How to write a travel book in 5 easy steps

Peter Moore will be at The Adventure Travel Show, talking in the Wanderlust Travel Writing Workshop on the 25th of January. Tickets for the workshop cost from
£55; this includes admission to the show and a £10 voucher for use on the Wanderlust stand. https://ow.ly/sKABd

Advance tickets to the show are now on sale. Get your tickets for only £5
(that’s saving £5 off the door price!) by quoting ‘WANDERLUST’ when
booking tickets online at www.adventureshow.com

I get a lot of emails from people asking me how to become a travel writer. And why not? It’s a great job. Unfortunately, like all great jobs competition is very tough. I wouldn’t mind being a radio DJ, for example, but I don’t fancy my chances of stepping into Zane Lowe’s shoes any time soon.

Having said that, with a little bit of perseverance, anything is possible. It took me over six years to get my first book published. If I’d known then what I know now, it probably would have only taken five!

In my experience getting published boils down to four things. A strong idea. A unique voice. Good writing. And a good deal of perseverance.

There has to be a reason why. Why did you do this journey rather than another one? Some people follow in the footsteps of explorers of the past. Others attempt to be the first to do a particular journey. Some people are trying to find themselves, start a new life. It really doesn’t matter what the reason is, as long as it is a good one.

Some examples:

Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson. Bill takes one last look around England before returning to the US.

Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald. Sarah road tests different religions in the spiritual supermarket of India.

Crazy River by Richard Grant. Richard attempts to be the first person to travel the length of the Malagarasi River.

A strong, easy-to-encapsulate reason why is vital because it’s the hook everyone will use – from you or an agent trying to interest publishers, through to the sales and marketing departments of the said publisher trying to get publicity for your book.

One thing to keep in mind is that most successful travel books are aspirational. Whether it’s renovating an old house in Tuscany, starting a new life in Paris or climbing Everest, each chronicle something that people would love to do if they could. My most popular book in the UK has been The Wrong Way Home. It tells the story of my journey overland fromLondon to Sydney, a trip a lot of people have thought of doing (and often end up doing bits and pieces of it). Similarly, my book about riding around Italy on a Vespa, Vroom with a View, did really well in Australia. Aussies, it seems, have a hankering for the dolce vita on two-wheels. Or have a fixation with Sophia Loren. Like I did.

If you’re finding it difficult to single out one idea, write a one or two paragraph overview of your journey – or your idea for a journey – instead. Remember the who, what, where, when and why? It should lead you to your big idea.