Travel Writing Today: ‘Public Relations Bull’?
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 10.28.10 | 11:59 AM ET
I love this. New York Times Frugal Travel columnist Seth Kugel just interviewed John Wilcock, who, in addition to editing travel stories at the New York Times in the 1950s, wrote “Mexico on $5 a Day” and “Japan on $5 a Day” in the 1960s.
Among the highlights:
You wrote in the 1970s that most most travel writing is just “public relations bull.” Is that true today?
Things have changed a lot since then. One of the things I’d like to claim is that the underground press changed the nature of almost all newspaper and magazine writing. Travel writing today is much more interesting than it was in those days. When I was working at The Times everything was incredibly impersonal. Basically, you weren’t allowed to have an opinion at all. And nowadays it’s almost the reverse, almost everything is written from the personal point of view. So things have changed tremendously.
All true. And yet, let’s be honest: There’s still plenty of public relations bull out there.
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Jim Benning is the editor and co-founder of World Hum.
pam 10.28.10 | 4:46 PM ET
In the wake of all the “travel writing is dead” stuff, it’s nice to see a contrarian opinion.
Jim Benning 10.28.10 | 5:36 PM ET
Agreed, Pam.
People have been declaring travel writing dead since the first travel story was published. It’s fashionable and, it seems, timeless.
Steve 10.29.10 | 11:23 AM ET
I read it on the times. It was a great article. I can compare him to the great sports writers of years gone by where they actually painted a picture by telling a story.
Jack 10.30.10 | 6:57 PM ET
Travel writing certainly is more entertaining (I’ve seen some of those 50’s pieces) today. Not sure there’s any less PR BS though, note for example how ‘boutique hotels’ are always pitched as ‘affordable’ by people going on press trips!
priscilamunguiya 11.03.10 | 5:34 AM ET
There are a lot of people who are travelling across the world everyday. And as travel industry continues to grow and advance many people are getting involved in the field of travel writing.
Online Hotel Booking
PeggyCoonley/SerendipityTraveler 11.04.10 | 2:15 PM ET
Travel writing will continue to inspire dreams. Excellent writers will share vignettes of the peoples and
places around the globe creating bonds amidst our diversity.