When I did my daily photo challenge in 2011, I read a piece of advice that said to take field trips for the purpose of looking for photos.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how this helped my blog writing as well for the same reasons as it helped my photography – it gave me something to write about.
As time went on, I grew more comfortable that my readers were interested in hearing about my trips, seeing pictures of what I saw, and short write-ups of where I stayed and what I did. This insight came gradually to me and I missed several opportunities to share.
The great thing about taking a field trip is that is takes you out of your comfort zone. You see things fresh and different. There are new experiences to be had, both big and small. Sometimes, you simply come home more grateful for what you have.
I wrote up posts using my observations while walking. I also wrote about:
- Where we stayed and why
- What I liked about our accomodations
- Other points of interest, including historical notes
I didn’t just take overnight trips. I also went to local points of interest. I shared with my readers about seeing the Elvis Exhibit, walking in the botanical gardens, and going shopping downtown.
If it is interesting to you, it can be made interesting to your readers. It might be something they haven’t seen before or seen recently. There might be interesting tidbits that you can share. The big thing is – why do YOU think it’s interesting? Your passion can make any topic interesting to share.
Not every trip is successful of course. I didn’t write up about the restaurants that were terrible, the backroad that scraped the paint off our new car or how we bottomed out on the same road. In hindsight, I probably should have shared some of that, using humor to poke fun at myself. We all enjoy discovering that others do the same stupid things we do and your readers will find it amusing too.
So if you find your ideas are running out, get out of the house for a while. Look around you – notice, observe, take notes and photos. You don’t want to a dry, boring recitation. You want to show why you enjoy a change of pace so others can enjoy it with you.
A Daily Life 
February 6, 2012 at 6:54 pm
My best posts are from little trips I take with camera in hand. You just never know what you might find out there… ;)
~ Lynda
February 7, 2012 at 9:24 pm
You really don’t know what you’ll find. I’m a big believer in always having my camera with me.
February 6, 2012 at 8:21 pm
An occasional travel mishap would be great reading, particularly if told with humor. I am sitting here thinking about how bad that back-road must have been to scrape the paint off your new car. Also wondering who was more upset – you or your husband? I’m thinking it was probably you.
February 7, 2012 at 9:29 pm
We both were pretty upset. It was a clearly marked road on the map and we were surprised to no end when it suddenly went one lane gravel, overgrown, and rutted. By the time we could turn around, it went back to two lane paved again.
I am going to go back and post about some of my trips from last year. I should have shared more, but was trying to work with the words a little too much.
February 6, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Great advice! I also love the unplanned feild trips, which is why you always need to bring a camera. My Dad always said, “if things didn’t go wrong on trips, we would have nothing to talk or laugh about later”! Please do share the ‘bad’ experiences too.
February 7, 2012 at 9:31 pm
I will share more of them, along with the trips themselves. I didn’t share enough last year, but I was also writing to the random words which limited some of my topics.
February 7, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Great ideas. I am particularly fond of the humor sprinkle.
February 9, 2012 at 10:02 pm
Yeah, I need to tell some of them. That was a mistake on my part to not share.