{"id":69989,"date":"2022-10-14T14:11:16","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T13:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/insight\/cut-the-cliche-make-your-travel-writing-soar\/"},"modified":"2025-03-07T16:58:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T16:58:57","slug":"cut-the-cliche-make-your-travel-writing-soar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/cut-the-cliche-make-your-travel-writing-soar\/","title":{"rendered":"Cut the clich\u00e9: How to make your travel writing soar"},"content":{"rendered":"

When was the last time you went off the beaten path to a village forgotten by time? Or have you discovered hidden gems steeped in history? Surrounded yourself with diverse cultures and friendly locals? Unfortunately, so has everyone else.<\/p>\n

With the help of social media, the travel sector has flourished in the 21st<\/sup> century. After all, who can resist carousels of alluring travel content that so often fills our timelines? And with distant holiday locations often selling themselves, why worry if the writing that goes with it is the same as everyone else\u2019s?<\/p>\n

But attitudes to travel are changing. People want to travel much more sustainably, and more than half of people in Expedia\u2019s recent Sustainable Travel Survey<\/a> are looking to visit lesser-known destinations. Once there, travellers prefer unique and authentic experiences, rather than the mass tourism trends of the pre-pandemic period. Yesterday\u2019s travel clich\u00e9s just don\u2019t make the cut anymore. Fail to adapt to what your customers demand, and your business could be left behind.<\/p>\n

Crowding out<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The travel sector is extremely competitive, and with so many businesses trying to crowd each other out, it\u2019s only too easy to resort to clich\u00e9d language that appeals to the widest possible audience.<\/p>\n

Describing a destination as \u2018having something for everyone\u2019 or a viewpoint as being \u2018breathtaking\u2019 is easy to understand. But engaging? Not so much. While travel tropes can help make distant travel locations both accessible and desirable, if tomorrow\u2019s travellers are looking for more unique and authentic experiences, these worn-out clich\u00e9s just don\u2019t resonate. No matter how \u2018bustling\u2019 and \u2018vibrant\u2019 they are.<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t to say that great travel writing needs to oversimplify the travel experience, as the Scottish government\u2019s \u00a3125,000 \u2018Welcome to Scotland\u2019 strapline might suggest. Instead, cutting through to new travellers means businesses need to strike the right tone between clich\u00e9s and oversimplification.<\/p>\n

Painting the picture <\/strong><\/h3>\n

To speak to today\u2019s conscientious travellers, your business can\u2019t simply tell <\/em>customers about the unique identity of a destination, it needs to show<\/em> it. And it\u2019s here that having the right travel writing can help your business thrive.<\/p>\n

While telling potential travellers about local food markets from afar (\u2018sample X\u2019s lively food markets\u2019) might be the norm, it\u2019s going to struggle to connect with younger, ethically-minded travellers looking for added authenticity and dynamism. And with 98% of younger age groups<\/a> ranking \u2018eating local cuisine\u2019 as very important to their holidays, engaging young travellers is vital.<\/p>\n

Instead, bring the human element of your destinations to the fore. Highlight the real faces and stories behind X\u2019s food markets, and walk potential customers around the market, exploring the sights, smells and sounds that come with it (\u2018weave through colour-laden food stalls run by haggling locals as the smell of wild garlic fills the air\u2019).<\/p>\n

Bring human stories to the forefront and make distant locations that much more relatable, without oversimplifying them, and you\u2019ll quickly have a far more engaging tone when it comes to speaking to new customers.<\/p>\n

Four tips for creating <\/strong>the right travel copy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Striking the right tone can make all the difference when it comes to keeping your existing customers and earning new ones. And while finding an authentic voice may bring challenges, there are some simple steps your business can take to quickly start making the right impact through your travel copy.<\/p>\n