January 3, 2006
Walking Across Andorra: My new travel essay in World Hum
Late last week, World Hum debuted my newest travel essay, The Art of Writing a Story About Walking Across Andorra. Written in imperative second-person voice, this meta travel narrative uses a real experience -- my hike across the tiny Pyrenean nation of Andorra -- to satirize the conventions and clichés of mainstream travel writing.
As you might guess, it's not your typical travel story -- but I feel it's the sharpest piece of travel satire I've produced since penning "Storming 'The Beach'" several years ago. The subtitle reads: "He Traversed an Entire Nation in a Long Weekend. Now, Rolf Potts Shows How You Can Impress Members of the Opposite Sex and Write a Textbook-Perfect Travel Article in Eight Easy Steps."
Read the full story online here.
Comments (4)
What made you choose this particular style, and for this particular piece/experience?
Posted by Annette | January 6, 2006 9:51 AM
Posted on January 6, 2006 09:51
Ha! Terrific story. Laughed from start to finish. I've worked at a traveler publisher as an editor for over two years -- unfortunately, our guidebooks are v functional and have v little space to spare for this type of writing. A pity.
Posted by Hans | January 14, 2006 4:15 AM
Posted on January 14, 2006 04:15
Nice article! Why go to the writing class in Paris this summer when I now have this handy outline to follow? ;)
Posted by cristey | January 19, 2006 8:55 PM
Posted on January 19, 2006 20:55
Nice, very nice:) But Andorra it's a little more than that. I climb mountains every week and i still have lots of moutains to climb, it's not "work" for a long weekend. Anyway, i liked the style and the way you explore the cliches... you forgot to say that andorrans and catalans are "glued" to money:) greetings from Andorra.
Posted by Paulo Gomes | May 23, 2006 5:16 PM
Posted on May 23, 2006 17:16