Travel Writing as Storytelling

Travel is powerful, and the stories we share about our travels even more so. But how do we find a good story, and how do we tell it, so it transforms the reader or even the world? How do we find experiences that astonish, and how do we bring those same experiences to others, so they experience the same astonishment we do?

In this online class, we explore the journeys we have taken, finding what drew us towards them as we discern what threads held them together. Guided by Gigi Alexander — whose written and editorial mastery is with the transformative travel essay — we peel back layers of personal experience to reveal a singular view of place. We take a deep dive into storytelling, learning how to bring that place, culture, and people to life on the page while emphasizing a fresh and modern narrative style. We write to transform the reader– and ourselves.

This workshop is for writers of all levels who want to use travel storytelling as a conduit for change. Now is the time to shift perceptions, find commonality, and our common humanity. We take a collective pilgrimage, as a class, into discovering and identifying what travel stories matter, and how to write them.

Our class meets as a group on Wednesday evenings for a month starting April 7 and wrapping up on April 28.

Each week is divided into different aspects of story-making within travel literature — from capturing a sense of place and self, to creating an invitational arc that allows readers to join the journey. Class sessions begin with a Zoom lecture, followed by open discussion to generate ideas, and create community. Assignments are weekly and are chosen to assist each student in crafting a stand-alone, exceptional piece of travel literature. Students are offered two one-on-one Zoom sessions with Gigi of one hour each over the course of the month. The first one-on-one session is to discuss each participant’s early draft, and the second is to further edit and prefect the story.

Travel writing has the potential to change us, change others, and change the world. Spend one month transforming yourself from a writer to a change-maker.