You Complete Us
Our sister publication, Budget Travel magazine, is doing something really neat for its June issue: The entire issue was generated completely by readers. That's right -- everything from the cover image to feature stories were reader submissions. Can't wait to see what they came up with (the issue's on the stands May 20), but in the meantime, it got me thinking: Are the days of traditional travel publications ending? In this era of me-centric blogs, reader-review sites and the like, is anyone still interested in editors serving as the gatekeepers for travel info? Or would you rather go to a blog or a site like TripAdvisor.com and hear directly what your fellow travelers have to say, without benefit of a middleman?
Here in Travel central, we've learned a thing or two about traveling wisely and well, and our mission in life is to pass our expertise along to you -- whether in our consumer columns or our destination stories. But we also know that we wouldn't be as strong as we are without you, our fellow travelers and on-the-ground reporting team. Luckily for us, you're not shy about calling, emailing, posting blog responses, mouthing off on our weekly Internet chat, or accosting us at cocktail parties, for that matter -- swapping travel tales, sharing tips, reporting outrages and generally keeping us abreast of what's going on in the world of, well, the world. And we love it.
So this is by way of saying thanks -- we couldn't do it without you. Keep calling and emailing, because we're all in this together. Oh, and if you have thoughts about where traditional travel publications are going and how we can give you more of what you want/need, please share. We're listening.
By K.C. Summers |
May 16, 2008; 7:00 AM ET
| Category:
K.C. Summers
Previous: World Heritage Sites: Tasty? |
Next: Friday Photo: What a Face!
View or post comments
Posted by: xenophilia | May 16, 2008 9:52 AM
About the only thing I use sites like TripAdvisor for, are when I'm traveling and looking to get into a mid-range hotel in an area I don't know well (usually stages on a road trip).
I just look for general comments on cleanliness of the property and safety of the property and surrounding area. People will complain or rave about the silliest things sometime, so a lot of it I disregard and just try to make sure I'm not overnighting in a fleabag.
Posted by: Chasmosaur | May 16, 2008 10:31 AM
xenophilia, I totally agree. I was looking up reviews for the Pacuare Lodge in Costa Rica and one lady gave it a terrible review because it had no electricity.
....It's in the middle of the rain forest, only accessible by raft. Uhhh, yeah.
Posted by: Liz | May 16, 2008 8:03 PM
I believe both professional guidebooks/ newspaper reviews and blogs/ trip advisor sites are necessary. The professional books have been researched (and hopefully the facts double-checked) and can give you a big picture of where you're going and compare the different sites where you might spend time. The blogs/ trip advisor are also useful because they are updated more frequently so if a hotel changes management or goes downhill, you will know. I anticipate in the future that guidebooks will not include hotel or restaurant listings but will instead direct travelers to websites. They will instead focus on describing the background, history and culture in a destination and include tips on getting around.
Posted by: Robyn | May 19, 2008 12:44 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
The problem with Trip Advisor and the like is that you don't really know anything about the people writing the reviews. I've seen any number of complaints about things that sound like hallmarks of the inexperienced, inflexible traveler.
It's not so much that I want editors, as I want enough information to be able to decide if a given writer's tastes are compatible with mine. I can often do that with travel blogs written by an individual (or small group of people). I can't do that with a random collection of reader tips.
To use an analogy, there are any number of amateur critiques of movies and plays, which can be interesting to read, but there is still a place for the professional flm or theatre critic.