Two-page Spread: Analyzing the Writing Style of Travel Magazine Articles

Introduction. In this blog post, I will be researching different articles in travel magazines and analyzing the different components that go into them. I will be documenting my research here and will use the following information to write my own travel magazine article.

Tone/Voice

The attitude you have toward the people, the location, and your readers is referred to as the tone of your article. Most travel articles have a respectful tone to show respect to the individuals the article is about. The information must be truthful and authors can write about a bad experience that would be important and relevant to the audience. Since travel magazines usually use descriptive language, they also do not use much formal language. Their goal is to sound excited about the topic and this is hard to achieve with formal language. Travel magazine articles are written in first person. This helps the author pull the readers into the scene with them; this in turn encourages the audience to read further.

This article from Boast magazine uses first person. This helps connect the readers to the experiences or the information in the feature.

Language

Use vivid language to describe your surroundings. Be sure to be as descriptive as possible to help the audience build a picture of the scene as you're talking about it. Many articles make use of the scene-building technique. A good scene contains detailed descriptions of the setting. It has discussion in it. It also has action in it. Action can be revealed through anecdotes or narrative. Sensory words that describe the scents, tastes, noises, and pictures that you encountered help build the experience of the destination inside the audience's mind. Using comedy is one way to accomplish a soft tone. Irony or a hilarious experience could be included.

This article is an example of descriptive language. It starts off using words that paint a clear picture of outfits that poetry lovers and patriotic fans like to wear. This helps the readers imagine it themselves.

Types of Articles/Topics

Magazines generally have 3-4 main features for each issue.

The article needs to have a clear storyline. When writing, you need to know what your story is going to be about, and all of the events that are in it. The article needs a clear purpose or goal. Sometimes there is a physical goal like climbing a mountain and bringing the reader with you. Other times, there are less obvious goals like learning the history of a place.

Narrative features are an example of "travel writing" which are longer articles about specific experiences in certain destinations. Seasonality is important because it tells the reader that the author's amazing experience happened recently and encourages them to look into the topic further.

Roundups are bulleted lists with the main paragraph followed by examples. For these types of features, it is best to focus on details and be as specific as possible.

Road-trips and walking tours are popular among readers as they usually travel with the goal to explore and sight-see in mind. This gives them the author's perspective on those activities in a destination.

Travel news is helpful in telling readers all about the current situation in a destination and it provides them with information that can help them decide whether they want to visit a place or not.

Introduction/Conclusion

Introduction

Travel magazine articles need a really good first paragraph. They need to grab the reader's attention and to do that, they need an introduction to draw the audience in. A few ways travel magazine articles do this is by starting with something dramatic that the readers cannot ignore. They also use a quote that grabs the audience's attention, or they use an anecdote that draws the readers in.

This article from World Travel starts with very descriptive words to describe the weather in the Maldives. This is a good way to draw the readers in and it sets the tone for the rest of the feature.

Conclusion

The endings reinforce what has gone before and reiterate the central point of the travel article, yet they don't just repeat what they've already said. Instead, they use a memorable image, fact or anecdote that helps summarize and demonstrate all that has gone before it, while simultaneously hammering home the main point.

This is a continuation of the article above. It concludes by tying the theme together again; in this case it's that summer is still very present in the Maldives. This gives the people who are looking for a place to go for the summer a good suggestion for where to go.

Audience

There are a few types of people travel magazines are targeting. The first category is people with no travel plans in mind. The job of travel magazines is to incite interest in a place to visit. Another category is people who are deciding where to go. Magazines usually include many different destinations that have unique characteristics for these kinds of people to choose which place appeals to them the most. The last category is people who are traveling locally. This pertains mostly to local travel magazines who talk about activities in local tourist areas. 

Wrap Up

Travel magazines use descriptive language to create a scene in peoples' minds to help them picture the destination. They use sensory words and anecdotes. A few types of articles included are narratives, or stories, roundups (bulleted lists), road-trips, and travel news which inform the readers of events happening in the locations talked about. Some introductions include a dramatic opening, a quote, or an anecdote. Authors usually close the articles with a memorable image or fact. There are multiple audiences for travel magazines. One of them are people who have no original plans to travel so magazines are there to put the idea into their minds. Travel magazines include many different destinations to give the audience a choice in picking which one appeals to them the most. Many articles also focus on local attractions for those who want to go somewhere in their area. My article will most likely be about the Florida State Fairgrounds because it is near me so I know a lot about it.

Works Cited

• “Demographics for Road & Travel Magazine.” Road & Travel Magazine, https://www.roadandtravel.com/company/advertising/demographics.html. Accessed 1 March 2022.
• Díaz, Junot. “How to Write a Captivating Conclusion.” World Words, 12 January 2015, https://world-words.com/how-to-write-a-captivating-travel-writing-conclusion/. Accessed 1 March 2022.
• Johnson, Mike. “5 Travel Target Audiences & How To Generate Leads At Every Stage.” Vertical Leap, 23 November 2021, https://www.vertical-leap.uk/blog/top-5-travel-target-audiences-and-how-to-capture-them/. Accessed 1 March 2022.
• Linstead, Dan. “10 Expert Tips for Writing Travel Articles | Wanderlust.” Wanderlust Travel Magazine, 28 December 2021, https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/10-tips-for-writing-travel-articles/. Accessed 1 March 2022.
• Rethwill, Oscar. “How to Write a Winning Opening Paragraph.” World Words, 26 December 2014, https://world-words.com/travel-writing-techniques-for-the-opening-paragraph-2/. Accessed 1 March 2022.
• Worster, Steven. “Types of Travel Articles.” Launch Your Travel Writing Career, https://www.travelwritingcareer.com/types-travel-articles/. Accessed 1 March 2022.
• “Writing Travel Articles | Find Your Creative Muse.” Find Your Creative Muse, 4 October 2010, https://davehood59.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/writing-travel-articles/. Accessed 1 March 2022.