Create a Travelogue, Even at Home

As you all know, I’m off halfway around the world this week, exploring the city of Melbourne, Australia. I’ll be taking in and observing as much as I can, but it reminds me of what I love about being a tourist. Traveling is wonderful because it gets you in a very conscious mindset. Everything is new and exciting; everything deserves your attention, and you look at everything with a kind of mental stomp that makes it stay in your mind as a memory that will stick for years to come. All of this is great for writing. So why travel when you can get this effect at home?

This week, consider writing a travelogue, even if you’re at home. As you go about your daily business, remember where you go and pay special attention to the sounds, smells, and interesting characters your encounter. Jot down notes in a small notebook and treat everywhere you go like a visitor, a newcomer who is looking on the scene with fresh eyes. It will enable you to see the world through a sharper lens, and whet your appetite for both observation and writing creatively.

As long as you’re at it, acting like a tourist in your own town can enable you to branch out, too. Residents never go where the tourists do, but sometimes that’s a shame. I was born in New York and never visited the statue of liberty, and as a Boston resident, I only went to the aquarium on a field trip when I was little. I’d love to go back and pretend to be a tourist there again. It can enrich your knowledge of your home town as well as giving you fresh material for writing — and all that was right under your nose.