5 WAYS TO TURN YOUR TRAVELS INTO A STORY

Everyone loves the idea of seeing the world and exploring new places. And while it’s a fantastic desire, there’s something about seeing the world that can feel isolating. The limited amount of time we have to devote to hobbies and activities makes it even harder to find time for anything other than what we know is important to us. But even if you don’t have a lot of free time, there are ways you can turn your travels into a story that anyone would love reading. 

Anytime you plan an excursion, whether it’s business travel or just getting out of town with family, your experience is an opportunity to tell a story about yourself and your personality as well as your interests and hobbies. Reading books has been proven to increase our vocabulary and cognitive skills, which also makes reading more engaging than passively passing along information from others. 

Whether you’re looking for something different for vacation or want to spend more time reading with your family after dinner each night, these 5 tips will help you turn your travels into a story:

1. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE CAMERA-SHY

Emerging technology makes it easier than ever to document your travels. With products like the GoPro, you can take videos and still images on the go. You can also bring along a digital camera or phone to capture photos of anything that you find interesting. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to be a photographer in order to document your travels. The point of documenting your travels is about telling stories about yourself, not about showcasing how talented you are as a photographer.

Another way to get over the fear of being camera-shy is by simply recording yourself talking about what you did as well as some of your thoughts and feelings during your trip. This will help you create an authentic narrative for your story instead of having someone else tell it for you so that it comes across more personal and real.

2. HAVE A UNIQUE VIEWPOINT

When we think about our travels, it’s easy to just focus on the sights and sounds that we experienced. But what makes a story is when you have a unique viewpoint. 

In your stories, share your thoughts on the culture or traditions of the places you visited. What did they mean to you? Share your own experience with others and let them in on something new that they might not be able to experience.

3. BE WILLING TO WRITE

Your travel story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. It should be the first draft of what you want to say. Allow yourself to share your experiences without worrying about the grammar or spelling mistakes and then make edits from there. Being willing to write is an important step in creating a meaningful story because it helps you feel less inhibited and more natural as you share your thoughts and feelings about your travels.

4. CONSIDER WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW

One of the most important first steps to turning your travels into a story is to consider what you already know. What are some stories that have been told about your travels? Maybe it’s a family trip to the Grand Canyon, a business trip to New York City, or an adventure with friends in Europe. By knowing what has already been written about your travels and incorporating it into a story, you can create something that is more personal for you as well as interesting for others.

5. TAKE PICTURES OF YOUR EXPERIENCES

One of the best ways to turn your travels into a story is taking pictures. Whether you have a professional camera or just use your phone, take pictures of all the memories you make and see during your travels. You can take these pictures to share on social media, send as physical postcards to friends, or give to family members who are back home. You can also use Pictory an AI powered web based video editing tool for designing and Audio Hero for adding accurate music in your recorded video.  

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Keep a journal of your travel stories and share it with the world.
• Take professional photos, and use them as your Instagram profile pictures
• Create a blog while you’re away
• Write down what you did each day and create an itinerary. 
• Keep track of activities you enjoyed and events that you attended, so you can reflect on all the memories made.
• Once you get home, write about your experience in your own words and start creating a story with some helpful tips for anyone who is planning their next trip.