Why is travel writing important?

There is no doubt that people enjoy writing about their travels – telling us about the places they have seen and things they have done, but why is it so important? What has made me want to sit at my laptop on the other side of the world at 9am and write this?

Quite simply, things like this:

Pretty, right? This was taken at 8:35 am on 25 August as I waited to get on a boat in Trou d’Eau Douce, Mauritius, where I am currently doing my year abroad.

Maybe it’s because of this background that I want to share my experiences and break the stereotype that Mauritius is just a fancy tourist destination

It’s stuff like this – and I say stuff, because it might be more than a view – that makes me want to travel write. Maybe my Mauritian heritage makes me biased here, but the joy I get from travel writing makes me think otherwise. Regardless, these views, or even food items, or people, make me want to write. Even though I have this heritage, and therefore had pre-existing knowledge of Mauritius before I showed up here, there’s a lot that I still don’t know and a lot that still surprises me. And maybe it’s because of this background that I want to share my experiences and break the stereotype that Mauritius is just a fancy tourist destination, but also: it’s an amazing experience! It’s similar to receiving your A-Level results, or getting a new dog, or something else that’s great in your life, you want to share it with people because it has some significance and meaning to you.

“Okay, so if you’re just sharing your happiness, why write a blog or write for The Boar? Why not just make an album on Facebook?” The question is fair enough, especially if you believe in that saying ‘a picture says a thousand words’. But pictures don’t convey feelings, smells, experiences, conversations, or anything like that. Sometimes, a little filler is needed to convey an accurate portrait. Plus, I like talking, okay?

I think it’s also important because sometimes, people in the UK aren’t really exposed to these kinds of places. And in fact, Mauritius itself is a pretty good example here. When I tell people my family comes from here, they often scratch their heads. In fact, one of my friends told me yesterday she referred to me as her “Mauritian friend” to another one of her friends, who promptly replied, “That’s a weird name…”. So I guess my motivation partly comes from putting my Motherland on the map, and breaking the stereotype that we’re just a fancy holiday destination. I want to tell people what the food is like, what the people think and say, and all those sort of things.

Each person wants to do different things and takes different experiences from their travels and it’s in sharing these things and experiences that other people can see the beauty of other countries if they’re not able to go there themselves

At the same time though, I would still do this if I went to France or somewhere a little more well-known. Because each person is different, and takes different things out of a trip abroad. Not just that, but people don’t always go to the same places – and that then helps readers. Sure, most travel writers will suggest the main things to see, because that’s just logical – you want visitors to see the best bits. But if I’ve found some niche restaurant somewhere, and I think it serves amazing food, I’d mention it in the hope that it might be appealing to someone who’s considering going to the country I’m writing about – or even cause someone to consider it in the first place. And other travel writers are likely to do the same thing.

Because travel is a very personal thing. Each person wants to do different things and takes different experiences from their travels and it’s in sharing these things and experiences that other people can see the beauty of other countries if they’re not able to go there themselves, and it can also motivate people to want to go there. And if my posts can have this effect on people, well, that would be a very beautiful thing indeed.