The Masterclasses by National Geographic Traveller (UK) returned in March 2023 with a series of one-hour writing and photography sessions.  

After talking through the art of finding your story on day one and discussing the best ways to put a trip together on day two, the third and final evening saw our expert panellists sharing their thoughts on how to structure travel writing effectively.  

Our moderator Adrian Phillips, award-winning travel writer and National Geographic Traveller (UK) contributor, guided the conversation through everything from perfecting an article’s opening, and keeping momentum going in the middle, to knowing when a piece of writing is finished.  

Here’s some of the advice shared during the session: 

1. “From something small, something bigger grows,” said travel writer Oliver Smith when discussing how he once used a slate tile on his roof as a starting point to write about an epic adventure in Snowdonia. 
2. All the writers on our panel discussed the importance of not simply recounting every aspect of your trip, from start to finish. “Don’t try and cover everything that happened on your trip. It will read like a diary entry and will be overwhelming for the reader,” explained freelance travel journalist Alicia Miller. 
3. Always take the time to read your piece back and give yourself an opportunity to see it with fresh eyes. “You get a feeling when it’s done. I keep coming back to pieces, and often print them out to get a feel of them that way. You notice things you don’t notice when it’s on a screen,” advised journalist and travel writer Monisha Rajesh.  

Missed The Masterclasses? Catch up on all six, hour-long, expert-led travel writing and photography sessions now, with videos sent straight to your inbox. Each session costs £10 to access, with the full set costing £50. 

Buy the recordings now: eventbrite.co.uk