I spent a good part of yesterday sorting out issues to do travel writing. That’s because I’m off work at present and had a piece to submit as well as preparing for another commission this weekend.
Travel writing is an activity undertaken in time off. Nothing unusual about that – so is most of the blogging and a lot of other journalistic activity I, and I know many other, regional hacks undertake.
But as I finished writing up and downloading the pictures of a recent trip to Dublin, I started wondering how aware readers are about how these, often glossy, pieces of journalism come to be in their daily newspapers.
Paid for by the hosting holiday company (cost would obviously make the activity otherwise prohibitive), it could be seen as a semi-commercial activity. In itself perhaps not so much a problem, but do we always make that distinction crystal clear?
And it’s completely different to most other consumer reviewing. Take restaurant criticism for instance. I, along with just about every reviewer I can think of, visit the venue “blind” i.e. pay for meals and never reveal our identities.
But with travel, the trips are often laid on for groups from a variety of publications who see the same sights, have the same great experiences and are hosted by companies who know exactly who they are and whose job it is to impress.
Compare that experience to a “wisdom of the crowd” travel site where those participating have forked out their own hard-earned cash for what could be their only holiday of that year.
OK, we like to think we bring something more than simply an opinion of value for money or rating of faclities to the table. We can point to the fine old tradition of travel literature where a reader need never leave their armchair to enjoy a global journey to back us in our endeavours.
Perhaps motoring journalism is one area which compares due to the heavy costs involved – although in that case a long-established genre of highly critical test drives is evident. Have you ever seen a bad holiday review?
I’d be interested to hear other thoughts on this subject? Plus how do you tackle the issue of funding in your writing? Do let me know.
* As posted yesterday on the newly created travel page of this blog (top right), I’m going to attempt to do things slightly differently on here from now on in the hope of bringing some Web2.0 value to the experience. Thoughts on that also, as ever, appreciated.
Dim Sum Digital 
I too just returned from a trip to Dublin so your posting caught my eye. I spend six months in Hawaii as part of my employment and the other six in Canada.
Enjoyed your comments,
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I too just returned from a trip to Dublin so your posting caught my eye. I spend six months in Hawaii as part of my employment and the other six in Canada.
Enjoyed your comments,
LikeLike
I too just returned from a trip to Dublin so your posting caught my eye. I spend six months in Hawaii as part of my employment and the other six in Canada.
Enjoyed your comments,
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I put the boot into a press freebie trip to Furteventura once because we were there with a child, the child fell ill and there was no rep about to offer advice on where the best local medical help was. We ended up having to phone back to Glasgow to try and get pointers. The review said the area was OK but not to go with the firm we travelled with while that rep was there. But you are right, a lot of travel pieces are written positively because reporters don’t think it’s fair to completely slam a free trip – especially if others are having fun and it looks like the problems are one-offs.
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i’ve almost given up on travel journalism because of this problem and also because they focus only on expensive destinations, the only ones that can afford to fund these junkets. I find myself turning to blogs and sites like tripadviser where I found good advice on where to stay in dubainext week (where I shall right a self funded travel story – a proper one). Funnily enough for some years Fairfax banned freebies but I guess it became too expensive.
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i’ve almost given up on travel journalism because of this problem and also because they focus only on expensive destinations, the only ones that can afford to fund these junkets. I find myself turning to blogs and sites like tripadviser where I found good advice on where to stay in dubainext week (where I shall right a self funded travel story – a proper one). Funnily enough for some years Fairfax banned freebies but I guess it became too expensive.
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i’ve almost given up on travel journalism because of this problem and also because they focus only on expensive destinations, the only ones that can afford to fund these junkets. I find myself turning to blogs and sites like tripadviser where I found good advice on where to stay in dubainext week (where I shall right a self funded travel story – a proper one). Funnily enough for some years Fairfax banned freebies but I guess it became too expensive.
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There’s some interesting contributions to the debate coming in here – and also on the One Man and His Blog comments.
@ed I’d be interested to read your warts-and-all piece on Dubai as that’s a place I’m thinking of going to at some point too. Please do send a link in. Did Fairfax pay for the journalist to travel then?
@Craig sounds like you had a fair criticism to make. If the reps can’t even help someone who they know is writing about the holiday, what chance has a member of the public got. I’ve onloy ever heard of one journlasit who found the place up for review so vile that he left in disgust – but then he didn’t write it up for the sake of the contact. Not exactly intrepid!
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There’s some interesting contributions to the debate coming in here – and also on the One Man and His Blog comments.
@ed I’d be interested to read your warts-and-all piece on Dubai as that’s a place I’m thinking of going to at some point too. Please do send a link in. Did Fairfax pay for the journalist to travel then?
@Craig sounds like you had a fair criticism to make. If the reps can’t even help someone who they know is writing about the holiday, what chance has a member of the public got. I’ve onloy ever heard of one journlasit who found the place up for review so vile that he left in disgust – but then he didn’t write it up for the sake of the contact. Not exactly intrepid!
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I write for a magazine called French (holidays to France in case you were wondering).
A couple of years ago, I took my family on a skiing holiday to Les Gets which turned out to be well below what it is supposed to be. On my return, my editor decided that the best way forward was to forget about the article altogether. The readers don’t want to read a six page feature on a bad holiday I was told. And I had paid for most of that expensive holiday. Thankfully, I had discovered snowshoeing so I was still able to do an article. I am still in contact with Les Gets tourist board. I will not recommend that tour operator who specialises in Les Gets.
I think that writers are paid to inspire and weave a story into their travel tale. When they do it well, readers know what the journalist enjoyed and what he is just mentioning in passing. If they are interested in going themselves, they’ll look at the factfile to find the web address or the phone number and that’s where the line “Travelled with xxx” appears. Which sadly is more likely to be read than the whole body copy of the article.
What I struggle with is that some travel magazines mention that their staff do not take any freebies. That’s great, but according to the grapevine their freelancers do. Do you think Joe Blogg checks the flannel pannel to find out if the writer in the staff list?
Transparency indeed.
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I write for a magazine called French (holidays to France in case you were wondering).
A couple of years ago, I took my family on a skiing holiday to Les Gets which turned out to be well below what it is supposed to be. On my return, my editor decided that the best way forward was to forget about the article altogether. The readers don’t want to read a six page feature on a bad holiday I was told. And I had paid for most of that expensive holiday. Thankfully, I had discovered snowshoeing so I was still able to do an article. I am still in contact with Les Gets tourist board. I will not recommend that tour operator who specialises in Les Gets.
I think that writers are paid to inspire and weave a story into their travel tale. When they do it well, readers know what the journalist enjoyed and what he is just mentioning in passing. If they are interested in going themselves, they’ll look at the factfile to find the web address or the phone number and that’s where the line “Travelled with xxx” appears. Which sadly is more likely to be read than the whole body copy of the article.
What I struggle with is that some travel magazines mention that their staff do not take any freebies. That’s great, but according to the grapevine their freelancers do. Do you think Joe Blogg checks the flannel pannel to find out if the writer in the staff list?
Transparency indeed.
LikeLike
I write for a magazine called French (holidays to France in case you were wondering).
A couple of years ago, I took my family on a skiing holiday to Les Gets which turned out to be well below what it is supposed to be. On my return, my editor decided that the best way forward was to forget about the article altogether. The readers don’t want to read a six page feature on a bad holiday I was told. And I had paid for most of that expensive holiday. Thankfully, I had discovered snowshoeing so I was still able to do an article. I am still in contact with Les Gets tourist board. I will not recommend that tour operator who specialises in Les Gets.
I think that writers are paid to inspire and weave a story into their travel tale. When they do it well, readers know what the journalist enjoyed and what he is just mentioning in passing. If they are interested in going themselves, they’ll look at the factfile to find the web address or the phone number and that’s where the line “Travelled with xxx” appears. Which sadly is more likely to be read than the whole body copy of the article.
What I struggle with is that some travel magazines mention that their staff do not take any freebies. That’s great, but according to the grapevine their freelancers do. Do you think Joe Blogg checks the flannel pannel to find out if the writer in the staff list?
Transparency indeed.
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I do PR for the Canadian tourism industry and am on the national board of a major Canadian media asso that has industry as well as media members. Sponsored press tours are always a hotbed of discussion here as well. I think many in the tourism industry or at least in Canada anyway would far rather have a journalist pay for his/her travel experience than sponsor a journalist’s trip but until a credible “news” source agrees to budget these types of experiences, there will be a symbiotic relationship between travel media and the travel industry. Is it the perfect solution? No, but anyone who believes that Trip Advisor or sources like it are more “credible” is a pie-inthe-sky thinker in my opinion. This recent AP article would suggest similar: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31928795/ns/travel-news/
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Hi Judy – interesting to hear your thoughts from the supply side as it were. You’re right, I can’t see any publications forking out to fund travel trips in the current economic climate. The best we can do is attempt to be honest about who pays for what.
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I do PR for the Canadian tourism industry and am on the national board of a major Canadian media asso that has industry as well as media members. Sponsored press tours are always a hotbed of discussion here as well. I think many in the tourism industry or at least in Canada anyway would far rather have a journalist pay for his/her travel experience than sponsor a journalist’s trip but until a credible “news” source agrees to budget these types of experiences, there will be a symbiotic relationship between travel media and the travel industry. Is it the perfect solution? No, but anyone who believes that Trip Advisor or sources like it are more “credible” is a pie-inthe-sky thinker in my opinion. This recent AP article would suggest similar: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31928795/ns/travel-news/
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Hi Judy – interesting to hear your thoughts from the supply side as it were. You’re right, I can’t see any publications forking out to fund travel trips in the current economic climate. The best we can do is attempt to be honest about who pays for what.
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