How to Write Travel Scenes and Quests
- Jenna Moreci
- Feb 17
- 6 min read
HelloOoOo everybody!
We're talking about how to write travel scenes, quests, and journeys, particularly in speculative fiction like sci-fi or fantasy. This topic was requested by one of my patrons over on Patreon, Niik. They’re going to be writing a whole bunch of travel scenes in their story, and they want to make sure they're not boring, which is a very common pitfall when writing travel scenes. Tobias and Leila travel across multiple realms over several months in The Savior's Army, so I have a lot of practice with this particular skill. Now let's learn how to write travel scenes that aren't boring and don't suck.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to also subscribe to my YouTube channel for more writing tips, sarcasm, and of course, more of Princess Butters!
Number 1: They Have To Do More Than Walk
This shouldn't need to be said, yet I've read enough books to know that it does need to be said. The characters can't just be traveling. They can't just be walking or riding for chapters upon chapters until they get to their destination. Why? Because that's boring.
This is where plot structure plays an important role. It's important to set up plot points and beats throughout your character's travels so that important events occur while they are traveling from point A to point B. So you've got to ask yourself a very simple question: “What kind of relevant shit can happen while they're traveling?”
The most obvious option is focusing on interpersonal relationships. If your characters aren't traveling alone, then their relationships with one another can evolve in some way. This is obviously relevant to subplots, or it can be relevant to main plots if you're writing genres like romance. But external factors like the elements, societal influence, or enemy soldiers could also affect the trajectory of their journey. And these influences could also easily affect the overall plot.
If you don't understand structure, it's time to do some homework. I cover structure in both How to Write Romantasy and Shut Up and Write the Book. And I also have a bunch of videos on the topic. Brush up on structure and then determine which types of plot points can occur during your character's journey so it isn't boring.
Number 2: Time Skips Are Your Friend
Let's be real, you can't add a plot point to every step of your character's journey. Some days are going to consist of waking up, eating some food, walking a while, taking a shit, walking some more, setting up camp, and then going to bed. And they'll probably do the same thing the next day. And the day after that. Readers don't want to read about any of that, at least if nothing else is happening alongside it.
“But Jenna, it establishes normalcy.”
Readers don’t want it.
“But, Jenna, I did all this research. I learned how to properly pitch a tent and safely extinguish a fire.”
Readers don't want it.
That's not to say you should never show your characters pitching a tent. My characters pitch a tent all the time, if you know what I mean… But maybe only show it if your characters are having a really important argument while it's going down.
If your characters have days where nothing of note happens that would move the story forward, this is when we employ a good old-fashioned time skip. Chapter three covers the first day of a journey, and chapter four takes place a week later. Now it's rare that you'll skip an entire journey. It's not super believable that nothing of note happened during the full quest.
You also want to utilize time skips with care. You shouldn't have five of them in the same chapter. My point is, your chapters need to move the story forward, which means there should be some type of plot progression in every chapter. And if that isn't the case, a time skip will keep your story moving.
Number 3: Avoid Info Dumps
Writers love to info-dump during travel scenes, specifically about the setting. This is both mind-numbingly dull and completely unnecessary. You're going to describe the setting during two moments. First is while setting the scene, which is either at the start of a chapter or the start of a scene. The second moment is while the characters are traveling through said setting, which usually happens at the start of a chapter or at the start of a scene.
This does not mean that readers need a history lesson as soon as the chapter opens. They just need to feel grounded in the moment. That means you need to describe what the area around the character looks like in that moment, and how the character feels. You don't need to explain that this particular kingdom experiences snow during this season. Instead, you can simply describe the snow crunching beneath the character's feet.
And when the characters enter the kingdom's capital, and you feel the need to describe the history of that city, ask yourself, “Does this benefit the story at all?” Nine times out of ten, it doesn’t. But if it does, reveal the information as it becomes relevant. That'll make it a lot more interesting to read. I already have a video all about setting the scene. Check it out when you get a chance.
Number 4: Vary the Destination
A big problem with travel in books, especially epic fantasy, is that all the destinations tend to look the same. It paints the entire book with a very bland gray brush, and that isn't really interesting to read. So it's a good idea to vary the landmarks and destinations within your story.
There are a bunch of ways to do this. An obvious option is to vary the climate and culture. If you're hopping from one kingdom to another, the weather, flora, fauna, and society may very well be different. This creates an aesthetic variety so that readers have something new to visualize. It also gives them new and interesting cultures to examine.
But sometimes this isn't an option. You've got to keep the characters in the same kingdom, or the same country, or the same continent. That doesn't mean you can't create variety in another way. They shouldn't just be hopping from inn to inn to inn. That is a repetition you can easily avoid. Maybe for one week, they stay in an inn. Then later on, they're forced to hide in a cave in the mountains. Then, a few weeks later, they camp in the woods. This prevents the travel from getting stale because the characters are exposed to different elements, and thus so are the readers.
Number 5: Resist the Urge To Give Directions
I know you went all out, charting the exact route your characters are traveling, and you went ahead and computed exactly how long it would take to travel all those miles, either on foot or on horseback. But repeat after me: no one gives a shit.
Resist the urge to bog down your pages with routes, directions, longitude, latitude, and all that crap. First of all, it doesn't translate via the narrative. That type of stuff is much easier to understand visually. Second, it's boring. People are reading this book for excitement and adventure, remember?
If you must show your readers the exact route your characters are traveling, slap a map in your book. Outside of that, keep the directions to a minimum. Say that your characters are traveling north and leave it at that. Your readers will thank you by not DNFing your book.
So that's all I've got for you today!
Thank you so much to Niik for requesting today's topic. If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, or if you want access to tons of other rewards, check me out on Patreon! It's linked right here.
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I like that you’re grounding the advice in real experience from writing multi-realm journeys, because that practical perspective makes a big difference. Travel in speculative fiction should feel purposeful, revealing character growth, worldbuilding details, and rising stakes along the way. When done right, it keeps readers engaged the same way smash karts unblocked keeps players engaged—there’s always movement, surprise, and something unexpected around the next turn. I’m excited to see the specific techniques you recommend to keep those journeys dynamic and meaningful.
so fun! drive mad