A few months ago I had planned to pen a piece called “Lies Travel Writers Tell” or something to that effect. The goal was to highlight some common techniques travel writers and bloggers use in order to get an article together on time or to create the perfect link bait post. Although the post itself wasn’t going to be all that negative, I decided that the overall tone was and so I scrapped it. Then last week I noticed an odd headline that begged me to click on it: “Queens crowned America’s No. 1 travel destination.” Absolutely no offense to Queens, but I honestly thought it was an Onion parody of Top Ten lists when I first saw it. But no, it wasn’t, instead it was the lede for a new Best of 2015 list offered up by one of the biggest names in travel, Lonely Planet. I have significant problems with the list and the inclusions, which I want to talk about now but the issues at hand are about so much more than the cities named on the list, it’s about the current state of online travel writing and how bad some of it is. (Note: I have MANY friends who write for several prestigious outlets online. This is not an indictment against ALL writers and most likely certainly no one I know.)
Lonely Planet’s Best in the US 2015
About this time every year, everyone feels the need to come up with a series of articles chronicling either the best of 2014 or what they think the best of 2015 should be. I can’t criticize it too much, I do it and plan on writing one along these same lines, but from my own personal point of view. So, this isn’t a rant against list posts or roundups; I like them and I think that they have their place. From an online readership point of view, they’re also quick and easy to digest, which is also important. No, when it comes to the Lonely Planet list the problem is the list itself. The top inclusions for the destinations they think everyone should visit in 2015 include:
- Queens, New York
- Western South Dakota
- New Orleans
- Colorado River region
- North Conway, New Hampshire
- Indianapolis
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Oakland, California
- Duluth, Minnesota
- Mount Shasta region
Of this list only New Orleans and maybe, MAYBE the Colorado River region should actually be on it. The rest? No way in hell. So why are they on there? Well, that would involve a lot of guesswork. More and more people are moving to Queens and like Brooklyn a few years ago, are in the process of changing the look and feel of the Borough. Perhaps some of the staffers live there and feel the need to highlight it; perhaps Lonely Planet wanted to be sure to grab some free publicity for their 2015 list from New York based media or perhaps they just want to be different from all of the other lists? Whatever the reason, placing Queens anywhere on this list, much less at the top does a disservice to the traveler who WILL use this as a checklist of places to go and things to see and do. Is Queens a pleasant place to live? Yes. Is it the top attraction in the United States? Um, no. Do they honestly want people to plan their one big trip of the year around this list? No, it’s a hipster-y way to try to look cool in the travel world and/or to give the industry the middle finger.
And you see that desire to stand out from the pack throughout the rest of the list: Duluth and North Conway? Really? I’m sure they’re pleasant places to visit, but in no way should they be prioritized above all other cities and towns around this great country. No, Lonely Planet chose them and came up with reasons to like them because the choices are different, they’re unusual and that in itself makes headlines. Mission accomplished.
I realize by writing this post, I’m giving Lonely Planet exactly what they were looking for in the first place, attention. Like a cranky toddler, they are standing on top of the table, throwing crayons and yelling, hoping that someone will notice. I should ignore them, but I can’t. Maybe if I had the patience of a parent I’d be able to, but alas I do not and so yes, I give them the attention they crave so dearly, but in doing so I hope some lessons may be learned.
Take Away Lessons
First, this is not an indictment against list posts as I said from the outset. Even some major outlets have done Best Of pieces that I think are worth their salt. Frommer’s for example did a fantastic one highlighting locations people should visit in 2015 that are both well known (London) and not so well known (Chaco Culture National Historic Park). They wrote the article as it should be written. These Best Of lists should be the opportunity for those of us who live, breathe and eat travel to reflect on current and emerging travel trends and then to translate that into a practical article for readers. The article should be useful, interesting and thought provoking. Frommer’s accomplished that and Lonely Planet did not.
This gets back to that post I didn’t write a few months ago. Consumers and readers need to be careful when digesting travel related information. Instead of accepting what they read as gospel, they should always be somewhat skeptical. All the time I see web sites highlight destinations based on dubious sources; opinions that aren’t necessarily always based on personal experiences. I don’t usually have a problem with these practices, but the average reader certainly doesn’t know about them. The major outlets don’t do anything wrong per se, but it begs the need for a healthy level of skepticism by readers. The fact remains though, the pressures and timelines of online writing are such that many major outlets don’t always take the time to put together thoughtful, well researched online posts.
My partner frequently comes home and asks, “Did you read that post on PopularWebSite.com about the best cafes in Europe? We should go to them!” And in the back of my head all I can think of is that I know for a fact that writer just pulled those names out of thin air to put together a small bit of link bait. Was it a well researched list based on personal experience? No, it was the result of a few Google searches or queries of friends. Some outlets do a great job of producing strong online content, but so many are devolving into the BuzzFeed model and it makes me sad.
This is quickly turning into a blogger versus mainstream post and that is NOT where I want it to go. Bloggers are guilty of irresponsible writing practices too, it’s just a fact. But those of us who write and publish online have a responsibility, we owe it to our readers to always publish the best and most useful content regardless of how clickable or not the title is. Financial pressures for the big outlets are very real, I get that, but ultimately quality will always trump quantity, or at least it will in my little universe.
Let’s cautiously open this up for comments. What do you takeaway from the Lonely Planet list that started my diatribe?
