An Unexpected Travel Lesson
Week 3 of Living like a Travel Writer
I received a true lesson in travel writing this week, albeit unintentionally.
The lesson? The power of perspective (aka figuring it out when the story plan goes out the window).
This past weekend, I had a quick road trip planned for my friends’ wedding and thought, “what a perfect opportunity to practice some travel writing!”
I was staying in a themed hotel and I knew the wedding was going to be an epic party, what more could I want for inspiration? I figured I would even check out one or two other locations in the city.
Narrator: Shocker! She is terrible at estimating time!
Thanks to road construction, the drive took WAY longer than it should have and I had about 25 minutes to get ready for the wedding (I did make it on time 🤗). The wedding was positively wonderful and I didn’t leave until the venue played Closing Time. The next morning, I immediately ate breakfast and wanted nothing more than to get on the road to prevent another chaotic drive, which meant I did zero exploring.
This left me with a lot of questions on the drive home:
Do I still write about the hotel even though I didn’t get a chance to fully observe? I saw my room, the hallway, and the breakfast nook. That doesn’t feel like enough to write anything other than some fluff.
Do I just write about the wedding? Maybe I could write up a mock Newspaper article, 27 Dresses-style, and give it to my friends. (I might still do that, but that’s not really something I want to post on here).
Do I want to write about “the downside of travel that no one wants to talk about.” Honestly, not really. I think most people understand that things change, but at the end of the day you still have the joy of being on a trip.
How do people do road trips alone? I hate driving alone.
I grew tired of asking myself questions and just let myself zone out for a bit (safely, of course, I was driving after all). I switched back and forth between listening to music and an audiobook, hoping that something would spark a story idea.
Nothing.
I wish I could say one particular line gave me an epiphany, but I can’t. The ideas were a slow, iterative process of question/idea/question. (or maybe it was idea/question/idea?)
How do people do this full time? I thought.
Does the constant travel skew reality or just train you to get the story no matter what?
Maybe it’s all a matter of perspective?
That’s when I realized that is the point of it all - perspective.
We can never truly know what to expect when traveling (or in life tbh). When things happen, can you take a moment to regroup before making a decision? Can you find a new angle or a new lens to turn any situation into a story? I’m not talking about lying to make something unrealistic, but finding that silver lining. Can you change your mind?
Travel writing, at its core, is art imitating life. You have to decide what kind of person you want to be and that will shape your writing. Maybe some of you think it’s not that deep, but I believe life is a lot more beautiful when thought of as an ocean rather than a puddle.
I want to be the type of person who allows change to fuel creativity rather than hinder it. So, rather than write up one particular travel story, I decided to a) write this article and b) write a list of potential topics as a way to practice finding unique angles.
What story ideas did I come up with?
Is it worth booking a fun hotel if you won’t have much time there
Pros, cons, and my personal stance
Time-based decisions vs experience-based decisions
Cite research and talk about how we behave when using the clock as a key factor or using the experience and emotion as a key factor. Tie in the decision to get back on the road vs exploring the city
Solo experiences vs social experiences and how that impacts travel decisions
If I was going to create a themed hotel, what would it be and why
Include a round up of themed hotels I want to visit
Honestly, I’m more interested in these topics than my original story plan. Maybe someday I’ll learn that it all works out in the end 🦋