I can admit having blogged about places I’d only seen in my imagination when I started out in 2007. I wrote about destinations I wanted to visit, places that inspired me. But when you haven’t seen a city with your own eyes, experienced it, walked through it, absorbed the atmosphere, and met the people who live there, you haven’t gotten a real sense for it. Hence, there’s a risk your text will lack that genuineness you can only obtain from having first-hand experience of a place.
To ‘come clean’, I want to let you know that I wrote about 5 reasons to buy your second home in Panama, Boston’s leading day spa, French beach destinations, travel tips from Marseille, the best of Bordeaux, the best beaches in Mexico, two hotel gems in Bangkok , Mexico’s best design hotels, Nicoya in Costa Rica and Berlin without having travelled to any of these places. Not to mention the press releases I did for various PR firms and agencies. However, since the beginning of 2009, my policy has been to only write about destinations I’ve experienced in person.
How about you? Have you ever blogged about a destination you’ve never visited? If so, why? If not, would you consider it?
Pictured above, row of sun palapas in Mexico.
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Taylor Davidson
3 months ago
I don’t think I have, unless it’s specifically about my dreams of the place. The real question: what is the bar of experience / time to be able to give our generalizations about a place justice and meaning?
Taylor Davidson´s last blog ..12 seconds from a 2 hour taxi ride in Mumbai, India
Erica Johansson
3 months ago
That’s a really good question… which I don’t yet know how to answer.
For someone who visits a new destination, it’s more about quality than quantity though. I mean, a person can spend a few weeks in a city and having seen and experienced way more than someone who stayed for months. I believe it depends a lot on who we meet and talk to (other tourists/travellers vs locals) and how much research we do before, during and after a certain trip.
Andrei
3 months ago
I guess is not easy to keep an attractive travel blog writing only about places you have visited – simply because you cannot be all the time on the road. That’s why I do appreciate your policy Erica; to be frank I was not aware of it, but now I like your blog even more.
Anyway, I also understand why many travel bloggers write also about “not seen” places – it can be a good compromise even if sometimes you can feel the “clichés”.
Erica Johansson
3 months ago
Thanks, Andrei.
Speaking about places you’ve never visited in person, I came across this article on imaginary travel earlier today http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/imaginary-travel-is-the-only-way-to-go-20091205-kc0v.html
Lola
3 months ago
There’s definitely a lot of desk research in the travel writing world and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that especially if you’re writing “round up” articles.
A lot of the FOB sections of magazines are done that way too with information researched from various sources.
Personally, I write about places I’ve been (accompanied with photographs).
Lola´s last blog ..Love Abroad in Heart & Soul
Erica Johansson
3 months ago
Agreed, there’s nothing wrong with it – it’s understandable when it comes to those FOB sections. But for longer destination pieces I prefer if the writer has actually visited the place in person.
Vi @ Travel Tips
3 months ago
Personally I am writing only about things I experienced myself. But probably it depends what you writing about. I think it would be wrong to write recommendations where to stay if you haven’t been in those places.
Vi @ Travel Tips´s last blog ..Most dangerous species in New Zealand
Erica Johansson
3 months ago
It’s great to hear that you’re only writing about places you’ve visited yourself. And I totally agree about giving recommendations on accommation if you haven’t stayed there. How can one give an adequate view of something without having experienced it? Sure, you can research online but whatever you review or write about will lack that genuine personal touch.