Writing Trip Reports
 

I am preparing to write a trip report on my three weeks in Italy but I am stalling a bit because I'm not sure how to present it.

Do folks really want to read a full blow-by-blow report of each day's activities? Or is it more useful to provide information in categories (hotels, restaurants, what we did/saw/buy) with some notes about each? Then let readers ask specific questions or make comments?

I do appreciate others who take the time to submit trip reports. I have gleaned so much info from them. Time for me to give back! I just want to do it in an effective way!

Many thanks for your help!
2010

2010, if you ask 10 different people you will probably get 10 answers. Some people will say they don't want to read all the daily details of a trip, some people will want it all. Some people will want to know the price of everything you spent money on, saying it will help them plan, others just want hotel and car rentals. You get the drift, everyone looks for something different.

However, almost everyone will agree that you should break your postings up into paragraphs, or they just won't get read. People sort of zone out on very long strings of text.

So, in the end, do what feels comfortable for you, and what you have the time and inclination to do. You might want to break it up...do one post with hotels, one with dining, etc, then start your sort of daily diary postings.

Personally, I love to read every single thing in a trip report, and love hearing peoples' impressions and funny stories as much as I hear about the great lodging they scored.

Why not write the kind of trip report YOU'd like to read...or just write it up any way you like. People will benefit from the info, regardless of the style.

I spent a while in Venice, and wrote a monster trip report. We were there in Winter, and I’d always wanted to spend time writing.

I think that writing a report that YOU would like to read is good advice from Toucan and Boots. Above all, have fun writing it, as that’s a way of having your trip all over again.

If you want a good example of a trip report that gives no worthwhile info about Venice, and that refers even to playing golf in Australia, then it’s here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...st-verbose.cfm

I don’t think that it provided much useful information, but it was fun writing it.
And some people had fun reading it.

Thanks, Toucan, Boots & Peter! Your suggestions make good sense! I shall make it my own and having fun doing it!

2010

Oops! That should read: and <b>have</b> fun doing it!

If you plan to write a longer blow-by-blow report, I have noticed that breaking your report into episodes increases interest and gains more readers. Break a long report into daily entries and then post it one day at a time over a period of days (or weeks as the case may be). More readers see the thread and respond, thus topping the thread and even more begin to follow the report.

The format you take should be one that appeals to you, or you'll lose interest and never finish. Here's my style of report:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

ellenem: I understand your point about breaking the report into episodes. It sure made me want to keep scrolling as I read your report! Thanks so much!

2010

I would like to read about the personal impression of the writer about the attraction, not just the logistics on how to get to the place. This help me decide if the place is for me.

HappyMom32: Thanks! I will keep this in mind as I write my trip report!

2010