Competitive Travel

I can definitely see how competition between travel writers could rise when trying to compose the most outrageous trip.  I feel that this type of competition would be a fun reading selection and perhaps a supply of inspiration for future travel. However, I don’t feel there is practicality for the average traveler if he or she wanted to use this as a travel manual.

 

Friendly competition is bound to happen within any profession one decides to pursue. I feel that this type of competition is competition on a grander scale. The entire world is your game board. How exciting would it be to plan the most outrageous travel plan with nothing off limit?

I do question if travel is changed if seen as a competition. Will the experience still resonate as deeply? Or will the fact that the trip was planned out of pure competition change the underlying meaning of the journey? I would also question the writer/traveler’s want to venture to the destination he or she planned for the outrageous trek.

Although, the writer/traveler may very well be 100% committed to the planned adventure no matter the competition or areas selected. I think this type of commitment is essential for the success and portrayal of the outrageous trip.  

In my opinion, I feel once you begin traveling for someone else or for shock value you have jeopardized the true experience of the adventure.  Not only was this jeopardy impacting you, but this also could affect your general audience. I feel that reading these type of trips would indeed be entertaining, but ideally I would like to read a travelogue that I could recreate myself.

I am not completely against the idea of competitive travel. I do think it pushes other travelers to step outside they boundaries of what the common travel might look like. As a traveler, you set your own limits, standards, and expectations. Therefore, if you want to compete with your buddies or fellow travel writers, just be true to you and your travelogue!

Humor Is Humorous

I don’t think that humor is essential for effective travel writing. I think humor is a nice tool to break the seriousness in a piece of travel writing. I think if executed successfully humor can make a piece more relatable. However, with humor I think the author should tread intellectually, for if humor is used in the wrong way it may be offensive to a group of people or even the reader.

I think self-deprecating humor is one of the more successful of humor styles. I feel that this is a safer way of humor to go. How harmful is it to poke fun at one’s self? This is one of my favorite styles of humor. I think it allows the reader to better get to know the author also. I think poking fun at a culture or country could come across not as funny or appropriate. I suppose the topic of which you are trying to incorporate humor in would have to be assessed.

I think humor when used in travel writing might take away from the overall writing. At times humor is extremely situational. Have you ever told the funniest story to someone? And you are the only one laughing, so you have to reply. “I guess you just had to be there.” I think this might be the case for many of travel experiences. Unless you are a very good writer and convey humor successfully. Although, I guess it would be a little dry reading anything without some sort of comedic break.

As you can tell by reading this journal entry, I am a little conflicted with my thoughts on this topic. I feel that my humor would be situational humor and hard for others to find humorous. Although, looking back on some of my journeys, I do have some situations that could evoke a laugh or two out of people.