I recently got an e-mail from a high school sophomore who asked me how to become a travel writer.
Travel writing looks like a glamorous profession. You get to visit exotic destinations, meet interesting people and write about them.
I don’t think she had taken the time to read my travel writing.
But then I remembered: that’s how I got sucked into this racket. The promise of free trips and living the high life drew me away from a career as a “serious” journalist in 1993.
But over time, I started to realize that there was a darker side to the travel industry. A lot of people were having dreadful experiences — hotels were overbilling them, airlines were mistreating them, car rental companies were coming up with new fees to charge them.
In other industries, there are watchdogs — consumer reporters — who keep a close eye on the business and write about any misdeeds that affect customers. I didn’t see the same thing happening in travel. (In fairness, there were a handful of good consumer reporters, but they were few and far between.)
Where were the watchdogs?
They didn’t exist, for the most part, because the travel industry offered a powerful incentive to look the other way. By giving journalists free rooms, flights and cruises, the industry was making a tacit deal with the travel press: go easy on us and we’ll make it worth your while.
And a vast majority of travel reporters bought it.
So take a look around and ask yourself — who are the good guys? Do a keyword search on “airline expert,” for example, and shouldn’t you expect to find someone who is going to tell it like it is?
Not necessarily.
In addition to the sell-outs, the travel industry is full of watchdogs with hidden agendas. They call themselves experts, claim to have the customers best interests in mind, but, in fact, they are promoting their own businesses — a travel agency, ticket consolidator or a Web site that sells travel club memberships.
Their advice is often tainted (although there are a select few travel gurus who clearly disclose their corporate ties, and who go out of their way to avoid conflicts of interest).
My answer to my sophomore friend: If you want to become a really usefully, bona fide travel writer, you face some tall hurdles.
You must turn down the corrupting perks of this industry, resist the temptation to sell your services to the highest bidder, and take the side of the traveler.
Good luck.
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Re: the comment about car rental agencies finding new ways of charging people. My husband and I were in Florida recently and rented a car for 18 days from Alamo. I was flabbergasted when the agent asked me if my husband would be driving as well because if he was, then we would have to pay an additional $9 per day for him! That would have come out to an additional $162! Since my own car insurance covered the rental insurance, I declined. Of course, we both drove the car. The nerve!
We have never had to pay for an additional driver before. These companies must be desperate for money.
Good stuff Chris. Thanks to you and others for avoiding the perks to bring us honest travel information.
One of your Tripso cohorts suggested that airline execs should travel in coach just to see what the rest of us have to experience. How great that would be!