by Ruth Belena

Created on: June 28, 2009

It is possible to write effectively about a place you have not visited. Your account will be more honest for being based on a number of reliable sources, not from your own speculation. Facts are relatively easy to research, so you can provide authentic background to your travel writing, whether or not you have visited the place yourself.

Be authentic and honest, but without admitting you have not visited the place yourself. Readers should not be able to tell, from the way you write, that your article is based on research, rather than from experience.

You should not attempt to write a personal review if you have never visited. Focus instead on writing a guide. You can write an effective travel piece on the best hotels in a location, the best beaches on a coast, or the best places to visit in a city, based entirely on other people's observations.

Never plagiarize or copy what anyone else has posted in a forum, on a blog or at a review site. You will benefit from reading what people have posted, to gain a general impression about a place. Most people are honest in their criticism, or praise, when they post in a forum or on a review site. Those people have no other motive than to warn others, or to recommend people go there.

Read a selection of personal reviews about a hotel, or visitor comments on a resort. These will give you a better idea about a place than you get from a promotional brochure or official website. You can quote prices and travel information from those sites, but you will only know whether the surroundings match the experience from what people tell you of their visit.

You should find a range of opinions and differences in experiences. From these you can portray a place informatively, pointing out both the positive and negative features. This will provide your readers with an accurate and open minded piece.

By reading a number of visitor reports, you will notice when the same complaints or praises appear in several accounts. These may show that customer service is really good, or that the view is truly unforgettable. There may be frequent comments about the quality of the food, or about difficulties in getting to a place. All these can be used in your account, as valid points.

You may find only negative things about a place, or a great many positive endorsements. Either way, you can report honestly and confidently on what visitors may expect to experience for themselves.

Always use your own words to describe what others have experienced. Write informatively and make readers feel the same way about a place as you do from your research. Provide a realistic and vivid portrayal of the place, so readers can imagine being there for themselves.

When you write with authority, and base your piece on verified facts, plus genuine experiences of those who have visited, there is no need to convince your readers you have visited. If you write effectively, you will provide a good mix of facts and opinions. The result will not only be believable, it will be more valuable than if you had written it from a single viewpoint.

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