| You may have heard a lot of new and confusing | | | | books. These first hand accounts including |
| terms, describing personal travel web sites, | | | | roadtrip planning help, scenic routes, and |
| such as Travel Diaries, Travel Journals, | | | | recommended sights along the way draw a lot |
| Travelogues and Travel Blogs, so what the | | | | of interest for adventure-seeking travelers. |
| heck are they? | | | | |
| | | | Travel literature |
| Well, all of these terms are used to describe | | | | |
| the same thing; a film on travel or a lecture | | | | Travel literature is travel writing |
| or notes on travel experience. Travelogue as | | | | considered to have value as literature. |
| a web term was made popular in the late 1990s | | | | Travel literature typically records the |
| to describe personal travel websites. Sites | | | | people, events, sights and feelings of an |
| such as TravelPod ( allowed their online | | | | author who is touring a foreign place for the |
| members to post their travel experience. This | | | | pleasure of travel. An individual work is |
| trend caught on and has snowballed into a | | | | sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. |
| full-blown genre that is greatly enjoyed by | | | | |
| web savvy individuals and companies | | | | To be called literature the work must have a |
| alike.These days, as "blog" has become more | | | | coherent narrative, or insights and value, |
| of a main stream term, these personal travel | | | | beyond a mere logging of dates and events, |
| websites have been slowly adopting the term | | | | such as a diary or ship's log. Literature |
| Travel Blog. It's all very confusing but the | | | | that recounts adventure, exploration and |
| bottom line is that it's all the same. Anyone | | | | conquest is often grouped under travel |
| who enjoys traveling, learning about new | | | | literature, but it also has its own genre: |
| cultures and viewing exciting lands can write | | | | outdoor literature. These genres will often |
| a travelogue. Some travel writers are people | | | | overlap with no definitive boundaries. Travel |
| who travel and make their living by writing | | | | literature is not to be confused with travel |
| about it. Travelogues have moved on to new | | | | guides which are usually a series distributed |
| levels and now we are seeing lectures, slide | | | | by a publisher, each dealing with a |
| shows and even motion pictures describing | | | | particular country, city or region. These |
| travels. New web technologies have made it | | | | information and publications are useful for |
| possible to put Travelogues digital | | | | travellers, as they provide a wealth of |
| collection into interactive form drawing on | | | | information on hotels, restaurants, major |
| the cheaply available but advanced | | | | sights, travel tips etc. We all know the |
| multi-media expertise. | | | | writings of Michael Palin and the popular |
| | | | Lonely Planet country guides. Writers of |
| History | | | | these literature are often specialists who |
| | | | travel and write these books for a living. |
| Since the middle ages, people have kept diary | | | | |
| entries, travelogues and stories of | | | | Accounts of personal adventure may also be |
| travelling around the globe. Exciting memoirs | | | | considered as travel literature. Fictional |
| have been written from diaries of people | | | | travelogues make up a large proportion of |
| traveling in a variety of different ways in | | | | travel literature. Many "fictional" works of |
| or through various countries and continents. | | | | travel literature are based on factual |
| So travel stories and nicely slanted insights | | | | journeys. Some of the most interesting |
| about far flung regions and bemusing cultures | | | | imaginary accounts and even highly fantastic |
| have indeed been around for a long time. Just | | | | journeys contain factual elements. |
| as the early explorers of the new lands | | | | |
| packed their compass and telescope to guide | | | | Where |
| them in their quest for adventure, now we are | | | | |
| seeing the modern traveler trekking and | | | | As this genre becomes popular, the need for a |
| climbing around the world with a laptop and | | | | place to submit your travelogue for other |
| digital camera. | | | | travelers to read has become a necessity. |
| | | | Some sites are offering free web space for |
| For example Dom Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese | | | | travelers who would like to share their |
| explorer, one of the most successful | | | | travel stories while they're on the road. |
| explorers in the European Age of Discovery | | | | Other sites have guidelines on how to be |
| (1400 AD) and the commander of the first | | | | published on the web and learn how to be a |
| ships to sail directly from Europe to India, | | | | worldwide correspondent for travel sites, |
| wrote a lot and his travels were a major | | | | media houses and companies. |
| break through, linking Europe with the new | | | | |
| lands. | | | | Some particularly fabulous or horrific |
| | | | experience at an airport,customs, immigration |
| Modern day travelers derive pleasure from | | | | make useful reading. Others are advise on how |
| tracing the route of the old Voyage of | | | | best to spend your time at an airport when |
| Discovery around the world. Chronicles of the | | | | traveling. Some sites show you how to save |
| on-going sailing journey around the globe are | | | | money and time by staying at an heathrow |
| big hits with the media.Traveling tips and | | | | airport hotels. |
| roadside recommendations for crossing | | | | |
| continents by car, motorcycle, or bike are | | | | Travelogues are here to stay and soon they |
| exciting serialisations on television and in | | | | will be a way of life. |