Asking for Tips on Trip Report Writing

[DisneyLover]

I’m thinking about writing my first TR when I return from my September trip. Does anyone here have any tips for writing one?

 

[Nunu]

I've written just one TR and enjoyed sharing my trip. There are really good and experienced Trip Reporters around these forums. I've had the pleasure of participating and interacting with other members, most are very welcoming and friendly. My tip would be to read their TR's and see their different styles. You'll get an idea.

 

[higgipoker]

A picture speaks a thousand words!

 

[DisneyLover]

My tip would be to read their TR's and see their different styles. You'll get an idea.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about doing. Thanks for your input!

A picture speaks a thousand words!

Haha, yeah, thanks for the tip!

 

[Goofyernmost]

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I love doing TRs. Everyone has their own style, so you have to decide what suits you and your trip the best.

Personally, I like reports with lots of pictures and build mine around my pictures. In fact, I take pictures (rather than notes) to remind me of everything that happened. If I do take notes...it's on the things that don't photograph well. i.e. someone said something that added to that section or the trip as a whole or we saw something that I wasn't fast enough to photograph. There are portions, especially in the beginning and end, that can get kind of wordy. I try to be as concise as possible in these parts unless I'm jumping on my soapbox about an issue.

There are also people who do the complete opposite. They do a written synopsis with minimal pictures that takes up no more than a single post.

There are pros and cons to all methods. You just have to decide what suits you best. The way I do it is very detailed, but it's also a real commitment to see it through to the end and requires a lot of photo uploading, editing, titling. I also try and work in segments...I write each part out in advance...follow my pictures to help...insert the links for the pictures so that I'm just pasting it in when I'm ready. You also can't do more than 20 pics per post, so I have to color code it to make sure I'm dividing the segments into post blocks.

Also, if you add videos, I think after two YouTube video links, it stops showing the preview. So, I try to limit it to two per post. I'm still working on doing more videos, but I think it adds something to have the sound and movement of something special or noteworthy.

One big pro to any TR...I find that it helps you get over the post trip blues. I mean, you're blue because it's over, you had fun and there was so much anticipation...so why not find a way to relive it?

 

[DisneyLover]

I love doing TRs. Everyone has their own style, so you have to decide what suits you and your trip the best.

Personally, I like reports with lots of pictures and build mine around my pictures. In fact, I take pictures (rather than notes) to remind me of everything that happened. If I do take notes...it's on the things that don't photograph well. i.e. someone said something that added to that section or the trip as a whole or we saw something that I wasn't fast enough to photograph. There are portions, especially in the beginning and end, that can get kind of wordy. I try to be as concise as possible in these parts unless I'm jumping on my soapbox about an issue.

There are also people who do the complete opposite. They do a written synopsis with minimal pictures that takes up no more than a single post.

There are pros and cons to all methods. You just have to decide what suits you best. The way I do it is very detailed, but it's also a real commitment to see it through to the end and requires a lot of photo uploading, editing, titling. I also try and work in segments...I write each part out in advance...follow my pictures to help...insert the links for the pictures so that I'm just pasting it in when I'm ready. You also can't do more than 20 pics per post, so I have to color code it to make sure I'm dividing the segments into post blocks.

Also, if you add videos, I think after two YouTube video links, it stops showing the preview. So, I try to limit it to two per post. I'm still working on doing more videos, but I think it adds something to have the sound and movement of something special or noteworthy.

One big pro to any TR...I find that it helps you get over the post trip blues. I mean, you're blue because it's over, you had fun and there was so much anticipation...so why not find a way to relive it?

Thank you so much for all these tips! They’re all extremely helpful. I’m not huge on the photography, so mine may end up being mostly text, but we’ll see what happens...

 

[Tuvalu]

Even though it can be cumbersome to type out the names of those who accompanied you, it is so much easier for the reader to keep track of who is whom. Using single initials (A, M, R, etc.)....when there are more than 2 people....makes it very confusing.

If you have privacy concerns, use a nickname or a fake name. One poster uses nicknames (not similar to their real names) for her children and then it’s easy to remember which child is which!

 

[DisneyLover]

Even though it can be cumbersome to type out the names of those who accompanied you, it is so much easier for the reader to keep track of who is whom. Using single initials (A, M, R, etc.)....when there are more than 2 people....makes it very confusing.

If you have privacy concerns, use a nickname or a fake name. One poster uses nicknames (not similar to their real names) for her children and then it’s easy to remember which child is which!

Thanks for that tip. There’s only three of us on this trip (including me) and the other two are my mom (M) and my dad (D), so there’ll only be two initials. But it’s something I’ll definitely remember if I ever do a TR with a bigger group!