Can You Trust Your Travel Guidebook?

In his account of his guidebook-writing days, Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?, Thomas Kohnstamm says that because he wasn't given the time or money to do his job properly, he had to rely on secondhand sources, accept freebies and not visit some of the places he wrote about. (The publisher said it is reviewing the books Kohnstamm contributed to and will correct any errors it finds.)

Kohnstamm, former Lonely Planet guidebook writer, were online Tuesday, April 29, at Noon ET with Washington Post Travel editor K.C. Summers, to discuss the book and the controversy it has ignited in the travel blogosophere.

A transcript follows.

Kohnstamm holds an MA in Latin American Studies from Stanford University and has contributed to over a dozen guidebooks and a variety of magazines, Web sites and newspapers. He lives in his hometown, Seattle, and is at work on his second book.

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K.C. Summers: Greetings, everyone, and welcome to the Post Travel chat, Part Deux. We've gotten a lot of comments from readers about our piece this week on the Kohnstamm guidebook flap -- the link is above -- and we're happy to have him here today to talk about the dirty underbelly of travel writing, and his perspective as a freelance guidebook contributor. (Let's try to keep the waitress questions to a minimum.) Are our trusted guidebooks not what we thought they were? Let's get right to it.

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Sebastopol, Calif.: Given that you write from your "imagination" about places you "never visited," how do we know that anything, such as the juicy anecdote about the waittress and her friendly table service, in your new book is true? Probably the answer is that we don't. Does this -- should this -- matter?

Thomas Kohnstamm: My book is about the unvarnished truth. If you read the book you will see that I am as candid as I can possibly be about a number of things. I have pretty much laid myself bare. So, yes, I do turn a critical eye on what I see as the behind-the-scenes reality of guidebook writing - including the fact that there are shortcomings in the on-the-ground research. I also take a hard look at myself, my former life in Manhattan, contemporary travel etc. As for the anecdote in my book, I have the email of said waitress and still trade friendly emails with her from time to time. I think that if you read my book, you will see that it is actually a self-deprecating, honest story and not the braggadocio and bloviation that some (who have never read the book) have alleged.

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Mad in D.C.: So I'm never buying another Lonely Planet Guide again -- unless you give me a good reason why I should trust the other guides.

Thomas Kohnstamm: My point in my book is not that guidebooks are without value, only that much of the information that makes it into guidebooks is arbitrary and subjective. They are not to be used as an infallible guide and are not the Bible (as some claim). Guidebooks have tried to commodify independent travel, which is inherently independent, unpredictable and subject to all sorts of variation. However, guidebooks are still useful tools and I use Lonely Planet myself. You should never rely on travel info (whether in a guidebook or on-line) 100%. The information is primarily all recommendations and, just like, say, restaurant reviews in DC, sometimes they get it right and sometimes you're bound to disagree.

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Freising, Germany: Do you perceive a difference in quality or trustworthiness between established and prosperous travel writers like Bill Bryson, Michael Palin or Paul Theroux, and someone who would answer the job advertisement on the randomhouse.com Web site for your book? Is this a matter of doing a circus act, performing sleights of hand and hoping not to be caught, until you can make a name for yourself?

Thomas Kohnstamm: Comparing travel literature to guidebook writing is comparing apples and oranges. My book is about my experience on my first assignment as a guidebook writer. That has little to do with the likes of Bryson, Palin or Theroux.

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Oakland, Calif.: Do you think that you've been scapegoated by Lonely Planet, given a few years back they created most of their online content via a team of desk researchers not from on-the-road authors?

Thomas Kohnstamm: They clearly want to marginalize and discredit me. I'll leave it at that.

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Aberdeen, Md.: Hi

I'm not a travel writer. How would I go about making hotels think that I'm a travel writer, in order to get special treatment?

K.C. Summers: Btw, we get calls from hotels, airlines and restaurants all the time about bogus travel writers claiming to work for the Post. They have a pretty good radar for sniffing out fakes.

Thomas Kohnstamm: I wouldn't advise that for a number of reasons.

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Washington, D.C.: Thomas -- I worked with travel writers for more than 10 years. So what's the real harm in offering free air tickets, rooms, meals, tours to big travel media players? If the gratis site is worth it to visitors, it should gain your coverage. Likewise, many worthy attractions are regularly left out of major destination travel pieces -- for no apparent reason, I will add. In today's economy and low pay for writers, it's only logical to accept freebies while stating "I may not cover you." Any PR should accept this and communicate this policy to his destination partners.

K.C. Summers: I'll let Thomas give his take on this, but let me just say that taking freebies is a BIG conflict of interest for any kind of reviewer. I know many writers say they can't be bought and that their reviews aren't influenced by free stays, but we all know that there's a subtle sense of obligation that goes along with getting treated. And even if you do maintain your objectivity, there's the *appearance* of a conflict of interest, which is just as bad, because that makes you lose credibility with your readers.

Thomas Kohnstamm: The loss of objectivity or perceived loss of objectivity is a real issue. The financial squeeze on writers is a real issue too (this is our livelihood, not just a hobby after all). It is a dilemma that I try to examine in my book. I am not sure how to properly reconcile those two issues and do not speak for travel journalism in general, only to my personal experience as a guidebook writer.

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Frequent Traveler: Hi, guys. Thomas, do you use LP guides to get around? Or do you think they're bogus?

Thomas Kohnstamm: Right in the introduction of my book I say that I almost always use a guidebook and find that they are invariably worth their price and weight in my pack. They are not bogus, but they are not the singular way to approach a destination either. I argue that guidebooks are not to be used as a paint-by-the-numbers approach to travel. They serve their purpose as a tool to assist with travel... I tend to prefer Lonely Planet to other brands although I sometimes use others.

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Anonymous: I represent a state travel organization and am truly amazed by the amount of "freebies" that travel journalists ask for. Having come from more of a hard news background, I am truly amazed they even call themselves "journalists" -- there is no shame.

How do we weed out those who are just in the business for the freebies? It's obviously not by cutting back on their fees. And certainly readers benefit from the non-biased coverage of those who don't take freebies.

K.C. Summers: Well, it seems like an easy answer: Stop offering free trips! As a travel journalist for over 20 years, I'm still constantly amazed at the number of free trips, flights, cruises, etc., that we get offered every week. I have to assume that the travel industry feels that this system works for them and that they get their money's worth from the publications and writers who accept these trips. It's the readers who suffer. Perhaps the industry could at least police this a little better -- e.g., ask for clips to make sure the writer is up to some kind of standard.

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Washington DC: Do you think the guidebook is becoming anachronistic in today's wireless world? Not only can you do so much research online before you travel, but I know that when I'm traveling in developed countries, I just use the Internet on mobile devices to look up whatever I may need (maps, hours of museums, etc) when I need it.

Thomas Kohnstamm: There is a big difference between travel in the developed world and the developing world. There isn't a lot of on-line info to cover more remote destinations. I am sure that in the near future there will be greater access to phone coverage, mobile wireless and on-line travel material in developing areas... but, for the time being, I think that the paper guidebook - with all of its inherent flaws - is alive and well.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi, K.C. How do you know, when you're dealing with travel writers, whether they're telling the truth? How do you know they're not making it all up?

K.C. Summers: We do everything we can to determine that. First, we have a stable of trusted freelancers that we know well and use often. Second, all our freelancers sign a contract that states that they've paid for their trips themselves, don't stand to benefit from the piece, etc. I don't think many other publications demand this of their freelancers -- as far as I know, many just have a don't ask, don't tell policy, or look the other way. Yes, I suppose people could just lie on the contract, but short of ordering lie detector tests, that's about all we can do.

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Downtown Cubicle: Thanks for the chat. I also wanted to thank Thomas for finally putting in print what I've long suspected: that you can't trust what you read in those books. have many other travel writers agreed with you?

Thomas Kohnstamm: Many have agreed (most in private, but a few publicly), many haven't. From what I've experienced it is very much a "don't ask, don't tell" policy in guidebooks. That assertion is corroborated in a recent article about my book in the Huffington Post. Again, and just to clarify to others, I am not speaking about newspaper travel journalism, only to my experience in the world of guidebooks.

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New York, N.Y.: Hi Thomas,

Why do you think there has been such a fervent global response to this? What has the feedback been like so far from people that have actually read the book?

Thomas Kohnstamm: As for the fervent response, I think that there was a lot of hyperbole, speculation and self-righteous indignation before anyone had actually read the book. I believe that there was also some interest in a book with a different take on what many have come to view as a tired genre.

When the controversy kicked off I was getting a lot of hate mail (even death threats) from people who had never even seen the book - let alone read it. Now that people are actually reading the book, I am getting a lot of supportive emails and messages. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and I've heard from readers in Hawaii, Florida, Georgia, California, all over and the book really seems to be resonating with them.

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Washington, D.C.: So which guidebooks do you look to when you travel? It seems each of them have their strengths and weaknesses, but it seems silly to carry around multiple guides when you're packing light.

K.C. Summers: I like a lot of choices when I travel, but I also pack really light. So I rip out (or photocopy) the pages that I want, so that eliminates a lot of extraneous stuff. I also print out a lot of stuff from online and bring it in a folder. I really like LP and Rough Guides and, for getting in the mood, Insight guides for their photography and history. Also, Frommer's is handy for their editor's picks and generally seems pretty up-to-date.

Thomas Kohnstamm: I have used all of the following: LP, Rough Guides, Moon and Footprint. They all have their pluses and minuses. LP has the best maps by far and is good for quick referencing. Sometimes I like to just tear out the map and stroll around. Rough Guides and Moon are really good for background, while Footprint is good for longer budget trips.

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Washington, D.C.: Mr. Kohnstamm, I assume you only worked on the 2005 Brazil book and not the earlier editions? Just a comment... I lived in Bahia in 2003, and while I didn't see a ton of Americans there, I could always count on finding them in the same spots, carrying around their Lonely Planet books. I think LP has a huge influence on Americans who travel to countries like Brazil, where there just isn't the volume of guidebooks available as there is for big European destinations.

Thomas Kohnstamm: One of the things that I discuss in my book is the impact of travelers following a single guidebook so closely along a tourist trail - particularly in a developing place like NE Brazil. At points, I struggled with what to include or not to include, particularly when it came to smaller towns that would be irrevocably changed after being written into the tourist trail. That is one of the main reasons that I advocate that travelers take a looser, more open-minded approach for the use of guidebooks.

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Slacker in Alexandria: KC, do you think many of your writers take freebies? And even if they do know you're coming, what's the big deal? What's the worse that can happen? I'll still use the Lonely Planet guides, if anything just for the maps (did Thomas have anything to do with those?).

K.C. Summers: Well, the big deal is that if they know we're coming they give us special treatment. We prefer to travel anonymously whenever possible, so that we can accurately report to our readers what a place is really like -- not just when they know there's someone "important" there. Same reason our food critic, Tom Sietsema, goes out in disguise and under a fake name.

I don't think any of our writers take freebies. See earlier response regarding the contract they have to sign. All our writers are certainly well aware of our policies regarding free trips and if we find out otherwise, they're history.

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Manhattan: You've been a big topic in our office, Thomas, so I was happy to see this forum pop up on a google search. Sounds like you hate New York City, and I admit it can be pretty hairy. But how do cities in the US measure up to other spots worldwide? Where have you visited?

Thomas Kohnstamm: I actually love NYC and miss living there. But, as you know, the city can get on top of you at times. In order to make a clean break with NYC, I had to sever some emotional ties with it. The book depicts those moments, but my overall feeling towards New York is really positive.

There are a number of cities that I really like: Rio, Barcelona, Montreal, SF, Vancouver, Paris, London, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Calcutta, Mexico City... am not a huge fan of Caracas, but it still has its charms. I think that most cities have something good going for them, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people living there.

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Anonymous: K.C., how do you respond to that question in the story online, about why you put your staff's photo out there if you want to remain incognito?

K.C. Summers: Oh gosh, as much as I'd like to think that our chat is that influential and far-reaching, I don't think anyone would ever recognize us from that thumbnail photo! Certainly no one's ever recognized me. I can tell by the way I'm treated. Like when I'm leaving, when I pay with my Post credit card -- suddenly they get all excited and snap to attention. But then it's too late....

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Arlington, Va.: I think guidebooks can be a valuable resource, but they are just part of a good travel arsenal. I typically read the guidebook's history sections which usually include a good quick background of my destination. And things like "getting around" are usually of same value as well. But I have never really used them for restaurant or hotel listing. Sometimes if I have narrowed down my hotel choices to a few I will look to see what the guides as well as tripadvisor.com have to say and use that aggregate knowledge to help me decide. I think people should have a realistic view of what a guidebook is and can really tell you. Do guidebook writers actually stay in all of those hotels? Probably not, so they can't really share a first hand, real life experience. Is it possible for a writer to eat in all of those restaurants more than once? Reviews can be useful, but I tend to take them all with a grain of salt.

Thomas Kohnstamm: I think that you are right on point. Nice to see a little perspective out there. Following up on-line can help with the process, but there is nothing better than actually talking to locals when you are in a foreign place.

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A desk in Dupont: What you say sort of seems obvious. I have always felt sorry for travelers who need to see it in LP before they will stay or eat in a place. I appreciate the maps, the bus routes (which I confirm) and a few highlights along the way. Everything else changes too fast anyway. If you are afraid to do a little exploring on your own, you shouldn't be travelling on your own. Go on a tour.

Thomas Kohnstamm: I agree. The guidebook is still a useful tool, but independent travel should be more independent.

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Bowie, Md.: Thomas -- given your negativity towards guide books, what's your opinion/take about sites like TripAdvisor.com, where reviews and opinions are submitted (I know, for the most part), by everyday people?

Thomas Kohnstamm: I don't know if "negativity" does justice to my feelings about guidebooks. I am just trying to be realistic about their scope. On-line materials can be very useful too, but have inherent flaws. There are a lot of shillers and thinly disguised promotional materials on those sites. Travel is always an adventure, so no single source will be your oracle.

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New York, N.Y.: I would love to see what would happen if all travel pubs banned freebies: most of them would cease to exist. As a freelancer, I've been offered $300 to write stories which incurred $400 worth of expenses, with no expense budget of course, or $5,000 to write a guidebook which would take three months' work. How can publishers expect to both have ethics and pay these absurdly low rates?

Thomas Kohnstamm: That is the reality that many of us face. I think that there is a lot of turnover in the industry as guidebook writing is imagined to be a glamor job and therefore has a huge potential labor pool. Many people last for a couple of projects, lose a bunch of money and move on -- only to be replaced by another wide-eyed inexperienced writer willing to work for the byline (at least for a project or two, until the same thing happens to them). That's not to say that there aren't still pros in the industry who are able to forge a lasting career, but they often have family money, a wealthy spouse, a flexible side job or some other creative way to make ends meet. Again, the issue of freebies is tricky, but it is something that can and should be openly discussed rather than simply pretending like it doesn't exist. I personally think that it would be best if guidebook writers received royalties on their guidebooks, but I also understand that with so many books and so many updaters, it would be an administrative nightmare.

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Thomas Kohnstamm: Thank you to all who wrote in today. It was a pleasure. If I didn't get a chance to answer your questions, please contact me through my website at www.thomaskohnstamm.com and I will do my best to get back to you.

Thomas

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K.C. Summers: Folks, I'm afraid we're out of time. Thanks for all the good questions, and sorry if we didn't get to yours. Thanks very much to Thomas Kohnstamm for participating today. We'll see everyone back here next Monday at 2pm for our regular chat with the Post Flight Crew.

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