What is travel writing? Travel writing is simply writing about a place or location. This can come in many forms and contexts. You can find pieces of travel writing in newspapers, web pages, s, brochures, leaflets, letters, journals and many more.

That Summer : Tenby, 1963 QuotationEffect ‘It has golden sands and a vibrant nightlife’ ‘we climbed down steep steps to the beach, swan in the sea and built sandcastles…’ ‘I can still remember the smell of the suntan oil’ ‘medieval town walls’ ‘the pastel coloured Regency terraces, the shops, the pubs and the restaurants’ ‘Boats still take tourists to Caldey Island’ ‘The scenery of the National Park is a landscape artist’s dream’ ‘Saturday nights in high season can be rowdy, but rarely threatening.’ ‘I am glad to report that the resort of Tenby is still a little gem’

The extracts on the following slides are taken from a piece of travel writing about Brittany, France. On the sheet provided I would like you to change the selected paragraphs into a short piece of writing about Tenby. Brittany is a peninsula and because it is almost surrounded by water, its weather often changes. The Western coast is often damp and misty – especially during late Autumn and early Spring.

With one of the most spectacular coastlines in France encompassing granite cliffs, rocky inlets, sandy bays and colourful fishing harbours, Brittany boasts a proud sea-faring tradition.

Leaving Brittany’s coastal port of Roscoff we drove inland to the historic town of Morlaix and began our hunt for somewhere to stay. What a delightful and confusing town Morlaix turned out to be!

Travel Writing Travel writing covers a specific subject matter. You should find more than you would in a brochure, this needs to be descriptive, autobiographical, persuasive and informative. You should try to use humour and sarcasm to engage the reader. Think about local issues you could make into a joke or funny statements about the local area  The summer traffic ban, stag and hen parties.  ‘drive 15 minutes from the town of Tenby and you will be greeted by the ‘hippy culture’ of Narberth where the residents are clothed in tie-dye and crochet garments’  ‘the delightful foods of Tenby are soon forgotten as you approach Pembroke Dock and the wonders of McDonalds’

This type of writing need to be personal and present the writer’s personality. Use personal experiences (a visit to Caldey Island, the horse and cart ride around town, visit to Oakwood) This piece must be descriptive - the reader needs to get a ‘feel’ for the location This piece must be lively, fun and bright – it MUST NOT be a list of what you can do, where you can eat and where to stay. You can use a ‘chatty’ style (‘tacky’, ‘roaring trade’ etc) Use similes (‘the colourful houses on Tenby’s harbour catch your eye like a box of beautiful crayons’) Use facts (visitors flock to Pembrokeshire every year for their summer holiday) Use the technique of tripling (Tenby is simply idyllic, beautiful and breathtaking)