Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Writing about traveling
It’s the time of year when many people in the United States are thinking about traveling, whether it’s to their place of origin for Thanksgiving dinner or a family member’s home for a holiday gathering. Whether traveling by airplane, train, or car, the journey can often involve just as much drama or comedy as one’s final destination. If you’ve ever seen the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, then you know what I’m talking about.
This week, I invite you to pick your mode(s) of transportation and write a story, poem, personal essay, or journal entry. Your starting point could be a busy airport, a quiet train station, or a winding mountain road.
Some tips to get you started:
Who’s traveling and why?
If you’re writing about more than one person, how do the travelers’ backgrounds, personalities, and motives converge or clash during the journey?
If you’re writing about a personal experience, what was most memorable about the trip?
Describe the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations exclusive to each mode of transport. How does the vibration of a train differ from the turbulence of a plane or the hum of an automobile?
Recommendation: set a timer for 25 minutes and see what comes up. You can write by hand or type it out—whatever writing method works for you.
Have fun writing!
Left: Woman looking out open window on passenger side of car; photo by William Bout. Right: United Airlines 737 at takeoff; photo by Nick Morales. Images from Unsplash.
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