Choosing to live and work from the road for the next 4-7 years will be an adventure. The idea of doing this mostly thrills me and partly scares me.
A travelogue is defined as a lecture, slide show, or motion picture describing travels. It includes nature writing, adventure writing, and exploration writing. That’s partly what American Gumption will be – a description of my travels using the written word, photographs, and videos. But it will also be a commentary on what thrills me and what scares me. And it will be about what thrills and scares the people I meet along the way.
I expect my writing to be 100% hosted on digital formats for now and the immediate future. But, I’ll keep open the option for print versions of individual stories, collections of stories, or a full-blown book.
Digital formats American Gumption will utilize for now:
- The AmericanGumption blog
- American Gumption Members site
- Other Gumption website blogs
- Social Network sites
- Digital slideshows
Here are some of the travelogue styles that I expect to share with you categorized from most used to least used.
Regularly
- Travel Blogging – This is a free form type of travelogue story that will be at the heart of my writing and video story telling. It could include aspects of all the other forms or travelogue articles listed below.
- How To – This format will be my advice column for all I learn while living and working on the road full-time for the next four to seven years.
Semi-Regularly
- Special-interest articles – a particular aspect of a destination (see destination below). These topics will always be of particular interest to the Host. And they will most likely include the topic of Gumption.
- Personal essays – articles where I offer a strong opinion while sharing my own personal growth, discovery, and/or insights.
- Longform posts – the telling of a travel story with substantive narration and content. Since I have no trouble spinning a yarn, I can’t see how I’ll avoid this type of travelogue story.
Occasionally
- Destination stories – places that you may want to travel someday. These will be either National Parks or off the beaten path type places. They most likely will never be cities. Occasionally small towns.
- Holiday and/or Special Events – articles about an upcoming event. Typically an event that the Host will be attending and participating
- Itineraries – a review of the schedule the Host undertook during a given event. I expect this format will be used in conjunction with other formats such as special events or destination stories but only occaisionally used as a stand-alone format.
Never (or almost Never)
- Round-ups – round-up articles include the phrase ’40 best surfing beaches’ or ’20 of the best RVs to live on the road?’. It’s possible I could include these at sometime in the future, but I’m more interested in diving deeper into a single place, person, or topic for my stories.
- Op-eds – I will often intersperse my opinions into my other stories and interviews but do not intend to write pure op-ed articles that would be included here in the travelogue section of American Gumption.
- Travel guides or Guidebooks – Lonely Planet does this format very well. I recommend you use their guides if this is what you want or need.
My Travelogue stories will not include Interviews per se. Interviews will be considered it’s own separate format. That said, I will often be traveling to do an interview so some overlap should be expected.
Inspiration and content ideas borrowed from the following articles:
– 12 Types of Travel Writing Every Writer Should Know. Reedsy Blog (June 21, 2017)
– The 3 Types of Travel Writing, And Their Uses. Quintus Curius (March 18, 2015)
– Travelogues: An Innovative and Creative Genre of Literature. ResearchGate (August 2014)
– Types of Travelogues. Travelogue Creator, Dan Roitnor