Responsible Travel Writing: Tips for Sharing Your Stories in a Culturally Sensitive Manner

Read on for some travel writing tips. Learn how to write about your incredible trip while still being culturally sensitive and respectful of the people and places you experienced.

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Skip the Pictures

This is less of a tip about the actual process of travel writing and more of a tip about etiquette. There is an unhealthy obsession with documenting every single moment of a trip. While this may mean that your camera roll is full of snapshots of street food, it may also mean that you’ve ruffled some local feathers. Some cultures may feel disrespected by the presence of cameras, or by tourists taking pictures. Be respectful of the locals and do not take pictures of people without their consent. If you are asked to keep your camera packed away, it’d be best to do so. One of our favorite travel writing tips is to look at your vacation pictures with a critical eye; if the images you snapped are perpetuating a stereotype, keep them to yourself.

Show Respect and Humility

One of the most amazing aspects about traveling is that it opens up the world and forces us to examine life with a different lens. Our best tip for travel writing is to remember that going to a new place is an opportunity to learn about a country, city, or culture. Keep an open mind, show respect, and be humble. The day-to-day experiences that you’re used to and expectations you have in place may not apply during your travels. Actions and vocabulary that are appropriate at home may not be well received by a different culture. If you make an effort to learn from the culture you’re visiting and remain respectful during your trip, it will come through in your travel writing.

Use Correct Terminology and Avoid Stereotypes

A group of people might call themselves by a specific name. Others may refer to that same group as another, potentially offensive name. Even if you go into travel writing with the best of intentions, if you make a reference to a culture using a term that that culture finds offensive, you are in the wrong. Make every effort to learn about the people you’re writing about so that you can share your responsible travel writing that uses their preferred terminologies.

When writing about different cultures, it might be easy to lean on stereotypes to make a broader point. However, referring to a region, country, or people with stereotypical language is biased, prejudiced, and dangerous. This type of language gives an incomplete picture of a region and its people, emphasizes differences and otherness, and downplays what truly makes a place unique. Some who write about travel to Africa refer to the continent’s dusty villages and poor children and neglect to mention that the continent is made up of 54 distinct countries with their own trials and triumphs—and urban cities and skyscrapers like metropolitan areas in the U.S. Another type of harmful language can also be found in the term “friendly locals.” Not only is this a bad writing trope and a cliché, but it oversimplifies and downplays an entire culture’s nuances. If you travel to New Zealand and spend time with the Māori people and only write about their tattoos and perceived fierceness, but you neglect to mention their peaceful protests for the rights of indigenous people or how they’re an integral part of the local cultural landscape, you are perpetuating a stereotype.

Choose Your Vocabulary Carefully

Language is a powerful tool; you can drag people down or lift them up with just a few words. One of the most important travel writing tips is to carefully consider the vocabulary you’re using to describe the places you’ve been. Words like “developing,” “third-world,” and other terms denoting poverty imply that a country and its people are less than, without considering the larger historical context of Western imperialism. Instead of using these negative blanket terms, write about how a region might be facing development challenges or how it’s managing resources.

Another term to be avoided is “exotic.” This blanket term denotes otherness and refers to a culture that is different from the writer’s own through a lens of white, western imperialism. This term is most commonly applied to communities of color or those with fewer resources. Good travel writing should not have to lean on words like “exotic”, and you should instead use descriptive terms that respect people, their customs, and where they live.

The term “discover” can be problematic when a white person is talking about a country with a largely non-white population. The term takes on a distinct colonial lean, especially when in reference to something that has been around for centuries, like a food, natural landmark, or interpersonal relationship. When writing about your travels, it’s smart to keep in mind that although something is new to you, and you are learning about it for the first time, the implications of the word “discover” might negatively refer to a region and its people. Use creative language to refer to your new experiences and be respectful of local and indigenous people when you write.

While the tone and language used in your travel writing are up to you, you can get some help editing with the Microsoft Editor browser extension. With features that assist with spelling, grammar, and style, you can get help in real time when you sit down to write.

Travel writing allows you to relive incredible experiences and share them with others. Make sure you’re chronicling your trips with responsible, respectful language that encourages others to be culturally sensitive as well.