Many travel reports on distant countries are written in the office at home in Sweden. We are not referring to the writers who write the report. after that he or she came home to Sweden, but on writers who at all have not been in the country in question. The only question is whether you want to read such travel reports?
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Travel reports are written in the office
Of course, not all stories are written by reporters who have not visited the country, but unfortunately it has become quite common. We know this because we have spoken to several journalists who have told us that this is how it works. Many times it is also quite obvious.
When all the photos come from an image bank, such as Shutterstock, well, you can see owls in the moss. Because who wouldn't take their own photos if they were actually there? Look under the first image in a story, for example, and you'll see! (But yes, the text can sometimes be small and discreet. The fact that the photos are borrowed is not something you want to brag about ...)
Can the reports be trusted?
Of course, office-based writers need not be bad or sloppy. Quite the contrary! Writing a story about a destination where you've never set foot certainly requires a lot of research. We believe that many are thorough and meticulous, and the information is likely to be accurate.
But is it really that much fun to read? You want not only facts, but also a personal angle, right? And how do you know that this is the 10 best things to do if the writer has never even been to the city? Or how can you be sure that it really is "wonderful" on that beach where the writer has never set foot?
Why write in the office?
It may not be easy to make a living as a travel writer these days. Many newspapers have laid off their permanent journalists, and freelance writers are paid less than they used to be. Newspapers are online and it's more important to have eye-catching headlines than to publish well-researched articles. Newspapers do not pay for the writer to travel to the destination, but pay a few thousand dollars for the article. What to do?
How to find 'real' stories
What do we want to say with this? We want to say that it is a little boring development. There are lots of exciting and interesting travel stories, but there are more and more impersonal articles written in an office somewhere. Our advice is to think critically and actually look for those good and personal reports, with your own photos.
We also have to say that all the travel bloggers we know only write about destinations they've actually been to, so they can share their personal experiences. Well, except when they write about "my future dream trip" then... That's... unthinkable (and would be considered unacceptable) for a travel blogger to write a travel guide to a country he or she has never been to.
How do you think? Where do you usually read travel reports? Have you also experienced that reports are written at home at your desk?
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Reiselinda says:
A report written by someone who has actually been there is usually more valuable than something written remotely, I think. Information about the places can be found on the websites of tourist offices and localities. Then you might want some personal experiences and tips in addition to these facts. Of course you can look for tips that others have written, but then it will be second-hand tips...
18 October 2018 - 7:36
Helena says:
Totally agree with you. I guess it's that "first-hand" information I'm looking for.
18 October 2018 - 8:08
Annika says:
My experience is that it is mostly rewrites when the texts are written at a desk - i.e. translation from other languages. I've written about Sweden's world heritage sites on request without having been to all of them, but I prefer to write about places I know!
18 October 2018 - 7:42
Helena says:
Yes, rewrites are probably also common! If you write about Sweden's World Heritage Sites, it feels quite reasonable not to have visited all of them, I think, but as a reader I would appreciate if you visited one or more of them and then maybe write a little extra about these. Can it feel reasonable?
18 October 2018 - 8:10
Laila MA- Rundt Ekvator says:
Of course, a travel report is basically written by someone who has been there. Nevertheless, it has happened that I have used pictures from image banks when I describe certain places in a city or a place I have been to. Not because I haven't been there but because I didn't have a good picture of that specific place. I have also written a post about Cape Town before I was there, but then it is clear that I am going there and what I intend to experience, and not that I have been there. In addition, I have mixed several visits to a city into one report. For example. Munich and Frankfurt (which I commuted to for a year).
18 October 2018 - 7:50
Helena says:
Thank you for your comments Laila Ma! Regarding image banks, I feel I was perhaps a bit unclear. I don't mean that it's wrong to use them (we do too!) but that it can be a signal that the post is written at your desk when all the images are from an image bank. Then I also TOTALLY agree with you that you can write about a destination where you have not been if you are clear about that, and write about it as a dream destination, or about your planning for the destination or similar.
18 October 2018 - 8:13
Laila MA - Rundt Ekvator says:
then we are in complete agreement 🙂
18 October 2018 - 23:04
Johnny Friskilä says:
I absolutely agree. Then I can understand that newspapers sometimes use pictures from photo agencies if the person who was there is good at writing but bad at taking pictures. But yes, I prefer personal reports. The fact that someone who has never been there writes about countries and cities is directly harmful to the reputation of both the writer and the place where the text is published. Unfortunately, I also know Swedish travel bloggers who have written about places they have never been to for other sites.
18 October 2018 - 7:59
Helena says:
Being a bad photographer can of course also be a reason for using pictures from photo agencies, good input! And when travel bloggers write for other sites, as a travel blogger you are in the same situation as all other travel writers, I think.
18 October 2018 - 8:14
towe says:
I agree but as Johnny says there are Swedish travel blogs that write about the places they have never been to. And even if bloggers have travelled there, it may have been a press trip and there are requirements to mention the selected things as the best in the country - but that said who can you really trust 😉.
18 October 2018 - 8:09
Helena says:
But do travel bloggers write on their own blog about destinations where they have not been (except in posts about dreaming about or planning for a destination)? I haven't noticed that ... And what about the requirements for what to write on a press trip, I didn't even think you could do that? We've never experienced that! You must be allowed to write what you think and feel!?? That's the whole idea of a blog!!!? I am a bit dismayed to hear this actually. Possibly we have received requests about which hashtag we should use in social media so that they can follow. but that's all.
18 October 2018 - 8:24
Marias Memoarer says:
Great post! If you are transparent, I think you can partly also write about places you have not visited, e.g. as when I wrote about the places I missed visiting in Tenerife, but which I would have liked to see. But maybe 90% of the posts are usually about places you've actually been to, except for those posts where you "wish" etc. 🙂
18 October 2018 - 8:35
Helena says:
Totally agree with you Maria! We also sometimes write about places we haven't visited, but then we write that. It may be something you missed but would have liked to see etc. And it is clear that you can write about dream destinations! Transparency was a good word, that's what it's all about!
18 October 2018 - 8:38
Maria/ Magnolia Magis says:
Sad, that's what I think...
18 October 2018 - 8:40
Helena says:
Yes, it's especially sad that many newspapers no longer value good reporting in the same way (and therefore don't pay fairly).
18 October 2018 - 9:47
Our Vantastic Travels says:
Agree that the real feeling of how to experience a place is missing if the writer has not been there! Regarding so-called pictures, I can think that it can be good with a picture from the net if your own pictures are bad due to weather or the like, but then it is an absolute requirement that it is clear that the picture is taken from the net.
18 October 2018 - 9:06
Helena says:
I agree that borrowed images are sometimes ok, if it is clear that they are borrowed. Borrowed images are not necessarily a big no-no, but can sometimes be a signal that the writer was not there.
19 October 2018 - 7:53
Ama de casa says:
I usually read travel reports on the blogs I follow - your fantastic blog, among others. When it comes to finding out facts about places we go to, I google around before we leave (and also on site). I use the travel reports more as one of those "Aha - I would like to see that sometime". Such aha experiences have taken us to many places such as the parade in Plasencia here in Spain (where it is said to be haunted), Noah's ark in full scale (how do they know that?) and Horseshoe bend in the USA.
Now I do not classify my nonsense blog as a travel blog, but write about trips we do / have done, I do. And I NEVER write those posts at the desk! I simply have no desk to write at, what we have is usually occupied by a programming Anders 😉 .
However, I write many of the posts from the couch or armchair - there is so much going on when travelling that there is not a chance in the world to report everything during the trip 🙂.
The pictures are always my own (or one of the others who have been on the same trip) and are thus far from the quality that many can be found online. But the blog is my diary, so of course I want my personal pictures ðŸ™'
18 October 2018 - 9:24
Helena says:
I probably do something similar to you! Follow travel blogs for general inspiration and ideas, and google when I'm looking for info on a specific destination. I hope it was clear that I did not mean that I think there is something wrong with writing at the desk (or sofa ;)) after travelling! It will only be tricky if there has been no trip at all ... 😉
18 October 2018 - 9:51
Ama de casa says:
Yes, it was clear and obvious. But since I now have a "diary blog" from trips I've made, I'm now wondering if I should write the post "My trip to Ullared". It's probably the only way for me to actually get there. In my imagination anyway 😀.
18 October 2018 - 12:35
Helena says:
Haha, I definitely think you should write a dream travel post about Ullared! 🙂
19 October 2018 - 7:54
Znogge says:
If you only want standard facts and tips, I can read reports written in the office and by people who have not been there. But if you want to get personal experiences and special tips, it is worth its weight in gold to read what is written by people who have visited the place. In order to find certain things, you have to have been there...
18 October 2018 - 10:22
Helena says:
Of course, some things can be written from the desktop, but going forward I usually expect the writer to have some experience of their own to offer ...
18 October 2018 - 12:47
Anna / Boihusbil says:
I think it matters what kind of blog/article I read.
I assume that when I read a blog it is the writer's own experience (otherwise the context is explicitly stated). When I read an article in a newspaper/online magazine, I expect research. Whether it's done on the spot or otherwise is irrelevant to me. As long as it gives me what I expected. I would never be able to write about a place I haven't visited, as I need to write from my point of view.
18 October 2018 - 10:23
Helena says:
Of course, it is possible to do research from home and come up with something good. But personally, I prefer to read reports written by someone who has been there.
18 October 2018 - 12:49
Daniel | FlyingDryden says:
Everyone can do desk trips. There was a travel Youtuber a few years ago who "travelled" around the world. Set up backdrops at home with different places in the world and ran Instagram pictures that way. I think they revealed everything in the end (or if someone revealed everything). So yes, it is possible to travel...
...but I prefer texts and pictures by people who have actually been there.
18 October 2018 - 11:27
Helena says:
Haha oh, apparently you can do that! But I agree with you, I prefer to read what is written by someone who has been there.
18 October 2018 - 12:50
Ditte says:
I fully agree with your thoughts. Writing about a place you haven't been to seems "odd". For what benefit. And if you want to make money there are other ways to do it.
For example, if you write about world heritage sites in general and relate it to one you've just visited, that's one thing. But in my opinion, I can't write about a place I haven't visited.
Writing after a trip you have made is one thing because sometimes the time at the destination/travel is filled with other things.
It is good that you are addressing this.
I usually acquire information in different ways and also through books, internet, friends, tourist offices but also through blogs that can provide a lot - It is important that it is your own experiences from the destinations.
18 October 2018 - 16:39
Helena says:
I would also find it very difficult to write about a destination where I have not been. In the world heritage example, I completely agree with you. which can certainly be applied to other examples.
19 October 2018 - 7:57
Ditte says:
Wondering if my long comment got lost....
Anyway, I completely agree. Can't write again. I think it's very important to have visited the place you're writing about if it's a travel destination...
18 October 2018 - 16:41
Helena says:
Your comment was not deleted Ditte! We now have to review all comments before approving them.
19 October 2018 - 7:58
GeddFish says:
I can read travel facts online.
But if I want to read a travel report, I want the blogger to have actually been there and taken their own photos with personal comments.
An image from a photo agency can be used as a dream image or a single element, I think, if there is something that you have missed.
I love your travel blog 😀 Have a nice evening!
18 October 2018 - 18:38
Helena says:
I totally agree with you that you can use borrowed images sometimes (we do that too). And thanks for the nice comment about our blog! 🙂 Have a nice weekend!
19 October 2018 - 7:59
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
Very good post that we completely agree with. Facts can be found in lots of places, but the personal tips in blogs and articles we want from people who have been there and experienced.
Many good comments became my train reading on the way home from work.
18 October 2018 - 18:59
Helena says:
Isn't it fun to read all the comments? 🙂
19 October 2018 - 8:00
4000mil says:
The short answer is "no you don't". 🙂
You can recognise these articles from afar. So boring and bland.
And pity the writers, I think. One senses a certain desperation and very little desire.
18 October 2018 - 19:47
Helena says:
Well described, yes it gets boring and bland. I think that writers in general have ended up in a boring situation where it is difficult to get paid for good work.
19 October 2018 - 8:01
BP says:
I don't actually read travel reports in newspapers, but rely on your excellent blog and a few others.
The world of newspapers has really changed in the last 10-20 years. You can no longer afford to send a reporter plus a photographer to the different places and write "real" reports. What a shame, I think.
What would bother me most, if I were to read travel reports, are the pictures from photo agencies, where you can download them for free. On a blog it's a completely different matter. You also use photos from Pixabay, for example. But a serious magazine should probably buy pictures from a "real" photo agency, where they do cost a bit, but it's more serious in my opinion.
18 October 2018 - 21:18
Helena says:
Very true what you say. The world of newspapers has changed. Maybe change is natural, but it's sad if it means no one wants to pay for good stories. Yes, it's true that we use images from Pixabay sometimes, and they are free. It helps in some situations, of course. I think newspapers should use Shutterstock and similar paid photo agencies more often.
19 October 2018 - 8:04
Lena - gott för själen says:
But my goodness! I have never thought that it could be like that! There is no way in my mind that I would do something like that myself and let the reader believe that I was there. Really embarrassing!
But now I understand a bit better. I've been thinking lately that travel reports in newspapers are so strange in some way. They have no substance, there is no content about the destination. After reading I've felt, "but wait, what did I learn about this destination?"! Kind of. So, thanks for that realisation!:-)
Hug Lena
19 October 2018 - 6:18
Helena says:
Yes, this is how it has turned out unfortunately. The writer may not lie and write that he or she has been to the destination, but if you read an article with "best tips" about a certain destination, you almost expect it ...
19 October 2018 - 8:06
Lena i Wales says:
Much more interesting if the person writing really lives in the country and/or has been to the places themselves, which I have with everything I write and all pictures are my own.
20 October 2018 - 12:53