Travel Essays

Excellent Formal TitlesThe Trail of Questionable Decisions: The Risks

that One Woman Took While Hiking the Kokoda Trail

Stranger Danger: Risking Comfort for an Adventure in “On and Off the Kokoda Trail”

Cassowary Catastrophe: Pushing the Boundaries of One’s Comfort Zone for a Stronger Self in “The Adventures of Mega Chicken”

IntroductionGreat Hooks!!!“Imagine hiking through fifty five miles of

dense forest with only the company of two strangers, poisonous snakes, and other creatures of the Kokoda trail in Papua New Guinea”.

“The Southern Cassowary of Australia is a beautiful flightless bird with a blue head and arching horn, who can eviscerate you in seconds”

Remember: also provide sufficient Background information! Imagine your reader has not read the story!!!

CLEAR THESIS: Answers BOTH parts of the Guiding Question In “On and Off the Kokoda Trail”, Grimberg risks

her well being and safety by attempting the hike unprepared, and learns to appreciate her luxuries and think under stressful circumstances”

Specific Topic SentencesThese DIRECTLY SUPPORT THESISALL QUOTES RELATEStates the focus of paragraph

Topic Sentence: The less publicized world menu of bizarre chow is exactly the type of risky path Sterling Was aiming to follow…“A potato bug is a six-legged pustule who,

if he has any grace, is an offence even to himself! And I ate him” (38).

Topic Sentence #2: The Palette’s reward was unbelievable yet the shared cultural knowledge between beings was insurmountably better“We exchanged that special masculine

glance that is the gastronomic equivalent of an ancient warrior arm-clasp…”(41).

INTEGRATE QUOTES IN CONTEXTGreenwald wanted to remind himself “that the

longest journey begins not at an international airport, but at the threshold of one’s own front door” (3).

During Grimberg’s hike, when she began to realize her lack of preparation, she states: “Between them, Penny and Thomas had the compass, the map, the stove, the tent” (42).

RemindersQuotes are generally left out of introductions

and conclusionsUsually body paragraphs do not end with a

quote- but instead end with follow up connecting quote to topic sentence/thesis

NO first person in formal writing (I, You, Your, Mine, My, etc.

Key w/c= Word choice (weak words)Awk= Awkward syntax; sounds funnyVery is usually crossed out

RewritesEdits are mandatory for essays scoring a 45/55

or below. Turn in NEW COPY attached to Essay

Packets/Rubric; Highlight all changesDUE next week Monday/Tuesday- turn in to the

bin (No amnesty ticket needed). All students are able to turn in edits for more

credit.