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Get the budget travel tips you need to travel cheaper, better, and smarter today from the world’s #1 budget travel writer!

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Travel Blog:
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/
Focus on the following blog entry:
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/sustainable-travel-guide/

Blog type, author

Nomadic Matt represents a travel blog created and run by New York Times best-selling author Matt Kepnes which addresses a great variety of travel-related issues from planning to travelling sustainably.

Purpose, audience, genre

The blog can be seen as both informational as well as instructional. On the one hand, the author provides information on destinations and various travel-related issues, and also gives useful tips to travelers about the topic of travelling in general. At the same time, the blog includes multiple “How to …” entries which sometimes include checklists and promotional content. In short, the purpose of the blog is to inform and instruct travelers from various backgrounds who seek to make the most out of their trips (= intended audience). However, the author seems to put the focus on travelling cheaper and experiencing the local side of destinations – so basically the author’s main goal is to “help other people travel better for less”, as he himself points out on his website.

The blog reminds of many other equivalent genres, like a diary or travel log, but also a review as the content is based both on the author’s own experiences (= diary, travel log), but also on his recommendations about travelling and certain destinations (= review). In this way, the blog certainly shows a hybridity of styles.

Register and purpose, audience engagement and author identity

In the following, an example can be found where the author both tries to be informative as well as establishes an emotional, conversational tone, and in doing so, engages the audience:

1. “After years on the sidelines, sustainable travel has made its way to the forefront of the travel industry. Environmentally friendly travel is now one of the fastest-growing movements in the industry, and I (= personal attitude; personal pronoun “I”), for one, welcome this trend.

After all, why destroy what you love? (=addressing the audience; question; personal pronoun “you”) No one wants to see paradise paved over. We all (=creating a sense of community, personal pronoun “we”) cringe when we return to an overdeveloped, polluted destination. None of us(=creating a sense of togetherness; imperative, “us”) want to contribute to that.

Being an eco-friendly traveler is simply being a respectful traveler.”

This passage is certainly of dialogic nature and involves the reader. It is particularly interesting that the author incorporates lexical features which aim to evoke images of a “paradise paved over” or an “overdeveloped, polluted destination”. These strong lexical choices try to create an emotional tone and call on the audience to respect the environment when travelling. Consequently, the blog entry lists 13 concrete ways for travelers to reduce their environmental impact. Here, the engagement and the dialogue with the audience is perpetuated as indicated in two further examples:

2. “If you can, try to travel by train or bus. Not only does this reduce your carbon footprint but companies like FlixBus, Megabus, and Greyhound always have some cheap tickets, so you can save money too.”

3. “I’m not saying you need to go vegan. I love meat and never plan to give up bacon. But if you’re concerned with the impact of your food, reducing your meat and dairy intake is extremely helpful.”

What these examples also illustrate is the author’s stance and the way he builds it, especially in the aforementioned second example.

Lay out and visuals

In terms of layout and visuals, the author seems to incorporate a lot more pictures in his destination entries than in his “How to …” entries. Clearly, images of destinations and sights seem to have a promotional purpose. Furthermore, it gives the impression that the author uses a lot of his own travel pictures which creates a sense of authenticity.

In addition, the author uses subheadings in effective ways which serve to organize his text and guide the reader. Those are prominent in most of his entry types and characterized by consistent lexical and grammatical structures. Paragraphs seem neither too long nor to short. In the blog entry which I have analyzed more thoroughly, the author manages well to create succinct paragraphs and consistently uses the same font. He also makes use of bolding and bullet points.

Headlines

Most of the headlines appear to be concise, clear and relate directly to the topic of the entry. Also, a few of the headlines aim to directly address the audience and convey a particular tone:

·       Don’t have travel regrets

·       You should NOT visit Syria right now

·       Let’s talk about the double standard in travel

·       18 easy steps for planning your next trip

Discourse Particularities

Generally, the register of the blog is rather informal and accompanied by a narrative mode. The blog entries contain a variety of rhetorical devices including rhetorical questions, metaphors, humor and interior monologue which primarily aim to establish a personal relationship with the reader, maintain interest, and build a conversational but still authentic tone. Occasionally, the author makes use of inspirational quotes in his introductions to make the audience thinking and curious about the content.

Introduction

As for the analyzed blog entry, the author introduces the topic by relating to his own experience first, and then, triggers the audience by using a rhetorical question as well as explicitly addressing it. His lexical choices (see Example 1) aim to evoke strong emotions and uncomfortable images about a destroyed environment, which adds a little bit of fear and makes the audience worrying. However, afterwards the author poses a set of questions like the following:

·       What can we do to lower our carbon footprint as we travel the world?

·       How can we better interact with the communities we visit?

·       What changes can we make that are actually helpful?

Those serve to lure the reader down the page where the author states 13 ways to travel in an environmentally friendly way.

Conclusion

The conclusion of the entry is rather short. It states the main message of the entry, that travelers do have a responsibility and should not harm the planet or local communities they visit. This is followed by a brief call to action. However, what is striking about the conclusion is that the author tries to create a sense of community again. He sees himself as part of the community, and “travelling in a more green and eco-friendly way” is what they all (travel community) should aspire.

Genre ecology of the internet

As far as intertextual references in the given blog entry are concerned, the author uses articles of newspaper and scientific reports to support his arguments and offer scientific evidence.

4. “Over 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food — and the majority of those emissions are from animal products. So by cutting back on your meat and dairy consumption, you’ll drastically reduce your carbon footprint. (Avoid Brazilian beef if you can, as lot comes from cleared rainforest land. Cattle ranching is the #1 cause of rainforest deforestation in the world. Same for soy too.)”

The underlined links direct the reader to further sources. To sum up, multimodal content is integrated in the entry to support the authors argument as well as provide scientific evidence for the reader.

Hook-Hold-Payoff

The blogger uses catchy titles, effective introductions, and manages to establish a highly conversational style by using a bunch of rhetorical devices and smart lexical/grammatical choices. Hence, I would say the author is successful in hooking and holding the readers’ attention in his entries. As most of his conclusions contain a takeaway message, “payoff” appears to be successful as well.

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Travel Blog:
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/

General information

The travel blog Nomadic Matt is created and written by Matt Kepnes, a New York Times bestselling author from Boston who started travelling the world in 2006. In his blog, he addresses a range of travel-related issues such as sustainability or low-budget travelling but also emotional topics such as happiness or the personal growth through travelling.

Purpose, audience, register

Nomadic Matt can be categorised as an informational as well as an instructional blog. On the one hand, the author provides information on various destinations around the world but on the other hand, he also gives “How to” instructions including, for instance, checklists on financial issues. Thus, the overall purpose of the blog is to provide its readers with useful detailed information about destinations all around the world so that they can make the most out of their travel experience in a budget friendly way. According to his website, the author’s motto is “How can I help other people travel better for less?”. Therefore, the focus on the blog clearly lies on the financial aspect of travelling and the target audience are people who want to avoid high costs. However, Matt does not cease to stress the importance he puts on meeting amazing people and enjoying cultural activities. Concerning the style and register of the blog, one can observe that the author combines personal narrative with formal register.

The blog resembles a travel log but has a number of review elements in it as the blogger’s experiences are combined with recommendations about each place he visited.

Audience engagement

The following instances show that the author tries to engage with the audience by addressing them directly, making the text seem interactive and thus dialogic. Even personal pronouns in capitals can be found which tend to make the interactive element of the texts even stronger. Moreover, the author involves the reader by using imperatives, conveying a benefit to the audience and knowing what is best for the reader. Additionally, he tries to convey his message through the use of strong adjectives.

·       Beyond the impressive (strong adjective) architecture, the cathedral is home to historic works of art.

·       It’s truly an electric (strong adjective) city.

·       It is my mission now to help travelers like YOURSELF (personal pronoun; capitalised to emphasise) to realize YOUR (personal pronoun; capitalized to emphasise) travel dreams.

·       Stick to the local markets for the freshest and cheapest food (imperative; author knows what is best for the reader).

Author identity

The texts on Nomadic Matt are filled with numerous personal asides through which the author tries to express his identity. In order to present his blog in a livelier way, he uses exclamation marks. By making use of the personal pronoun “I”, he states his opinion. Frequently found are phrases such as “one of my favourite…” or “one of the best…” as illustrated in the following examples:

·       It’s one of my favorite countries in the world and one of the most budget friendly in Europe.

·       This is one of the best gelaterias I’ve ever been to!

·       Malaga is one of the biggest places on the coast but I think there are better places further down.

·       I would go back in a second. It’s a wonderful city!

·       Sweden is one of my favorite countries in the world. (I love it so much I even spent time living in Stockholm.)

Layout and visuals

Matt Kepnes uses images of the destinations he is describing; however, one can see that photography is not the main focus on his webpage. Each blog posts starts with a title that is followed by a large representative image of the particular place he is analysing. Usually, this image is the only one that can be found in the post; thus, no images intersperse the text. General information follows the picture. Then, he provides his readers with an effective table of content including categories such as “typical costs”, “when to go” etc. This is followed by the elaboration of the numbered bullet points.

Throughout his webpage, the author follows a consistent format when it comes to subheadings. Due to the fact that he provides a table of content in each post, he reuses those categories which equal with the subheadings. They can be perceived as clear, straightforward, practical and concise.

Each subheading is followed by a short paragraph, usually consisting of 3 to 6 lines. A notable feature of the blog is a table of figures containing prices of accommodation, food, transportation, attractions and average daily cost allocated to different budgets which follows the elaboration of the subheadings.

Headlines

When it comes to the headings, Matt Kepnes keeps it simple. Only very little instances of puns, irony or metaphoric language can be detected. Therefore, his headings are straightforward and unequivocally clear. Here are some examples:

·       Canada Travel Guide

·       My Favorite Hostels in Los Angeles

·       How to Travel Kazakhstan by Train

·       Is Peru safe to visit?

However; there are also various headlines consisting of strong requests that can be found:

·       Stop waiting for the perfect time to travel!

·       How NOT to feel overwhelmed

Discourse particularities

The register of the blog is mainly informal and includes a narrative mode. Rhetorical devices are frequently found and used by the author to establish a relationship with his readers. His personal comments definitely give an impression of authenticity. One can observe that the author sometimes uses inspirational quotes in his posts in order to gain the interest of his readership and add a spiritual touch to his texts.

Introduction

In his introduction paragraphs, the blogger makes use of a highly narrative mode, first providing some general information about a certain place and then telling the reader why it is worth visiting. By adding his personal experience and asking a rhetorical question, he triggers the audience’s emotion and certainly builds up suspense. Moreover, he promises to offer the perfect travel guide for travellers with a low budget (e.g.This guide to traveling South Africa can help you plan the perfect trip.). This way, he tries to build up the level of confidence between him and the audience.

Conclusion

All in all, the conclusions found in the blog posts on Nomadic Matt tend to be very short. In fact, they consist of few sentences that summarise the article or add another personal comment of the author. Moreover, the content of the conclusions tries to motivate the reader by using imperatives and promises (e.g. There’s really so much to do in Barcelona. You’ll never be bored!). Also, the author sees himself as part of the community which he shows by utterances such as “If I can do it, you can do it!”.

Genre ecology of the internet?

In terms of intertextual references, Nomadic Matt has a lot to offer. First of all, he refers to numerous accommodation and restaurant websites, transport companies etc. By using hyperlinks, he even refers to other blog posts or articles he has written. Since he focusses on eco-friendly travelling and sustainability, he provides his readers with facts and figures around this topic, referring to scientific sources which can be seen in the following example:

After all, 2.8 billion people — nearly 40% of the world’s population — survive on less than $2 USD a day!

In my home country of the United States, 14% of the population is below the poverty line, 46 million people are on food stamps, many have to work two jobs to get by, and we have a trillion dollars in student debt dragging people down.

No tips on any website will magically make travel a reality for those people.

Those of us who do travel are a privileged few.

By statements like these, the author is clearly taking a stance and strongly conveys his opinion about delicate issues. He does not hesitate to show the reader that travelling is a privilege and that there are millions of people who could never afford it.

Hook, Hold, Payoff

·       Hook: Matt Kepnes uses short and effective titles as well as he addresses topics which the majority of the target audience might be interested in.

·       Hold: By elaborating on a certain topic using personal but informal language, the blogger is able to hold the reader’s attention, even if the blog posts are rather long. His concept of providing a table of content for his readership contributes to holding the attention since readers can save time by having the opportunity to only choose the paragraphs they are really interested in.

·       Payoff: Although the conclusions appear to be rather short, the blogger tends to successfully give a takeaway message in each of his posts.

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Travel Blog: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/

Focus on blog entry:

https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/best-neighborhoods-to-stay-rome/

Type of blog

The blog is first and foremost a travel blog and offers countless accounts of the author’s travelling experiences, but also incorporates instructional elements as it is very often attempted to explain to the readers which courses of action they could take when they intend to visit specific places. Due to the high frequency of personal blog posts (which of course seems to have slowed down during the pandemic), one could also view it as some kind of (travel) diary. Additionally, some entries resemble reviews (the author does not only share his experiences for the sake of it; very often, he points out to readers what they could/should/have to do when they go somewhere).

Who is the author? Who is the intended audience?

The founder of the blog and eponymous main author is Matt Kepnes. But there is the possibility for other authors to contribute entries for the website (if they adhere to very strict guidelines; they get paid for each contribution)

The intended audience consists of people who love travelling themselves and, probably to a smaller degree, people who enjoy reading about travelling.

Purpose

The purpose of the blog seems to be multifaceted. The author himself poses the most significant questions which he used to receive and which the blog is built around:

“Where do I find the best travel deals?”

“How do I save money on flights, accommodation, and other big expenses?”

“How do I plan my trip?”

“How do I maximize my time?”

“How do I stay safe and healthy?”

As can be seen, informing people about travelling safely, how to travel/plan and especially how to travel on a reasonable budget is intended to be the main purpose of the blog. Browsing through the blog seems to confirm that these aspects form the core of the blog. But of course, one purpose of the blog is also to earn the author money: there is a shop where you can buy books/guides, the possibility to become a Patreon supporter, an offer for blogging courses etc. . .

Audience engagement

Throughout the entry “The Best 9 Neighborhoods To Stay In Rome”, the audience is very frequently addressed directly (You can wander the streets. . ., It makes you feel like. . ., To help you figure that out. . .This is what your goal. . .), thereby creating a dialogic tone. Still, at least compared to other entries I had a look at, this one is more informative than it is involving. Usually, the author reveals more about himself, but here he stays (not permanently, only at times) rather neutral; this can be illustrated by the following example (one of the numerous descriptions of hotels/hostels in this blog post):

This hotel close to the Spanish Steps and the Via del Corso shopping street, located in a beautiful 16th-century building, offers affordable luxury compared to some really pricey places in this part of town. The staff are very attentive, and the hotel restaurant, Café Romano, gets rave reviews. Each of its 88 rooms is decorated with its own style and charm.

Layout and visuals

Viewing the blog entry via a laptop, one can observe that the entry itself takes up most of the space, but a considerable proportion at the right margin is reserved for self-promoting advertisement (buying the author’s memoir, obtain exclusive content, . . .). The first picture one sees is one of the colosseum – Rome’s perhaps most famous sight which would probably rank high amongst associations of people who think of Rome.

Headlines

In this example, the headlines are as concise as the can be. Since the goal is to introduce the reader to the 9 best neighbourhoods to stay in Rome, each headline simply consists of enumeration plus the name of the neighbourhood:

1. Trastevere

2. Monti

3. Prati

.

.

.

The sub-headlines follow the same pattern:

Best places to stay in Trastevere

Best places to stay in Monti

Best places to stay in Prati

.

.

.

In this specific blog entry, the headlines do not seem to attempt to catch the reader’s audience or awaken their curiosity. They are kept as simple (and thereby straightforward) as possible and create a very clear-cut order for a reader who is potentially planning a stay in Rome. Naturally for such an entry, the writer only recommends the best places to stay (superlative form) and includes that in the sub-headlines

Discourse Particularities:

The blog’s register is usually quite informal and features a narrative mode. At times, the author gets quite personal to build a connection with readers and ensure a certain authenticity. In the investigated entry, rhetorical questions are employed to spell out the reason why readers should continue reading:

Where should you stay?

What are the best neighborhoods?

Introduction

At the beginning, the author evokes a very warm and picuresque image of Rome (sparks a thousand mental images. . . .From ancient structures like. . . .it has it all). But then, suddenly a problem arises (But planning a trip to Rome can sometimes be a pain) and it is stated that this very blog entry will help solve it. A bit of fear/uncertainty is added thereby, luring the reader into scrolling further down the entry to find answers.

Conclusion

In his conclusion, the author summarizes his main aim (i.e. providing potential Rome visitors with a helpful guide of where they can stay according to their preferences regarding nightlife, proximity to city centre, food, etc…). Ultimately, the reader is given the feeling that he/she should definitely pack their stuff and go to Rome (indirect call to action, motivating he readers): Whatever you choose, Rome is a simply amazing city, and I’m sure you’ll be impressed with it!

Genre ecology of the internet?

As far as intertextual references in the blog entry are concerned, two different aspects can be observed: on the one hand, hyperlinks to other content of the blog are integrated, and on the other hand, hyperlinks to the “best places you can stay in . . .” are included. The former is done very smoothly and invites the reader to open other tabs and remain hooked on the blog for a longer time than just the few minutes it takes to read this sole entry. E.g. whether you are keen to experience great Italian food or Roman nightlife, there is a neighborhood in this amazing city to suit you features a hyperlink to Italian cuisine. The latter is to be expected from such a blog entry (why recommend specific places and then let the reader do the work to find the hotel/apartment/hostel?) and can be viewed as a service to the readers who can comfortably click on the links to learn more. In this example, what is written in bold contains the hyperlink, followed by a short description of said accommodation:

BUDGET: Arts & Rooms – This is a great budget option, with fast Wi-Fi and a communal kitchen filled with snacks . . .

MID-RANGE: Luxury on the River – Despite its name, this place comes at a mid-range price and is located in a historic building overlooking the river. It has . . .

LUXURY: Hotel NH Collection Roma Giustiniano – This four-star hotel with spacious rooms is a great value. All its rooms have gorgeous . . . .

By recommending these specific places, the author also implicitly gives readers some kind of assurance that these accommodations are worth their money (because why else would he, as such an experienced traveller who wants the best for his readers, do this?).

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Type of blog & Author

The blog under analysis represents a niche blog focused on traveling. The website www.nomadicmatt.com was founded by Matthew Kepnes in 2008. The author is not only a successful blogger who was featured on numerous major media sites but also a New York Times best-selling author. He wrote the books How to Travel the World on $50 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter and Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler’s Journey Home. While Matt Kepnes aka Nomadic Matt is the main founder and writer of the blog, he already has a team of eleven people working on the website: “It’s not just me writing and posting about my travels. I have a big group of full-time staff helping juggle everything.” https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/meet-the-team/

Purpose, Intended Audience

As stated in the About section of the blog, Nomadic Matt aims to reach people who are interested in traveling cheaper and smarter by providing useful tips, numerous expert advice and personal suggestions to help “fellow travelers” - as he addresses them - see and experience more while paying less. The blog can be considered as informational, as it contains many tips and detailed information about numerous destinations, he himself has visited, but also as instructional since many blog posts advise readers on matters such as how to find cheap flights and accommodation, as well as describe steps and ways to travel more efficiently for less money.  Hence, the intended target audience are people who want to make the most out of their travel experience while traveling on a budget.

Genre ecology of other genres

Given that the content of Nomadic Matt includes a variety of aspects related to traveling such as Matthew’s personal traveling experiences but also detailed descriptions of various helpful (airline) search engines, airlines, or accommodations, it can be concluded that the blog under analysis represents a hybridity of styles and combines characteristics from the genres diary, travel logs or reviews.

Register and purpose

Apart from informing travelers on numerous travel destinations and instructing them on how to travel budget-friendly, the register and language of the blog reveal a third purpose typical for blogs, namely involving the audience. Nomadic Matt successfully combines an informative formal style with more emotional, personal, and conversational language:

Examples: Informative formal style

·    Airlines use advanced computer and pricing algorithms to determine prices and run sales based on the time of the year, passenger demand, weather, major events/festivals, time of day, competitor prices, fuel prices, and much more.

 descriptive and formal, informational language

·    Moreover, it’s almost always cheaper to fly during the middle of the week than on a weekend…

 cohesive device “moreover” to structure thoughts and ideas; typical feature of written language

·    The goal of the site is to help travelers not only save money on accommodation but also learn about the local culture by being able to stay and interact with a local.

 providing descriptive information and reviewing the website in a formal

way; no personal pronouns; impersonal text

Examples: Emotional, personal, conversational style

·    “A lot of times, people are scared to couchsurf because they wonder if it’s safe. I was nervous about it at first, too. There you are, in a new city, with all your stuff — in a stranger’s home. What if they try to murder you in your sleep? What if they steal your stuff?”

 usage of contraction (it’s)

directly addressing the audience and relating to the readership with the help of 1st & 2nd person pronouns (I, you); this makes the text appear more personal and conversational

I was nervous about it at first, too. There you are… What if they try to murder you? What if they steal your stuff? → the writer makes use of emotional language and tries to reflect possible thoughts of the travelers; rhetorical questions;

·    To us — still thinking about prices back home — that offer seemed like a fair price. It was only as the boat tour ended early that we realized we might have been ripped off (later on, we found out that we paid double the price).

ripped of: phrasal verb, colloquial language, typical for informal, spoken language

(later on, we found out that we paid double the price): additional information given in brackets; contributes to the conversational, personal style

  “still thinking about prices back home”: the writer interrupts the sentence and provides a personal comment/aside; typical for spoken communication

Combination of formal, informative style with emotional, personal conversational style:

In recent years, Barcelona has become one of the most popular destinations in Europe. While 5 million people call the city home, over 32 million travelers visit each and every year. (It is actually one of the worst cities in the world for overtourism! Visit in the off-season!)
(= starts with a formal, informative style; use of passive voice in the first sentence, typical of written language; factual information introduced in the second sentence; impersonal text, no use of personal pronouns; in the last sentence, a personal aside is introduced in brackets in a very conversational, interactive style; use of imperative to address the audience; exclamation marks to create a sense of urgency and highlight the personal comment as being very important)

Audience engagement

As already shown in some of the previous examples, the blog displays numerous lexical and grammatical features which aim to increase the engagement with the audience. Nomadic Matt successfully engages the readers by directly addressing them with the 2nd person pronoun or referring to them with the help of an inclusive “we” which also serves to create a sense of community and togetherness. Moreover, a high amount of strong adjectives and adverbs that relate to the audience’s needs and emotions are dispersed across the texts which simultaneously contribute to the personal, emotive language. With the help of imperatives, rhetorical questions, or personal asides the writer successfully achieves to engage the readers and appeal to them. As a consequence, the writer mainly adopts a dialogic tone in his blog posts to connect to the readers. Furthermore, the successful blogger featured the 1st person pronoun in every single blog post that I have browsed in order to build a relationship with the audience and suggest his authenticity as well as the authenticity of the experienced adventures. The usage of the mentioned lexical and grammatical features will become clear in the following examples:

Today, I am going to help you master the art of finding a cheap flight. These are the exact steps I’ve been following for a decade to get the cheapest airfare possible every time I fly. If you follow them too, you’ll never be the person on a flight who paid the most for their ticket!
(= frequent use of 1st and 2nd person pronoun I & you to involve the reader, build a relationship with the audience and create a conversational tone as well as suggest authenticity; cheap, exact, cheapest airfare possible & paid the most = strong adjectives relating to the audience’s needs; usage of superlatives to emphasize the potential benefits for the audience; convincing the readers to follow the exact steps he has followed for a decade; you’ll never be… = contraction → informal language; very dialogic)

Prices are also cheaper if you fly after a major holiday as are early-morning or late-night flights cheaper because fewer people want to travel then (who wants to wake up early?!). (= 2nd person pronoun, personal aside and rhetorical question to create an interactive, conversational tone and engage the readership)

There is NO evidence that searching incognito leads to cheaper deals (though it won’t hurt to try). (= personal aside and comment, contraction, informal language)

Those so-called “tricks” don’t work anymore. The system is too smart. Throw them out. Let them die. (= use of imperatives to directly address the audience; very informal and colloquial language; creates humor with short sentences)

Use the tips above on how to get a cheap flight to get the ball rolling. Do that, and you’ll always get a great deal! (= personal pronouns, imperative, contractions, strong adjective relating to the audience’s needs, booster always to convince the readership of his advise; instance of idiom “to get the ball rolling” → appealing to the audience, creating interaction and connecting to the readership”

In this smartphone era, we have our power back. We’re no longer helpless because we can look on a map and see the actual correct route. (= talking to a broad audience, inclusive “we” to create a sense of community with fellow travelers, engaging with the audience and identifying with them)

Author identity

As the last example illustrated, the author identifies with the audience by addressing the readers (his “fellow travelers”) with “we”. The author establishes himself as a trustworthy, experienced traveler by including statements such as the following:

Trust me, you won’t need as much gear as you think! (imperative + 2nd person pronoun)

Now, with 10 years of travel under my belt, I know better. If I could sit my younger self down before he left for his world trip, I would give him this advice: … (1st person pronoun; “I know better” → showing the audience with a comparative that he is smarter now and in a position to give advice)

Layout and visuals

As far as the layout is concerned, Nomadic Matt adopts different fonts and enumerations to highlight the subsections of his blog posts. The blog has clear headlines and subheadings that vary in size and font, making it easier for the readers to browse the texts for the information they look for. To make it even clearer, where subsections begin, images are inserted after each subheading (depending on the blog post) to visualize the content in a single picture, which is usually very appealing and leaves the reader with the imagination of being at the described destination or place. However, if the author provides tips on how to save money, for instance, images with coins are inserted. While this may vary across the blog posts, and the blogs are rather text-based, images are a very important part of the Nomadic Matt blog experience. To structure the content even more and guide the reader through the text - especially if the blog post features many tips - a table of contents is inserted right after the introduction.

Headlines

The headlines of Nomadic Matt are short and catchy and clearly reflect the content of the blog posts concisely, without giving away too much. Depending on the content and purpose of a particular blog post, the headlines usually contain imperatives aiming to instruct the readers and thereby create a certain sense of urgency, especially if the readers are not supposed to do a certain thing:

·       Be flexible with your dates

·       Don’t live by your guidebook

·       Take extra money.

·       Be a tour guide.

·       Don’t always fly direct

Discourse Particularities

register: occasionally neutral, especially when describing or evaluating a place, accommodation, website…; mainly informal and familiar

The blog certainly adopts a narrative mode since the author attempts to create a conversational tone and thereby engages with the audience and involves the reader in his personal travel experiences.

Rhetorical devices such as hyperboles, rhetorical questions, colloquialisms, humor, or irony are frequently used throughout the various posts to engage the readers, tp appear more authentic, as well as arouse curiosity and interest to his advice, tips or description of destinations.

Introduction

The introductions vary in length, depending on the content. They are usually rather short and concise and aim to arouse the audience’s interest (ex.: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/new-traveler-advice/) and rather long when the writer starts the blog post with a personal experience (ex. https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/avoid-travel-scams/).

The moves in the introduction usually include

1)    stating the problem/introducing a city/ trigger audience’s emotions

2)    Addressing the audience’s needs/ personal travel experiences

3)    Introducing a possible solution

4)    Lure reader don the page – hint at reader what will be offered

Examples:

·      Accommodation is one of the biggest fixed costs travelers have and reducing that cost can lead to big savings on the road! (= stating the problem, lure reader down the page by adding fear and immediately hint what will be offered)

·      How much money do you need for your trip? (= stating the problem/rhetorical question to arouse curiosity and interest, as a reader, you are very curious to see the result)

·      Hope. Fear. Excitement. Traveling for the first time provided me with a wave of conflicting emotions. (=trigger audience’s emotions; short and strong nouns, strong pace and rhythm; followed by referring to personal travel experiences)

·      For most trips, airfare is the most expensive part of the trip. (= stating the problem)

·      Cheap fares are out and they can make your dream trip a reality — if you know where to look.(= introduce possible solution, lure reader down the page and hint what will be offered)

·      Today, I am going to help you master the art of finding a cheap flight. […] Here’s how to find a cheap flight no matter where you want to go in the world:(= lure reader down the page; hint at reader what will be offered)

Conclusion
The conclusions are rather short but very clear. They summarize the main points in a very concise manner and show the audience how the information can be applied. Usually, they even end with a call to action or motivate the audience by featuring a great number of imperatives (be wary when it comes to…; don’t let money woes get in the way of travel; the next time… consider these options; it has never been easier  find…. motivating)

Genre ecology of the internet

Since the author frequently describes and evaluates different websites which are necessary for traveling, such as airline search engines or  websites featuring accommodation, hyperlinks that lead the readers to these webpages are frequently included and clearly highlighted:

·       Here is a list of the biggest budget airlines in the world:...

·       Aside from joining airline newsletters, the best websites for finding travel deals are: ..

·       Momondo– This is my favorite website. They search the most airlines and websites in the world and come back with cheaper flights 92% of the time.

·       Google Flights– Great search engine that lets you see prices for multiple destinations.

As can be observed in these examples, the links are always highlighted in a different color and accompanied by an evaluative text that usually includes positive adjectives (budget, great, my favorite…) or comparatives (cheaper) and superlatives (biggest, most) underline the qualities and benefits of the mentioned websites, airlines, etc. ..

Another typical aspect of the blog under analysis is the intertextual reference to his related blog posts on a certain topic in order to raise the reader’s interest and hold the reader.

Story design

There are definitely numerous elements of story design that I have explored in detail in the previous examples. The founder of the blog successfully hooks the reader and catches his/her attention with a catchy title, a promising, effective introduction, or by appealing to the audience’s emotions. By reading the first sentences of the introduction, the reader immediately knows why the matter is relevant to his/her own travel experience.

Similarly, Nomadic Matt holds the reader’s attention by having clear points and short, concise paragraphs that employ a very engaging voice and include many instances to directly address the readers.

Lastly, the idea of “payoff” is also present in the blog under analysis as the reader can gain a lot of valuable information when having read the whole blog post. The conclusions are very engaging and motivating and usually direct and instruct the reader on how to start implementing the described steps immediately. Apart from that, the writer inspires the readers with his ideas which can also be an emotional benefit.

# data[].attributes.body
The following 5 blog posts have been considered for the analysis:
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/new-traveler-advice/
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/avoid-travel-scams/
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-tips/finding-cheap-accommodation/
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-tips/how-to-find-a-cheap-flight/
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/things-to-see-and-do-in-barcelona/