The Travel Mishap
Recount a humorous or challenging travel mishap and how it was resolved. Focus on local interactions, your feelings during the ordeal, and any lasting impacts it had on your trip.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Cut every sentence that only repeats the one before it.
- Find one surprising fact and build around it.
- Use one example from your own life.
Writing travel books
Somewhere else, seen through someone's eyes.
Travel writing takes readers somewhere they may never go, through the eyes of someone who did. Guidebooks tell you where to eat; travel narratives tell you what the journey did to the traveler.
What readers expect
- A strong sense of place
- A curious, personal narrator
- Encounters with local people
- A journey with a shape
A tip before you start
The trip is the frame; the traveler's change is the story. A list of places isn't a book.
More Travel prompts
- Meals That Tell a Place's StoryDevelop an essay reflecting on the cultural implications of culinary traditions you encountered while traveling. How did the food act as a gateway to…
- The Trip That Went WrongCraft a narrative detailing a journey where everything that could go wrong did, and how these series of unfortunate events led to unexpected…
- The Market BowlDescribe a poignant experience involving a local cuisine that opened your eyes to a new culture, community, or personal insight. How did this meal…
- Lost in Translation AbroadWrite about a humorous or enlightening encounter with a language barrier during your travels. What misunderstandings occurred, and how did they…
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