Top secrets of travel writers: how to create an itinerary that is inspirational and useful

So you're a travel writer about to create an itinerary? Above all, it needs to be inspiring. You want people to read it and get excited about going to this place. You want them to rip the thing out of the magazine/paper or print it off the web and book a holiday. If you've been commissioned to write the itinerary, it's for a reason. The destination might be hot or emerging, but most likely an airline, hotel or travel agency has bought ad space and they want bums on seats or bods in beds, eg. in the case study of my last post, the itinerary was the result of a junket hosted by the airline and tourism body. As a travel writer, your other main priorities are to ensure the itinerary is useful and that it's loads of fun. Because your ultimate goal is to show your readers the best time they're going to have. Here's how to do it:
1) Keep your readers firmly in mind: your editor will give you a brief, but also research the publication's audience. You'll find this info on the advertising section of their site. Build a mental picture of a typical reader or range of readers and every time you select something ask yourself whether that traveller would enjoy it. For a book we wrote last year a high priority for our readers (mature British travellers) was an evening beer at an alfresco cafe/bar with a view and compelling people-watching. Knowing that influenced the choices we made.
2) Refer to a model itinerary: ask your editor for an example of an itinerary he/she think best represents their format. If you haven't been commissioned and are gathering content for future stories, use a model you like, one that inspired you.
3) Write about places you know intimately: writers on 5-day junkets should stick to writing reviews or features on specific experiences. Leave itineraries to writers who know places well. Otherwise, readers who are residents and writers like myself will easily pick up mistakes. That means a loss of credibility and a bad time on the part of the reader following your advice, not good for you or your editor.
4) Do thorough research: prep before you go by studying other itineraries, reading up on the destination, and highlighting things that intrigue you. When you're on the ground, visit those places. Talk to ordinary locals as well as those in the industry (ie, your guides/PR rep). Ask people what they like to do, where they like to eat, how they spend their time, and when the best time is to do what they're recommending.
5) Include a few surprises: in addition to the tried-and-tested and must-do's, make your itinerary stand out from the others by including latest openings, local favorites, hidden gems, and things off-the-beaten-track.
6) Test out your itinerary: develop a rough itinerary, then test it out. Follow the whole itinerary yourself. If you arrive some place and it's dead, ask people why and find out when it buzzes and has the most atmosphere. Plan to return at the time suggested to verify their advice.
7) Consider the pacing: when you're testing out your itinerary, think about how long it's taking to do things. Sure, we're all different: one person might spend 3 hours in a museum another will rush through in an hour. Use averages. But if you're rushing around and not enjoying yourself then you need to spread activities out, no matter how much your editor wants nice neat brackets of time.
8) Avoid including day-specific activities: try not to include something only on a particular night of the week, unless it's really special and then mention it as an aside, rather than the main activity for a specific time.
9) Check practicalities and facts meticulously: note down opening hours, address, contact details, prices, and map location for every place on your itinerary. Don't rely on distances and durations from Google Maps, but ask locals how long it takes to get between places at different times. For instance, a 25-minute 7am taxi ride from Abu Dhabi's Shangri-La to Emirates Palace might take over 45 minutes on a Thursday/Friday night. If a restaurant needs to be booked 6 weeks in advance, say so in the itinerary.
10) Create an evocative itinerary: to inspire readers, include details that evoke the atmosphere of the place and intrigue and excite people enough to want to go there. When you visit the place, don't just make notes about your hotel room, meals and museums, but observe the rhythms and details of everyday life and include description about the sights, sounds and smells.

Pictured? The Lebanese night at an Abu Dhabi club; inclusions like these will set your itinerary apart from the rest.

Top secrets of travel writers: #2 the art of parachute artistry

Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler said in a 2005 New Yorker story ''The Parachute Artist': "To research a big guidebook, you need some people who live in the country, but you also need some parachute artists, someone who can drop into a place and quickly assimilate, who can write about anywhere.” The skills and tricks of a parachute artist are one of the secrets of travel writing. In much of the Thomas Kohnstamm media coverage, online reader comments and discussions on travels forums, travel writers were criticized for not living or staying long enough in a destination they're researching. Because few people recognize or appreciate the art of parachute artistry. So how do travel writers quickly assimilate to a city? And how can you do so too?
1) visit the tourist office: don't just leave with a map and bundle of brochures and let the staff get away with circling "we are here" on your map. Interrogate them. Ask what's new, what's not in the brochures, what's recently opened in the way of sights, museums, galleries, shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, whatever it is that interests you, then press them for their preferences. Also ask where the interesting neighborhoods are, where locals go out, hang out, shop etc.
2) consult local experts: when you eat somewhere you like, ask the manager, waiter or chef for places similar to where you're eating at and where they eat on their night off; ask the sommelier where he/she likes to drink and eat, where there's a nice little wine bar specializing in local wines; if you like a bar, find out where the bartenders drink after closing; art gallery managers can suggest other galleries; music store staff can tell you where they see live bands; fashion boutique sales staff can direct you to hip areas to shop; hairdressers can recommend the best dance clubs.
3) talk to locals: if you're at a museum, gallery, restaurant, cafe or bar you like, strike up a conversation with locals and ask them where they like to go to see similar shows, eat, drink, hang out, shop, etc. Ask local surfers for the best beaches or people walking in a park for tips on other places to stroll. Don't ask them where they think you should go, but where they like to go. Big difference. Ask people where they think you should go and they'll often name the usual tourist traps, even if they haven't been themselves.
4) 5-star hotel concierges: whether you're staying at the hotel or not, there's nothing stopping you from going to chat to the concierges and get some tips. A 5-star concierge always knows the best restaurants, bars and shops, what's showing at museums and theatres, where to get tickets and the best times to go. Their guests may be discerning but don't think their tips will always be out of your price range if you're on a budget. Not all rich people enjoy throwing their money around, but they tend to expect quality and good-value, whether it's a cheap ethnic eat or a Michelin-starred place.
5) read local publications: buy a local newspaper or magazine from a news stand and pick up those free entertainment, music and clubbing papers, leaflets and postcards, that you often find on the floor in music stores and boutiques. If you're in a city for a while head to a bookstore and look for locally-written guidebooks that you won't find outside the country. For instance, whenever we go to Bangkok we immediately buy the excellent Chic Restaurants and Bars Bangkok book written by local food critics.
So, are you ready to jump? And how do you quickly acquaint yourself with a new place?

Top secrets of travel writers: #1 hidden gems are kept hidden for good reason

This is the first in a series of posts on the top secrets of travel writers, partly inspired by The Traveler’s Notebook’s Top 5 Secrets Travel Writers Won’t Tell You, however, my posts won’t be devoted to the perks of the job but rather the stuff travel writers don’t tell you and the things we don’t always write about, and why. Let’s start with hidden gems. We've all seen stories like 'The Hidden Gems of Hawaii' or 'Barcelona’s Secret Spots' or 'Off-the-beaten-track Turkey'. Whilst those recommendations might not be places you’d typically see on the tourist circuit, they’re more likely to be popular local favorites rather than ‘hidden gems’, those wonderful out-of-the-way places that people don’t want you to know about. Why? Locals rarely reveal their secrets spots because they don’t want to see their secluded beaches overcrowded with tourists, beer prices go up at the local pub, or find that they suddenly need to reserve a table at a restaurant they’ve been casually dropping into for years. As for writers, they don’t want to start seeing travellers crowd their neighbourhood favorites or see charming backstreet eateries or bars they’ve discovered while researching cities overran with tourists one day. Because when that happens the very thing we found appealing in the first place – the relaxed charm, laidback style and local atmosphere – disappears. I’ll never forget a restaurant in Buenos Aires that's in all the guidebooks… the reviews suggested it was a local favorite, the food was fine, staff friendly, and atmosphere romantic. The night we went the food was hit and miss, the staff distant and inefficient, and while the place was moodily-lit, there wasn’t a single ounce of atmosphere. Bored-looking tourists and their guidebooks occupied every table. Like us, they were probably wondering if it was the right restaurant. Where were the romance, atmosphere, affable staff, and good food? Probably lost long ago, when locals stopped coming, and the chef and staff lost interest. We crossed it off our list. But as we were living nearby we walked past once or twice a week, to make sure we were justified in doing so. We were. This is why hidden gems are kept that way. Our favorite Buenos Aires restaurant? Sorry. That's our little secret. The beach pictured? Um… it’s on the west coast of Australia somewhere…