Trip Report question...

[smallblackstars]

Ok, I will start by saying that I am sorry to ask such a (probably) silly question!! I tried searching but couldn't find a sticky so could anyone give me some tips about actually making a trip report?

I have looked at many on here and they all look so good and have loads of links to different parts of the trip report but I just do not have a clue about where to even start! I am considering doing one after our November/December trip, I feel it will be an excellent way to share our holiday with our rather scattered relatives and I would like it to look as fabulous as all the trip reports I see on here! The only other forums I use besides here are the World of Warcraft forums and on there its not about making things pretty, its all about arguing and keeping up with the trolls, lol!

To save everyone from my silly question, if there is a sticky I would be very grateful if someone could link it for me please. Thank you!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It's not a silly question at all!

I would highly recommend checking out the sticky about posting photos over on the "Welcome to the DIS" Forum. It contains a lot of important tips used in trip reports, such as posting photos, adding links, etc. It's very easy once you get the hang of it!

Many people (me included) use different colors/fonts/sizes in their trip reports to make them visually appealing. It's very easy to do with the buttons on the edit page. You just highlight the section, click on what you want (color, font choice, bold, etc.) and it's done!

You'll also need to set up a third-party picture storing site in order to get your image links. There are a variety of choices - Photobucket, Flickr, etc. I would recommend re-sizing your photos before posting them (or they can be REALLY BIG!). I use the 480x600 size on Photobucket, but you see a variety of sizes in reports. Play around with it and see what you prefer.

I highly recommend previewing your trip report posts before you post them - you can double-check for grammatical or spelling errors, fix photos that didn't link correctly, or correct some wonky editing. Once you're confident it's ready to go, then hit the Submit Reply button!

It's really nice idea to edit your first post whenever you add a new chapter to your report - that's what was done when you see "New 3/4 - Akershus!" or some such thing on a trip report title. All you need to do is return to your first post, hit edit, choose advanced edit, and then add your link and adapt your title. Your changed title will then appear in the Trip Report Forum (as well as for your subscribers).

Finally, take TONS OF PICTURES on your trip! Pictures of rides, signs, your family, your food, buildings, trash cans... anything you can think of! You will really appreciate having a wide variety of pictures when you sit down to write the report. Plus, your camera helps you remember in what order you did things - thank goodness for time stamps!

Oh my gosh, this ended up being really long! I hope it helps!

 

[smallblackstars]

It's not a silly question at all!

I would highly recommend checking out the sticky about posting photos over on the "Welcome to the DIS" Forum. It contains a lot of important tips used in trip reports, such as posting photos, adding links, etc. It's very easy once you get the hang of it!

Many people (me included) use different colors/fonts/sizes in their trip reports to make them visually appealing. It's very easy to do with the buttons on the edit page. You just highlight the section, click on what you want (color, font choice, bold, etc.) and it's done!

You'll also need to set up a third-party picture storing site in order to get your image links. There are a variety of choices - Photobucket, Flickr, etc. I would recommend re-sizing your photos before posting them (or they can be REALLY BIG!). I use the 480x600 size on Photobucket, but you see a variety of sizes in reports. Play around with it and see what you prefer.

I highly recommend previewing your trip report posts before you post them - you can double-check for grammatical or spelling errors, fix photos that didn't link correctly, or correct some wonky editing. Once you're confident it's ready to go, then hit the Submit Reply button!

It's really nice idea to edit your first post whenever you add a new chapter to your report - that's what was done when you see "New 3/4 - Akershus!" or some such thing on a trip report title. All you need to do is return to your first post, hit edit, choose advanced edit, and then add your link and adapt your title. Your changed title will then appear in the Trip Report Forum (as well as for your subscribers).

Finally, take TONS OF PICTURES on your trip! Pictures of rides, signs, your family, your food, buildings, trash cans... anything you can think of! You will really appreciate having a wide variety of pictures when you sit down to write the report. Plus, your camera helps you remember in what order you did things - thank goodness for time stamps!

Oh my gosh, this ended up being really long! I hope it helps!

Wow! Thank you so much! I will check out that Photo Posting sticky to get some ideas too! I feel more confident about doing one now, you have made it sound so easy

As for the photo taking, I think I might be ok! On my last trip I took 1302 photos over 8 days!