What Can A Travel Voice Tell You About Identity?
Definition
Travel Voice
The distinctive way a writer presents themselves and their experiences of place, shaped by purpose, audience, tone, and language choices.
- When people write about travel, they (deliberately or not) create a version of themselves for the reader.
- This is travel voice: the recognizable "personality" of a travel text, created through choices about tone, style, language, detail, and point of view.
- Travel voice shows up in many kinds of texts: a holiday brochure, a social media caption, a reflective journal, or a full travel blog.
- In each case, the writer selects details to shape a message, for example "this place is paradise," "this trip changed me," or "you should visit (and here's how)."
Hint
- A useful reminder from common travel sayings is that experiencing a place can challenge assumptions.
- Travel texts often build their voice around discovery, surprise, and learning, not only around scenery.
How Can Purpose and Audience Shape Voice Choice?
- Strong travel writing starts by asking two questions:
- Why am I writing this? (purpose)
- Who am I writing for? (audience)
- A travel company brochure usually aims to persuade.
- A travel blogger might aim to inform (tips), entertain (stories), document (memory), or build credibility (expert identity).
- Even a short social media post often aims to show others something about the writer, such as being adventurous, thoughtful, or humorous.
Definition
Purpose
What the writer wants you to think, feel, or do.
Definition
Audience
The readers or viewers a text is intended for, who influence the content, tone, and language choices.
Common purposes in travel texts
- Travel texts often combine several purposes:
- To persuade (visit this place, buy this trip, follow this account)
- To inform (how to travel on a budget, what to pack, what to avoid)
- To entertain (comic mishaps, dramatic moments, surprising encounters)
- To reflect (what travel taught me, how my assumptions changed)
- To build an identity (I am a risk-taker, a foodie, an explorer, a culture-lover)
Note
- Travel writing frequently reflects the idea that travel can make you more "modest" or aware of your place in the world.
- When you adopt a reflective travel voice, you often sound more thoughtful, less certain, and more willing to learn.
Audience changes your tone and detail
- A travel blog aimed at first-time visitors might use clear headings, practical details, and an encouraging tone.
- A blog aimed at experienced backpackers might use insider vocabulary and assume background knowledge.
- A post meant for friends might include private jokes and personal references.
How Does Tone, Point of View, and Attitude Build Voice?
Definition
Tone
The writer’s attitude toward the subject or audience.
Your voice is the overall impression; your tone is the emotional "sound" at a particular moment.
Typical travel tones (and what they suggest)
- Enthusiastic: invites the reader to share excitement, often persuasive.
- Reflective: suggests depth and learning, often connected to culture and identity.
- Humorous: builds connection and entertainment, often through self-deprecation.
- Awe-filled: emphasizes wonder, scale, and beauty.
- Critical: highlights problems, ethics, or disappointment (use carefully).
Hint
- Most travel blogs use first person ("I") because personal experience is the point.
- That choice automatically creates intimacy, but it also increases the risk of being subjective.
Common Mistake
A common mistake is confusing "first person" with "honesty." First person can still be selective and biased. Voice is created by choices, not guaranteed by grammar.
What Combination of Language Techniques Create a Vivid Travel Voice?
A travel voice becomes memorable when it makes readers feel present, which is where craft matters.
Sensory imagery turns places into experiences
Definition
Sensory Imagery
Language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) to create vivid description.
- Sensory imagery uses sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to create immediacy.
- Instead of "The market was busy," a travel voice might write:
- "Metal shutters clattered open while citrus and diesel fought for space in the air."
Figurative language adds meaning, not just decoration
- Travel writing often uses:
- Metaphor (comparing without "like/as")
- Personification (giving human qualities to non-human things)
- These techniques help a travel voice go beyond listing facts. They suggest how the place "felt" to the writer.
Definition
Metaphor
A metaphor directly equates one thing to another, implying they share qualities.
Definition
Personification
Personification is a literary device where non-human things are given human characteristics such as actions, emotions, or intentions. This includes objects, animals, ideas, or forces of nature behaving or feeling like people.
Detail selection is part of your voice
- Travel voice is also created by what you choose to include:
- The landmark, or the quiet side street
- The perfect photo moment, or the uncomfortable misunderstanding
- The food, the people, the history, the costs, the risks
- Selection signals values.
- So if you only show luxury, your voice may sound aspirational or promotional.
- If you include mistakes and limits, your voice may sound more grounded.
Example
- Two voices describing the same beach:
- Voice A (brochure-like): "Crystal waters, endless sunshine, and flawless white sand await you."
- Voice B (blogger-reflective): "At noon the sand looked photoshopped, but by 3 p.m. the wind had turned it into a stinging reminder that 'paradise' has weather too."
- Both are valid, but they create very different relationships with the reader.
What Is Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Travel Writing?
- A travel voice becomes persuasive when it sounds trustworthy and makes the reader feel something, while also giving them usable information.
- Travel companies and many influencers try to do this using:
- Pathos (emotion): desire, escape, romance, adventure
- Logos (logic): prices, schedules, itineraries, "top 10" lists
- Ethos (credibility): expertise, experience, confident recommendations
Definition
Ethos
A persuasive appeal that builds credibility and trust, for example by showing expertise, authority, or shared values.
Definition
Pathos
A persuasive appeal that influences an audience through emotion, such as fear, hope, guilt, pride, or desire.
Definition
Logos
A persuasive appeal that influences an audience through logic, such as reasons, evidence, comparisons, and cause-and-effect.
Exam technique
- When analysing a travel brochure or blog, look for:
- The emotional promise (pathos),
- The "proof" (logos),
- The credibility signals (ethos),
- Then explain how those choices shape the writer's travel voice.
How Can You Recognize Bias?
Definition
Bias
Bias refers to a systematic preference or inclination that shapes how theories are constructed and applied.
- Many travel texts are subjective because they are based on personal experience.
- Some are also influenced by money, branding, or the need to appear exciting.
Where bias comes from in travel blogs
- Bias can come from:
- Selection (only showing highlights)
- Exaggeration (hyperbole, overpraise, dramatic negativity)
- Omission (leaving out cost, crowds, risk, or ethical issues)
- Identity performance (wanting to look adventurous, cultured, or "different")
- Commercial pressure (sponsorships, affiliate links, brand partnerships)
- This does not mean a travel blog is useless.
- It means readers should interpret it critically, and writers should be transparent and fair when possible.
Common Mistake
- A common misconception is that travel voice must be "positive."
- Overly positive voice can become untrustworthy if it ignores limitations, safety, local context, or cultural respect.
Tip
- To reduce unhelpful bias, include one or two "constraints" in your writing:
- a cost, a difficulty, a moment of uncertainty, or a respectful acknowledgment of what you cannot fully understand as a visitor.
Self review
- What is “travel voice”?
- How do purpose and audience shape voice?
- How is tone different from voice and point of view?
- Where can bias enter a travel text?
