Monday 1 April 2013

Sharing Travel Experiences

By Patrick James


Great! So you were happy with holidays to Turkey, and you're now home. You have interesting stories and a large number of photos relating to your Istanbul city tour, your experience in tasting Turkey's cooking delights, your breathtaking ascent to Mt. Ararat's summit, and your shopping episode at the coastal area of Kusadasi. Now, you want to share your stories to the world through your blog.

But how exactly? Keep in mind that there are many other travel sites in the Internet. You need to make your blog stand out. Below are great guidelines to do just that.

1. Begin by making your blog physically readable for viewers. Make certain that the text is easy to read, and it doesn't blend into the background. For instance, employ simple Arial or Times Roman font instead of Script or Forte fonts. Don't use text color that blends in the background. Work with an uncluttered background to avoid distractions.

2. Reduce extra design in your blog. Yes, you might like to customize your blog, but it doesn't really serve the purpose if your blog is full of widgets, interactive programs, monitoring applications, and all. Remember that people want to read what you have to say. They didn't click on your blog to know your skills as a website designer. Readers wish to know your vacation tale: the sights you visited, the marvels you witnessed, and the experiences you've been through.

3. Include a lot of images. Remember that images convey a lot more than text, and your vacation photos will tell 70 percent of the story. Photos will allow you to clearly describe how the Eifel Tower appears like, how magnificent a Canadian sunset is, or how impressive the vista below Mt. Ararat is. With photographs, it is possible to show your city tour, scuba diving, clubbing, dining out, and shopping experiences as opposed to explaining them.

4. Provide interesting details. As an example, you want to share your experience eating in an exotic Turkish restaurant. Don't simply go for the "I came in, I ordered meals, the meal was mouth watering, I paid the bill" approach. Discuss the appearance of the waiter. What about the professional dancer who performed in front of your table? Or perhaps you'd like to discuss about that tongue-burning sensation you felt as you took a bite of that scorching peppered meal? What about the red tapestries which adorned the place? Describe with your senses; Exciting details are cool! Assume that you climbed Mt. Ararat on your cheap holidays to Turkey. Don't just describe your adventure in a "we climbed, we reached the summit, we went down" entry. Include lots of details about it. Explain how magnificent the place is. Explain how you navigated over the rocky, slippery soil while going up. Tell your visitors about the cold dinner you had on your first night on the mountain. Tell us about that heartstopping moment when your close friend almost fell down a ravine. Describe your experience in five senses so that readers will feel as if they're there with you.

5. Make your article helpful. In every blog post, I typically include a schedule, a set of tips, and a budget. For instance, after I return from Krabi from a climbing trip, I post in a 2-day weekend itinerary; how much a traveller should shell out for transportation, meals, entertainment, and price for guideship services; important contact people, best season to visit, tips on reducing expenses, along with other details. This way, your blog won't just be a typical travel blog but a traveller's source of information.




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