#22: Travelogue Stories

September 11, 2026

Traditional travelogue stories are based on the prospect of recalling personal experiences, having traveled to specific locations. While I could talk about many places I've visited throughout the US and how different Moab is from Saint Augustine, or Maui to Washington D.C., there is a sense of embellishment to note with travelogue stories. In fact, during the 2nd century in the Roman Empire, there were two common pieces of literature that were often published. Travelogues were one of them (the other was oratory, such as the recalling or recording of speeches by politicians; though they were often portrayed as far more fiery and explosive than in reality), and there's a reason that the first ever science fiction novel was written by Lucian of Samosata. Lucian, who was annoyed by the constant bombardment of over-embellished travelogues up to where they were fictional or the oratory being the same way, wrote "A True Story" to literally mock these genres, and thus, you could argue, that as far as traditional fiction goes, this travelogue is one of the oldest (certainly the oldest science fiction story!).

Now that we've established a basis, a travelogue story is important for a multitude of reasons. Often, where the author has not been to specific locations and is simply speculating, it does not mean the story is inauthentic. Fictional stories relating to the travels of someone in real-world locations may be entirely up to the author's imagination, and how their perception of a specific spot about a different location developed inspiration for that location. There were many German authors in the 19th century who liked writing about cowboys, despite most of them having never set foot in the US (let alone the West). From an outsider's point of view, being from a specific place and looking at another you've never been to, we often romanticize these locations and make them seem dreamy.

If I were to tell you that the city skyline of New York lit up the skyline like a Christmas tree, that you'd find taxi cabs and ships going through its bustling harbor, then I told you I've never been to New York City, that doesn't mean that the statements asserted are necessarily wrong. In fact, if you were to be an armchair quarterback with the information you receive, oftentimes we can create a persona of a specific place within our minds and associate it with something else. This cognitive association can be positive or negative, ranging from random streets to entire countries and continents.

In fantastical worlds, it's much easier to make up biomes, topography, and what materials everything's made of. Because of the innate human desire to explore, to see new places with our eyes and to breathe in the air to have that fresh smell of rain, it's easy for us to idealize lands unseen. It's why we love space so much: anything could exist out there! In fantastical worlds, we're taking a step into the author's imagination, their mind, based on their psyche and experiences regarding their life, whether they realize it or not. Making up fictional biomes, or fictional places within realistic biomes in a fantasy world (or even the real world where we do light world-building), gives a creative precedent for the story. Naturally, everything has to have a reason for being there.

In the instance of fictional locations and lands unseen, these travelogues are amazing because they explore completely unique and thought-provoking lands that maybe only our ancestors ever thought they'd see. What if you discovered biomes beyond what's possible on Earth? What might you find there; whether it be plants, animals, or even important resources? What is the reason for the travelogue? Is it a quest? A company, code of honor, or for the glory of God? Spoiler alert: You're the writer; you can make anything up. It's up to you to figure out if it's an interesting enough story to tell.

I implore everyone to think about a biome they like most. It doesn't matter if it's the tropics, the desert, the mountains, or even the tundra (shout out to the igloo fans!), pick something you like and start there. Then, think about what you'd change about the biome to either make it hazardous, or perhaps more like paradise. If you wanted to make a plentiful jungle where the flora and fauna adequately feed the protagonists for weeks so that they may create a civilization in Elysium and eventually a town, city, castle? That could be an interesting story to tell. Just as much as if you wanted to take the stock haunted forest from the Halloween genre and turn it into a place of healing. Maybe the soul is broken, and to fix it, you need to face the fears of a scare-tale land. Or, maybe you take a peaceful place, such as a beach or a mountaintop, and turn it horrific to the point of hazards. Maybe you include sea monsters on the beach, ocean acidity, or anything of the sort that you, as the author, find scary. Maybe you take the peaceful image of the mountains and turn it on its head by giving it realistic extreme weather and the fear of cliff-like heights.

To sign off, I want everyone to think about these questions for the week.

Real or fake, where would you want to explore for a week and why?
What story does the location of choice that you tell entail?
How would you convince other people to travel there (or advise against traveling to the location)?

Have a great week,

Dustin