Writing For Travel Guides

A Subway VP stopped my pitch cold: "Brandon, can you just tell me what actually happens?" That question killed my corporate voice forever. I'd been talking and writing LinkedIn posts full of "leveraging strategic synergies" and "best-of-breed service deliverables." • Zero trust • Zero engagement • Zero new doors opened But when this VP interrupted my presentation, I had to pivot. So I told him a story about texting a digital concierge at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas. No buzzwords. Just a real experience solving a real problem. He leaned back: "Why didn't you start with that?" That night, back at my hotel, I felt inspired to upgrade the way I wrote and spoke. I rewrote an entirely new LinkedIn post. Wrote it how I actually talk. 5x engagement compared to previous posts overnight. But more importantly... • Prospects started recognizing me • Referencing my posts in meetings • Trusting me before we even spoke The paradox? The more you try to sound authoritative, the less authority you project. Real authority comes from clarity, not complexity. Your authentic voice already exists. It's how you explain things you care about to people who need to understand. You just need structure to make it scannable and memorable. Inside Lesson 41 of The Purposeful Performer: The 7-part framework for finding your authentic authority voice (the one that opens doors, not just gets likes). Implement it here → https://lnkd.in/emRNksap 🐝

Turn Your Anecdotes into Compelling Stories: A Step-by-Step Guide Ever found yourself stuck in an airport, missing a flight, and feeling frustrated? That happened to me once at San Francisco Airport. Long security lines caused me to miss my flight, but what unfolded was a memorable day spent with my friend Harry, who was only in town for a day. This anecdote became a great story, and here’s how you can turn your own anecdotes into compelling narratives: 1. What is the Anecdote About? Identify the core event. In my case, missing a flight. 2. Who are the Characters? Determine who was involved. For me, it was myself and my friend Harry who was only in town for a day. 3. What was the Context? Set the scene. It was a busy morning at San Francisco Airport. 4. Why is this Moment Significant? Reflect on why it stands out. It taught me about the unpredictability of travel and the importance of staying positive. 5. What was the Conflict or Challenge? Highlight the obstacle. The challenge was getting through security in time. 6. How Did You Feel? Share your emotions. I felt stressed and anxious but later pleasantly surprised and grateful. 7. What was the Turning Point? Identify the pivotal moment. Realising I wouldn’t make my flight and deciding to make the most of the situation. 8. What was the Resolution? Explain the outcome. Missing the flight but spending a wonderful day with Harry. 9. What Did You Learn? Consider the insights gained. The importance of flexibility and seeing opportunities in setbacks. 10. How Does This Relate to Your Audience? Connect the story to broader themes. It’s a reminder that life’s disruptions can lead to unexpected joys. Turning anecdotes into stories not only makes them more engaging but also relatable and insightful. Use these questions to structure your next story and make your experiences resonate with others. P.S. What’s the most memorable anecdote you’ve turned into a story? #whatsyourstory #storytelling #storytellingtips

Most destinations don’t have a marketing problem. They have an attention problem. If I became the Director of Marketing for a destination tomorrow, I wouldn’t tweak a few things. I’d burn the playbook and rebuild from zero. DMO marketing is too safe, too slow, too predictable, and totally out of sync with how people travel today. Before anything else, this should be number one, but it’s not even on the list. It’s an automatic. I’d start with the team. I’d learn who I’m working with, what drives them, and what they’re best at. I’d build a family culture, not a corporate one. A team that trusts each other moves like one unit. That’s the real engine behind everything else. Then I’d do this: 1️⃣ Build a storytelling machine. Most DMOs push promos, not stories. I’d build a content engine that shows real people, real flavors, real emotion. People don’t love places because of brochures. They love them because of how they feel. 2️⃣ Turn the destination into a media brand. Think like a creator, not a committee. Daily short videos, raw moments, behind the scenes. Stop whispering. Start broadcasting. 3️⃣ Own the story before OTAs do. If a traveler’s first touch is a third party, the DMO already lost. Show up first. Be louder. Be real. 4️⃣ Activate local voices. Locals beat influencers every time. Build an ambassador program. Turn locals into storytellers. 5️⃣ Invest in media libraries. Every strong destination needs content on demand. Drone shots, vertical clips, photos, emotional soundbites. Stop begging. Own it. 6️⃣ Post daily. Not weekly. Not monthly. Daily. Marketing a destination isn’t a campaign. It’s a conversation. And conversations don’t happen once a week. 7️⃣ Master platform psychology. What works on Instagram won’t work on LinkedIn. TikTok isn’t YouTube. Speak the native language of every platform. 8️⃣ Use emotion, not just strategy. Travel is a feeling. It’s desire, belonging, curiosity, status. Win hearts first, wallets second. 9️⃣ Make the data sexy. Data isn’t paperwork. It’s power. It shows trends early and makes every dollar hit harder. You can’t grow what you don’t measure. 🔟 Think lifetime, not one trip. Every traveler is a future guest, fan, and megaphone. Build retention, not just reach. This isn’t about being louder. It’s about being sharper, faster, more human. If DMOs want to win, they need to act less like governments and more like media companies. Attention is the new currency. Destinations that get it will own the future. --- If you like the way I look at the world of hospitality, let’s chat: scott@mrscotteddy.com

Your travel content isn't a destination anymore. It's raw material. While most travel marketers are still optimizing for clicks, smart brands are realizing their content has become infrastructure for AI systems. Here's the shift that's happening right now: - From Traffic Driver to Training Data Your destination guides, tour descriptions, and travel tips aren't just web pages anymore. They're being retrieved, understood, and assembled into AI answers that millions of travelers will see. - New Goal: Get Included, Not Clicked Success used to mean someone clicked through to your site. Now it means your expertise gets cited, quoted, and synthesized into the AI response. The traveler might never visit your website, but they're still consuming your knowledge. - Content as Building Blocks Think of every piece of content as a LEGO brick that AI systems can snap together. Your "Best Time to Visit Santorini" blog post might get combined with someone else's flight data and hotel recommendations to create the perfect AI travel answer. The metrics that matter are changing. Instead of just tracking pageviews, ask yourself: Is my content quotable? Is it becoming part of the collective travel intelligence that AI systems rely on? Your content strategy needs to optimize for retrieval and synthesis, not just search rankings. Are you creating content that AI wants to include? DMOs... you may be in trouble if you haven't changed your reporting to focus on this over traffic.

I was recently asked at a conference about an immediate action tourism professionals could put into play right away when it comes to communicating with travelers. One area I see as being overlooked is taking advantage of anticipated questions. If you've led the same tour more than once, guided the same experience multiple times, or worked with travelers in any consistent capacity, you already know that their questions are predictable. Too many professionals act as if these are random moments of curiosity, but they are actually patterns you can anticipate and prepare for. The difference between reactive communication and intentional storytelling often comes down to anticipation. When you know the questions before they're asked, you have the opportunity to craft responses that do more than simply answer. These are the questions that open doors to deeper understanding. They are invitations to help travelers see the multidimensional reality of a place rather than just its surface appearance. And what can you do with this information? A few examples: On food tours, travelers will ask about ingredients or preparation methods. Be ready to share: > Where ingredients come from and who grows them. > What this dish means in local celebrations or daily life. > How climate or geography influences what grows here. For adventure activities, people often ask about the landscape or environment. Be prepared with: > Geological or ecological stories about how this place formed. > How local communities have adapted to this environment. > Changes happening due to climate or development. > Why protecting these spaces matters beyond just beauty. If you interact with travelers in any capacity -- from answering questions during the fact-finding part of the buying journey to on-the-ground guiding moments -- here are a few questions you can use to take better advantage of anticipated questions: > What are the three most common questions travelers ask during your tours, experiences, or interactions? How do you currently answer them? > Are there moments when travelers seem curious but don’t ask questions? What might they be wondering about, and how could you address those unspoken curiosities? > Consider the “surface-level” attractions of your destination — the things tourists come to see. What deeper stories or contexts could help transform these from pretty backdrops into meaningful experiences? #TravelStorytelling #TourGuide #

Your voice is your edge. Stop outsourcing it to ChatGPT. 83% of professionals use AI for writing. The 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 don’t let AI speak for them.  They use it to amplify who they already are. I watched a brilliant marketing VP freeze when asked to use AI. “It won’t sound like me,” they insisted. Six weeks later, they were creating more authentic content than ever before. The difference wasn’t the tool.  It was their approach. Here are the 5 P’s to stay authentic while leveraging AI: 1. Partner  Be a thinking partner, not a delegator.  Start with your core message, then let AI expand and refine. 2. Person  Always add the personal layer.  Stories, lessons, and lived experiences make the draft yours. 3. Patterns  Identify your voice markers.  Save your phrases, story arcs, and humor style—then feed them back in. 4. Prompts  Build a personal prompt library.  Clear, reusable prompts give you consistent, on-brand results. 5. Progress, not perfection  Keep the human edges that create connection.  Don’t over-edit into bland sameness. A Wondercraft 2025 report found professionals over 35 (definitely me!) use AI 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 than those under 25. Why? We already know 𝘸𝘩𝘰 we are before letting AI into the process. AI doesn’t dilute our voice. It magnifies what’s already there. What’s one AI strategy that’s helped preserve your authentic voice? Drop it in the comments. Repost to share this with someone struggling to sound “real” with AI. Follow me for more on how to use AI everyday.

Your content is perfect... but I can't tell who YOU are. That stung. But it changed everything about how I approach Personal Branding. You cannot close high-ticket clients if…your brand lacks personality. Buyers want to connect with the PERSON behind the brand before they buy anything. When your content could be written by anyone, it WILL be ignored by everyone. Stop posting Google-worthy content. Add YOUR ‘thoughts’ or ‘opinions’ to it. You think: "I need to sound professional to attract high-ticket clients." Reality: High-ticket clients pay a premium for CONNECTION, not perfection. We helped a client go from making $0 to making $2000+ when we added their authentic personality to their brand voice. Why? Because people don't buy from brands. They buy from humans they trust. A brand needs personality to actually dominate the industry. Below are three things that truly add personality to your brand: 1️⃣ Show them behind-the-scenes of your business. Don't just share your wins. Share your process. That’s how people relate to your brand. Until you bring in that relatability factor in your business, nobody will value you. ❌ Generic: "Excited to announce our new client!" ✅ Authentic: "At 2 AM, rewriting this proposal for the 5th time. Here's why I'm obsessed with getting this right…" People relate to struggle, not just success. 2️⃣ Blend your authentic voice into your brand. Stop trying to sound like everyone else. You don’t need to sound fancy to stand out. Your authentic voice includes: → Your genuine reactions to industry events → Your personal failures and lessons learned → Your unique perspective on industry trends → Your specific way of explaining complex concepts → Your unconventional approaches to common problems Keep it natural to grab the right eyeballs. 3️⃣ Stop sharing generic quotes or content. Make it unmistakably YOURS. Every day on LinkedIn: 📍 1 billion interactions happen 📍 58 million posts get published 📍 96% of content gets ZERO engagement Your competition isn't just other personal branding strategists. Your competition is every piece of content that sounds exactly like yours. Make it specific. It should reflect your personality. Premium buyers evaluate you with questions like: → Can I relate to this person? (Behind-the-scenes content) → Do they think differently? (Unique perspective) → Would I enjoy working with them? (Personality fit) → Do they understand my world? (Specific, not generic) If you fail ANY of these tests, you're automatically disqualified from high-ticket conversations. Are you attracting high-ticket clients through your content? #personalbranding #brandpersonality

Want Your Hotel to Be Seen as the Next 'White Lotus' Destination? The White Lotus didn’t just sell drama—it sold destinations. From Maui to Sicily to Koh Samui, Four Seasons properties became bucket-list stays overnight, proving that storytelling is the most powerful marketing tool in hospitality. The question is: How can hotels and luxury brands tap into this phenomenon? Here are four key strategies that hotel owners and operators should adopt: 1. Invest in Cinematic Storytelling. Luxury travelers don’t just want great service—they want an immersive narrative. - Develop a strong brand story that blends heritage, exclusivity, and emotion. - Lean into cinematic visuals—showcase your property as an aspirational setting. - Collaborate with filmmakers, influencers, and travel storytellers to bring your destination to life. Example: The San Domenico Palace in Sicily didn't need to market itself—White Lotus did it for them. But, the hotel's brand storytelling on social media kept the momentum going. 2️. Position Your Hotel as a Pop Culture Destination Not every hotel will land a TV series, but you can still make your property feel like it belongs in one. - Create experiences that feel exclusive and made for storytelling. - Align your brand with lifestyle and cultural trends—think fashion weeks, film festivals, and elite gatherings. - Encourage user-generated content that reinforces an aspirational narrative. Example: Hotels like Aman and Six Senses thrive on exclusivity and storytelling—guests feel like they’ve stepped into a curated, high-society experience. 3. Curate Experiences That Go Beyond the Stay It’s no longer just about rooms and suites—it’s about crafting a cinematic escape. - Offer unique, high-end experiences (think private island dinners, exclusive cultural excursions, secret speakeasies). - Partner with luxury brands to create limited-time, immersive stays. - Build a loyalty program that rewards experience-seekers, not just frequent travelers. Example: The Four Seasons’ new Mallorca property is integrating a vineyard and high-end culinary experiences—tapping into the romance of Mediterranean life. 4️. Embrace Set-Jetting & Destination Marketing People travel to places they’ve seen on-screen—use this to your advantage. - Collaborate with film and TV productions to feature your location. - Work with tourism boards to position your hotel as part of a broader cultural movement. - Launch travel packages inspired by popular films & series. Example: After Emily in Paris, Parisian hotels leaned into curated “Emily-style” itineraries. Why not craft a White Lotus-inspired luxury escape? The Takeaway: The White Lotus Effect proves that hotels aren’t just places to stay—they’re places to be experienced. The brands that master cinematic storytelling, pop culture positioning, and immersive experiences will win in the next era of luxury travel. What’s your take—how can more hotels capitalize on this trend? Let’s discuss.

I've reviewed many tourism strategies, and most have one thing in common: While culture and people often are mentioned, they rarely take center stage. Marketing usually focuses on places and experiences. It's a missed opportunity, since you're skipping the essence and what makes your place really unique and memorable ✨ Instead of just showing attractions and activities, dive into the stories behind. Who are the people maintaining these? What traditions make these unique? In Medellin, a local señor is voluntarily taking care of one of the popular hiking trails. He's there from the early morning making sure it's all set. Most who are not from here don't know, but details like that make it extra special 🤗 How can you introduce people more to traditions and lifestyles? We often remember better when we participate. Not in that awkward, superficial staged way, but in collaboration with locals who also enjoy and benefit from it. It could be having breakfast at the local bakery while chatting with people (very common here in Colombia), watching a game, dancing, sports, joining a festival. Homestays. For those who prefer private accommodation, a dinner together with locals can be a great way to bond. Show why traditions matter. Local guides, interactive tours, and your personal stories can be a great way to share how traditions were shaped. That they often are about so much more than what they first appear (like fika in Sweden ☕). Set expectations from the beginning. Create and promote guidelines that talk about do's and don'ts, how to be respectful, as we are fortunate enough to step into someone else's home. Highlight diversity and challenge stereotypes. After having traveled full-time for 7+ years and been based longer in many countries - one of the main conclusions is that most cultures are misunderstood. Show how locals might have unique approaches to life. How gastronomy, priorities, and values might vary. How it's more about being curious while not assuming… When you focus more on culture, people, and genuine connection, suddenly every place has something to offer 😉 ➡ What would you add? How do you emphasize this in your strategies/travels? ➡ Any place that stands out to you for its culture and people? 📷 A mix from Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Costa Rica, Bolivia). While you'll be spoiled by options for places to visit, the people and the vibe are what will make you want to come back again and again #cultures #sustainabletravel #travelandtourism

I was editing a blog for a client last week — beautifully structured, factually correct, SEO-optimised to perfection. But as I read it, I realised something strange: it didn’t sound like anyone. The sentences were clean. The keywords were smartly placed. But it felt like a manual — not a conversation. And that’s the problem with so much of the content we see today. It’s transactional. Written to inform, not to connect . Brands keep asking, “How do we sound more authentic?” But authenticity isn’t about fancy words. It’s about tone. It’s the difference between saying — “Businesses must prioritise customer retention.” vs. “Most customers don’t leave because of price — they leave because they stop feeling seen.” That second line feels human. It tells a story. It speaks to someone, not at them. Because your buyers aren’t sitting there reading for information. They’re reading to feel understood. And when your blogs start sounding more like a conversation than a presentation — that’s when people start trusting you. So if your content feels flat lately, don’t add more data. Add voice. Add context. Add a little story. Because storytelling doesn’t make content less professional — it makes it memorable.