Travel editors on why words can take us places

Travel writing offers a form of escapism that’s always within reach. Through careful editing, it allows readers to step into new destinations and unexplored cultures – travelling vicariously through words, wherever they happen to be. It’s a reminder of the power of fully immersing ourselves in passions, stories and experiences. 

As part of the National Year of Reading 2026, we spoke to three travel editors from our membership – Victoria O’Dowd, Lucy Ridout and Nicky Taylor – about how they found their way into travel editing, what makes travel writing work and how good editing helps bring destinations to life. 

Avoiding clichés and bringing places to life

All three editors stress the importance of specificity.

‘Generic, clichéd descriptions do nothing to bring a destination to life’, says Lucy. ‘Readers need help conjuring a mental image, and a personal response to a place is always more memorable than generic description.’

Nicky encourages writers to draw on their own experience. ‘It’s your unique experience that will engage the reader’, she says. ‘Avoid generic descriptions and try to employ all five senses to bring a destination to life.’

Victoria adds that clarity is just as important as colour, especially when the reader may be following in the writer’s footsteps. ‘If it is unclear to me,’ she says, ‘it will probably be unclear to the traveller.’

Accuracy matters

Accuracy is a recurring theme across all three interviews.

‘Accuracy is always important when editing,’ says Victoria, ‘but never more so than when editing travel writing, particularly travel guides.’ Distances, directions, place names and timings all need careful checking, she explains, and even small errors can undermine a reader’s trust.

Maps are a major part of that process. Victoria explains that when she is editing walking guides, ‘I “walk” every step of the route on the maps.’

Nicky echoes this. Editing travel writing, she says, often involves extensive fact-checking and map work. She recalls a comment from an author she worked with: ‘I hadn’t realised my sketch maps also needed checking, and Nicky’s attention to detail will prevent me losing readers on hillsides and in olive groves.’

Editing as a form of travel

Despite the rigour involved, all three editors talk warmly about the pleasures of working on travel writing.

For Victoria, one of the joys is constant learning. ‘When editing travel writing, you learn about lots of fascinating places you might never have been to,’ she says.

Lucy enjoys the chance to travel vicariously. ‘There’s the chance to gain fresh perspectives on peoples and places, be amazed at others’ adventurousness, steal ideas for future trips,’ she says. ‘Best of all is when I can give a writer the nudge they needed and then see a transformed second draft that really does them proud.’

A lifelong traveller who has lived in Corsica and spent years sailing around the Mediterranean before settling in Palma, Mallorca, Nicky describes editing travel writing as a natural extension of her own life: ‘Editing travel content has always been an obvious and natural direction rather than a conscious choice.’

Where will your next read take you?

And if you’re a writer, which editorial professional will help you take your readers there?

Want more? Read the full interviews below

This article draws on highlights from three in-depth conversations. If you’d like to dive deeper, you can read the full interviews below with Victoria O’Dowd, Lucy Ridout and Nicky Taylor, where they share more about their careers, favourite projects and practical advice for writers.

Meet the travel editors

Full interviews

Victoria O’Dowd

Victoria O’Dowd is a freelance editor with a specialism in travel and outdoor writing, particularly walking, cycling and adventure guides. A keen hillwalker and skier, she brings first-hand knowledge of routes, maps and navigation to her editorial work.

How did you get into editing travel content?

A few years into freelance editing, I realised that a lot of editors were offering areas of specialism; for example, editors with STEM backgrounds were providing editing services within this particular field – they had their own niche. Having degrees in English literature didn’t provide me with an area of specialism so I needed to think beyond my education.

Ever since I can remember, I have been passionate about the great outdoors and am a keen hillwalker and skier. When I’m not working, I’m often out on the hills with a map and compass in hand and I enjoy completing long-distance walks like the West Highland Way. So, I thought, if I enjoy walking so much, why don’t I pursue ‘walking on paper’ and turn a passion into an area of expertise?

With this in mind, I approached publishers within this field and over the last eight years, I have been walking, cycling, hiking and swimming all over the world – including in Switzerland, California, Italy, Slovenia and Corsica – all on paper, of course.

What do you enjoy most about editing travel writing?

For me, one of the joys of editing is that you’re always learning. When editing travel writing, you learn about lots of fascinating places you might never have been to before or may never get the chance to visit. Also, I love a good map, and a lot of the books I work on require close work between the text and maps, to make sure there are no discrepancies. When editing walking guides, I ‘walk’ every step of the route on the maps.

How does editing travel writing differ from editing other types of content?

Accuracy is always important when editing, but never more so than when editing travel writing, particularly travel guides. It is crucial that they are factually correct and a lot of fact-checking is required: distances, place names (especially foreign place names that may be unfamiliar and require accents), how long it takes to travel from A to B, and so on.

Crucially, if the route directions say the route passes to the north of the lake, then it must be marked up on the map as passing to the north of the lake and not the south. If a travel guide contains errors, it will only frustrate the traveller and undermine the credibility of the publisher.

What common mistakes do you see in travel writing and how do you fix them?

Accuracy and ambiguity are probably the most common errors. When an author has been immersed in the content of their travel guide for a long time, both on the ground and on paper, they can overlook details and presume the reader has certain knowledge. This is where being unfamiliar with a particular destination is an advantage rather than a disadvantage for the editor.

When I edit guides, I check for clarity in every aspect of the book. If it is unclear to me, it will probably be unclear to the traveller.

How do you balance accuracy and detail with storytelling and inspiration?

One of the key priorities when editing a travel guide is ensuring that it is at once inspirational, informative and easily digestible for the traveller, so it is of practical use. While it is important that it is factually correct, if a book is simply full of facts and figures, it risks being dull and dry.

Photographs are an important part of the inspiration and storytelling of a guide, but they also need to be checked. If the caption reads ‘The ancient columns of the Temple of Hercules in Cori’, it’s important to check that the photo is, indeed, the Temple of Hercules in Cori.

Do you have a favourite piece of travel writing you’ve edited and, if so, what made it memorable?

One of my favourite copyedits has been Slow Trains Around Britain by Tom Chesshyre, a travel memoir of a 4,088-mile train journey around Britain. It involved a lot of fact-checking, which I enjoy, and provided a really interesting snapshot of Britain today, seen from the seat of a local passenger train.

Lucy Ridout

Lucy Ridout is a freelance editor specialising in travel writing and fiction. She previously worked as a guidebook writer and editor after living in Japan, and brings a strong narrative focus to travel memoirs and destination-led writing.

How did you get into editing travel content?

After university, I lived in Japan and edited an English-language listings magazine, which taught me how to collect and communicate information about local cultures for expats and visitors. Later, I got a job with the travel publisher Rough Guides (the UK equivalent of Lonely Planet) and for many years wrote guidebooks on Thailand and Indonesia.

By 2010, travellers were relying on the internet rather than guidebooks, so I sold my copyrights and switched to full-time editing, specialising in fiction as well as travel.

What do you enjoy most about editing travel writing?

There’s the chance to vicariously journey around the world, gain fresh perspectives on peoples and places, be amazed at others’ adventurousness, steal ideas for future trips, and be moved and entertained. Best of all, though, is when I can give a writer the nudge they needed and then see a transformed second draft that really does them proud.

How does editing travel writing differ from editing other types of content?

Maps.

Beyond that, there are similarities with memoir- and fiction editing in the defining of a narrative and the importance of voice, and with the editing of general non-fiction in the need for a logical, compelling structure and properly researched facts.

What common mistakes do you see in travel writing and how do you fix them?

How do you turn your trip-of-a-lifetime journal into a travelogue that will entertain readers who don’t know you? How do you create a satisfyingly cohesive book out of multiple holiday blog posts about disparate destinations? How do you distil five years of expat life into 90,000 words?

Key to all these challenges is finding the principal narrative threads and teasing them out into an overarching story. When writers are too close to their material to spot the most fruitful threads, it falls to me to identify them and make suggestions on shaping the book.

How does good editing help bring a destination to life for readers?

Generic, clichéd descriptions do nothing to bring a destination to life, so I often ask writers for specificity. Readers need help conjuring a mental image, and a personal response to a place is always more memorable than generic description.

If you could edit a travel piece about any destination in the world, where would it be and why?

I’ve been trying to learn Mandarin for many years, so China is always high on my list.

Nicky Taylor

Nicky Taylor is a freelance editor specialising in travel writing, memoir and fiction where place plays a central role. A lifelong traveller, she has lived in Corsica and spent eight years sailing around the Mediterranean before settling in Palma, Mallorca, experiences that strongly inform her editorial work.

How did you get into editing travel content?

I credit my parents with igniting my endless curiosity about visiting other countries and experiencing their culture and food, and my love of books. I started travelling in Europe on my own before I reached 16. When I was an English literature and publishing student, I managed to wangle a US green card and ended up working in Key West as a waitress for the summer, culminating in sharing a free ‘driveaway’ car from the east to west coast.

In 2001 we left the UK and moved to Corsica, France, where I spent the next ten years working in tourism as well as doing some editing and translation work. After selling up, we set off on a sailing adventure. What was meant to be a seven-month journey from Barcelona to Turkey turned into eight years living aboard, spending long periods in Greece and Italy.

I now live on dry land in Palma Old Town, Mallorca, but the navigator in me is always present. Editing travel content has always been an obvious and natural direction rather than a conscious choice.

What advice would you give to aspiring travel writers who want to make their work shine?

It’s your unique experience that will engage the reader. Avoid generic, clichéd descriptions and try to employ all five senses to bring a destination to life. Unusual, surprising similes and metaphors can really help your writing shine.

What common mistakes do you see in travel writing and how do you fix them?

There needs to be a story beyond the destination. A collection of anecdotes or descriptions still needs a cohesive narrative structure.

Clichéd observations and repetitive routines are common, and I’ll suggest alternatives. A strong sense of place is essential, and food is often underused as a way of bringing that place to life.

If you could edit a travel piece about any destination in the world, where would it be and why?

Rather than a specific destination, I’d choose a journey – by train or boat – that encompasses a variety of places along the way. I would love to edit a thriller set in Corsica.

How does editing travel writing differ from editing other types of content?

Accuracy is crucial. Editing travel writing often involves extensive fact-checking, from distances and routes to correct place names.

It can also involve checking maps. As Yvonne Payne, author of Explore Kritsa, once said: ‘I hadn’t realised my sketch maps also needed checking, and Nicky’s attention to detail will prevent me losing readers on hillsides and in olive groves.’

Reflections on travel writing

Travel writing can be practical, inspirational or deeply personal. Whatever the form, a strong sense of place is fundamental. Readers enjoy travelling vicariously – something I experienced myself when editing 630 Miles Braver by Zoe Langley-Wathen.

Do you have a favourite piece of travel writing you’ve edited?

Terri Inskip’s memoir Hello Mum, I’m Okay But … stands out. It was her first book and the first full-length travel memoir I edited. It’s a story of resilience, humour and adventure, and we’re still in touch today.

References

The following books are mentioned by the editors in their interviews. Links are included for reference.

• Slow Trains Around Britain by Tom Chesshyre: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Trains-Around-Britain-Adventure/dp/1837995273
• 630 Miles Braver: Midlifing on the South West Coast Path by Zoe Langley-Wathen: https://www.amazon.co.uk/630-Miles-Braver-Midlifing-South/dp/1068411112
• Hello Mum, I’m Okay But … by Terri Inskip: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hello-Mum-Im-okay-but/dp/1838105913

• Explore Kritsa by Yvonne Payne: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Explore-Kritsa-Seasonal-Village-Featuring/dp/1077190409