If, for whatever reason, you can't travel to the location you are writing about, here are my top tips on keeping it accurate:
1. Do your research. You need to know everything about the place your characters are going to - what kind of accommodation they'll be staying in, what amenities might be near by, what the economy is like. This means doing a lot of non-fiction research online and in books such as travel guides.
This will help you decide on the exact location to set your story in, and make sure your descriptions are accurate. It might be helpful to keep a map near to where you are writing to make sure you keep your details on track.
2. Then do your fictional research. This means reading other stories set in that location. This might give you a little more detail about the society and its conventions than your non-fiction research. The more stories you read (preferably longer novels as these will contain much more detail), the more accurate and nuanced your writing will be.
3. Try and talk to some natives. There are many ways to do this - try a specialist website or a Facebook group. This is especially helpful if the place you have chosen has a different language as they might be able to provide you with some phrases or check any you have included.
Happy writing!
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