Travel writing tips – how to take effective notes

No. I don’t usually carry my laptop around.

Taking notes for writing while you’re travelling is an important skill for any travel writer but taking handwritten notes, while you’re on the go can be tricky. Especially if you’re a travel writer AND an outdoor writer (like me).

Rain and paper are seldom good friends.

How to take effective notes while travelling

Continue reading “Travel writing tips – how to take effective notes”

Outdoor and travel writing trends for 2025

I started off my writing career as an outdoor writer but over the last couple of years, I’ve realised something important.

Outdoor and travel writing are inextricably linked.

As we approach 2025, I believe these two are set to become even more intertwined as adventure travel and car-free holidays gain popularity with a wider range of people.

Continue reading “Outdoor and travel writing trends for 2025”

We outdoor writers have a responsibility.

With Venice and Bali being amongst the latest holiday destinations to be in the news for placing a tourist tax on visitors, it’s clear the impacts of over-tourism are coming to a head across the world.

But here in the UK tourism and visitor behaviour can also cause issues.

Our empty places are at risk

Whether we opt for UK staycations or travel further afield will be up to us but one thing’s for sure; many of us are looking for opportunities to find a bit of empty space in the good old British countryside.

This is ironic because our rush to find space is going to result in a lack of it in many areas. Continue reading “We outdoor writers have a responsibility.”

Blog Writing

TrainSplit

When Fi’s adventures by train caught the eye of ticket-splitting experts TrainSplit, they were keen to get her on board with their web content. With an focus on sustainable transport, all of these advice and suggestion articles have been about how swapping the car for the train can enhance a variety of outdoor adventures.

How to find walking routes from train stations

Five fantastic walks you can get to by train

Strawberry Skys Yurts

One of the joys of working with hospitality businesses is the opportunity to stay in fabulous locations. Fi was more than happy to experience a couple of nights in a beautiful Welsh yurt and has been enjoying writing informative, friendly and SEO driven posts for this client ever since.

The joys of campfire cooking

Red kites in Wales

Flycast Media (UK)

Flycast Media are a quality marketing agency in London specialising in web design and inbound marketing. Our ongoing brief for them is to meet the regular blog requirements of their website clients. Blog posts written for marketing purposes have a dual role, to provide informative content that builds brand trust, and to promote high domain authority and search engine ranking.  With careful research, keyword placement and an understanding of style and tone, our articles continue to have impact for Flycast clients.

Arlington Residential

Hart Water Softeners

Upskilled (Australia)

Upskilled are one of Australia’s leading Registered Training Organisations. Our brief was to help build their reputation as a hub for careers advice whilst encouraging interest in their online training courses. They were so pleased with our work that we are now weekly contributors to the Upskilled blog. For this project, writing often takes an easy-to-read ‘listicle’ approach that blends solid statistical research with light-weight, informative content.

Why Upskilling is the secret to career success

Online learning pathways into tech jobs

Two Blondes Walking

The project that introduced Fi to the world of blogging and online marketing, Two Blondes Walking has gone from strength to strength since its conception in 2012. Eleven years of blog writing has given a wealth of practical and creative experience and, with an ever growing daily readership, the success of this outdoor writing project has been undeniable.

Discovering the England Coast Path

Can insect repellent clothing help you avoid tick bites?

 

Technical Writing

Flycast Media

As well as providing blog content for Flycast Media’s wide range of web clients, we are sometimes called upon to provide technical articles for the Flycast information hub. Getting the balance right with technical writing can be tricky. Information needs to use the correct technical language but be accessible enough for the non-technical reader. Luckily our time teaching ICT at secondary school level had given us plenty of experience at doing just this.

 

https://www.flycastmedia.co.uk/ppc-audit-guide/

https://www.flycastmedia.co.uk/best-business-apps/

https://www.flycastmedia.co.uk/wordpress-vs-joomla-vs-drupal-vs-magento/

https://www.flycastmedia.co.uk/how-to-clear-cache/

https://www.flycastmedia.co.uk/digital-marketing-trends/

Fi Darby Freelance

Concise and informative blogs and other web copy are at the heart of any successful business and, here at Fi Darby Freelance, we write with dual purpose, firstly to give our audience great value and secondly to improve our ranking with Google’s search engines.

Does my business need an Instagram account? – We think so and here’s why

What is Inbound Marketing?

Why does my website need a blog? – We have 5 reasons

Travel Writing

Travel Writing

As the travel industry adjusts to fit a post-pandemic, ecologically aware world, travel writing becomes even more interesting but not without its challenges. The rise of the staycation, the impacts of Brexit and the need to negotiate new, greener pathways make this a fascinating time in which to be both travelling and writing about travel experiences.

The challenges are clear but Fi is revelling in them.

Sustainable Travel

Global tourism is responsible for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions but for many people, especially those who work in the industry, travel and adventure experiences really matter. More and more travel consumers are looking for opportunities to reduce their impact on the planet, as well as alternative, gentler ways to enjoy their adventure and leisure time. The impact of this on the travel sector is still evolving, which makes this a fascinating time for travel writers.

In the spring of 2022 Fi decided to start small and find out how many of her usual outdoor activities she could enjoy by train instead of the car. The experiment is ongoing but has resulted in plenty of interest in her growing collection of adventures by train. As a result of the publication of these adventures, Fi has been building a happy network of contacts and new clients.

It’s a project she really values. Full steam ahead!

Campervan Magazine

  

Campervan Magazine approached Fi after reading a blog post she had written about experimenting with life as a digital nomad. The conversation resulted in an article and Fi has since been pleased to write for this publication on further topics including a wild camping trip to Norway, walks from car parks on Dartmoor and a ‘long way home’ trip from Yorkshire to Devon via Wales.

As the travel industry moves towards greener systems, Fi was also particularly pleased to research and write, during a trip to Scotland, an article for Campervan Magazine on low-waste campervan life. With as little packaging as possible, plenty of porridge and even some home-dried mushrooms, the trip was a winner when it came to both experience and budget.

Ordnance Survey

Urban Maps Collection

As a lover of maps and an Ordnance Survey Champion, Fi was thrilled to be asked to contribute to Ordnance Survey’s Urban Walks paper map collection. Exploring London’s Royal Parks and the Thames Path with new eyes, Fi made significant contribution to the planning, research, writing and collation of this eye-catching print product.

‘Fi came highly recommended by another member of Ordnance Survey’s Consumer Team and she did not disappoint. Her work is always precise, always on time and she can turn her hand to any style. From sparkling, child-friendly humour to detailed, directional information, her knowledge and passion for the outdoors shines through. She is also adept at creating content across many formats, from print guidebooks to digital apps.’

Mary Malyon – Ordnance Survey

Secret Stories – Digital

Ordnance Survey’s Secret Stories app offers a whole new way to explore with the family. The brief for Fi’s Secret Stories digital tours was a set of short location-based stories with a ‘Horrible Histories’ tone of voice. With Torquay’s Agatha Christie heritage, and Brixham’s fishing yarns, Torbay seemed the perfect place to start but Fi was enjoying her story-telling so much, she soon took it onto Dartmoor to develop three more history-related tales.

‘Thank you so much for your efforts, your patience, your advice and of course, your beautiful words.’

Paul Cross – Ordnance Survey

Visit Isles of Scilly

As Blonde Two of the popular walking blog Two Blondes Walking, Fi’s brief for Visit Isles of Scilly was to promote the bi-annual Walk Scilly walking festival through blog posting and sharing on the Two Blondes social platforms. After creating copy that captured both the beauty of the islands and the joy of the walking experience, she was pleased to be invited back more than once.

Visit Dartmoor

Fi works as a brand ambassador with Visit Dartmoor but also writes for them. The Bickington First World War project was funded by the Moor Than Meets the Eye landscape partnership scheme. Fi’s brief was to decipher research documents and write sensitive and informative copy for five banners, each of which would tell one part of the story of the war experiences of a group of Dartmoor villagers. This was a job that required some considerable research skills as well as the ability to tell a tale.

“We were hugely impressed with Fi’s pro-active and professional approach when we worked with her on a fascinating WW2 exhibition. Her insight and sensitivity were matched by her quality text and prompt delivery, we would highly recommend her as a copywriter with a certain ‘something extra’. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and we look forward to collaborating with her again.”

Jenny How – Visit Dartmoor

Una Bahn Tourism Cooperative (Ireland)

When the Una Bahn Tourism Cooperative got in touch with Fi through Two Blondes Walking, she was thrilled to be invited to explore the Miners’ Way and Historical Trail walking route. Her brief was to encourage visitors to venture off the better known tourist routes and explore this corner of County Roscommon. With a very clear goal to appeal to those looking for alternative walking holidays, this was a project about which Fi could get really enthusiastic.

Norway Free Camping

A campervan trip to Nordkapp in Northern Norway gave the opportunity for online articles for Two Blondes Walking and print articles for Campervan Magazine. This was Fi’s first ‘on the job’ overseas travel assignment. The scenery made photography a dream and the inspiration of the fjords and mountains inspired a wealth of blog posts and articles. Travel writing at its most enjoyable.

Northland New Zealand

Fi wanted this promotion for New Zealand’s beautiful Northland area to take an encouraging, ‘You can do this too’ approach; at the same time as presenting a type of holiday that visitors from the UK might not have previously considered. She opted for a combination of self-deprecating humour and useful ‘listicle’ blog posts.

 

 

 

 

Outdoor Writing

It could rightly be said that, as an outdoor writer living in Devon, Fi is ideally situated. With two National Parks, the South West Coastal Path, and amazing adventure opportunities on her doorstep, she has plenty to offer her growing portfolio of outdoor clients. Fi is particularly interested in sustainable transport and has been building a diverse (some might say ‘bizarre’) collection of adventures by train.

Fi also teaches navigation skills and loves weaving the stories of adventure, creating entertaining walks, and giving outdoor advice. Her portfolio of outdoor writing clients includes:

  • Countryfile Magazine – walks, articles, outdoor gear reviews
  • TrainSplit – walks, articles, advice
  • Ordnance Survey – Get Outside, Walk London, Secret Stories
  • Campervan Magazine
  • TGO Magazine
  • The Outdoor Guide
  • Two Blondes Walking

Countryfile Magazine

As a big BBC Countryfile fan, Fi has been thrilled to make regular contributions to Countryfile Magazine  since 2019. This particular writing mission has taken her to some fantastic locations. She’s also written in depth about Dartmoor wild camping, given some useful navigation tips, and is currently engaged in writing a series of outdoor gear reviews.

View Fi’s Countryfile Magazine portfolio

TrainSplit

When Fi’s adventures by train caught the eye of ticket-splitting experts TrainSplit, they were keen to get her on board with their web content. With an focus on sustainable transport, all of these advice and suggestion articles have been about how swapping the car for the train can enhance a variety of outdoor adventures.

How to find walking routes from train stations

Five fantastic walks you can get to by train

Ordnance Survey – Walk London

When a project involves maps and writing, Fi really does get excited. Working with fellow Get Outside champion Belinda Dixon, Fi was proud to provide research and copy for this most innovative of products. Featuring routes through three Royal Parks and along the London section of the Thames Path, the Walk London map guides you through some of the capital’s most popular green spaces. This really is a unique and brilliant way to explore London.

“Thank you so much for your efforts, patience, advice and of course your beautiful words.”

Paul Cross, Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey – Secret Stories

There was certainly plenty of fun to be had with this family-friendly app. The brief was to take a Horrible Histories approach to short walking tours. Working on tours in Edinburgh, Torbay and Dartmoor, Fi introduced children to the Black Death, Agatha Christie, mermaids and pirates (but perhaps not all at once).

This project was route planning at its most fascinating with plenty to consider along the way. From pushchair accessible routes to intriguing local stories, writing for Ordnance Survey’s Secret Stories required a detailed yet humorous and exciting approach eye for detail.

‘Fi came highly recommended by another member of Ordnance Survey’s Consumer Team and she did not disappoint. Her work is always precise, always on time and she can turn her hand to any style. From sparkling, child-friendly humour to detailed, directional information, her knowledge and passion for the outdoors shines through. She is also adept at creating content across many formats, from print guidebooks to digital apps.’

Mary Malyon, Content Editor, Ordnance Survey’s Secret Stories app

Ordnance Survey – Get Outside Champion

With an ongoing brief to support their highly successful Get Outside campaign, Fi’s writing focus for mapping giant Ordnance Survey has been on information and encouragement. Results have been impressive with all three of the below articles ranking consistently in Google top 5 search results.

  

Ordnance Survey – Hammock Camping

Ordnance Survey – Dartmoor Wild Camping

Ordnance Survey – Night Navigation

Campervan Magazine

Fi does have an office but is just as happy travelling around and writing in her Toyota Granvia campervan Greta. She was thrilled when her first musings on the digital nomad lifestyle were picked up by Campervan Magazine and she has enjoyed writing for them.

   

TGO Magazine

TGO (The Great Outdoors) is a prestigious outdoor magazine and Fi was pleased to have an article published about her favourite place to walk, Dartmoor National Park. This was a ‘Where the Locals Walk’ article. TGO Magazine tends to focus on more mountainous regions than Devon so Fi is hoping to persuade them to head southwest more often.

 

Gander Outdoors

Gander Outdoors are big players in the USA outdoor market, with an impressive range of outdoor equipment covering everything from hiking shoes to RVing. Our brief was simple, Gander Outdoors wanted to add value to their customer experience with blog posts covering a range of tried and tested camping tips and ideas. We took a product-first approach and set out to entertain as well as inform. This gig required us to write in US English, which we are, of course, happy to do.

Choosing the Perfect Sleeping Bag

Two Blondes Walking

Two Blondes Walking was Fi’s first blogging project and, seven years worth of daily outdoor blogging later, it has gone from strength to strength leading to over-subscriptions for outdoor courses, TV appearances for BBC and ITV and regular influencer marketing requests. Supplying a daily mixture of outdoor advice, gear reviews and location guides, Two Blondes articles cover a range of genres, from light hearted humour to strong opinion and comment, in a cornucopia of readable styles.

 

 

 

Top Tips for Would be Travel Writers

The great news for travel writers or those who would like to get into freelance travel writing is that, with the increasing importance of inbound marketing, there are more opportunities to write about travel than ever before. The bad news, if you want to be a travel writer, is that the growing popularity of travel (according to ABTA, 31% of people plan to spend more on their holidays over the next 12 months)  and the well-published attractions of the digital nomad lifestyle (in 2016 the UK boasted 311,000 freelance workers in ‘Artistic, literary and media’ occupations)  both mean that there are also more people out there trying to make a living out of travel writing. Here at Fi Darby Freelance we regularly put our talents to writing about just about everything, but our real passions are travel and the outdoors. We have five top tips about how to get into travel writing.

Start doing some travel writing

With so many travel writers out there, clients are looking for authors with experience, who can show a flair for the task. If you want to be a travel writer, the chances are that you like travelling, so get out there, explore and make sure that you write about your experiences. A great way to start is a travel blog, which will give you excellent opportunities to build an audience. Remember, travel isn’t all about luxury overseas hotels, a wild camping trip can give just as much writing inspiration as a stay in a luxury hotel.

Find your travel writer’s voice

One of the great things about travel is that we all experience it differently. Quality travel writing is about telling the travel story with a unique voice that will draw people in and make them want to read more. Letting your sense of humour or your wonderment at your surroundings show is important. Lots of people choose travel destinations because they have talked to someone else who has visited previously. A good piece of travel writing will achieve the same effect.

The client is always right

Using your own voice for a piece of travel writing does not mean that you should ignore your clients’ expectations. Most travel organisations will have a format that works for them and their target audience. Finding the balance between pleasing a client and letting your personality shine through takes practice but, in  your quest to be a travel writer, you will be getting plenty of that.

Do your travel writing research

It is easy to work out what to write about if a client has made a particular request. However, when you are first starting out with travel writing, you will be deciding on articles yourself and pitching these to editors. You will need to come up with ideas that stand out from the crowd, appeal to a specific audience and, ultimately, sell either holidays or publications. Your research should include,

  • Forthcoming travel trends (refer to these in your pitch)
  • The topics of previous articles
  • The style of previous articles
  • Your own budget and travel costs

Don’t take rejection personally

This takes us back to our original point; there are lots of people out there trying to make money from being a travel writer. This means that editors have plenty of options to choose from and will definitely not choose your work every time. Your pitch (an initial idea for a piece of writing) or your article may be rejected for any number of reasons, including market trends (the travel market can be fickle), previous publications (always do your homework) or a clash of styles (think about a publication’s target audience). It would be great if editors had time to give individual feedback but they don’t so be prepared to move on, make changes or make your pitch to someone else.

Portfolio

“Fi is exactly what we want in a writing partner, the quality of her text is extremely professional and articulate and best of all she is able to work in such a way that supports the way our agency works. Looking forward to a long partnership.”

Shane McEvoy – Flycast Media UK

Outdoor writing services

Dart 10K Swim – Devon

Travel writing services

Nordkapp – Northern Norway

Blog writing services

Blog – Two Blondes Walking

Technical writing services

Campervan Digital Nomad

 

About

Fi Darby is a Devon author, blogger and copywriter.

After moving to the West Country in 1998, Fi developed a love in equal parts for Devon’s shoreline and moors. Following a successful career as a secondary ICT teacher, Fi now works as a freelance copywriter and author whilst managing and co-authoring the popular outdoors blog Two Blondes Walking.

Fi’s writing is inspired by long walks across the lonely moors of Dartmoor and icy swims in the winter seas of Torbay. Her second passion (after writing) is working with young people in the outdoors. Fi is a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition leader and has been an Ordnance Survey ‘Get Outside’ Champion since the programme began in 2016.

At Fi Darby Freelance we aim to take the writing pressure off our clients by producing flawless copy that gains and retains client interest at the same time as increasing SEO performance. No job is too big or too small and we are happy to work with international clients. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you.

EMAIL FI