Travel Sub-Genres

September 22, 2021– I’m writing you from the good ole US of A! We’re road tripping across the country and are having a blast while getting a lot of things accomplished in the book business. Today, as we continue our theme of continuing education for authors, we’re going to talk about Travel writing which I think is a nice edition and on point with what we’re doing now!

When most people think of ‘travel literature,’ they think of a guidebook or map of places to stay and things to see in whatever place they’re going to.  But travel literature is so much more; many authors love writing about their personal experiences abroad, and the details of tiny corner cafes, national museums, parks, and monuments make it into their writing. What drives my desire to travel is a sense of adventure, wanderlust, and freedom. I want to live a life of ‘I can’t believe I did that’ rather than ‘what if’. Movement, for me, is necessary, it’s like breathing, and I can’t imagine the dullness of living my life in one place; that’s my personal opinion. Travelling transforms me, it inspires me, and I love meeting new people and having new experiences.

Let’s talk about three sug-genres of travel writing that aren’t obvious such as writing about a journey or quest where the character has travelled abroad.

1) Echotourism- Your main character follows in the footsteps of another traveller and visits the places an earlier traveller visited in this subgenre; they echo their journey and try to recreate the path their ancestors/friend/ family member took with a unique experience through their eyes.

2) Expat- Don’t confuse books about passing through a temporary location; this genre is all about the protagonist moving to a different place from their home country. They reveal what it’s like to move/live there and the struggles, triumphs, and even chaos they face. It’s a great idea to blend humour in this genre. Whatever can go wrong should, as long as it’s believable.

3) Mode-In this subgenre, the focus is on the mode of transport such as by foot, boat, kayak, bike, motorcycle, train, plane, etc. Maybe your main character is travelling cross-country as a stowaway on a train or kayaking to a camping site near the foot of a mountain; whatever you choose for them, do your research into the modes of transportation and the physical/emotional toll that each would take on the character, e.g., motorcycle in the rain etc. Think of Daniel Radcliffe’s character in the movie Jungle or Rambo, among hundreds of others.

I hope you learned something new today and that you’ve been enjoying the content and education thus far. Be sure to check out our classes and products here: http://www.pandamoniumpublishing.com/shop