The first travel writer in western culture was Homer. Getting on for three thousand years ago he wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey. He remains one of the most influential travel writers of all. Odysseus’s epic voyage and the mythic perils he braved remain embedded in the collective imagination. The terrifying Cyclops, the seductive Sirens and the ravishing sorceress Circe have influenced everyone from James Joyce through to contemporary manga artists and video games creators. What can we learn about travel writing from Homer? He has one simple and straightforward - but crucial - legacy for us. As travel writers we must create satisfying narrative structures (albeit with content rooted in fact rather than fiction). The Odyssey created the archetypal travel story structure. Odysseus sets out from his home to take part in the siege of Troy and then has to make it all the way back again. This circular structure has featured in much, if not most, subsequent travel writing down the ages and it’s still a valuable tool for travel writers today.