule #3: Engage All Five Senses

Visuals are easy. We all write about what we see. But memory is multisensory. To make your writing immersive, you need to engage the other four senses.

Sound: The screech of the subway wheels, the call to prayer, the silence of the desert, the bass of the nightclub.
Smell: This is the strongest link to memory. The sulfur of a volcano, the roasting chestnuts in NYC, the damp mildew of a rainforest.
Taste: Not just "good." Was it salty? Sour? Did the texture remind you of something?
Touch: The sticky humidity on your skin, the rough stone of the castle wall, the plush velvet of the theater seat.

Example: "Bangkok didn't just look busy; it vibrated. The air was thick with the smell of frying garlic and diesel exhaust. The heat pressed against us like a heavy blanket."

Rule #4: You Are the Protagonist (Embrace the "I")

Travel writing is not a textbook. It is a memoir. Your readers want to know how the place affected you.

Don't just describe the history of the Colosseum (Wikipedia can do that). Describe how small you felt standing next to it. Describe how your feet hurt from walking. Describe your argument with your partner about which map direction was North.

The Character Arc: Every good story has a character who changes. How did this trip change you?

Did you conquer a fear of heights?
Did you realize you hate museums?
Did you learn patience when the bus broke down?

Be vulnerable. Perfect trips make for boring stories. The time you got food poisoning or lost your passport? That’s where the gold is.

Rule #5: The Power of Specificity

Generalities are the enemy.

"We saw some birds." → "We saw three scarlet macaws fighting over a nut."
"We drank wine." → "We drank a cheap Chianti that tasted like grape juice and dust."
"I met a local." → "I met Giovanni, a 70-year-old fisherman with hands like leather mitts."

Specific details anchor the story in reality. They prove you were there.

Rule #6: Kill Your Darlings (Editing)

When you return from a trip, you want to write everything. Every coffee, every Uber ride, every souvenir shop. Don't.

Curate the experience. If a day was boring, summarize it in one sentence: "We spent Tuesday recovering by the pool." Then, devote 500 words to Wednesday, when you hiked the volcano.

Focus on the Highs (the best moments), the Lows (the disasters), and the Lessons. Cut the fluff.

Summary: Your Story Matters

You don't need to be Hemingway. You just need to be observant. Writing is a way of paying attention. By looking for the details—the smells, the sounds, the specific colors—you force yourself to be more present in your travels.

And years from now, when the photos have faded and the souvenirs are dusty, those words will be the key that unlocks the memory in full, vivid color.