Grumpy Traveller Mission Statement

If you read most magazines and newspaper travel sections, going away is all one big rosy walk in the park. Everyone stays in perfect hotels, bumps into an undiscovered gem around every corner, and enjoys a stunning vista from every angle as they sip on their cocktails.

It’s not actually like this, of course. But you have to scour the newsstands rather hard to find an acknowledgement that there may be, whisper it, some negative aspects to the travel experience.

The downsides of travel

This website is an attempt to redress the balance. It’s for people who do get annoyed waiting behind idiots at security queues. It’s for people who seem to stumble from minor disaster to minor disaster every time they leave the front door. It’s for people who believe that honesty has to include the downsides too.

As a result, of course, the site will come across as overly negative. Good – there’s too much gushing drivel out there anyway. This is about the flipside. Some of the posts will be shamelessly petty gripes about personal bugbears, but there’s also a serious aim. I want to highlight some insidious practices within the travel industry, and offer genuine constructive criticism where improvements can be made for the benefit of all.

A personal outlet

And from a personal point of view, it’s the chance to be brutally frank. It’s rare that I get that opportunity as a travel writer – in simple terms, anything that isn’t broadly positive will not sell. No-one will pay me to write what I really think of Auckland or Amsterdam, for example. The stories I have written about either destination have focused on a single interesting angle or attraction, with the broad overall view judiciously left out. 

Comments and opinions

I very much doubt that I’m the only travel journalist who feels this way, and I welcome comments from both those in the industry and the ordinary holidaymaker or business traveller. I’d love to spark discussion on many of the points raised.

Tags: Travel Writing