Travel is one of the best ways to explore and expand your stories. Whatever you write, there is something to be found in moving through spaces that are unfamiliar. Whether flying to another country, taking a train or ship, or even driving one state over, seeing something new and getting a full sensory experience allows you to bring new emotions, memories, and sensory input to your work. 

If you write Fantasy, consider checking out Romania or Prague to research weaponry, mysterious castles, or dark folklore. If you write Romance, explore France and Italy for vineyard villas, towering cathedrals, and paintings for costume ideas. The point is: play. Explore. Adventure. You never know what will speak to you. And it’s not just a source of inspiration; those experiences in a new setting may be the deep dive into research you didn’t realize you needed.

The Places You’ll Go

When considering traveling for writing research and inspiration, the first question you may ask is: Where should I go? Although some stories may offer an obvious answer—the author writing a Historical Fiction novel set in Scotland could obviously learn a lot traveling to the Scottish Highlands—the best place is always any place that inspires you.

The life of the writer is your work; anywhere you go will find its way into your writing. Your stories are richer for any travel you can acquire. Plan your travel around a conference, and you may benefit even more. Just like your writing inspiration can come from anywhere, there are ways to research while traveling in almost any location—though that research will look different for each author. 

Fantasy authors can visit museums and take pictures of weaponry, religious artifacts, common eating utensils, or jewels. Historical authors can visit castles to get a feel for the size of the windows and the vastness of the rooms. If you write Crime Fiction, find your way downtown, where government buildings, apartments, and potentially the right setting for your story lie. Perhaps you’ll choose to wander to the sea and collect stones, or take photos of an area so you can properly describe it on paper.

Perhaps your books are set in your hometown. Even then, don’t discount booking a weekend the next town over; you might feel a change of perspective or realize this other town is perfect for a new character or series. If you write Nonfiction, maybe travel doesn't change the details in your work. But consider the impact on you and your work if you travel to conferences and have conversations with others in your industry. Whatever you do and wherever you go, just remember to move carefully through spaces you are not familiar with, and to be aware of your surroundings. 

Consider travel to be a gathering exercise. You are exploring the world to gather ideas. These ideas may end up in the current work in progress, or they may end up in the tenth book in the series. Either way, the gathering allows you a realistic experience and will ultimately make for better stories. You don’t have to go far, either. If you aren’t able to travel, consider adding a few things to your sensory research: the sounds of the sea or the feel or sound of wind in a location. Seek pictures of people standing in the staircase leading to the dungeon or in the location of the shipwreck.

Gathering insight into place is just as important as writing your words for the day, and the most beneficial part of travel for writers is its impact on your work. Being able to bring details of sights, smells, and the body in relation to space into your work makes for better sensory details, a more defined sense of place, and more complex dialogue. The story you tell can be richer, the scenes more detailed and elaborate. The descriptions of the height of the walls at the entrance to the Agora in Athens or of the sounds of the stones at Stonehenge, described well, can help your readers feel more immersed in your stories and may be a reason for them to return to you. 

Inspiration for the Taking

While traveling, whether it’s a trip planned for research or some other purpose, build in writing time, note taking, and any other downtime you need to remember, absorb, and enjoy the experience. We often forget details that we have not given enough time to soak in. So do just that—soak in the experience. 

Building in time to rest and make notes on your travels that day can be vital for your work. Give yourself enough downtime at the end of a gathering day to sit with your computer or notebook and write down thoughts, details that stood out, or a log of your activities. Take copious photographs, with labels if possible, so you can recall exactly why you took a photo of that sculpture or painting. Even a journal where you write what you did or tape ticket stubs and mementos from your research ventures is enough. What you are seeking is to create a record of your day that can be automatic, memory-triggering inspiration for later. 

Videos and photographs can be even more useful. Take a video from your cruise ship as it passes Sicily, and you have gathered the sounds of the wind that will remind you of the scent of lemon trees, seagulls that sound different that back home, and the feel of the ship rocking as it enters the Strait of Messina. Taking a photograph of a street or road sign at the beginning of a day or an event can help separate images and spark your memory when you are later scanning your photo gallery for inspiration. 

When you intentionally make a physical record of your travels, it can bring your stories to life for many years to come. Your readers seek escape, adventure, and the feel of something unknown to them. When you gather every bit of information that you can, you are serving the reader and supporting your business. 

A Writer’s Perspective

In my most recent trip to Ireland in March for the Ireland Publishing Show, I spent two weeks in Dublin before the conference researching for my upcoming books, then participated in the writer’s retreat afterward. Because I write Historical Fiction and Nonfiction, I spent a day at the National Museum of Ireland, followed by a day at the National Gallery of Ireland. I made sure to walk along the beach where the Spanish Armada landed, and took great joy in the narrow staircases to the dungeon at Bunratty Castle. A trip to Newgrange changed my perspective on not only how truly massive the earthworks are but how small the space was inside the burial chamber.  

All these experiences ignited about twenty new ideas for stories, but they also improved how those stories will be told. I can now speak truth to the feel of the stones of Newgrange or to the immensity of the gold collection at the National Museum. My stories will be fuller not only because I can say I have been there and been inspired by the locations I’m writing about but also because my descriptions and the movements of my characters will be more authentic. 

I try to remember that the books I write must have depth to lend to the reader experience. In every story we write, the journeys we take as writers and the depth of research we include not only fill in the sensory details of the stories but add to the reader’s ability to experience the journey our characters go on as well. As you write, ask yourself: What would my readers love to read about? What would they love to experience? What strange detail about clothing, buildings, jewels, or weapons can I describe to them from what I have gathered?  

I travel to see as much as I can, gather as much as I can, and record as much as I can for an optimal reader experience. As a writer, my goal is to bring the world of my story to life in ways that bring the adventure alive. My hope is that as the reader reads the story I have written and begins to climb the staircase inside Bunratty Castle alongside the characters, they will feel every stone step, worn with time, beneath their feet.