 Every time I take a trip, and I've taken many of them, someone asks me to report on it or write about it. I've never been sure how to respond. I plan to study the art of travel writing more sometime, but as of now, I don't do much of it.
Travel writers seem to lead interesting lives: they sometimes enjoy free trips in exchange for articles designed to encourage others to visit certain places. That's fine, but for me, travel is about experiencing and enjoying--and as I grow older, sometimes about enduring physical hardship.
I have enjoyed many travel books and articles, especially those with fabulous photos of exotic places. However, I have never aspired to write such a book or article. My only real travel writing experience involved my husband's and my motorcycle journey in the former Soviet Union in 1990. I wrote about it for a Wright College publication, and I reprinted it in my first book, Reinventing Myself. At the time, motorcycle touring in Russia was unusual, and I kept good notes during the trip.
Today, when it seems that almost everyone travels everywhere, I have come to realize that there's little I can add to the fine travel writing that appears regularly. I have resolved to blog a bit about my trips in an impressionistic way. For my recent South Africa trip, for example, I have already posted a few pictures of the impressive animals in their natural habitat. Soon, I intend to write a bit about South Africa as a country today, and then I'll discuss the problems of elder travel. I'll share a few more photographs as well.
If any of this interests you, see my other blog, "Never too Late!" (There are various links here.) Meanwhile, what are your thoughts on travel and travel writing?
Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne
Reprinted from "Write Your Life!"
Posted by seniorwriter at 6:02 AM 
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