Build a better travel blog
Remember the small things!
Part 1: Keeping better blog notes while on the road
By Gregory Rodgers
I felt like nothing short of a celebrity.
Workers toiling in the endlessly sprawling rice paddies stopped in mid-swing to glance up at me on my battered, single gear bicycle. I must have been quite a spectacle being the only white guy in town, as I struggled to maintain control on the rocky and washed out road. My bicycle, which had probably seen its peak in the 1970's, bounced along slowly, allowing the mass of kids chasing behind me to catch up and shout more “hellooooos”.
It was a rare, sunny afternoon in southern China. Tired of the massive Chinese tour groups which clogged the streets of Dali, I had decided to grab a bicycle and get out of town. Nearby Lake Erhai provided the perfect excuse, and proved to be everything that I had been looking for. A trail system provided the means to cycle all the way around and the tiny fishing villages along the way would provide plenty of hot dumplings, adventure, and maybe even a place to sleep to break up the 2 day ride.
As I rode alone, I was swimming in my thoughts. Getting away from the distractions of oozing capitalism and camera-armed tourists provided me a chance to decompress, think about my trip so far, and make a mental note of all the things that I wanted to share with friends and family back home.
The free blog that I started two years earlier at the beginning of my travels had somehow mysteriously blossomed into a source of interest for readers all over the world. I had an average of 500 return readers a day, and felt a strange sense of responsibility to keep them entertained with new content. I didn't have to, but I wanted to. These people were most likely stuck back at home, sitting in offices and cubicles, and I offered them a small daily escape.
Anyone that has kept a travel blog knows how difficult it is to stay motivated about making updates, especially while still on the road. When you finally manage to plop yourself down in a busy internet cafe full of distractions, it seems like half the things you wanted to write about have disappeared. You end up staring at the screen with a dysfunctional brain until you cave in and go play with email. Where the heck did all those mental notes from earlier go? With a whole new world waiting just outside the door, it is far to easy to throw in the towel with a lame post and then go wander the streets.
It always seems to be the small things that make a trip so special, not the pictures of crowded monuments or the checklist activities like bungee jumping. It is these small, mostly insignificant things that capture the spirit of a town or country, and getting them to your blog separates your writing from the millions of travel blogs that are out there.
When I finally returned back to Dali, cleaned the mud off of myself, and found an internet cafe, all of those mental notes that I had made earlier seemed to have been washed away. I cursed myself for not writing things down, and wasted two hours of valuable China time sitting in front of a monitor trying to recall them.
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Tools of the Trade
I have since learned my lesson, and now carry a small $30 digital voice recorder. Its discreet enough to keep in a pocket, and a little easier than writing for keeping notes while bumping along on a bicycle or even walking down the street. Everyone seems to take a camera, but what about recording the exciting sounds of a frantic market, a street performer's traditional instrument, or someone pronouncing words for you in a foreign language?
Being a little shy about dictating in front of people, I also carry a small notebook with a waterproof cover. A rubber band helps keep it together and protected while it slides into one of my pockets with a small pen or half pencil. These two small additions to my travel arsenal have greatly helped my blog, cut down the time that it takes to write, and have increased my number of readers.
Filter your Notes
As a reminder to myself when I write notes, I mark down the following on the cover of my notepad for every trip:
- Texture
- Color
- Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin
- Heart
As a blogger and not a journalist, you have the freedom to describe a place filtered through your personality and opinions. When I write, the main two goals are to transport a person from the white walls of their living room or office to the place, and to tell them how to get there themselves one day.
As you take your notes, don't do as many do and focus only on what you see or how it makes you feel inside - your readers have four other senses just waiting to be stimulated! Do you smell exhaust, wet leaves, or oil cooking in a wok? Can you taste the sweet incense burning in a temple? Is the sun warm on your back? When talking about objects, don't forget to describe the texture and temperature, rather than just the shape and color.
When you get back to a computer, life will be so much easier with your notes taken over the last couple of days. Do your best to compile them without using too many cliches (why do mountains always have to be “majestic”?) and let your fingers fly. You will be surprised at the results, and your readers will enjoy it.
With a little practice you can almost put someone stuck at home into your shoes standing in a foreign land, and they will appreciate it!
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