A personal decision on press trips
December 9, 2009 by Caitlin
Filed under Travel Trends & Issues
Given the turbulent state of the media industry and the rise of blogging, it was probably inevitable that travel bloggers would start getting invited on press trips. For some time now there have been travel bloggers joining the ranks of old-school travel writers on press trips and lately there have been a few press trips specifically for travel bloggers and Twitter users, such as the Princess Cruises Follow Me at Sea cruise in the Caribbean and the upcoming Blog Paradise for nine Marriott resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.
I have been pondering my own stance on press trips as both a blogger and a travel writer since moving to San Francisco. I think it’s fair to say that in the UK and Australia, press trips are not especially controversial. Here in the US there are furious debates about the ethics of press trips and even discounts. Some publications such as the New York Times and the LA Times have official policies prohibiting them. There is some debate about exactly how stringent these policies are – some people say it’s a matter of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the reality is they are done all the time, while others say that you cannot write for an outlet if you have ever taken a press trip at any point in your life.
Now I am not an absolutist on press trips for other people. Travel writing is a tough game to make a living in and it is up to individual writers to chart a course that is right for them. Increasingly fewer publications are paying expenses and not every writer is capable of swinging the five stories from one trip that would make self-funding travel cost-effective. I do think disclosure is important and my personal belief is that each post or story should explicitly state this. But I’m not going to look down my nose at anyone for taking press trips.
On the other hand, it is also equally fair for individual publications to demand whatever standards they want, including no press trips or discounts. I don’t think there’s any point arguing about pay - it’s a matter of supply and demand and editors only have to rethink their policies if they have trouble finding quality content that meets those standards. Being able to make a living as a travel writer is not a right.
My question is only about press trips for myself. I must admit I have actually never taken one as a travel writer, though I have accepted the occasional modest discount through my British Guild of Travel Writers membership. However, I have some ideas about what they are like, based on press trips I took as a technology journalist at The Australian. Between 2000 and 2003 I took several trips sponsored by various technology companies to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Las Vegas and Shanghai. There was no debate about whether I individually should go because I was a staff writer and the publication made that decision for me. The format would usually centre around a technology conference but we always had PR minders who would keep us entertained outside conference hours with sightseeing, restaurants, shopping expeditions and so on. Now this may or may not be true, but in my imagination a travel press trip is a related beast but without the tech conference bit.
There are a few reasons why I have never sought out press trips as a travel writer.
1. Conflict of interest. For all that I don’t judge anyone for taking a press trip, I do think there is an inherent conflict of interest. Certainly I believe that an intelligent professional travel writer is capable of rising above that conflict of interest, but there is still an underlying conflict. Different writers deal with this in different ways. Some writers are adamant they tell it like it is and that they will go out of their way to see what experience the regular guests are having. Others say that if something is bad, they won’t write about it. I personally believe the reader is best served by an honest account, and if something is bad you SHOULD write about it. Sure, you might not want to dwell on the negatives, but I believe they are part of authentic and useful travel writing. And it’s not just the conflict in HOW you write about a place, the conflict of interest also affects whether you write about it at all. I know a lot of writers go on press trips and then feel huge pressure to get something published.
2. Sameness (commercial). In the UK I would often be invited on press trips but the PR would understandably require a commission before I could accept. I quickly realised, in a market like the UK, there is nothing worse as a freelance travel writer than pitching stories straight after receiving a press trip invitation. Most of the publications that I would write for were national so there was a lot of overlap. It was likely that the editor and/or staff writers on any publication I might pitch to had already received and turned down the invitation. It was also likely that they would be receiving pitches from other writers on on the same destination. Yes, I know about different angles on a place but that only gets you so far when an editor is receiving dozens of pitches on the same place. Here in the US that is less of a problem because there are so many outlets and so many regional publications.
3. Sameness (creative). All the same, it does feel like it stifles creativity. Destinations that can afford PR budgets and hosting journalists or bloggers end up getting written about more than the obscure, and often more interesting places. Frankly, I find unearthing off-the-beaten track locations far more interesting. I like to hit a destination with a quirky agenda and itinerary and take time for the serendipity of travel – getting lost is part of the job! I must admit I’m worried that some of the individuality of travel blogging will be lost – I’ve seen it happen with food blogs all writing about the same group restaurant dinners (whether free or not).
4. No need. So far I have made a good living without press trips. In some cases, I have paid for the trip and then sold multiple stories. For example, I paid full-price to go to Spitsbergen in the Arctic and I subsequently sold articles to Anyway, Rough Guides Make the Most of Your Time on Earth and Australian Women’s Health. I also paid to go to Syria and sold both a major feature article and a travel article to The Guardian. In other cases, I have sold stories based on holidays I was taking anyway. And I was lucky enough to have beloved magazine clients, Anyway and Nespresso, that would commission me and pay expenses. Sadly that’s no longer the case.
So what have I decided?
1. Continued individuality. As a travel writer my focus will continue to be on my own trips. I will try to plan trips with enough angles to sell different stories to different outlets and thereby make a profit. I have an advantage here because I do other forms of journalism as well, so I don’t have to just write about travel. This is partly so that I can approach no-press-trips outlets with clean hands and clear conscience – I can’t do “don’t ask, don’t tell” as I loathe hypocrisy and I like to be open about my arrangements. If an outlet doesn’t allow a press trip or discount, I won’t take it or I’ll write for a different publication. It’s also partly because I value my freedom and like to do things my way. I’m under no illusions that this will be harder than it used to be because of the loss of my expense-paying clients, but I think I can make it work, when I balance it with other forms of journalism and writing.
2. Focus on the American West. I aim to be the go-to writer for San Francisco and California. Once I get my driving licence, I plan to do a lot of weekend trips out of the city. I also plan to explore California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington in a lot more depth. Sure, I want to go further afield as well, but I think focusing on my own geographic region will help keep costs manageable and let me make money from my writing.
3. Flexibility. I’m not going to make a blanket rule about press trips. If an editor commissions me to do a story and specifically asks that I take a press trip to do it, then of course I will take the job if I have the time and want to write for the publication. I am a freelancer, after all.
4. Blog financials. I won’t take a press trip specifically for my blog, unless someone is paying for my time or if I can sell my articles elsewhere to make it worth my while. I have no shortage of things to write about for the blog and it doesn’t make me a great deal of money, so taking a few days to a week to go on a press trip just for blog content makes no financial sense to me. The only way I can see this working is if the press trip organisers want to take me on the trip and pay my freelance daily rates and give me editorial control and they are happy to have the post marked “sponsored post” at the end. Or they could forget the blog and hire me to write for their website. I’m a freelancer – l’ll take on marketing work if that’s explicitly what it is, and I’m paid accordingly.
5. Exceptions. And yeah we all have a price. If Virgin Galactic wants to send me into space, I’ll go. In that case, I’ll happily write about it on my blog and I’m sure I can find an outlet who will publish my story as well! (But that won’t stop me looking at the negatives – if you thought cruising was bad, I’m pretty sure the carbon footprint of space travel is out of this world. But that’s a subject for another post).
Update: Chris from Chris Around the World has written her own code of conduct here. This is pretty much what I abide by too.
Related posts: Nerd’s Eye View – Ethics, Schmethics: On Press Trips and Writing a Good Story
Sheila’s Guide to the Good Stuff – Are blogger fam trips a good idea or are they Jurassic PR?
Ever the Nomad – Confession: I take free trips
Travelblather – Bloggers on press trips … can it work?
Almost Fearless – Belize Wrap Up – Thoughts on Traveling for Free
Well put, well thought out.
Though you might have to fight me for that go-to SF/CA title
– Caitlin.
Camels & Chocolate´s last blog ..I Believe They Call It a Labor of Love
I think there’s room enough for both of us!
(That was a joke, in case the meaning was lost in the vast interwebs.)
Camels & Chocolate´s last blog ..I Believe They Call It a Labor of Love
Hi, Thanks for linking back to other related articles. Some I’ve read; others, I haven’t. I am someone who has taken a couple of press trips this year – luckily, to places I was interested in going to (i.e. Israel). I’m still not sure where I stand on this one. Is it normal that I keep flip-flopping back and forth? Sometimes, I think press trips are good for those who are breaking in to travel writing and can’t otherwise afford multiple trips a year, especially when they are not guaranteed a commission, given the state of travel industry and harsh competition right now. On the otherhand, when I was on a press trip, I felt like the information being fed to me were “biased” and PR-minded. I keep reminding myself to think as if I have paid for this trip myself, to form my own opinion. But then again, if it’s out of my own pocket, I wouldn’t have forked over the money to participate in all-day activities and try great restaurants, etc. I would also have stayed in a cheap (or crappy) hotel, instead of the 3-, 4- or 5-star places the newspaper and magazines want to hear about (partly because of advertising in the publication, I guess – I mean, you never see ads for Mr. Smith’s Hostel, but you see a lot of Hiltons, Marriotts, etc.) Rest assured, I will further investigate, learn, and read with an open mind…
Jen Laceda´s last blog ..Quebec Road Trip with Chevy Equinox – Part 2 La Malbaie
It depends a bit who you want to write for as well. Some publications emphatically don’t want you to write about chains and some don’t want it to be too expensive. I stayed in a lovely boutique hotel in Damascus for $200 a night, and paid out of my own pocket for two nights, only to have a travel editor at an upmarket quality UK newspaper tell me it was too luxe for their market and I needed to find something in the cheap to mid-range bracket! Also, unless you are reviewing (in which case I think you definitely need to be anonymous), then you don’t actually need to stay at the hotel, you just need to visit it, tour it and form impressions of it. (Or perhaps stay just one night if you fancy it – it’s a tax write-off). Except for the reviews, the hotel is rarely the story – it’s just fodder for the information box. – Caitlin.
Hi Caitlin,
Thanks for your thoughts on this! I am one of the said bloggers chosen for the upcoming Marriot Blog Paradise trip. This is my first official press trip, so my experience will be with fresh eyes and I am looking forward to all of it. There has been so much written about this and I am trying to find my way in the sea of PR trip opinions
I first want to say that up to this point, all the travel for writing and blogging that I have done has been paid 100% completely out of my own pocket. And I will continue to take trips like that and write about them. Always will.
However, if the opportuity presents itself where I can travel to places I have never been, learn about it and review it with an open mind for readers and other travelers, so long as I disclose everything, I find no harm in it.
To me, the problem isn’t the free trip – like Jen, I have read many other posts on this topic, and most people understand that travel writers get free trips- it is what you do after the trip that matters most.
I consider myself an honest person who wants to inform travelers. I like to think I deal in reality and It is obvious to me that these trips are desgined to roll out the red carpet for us – but that won’t be what happens for Average Joe Traveler. And really – I think it is my job as someone who writes for travel to uncover the experience that a traveler would have – if NOT on a press trip. I have to cut through the biased, BS, PR stuff that Jen was referring to and do my homework on the real deal. I try to do that when I write about a trip I have paid for myself – and I plan to do the same thing if someone else pays for the trip.
I feel that the experience shouldn’t be sugar coated. I agree that one shouldn’t focus on the negative, but if there are issues or problems or reasons not to be thrilled and recommend something – I think it should be said, not just swept under the carpet.
Is it possible that a place won’t like what I had to say and never again invite me on a press trip? Maybe. Oh well. That’s their issue and a chance I take for attempting to be honest, I suppose.
Personally, I think it is rather smart for these PR firms to start to target travel bloggers (not in place of print writers, just in addition too) – the feedback is generally immediate and can be ongoing, where as some articles pitched may never see the light of day. And I can see where it would work if a writer would both be able to blog and write freelance articles for publication.
So, while I am reserving judgement on the whole trip until I have experienced it from start to finish, I will say that I think it’s a personal choice for each one of us. You are the one who has to put your head down on the pillow and fall asleep at night. If whatever decision you make lets you sleep soundly – then so be it.
My Mélange´s last blog ..Feed has moved
That makes sense. Just to be clear, I am not saying I would never take a press trip. It’s just that I won’t seek them out and it would need to be for a paying outlet, not just my blog. Enjoy your time in the sun! – Caitlin.
Thanks Caitlin. I will certainly try! And sorry for my long winded comment….hard to keep writers from writing
My Mélange´s last blog ..Feed has moved
Your point on sameness is excellent. I had a chat with a PR guy who mentioned that he actually prefers to arrange individual trips for writers rather than group press trips because on group trips, everyone cranks out the same stuff and it’s boring.
I’m off on the Marriott trip too, though to clarify, it is NOT a group trip — we’re all going to different places, just at the same time. I’m packing my asbestos suit as I want to be prepared to get flamed in the ethics wars.
pam´s last blog ..Lost and Found
Yes, I thought the structure of the Marriott trip was quite interesting. I would certainly be more prepared to do an individual press trip or take subsidies for a trip I’ve arranged myself, but obviously it depends on the outlet. Have fun! – Caitlin.
Nicely written, thoughtful post.
I stopped doing press trips (as in the all-expenses paid, ten journos on a bus being herded around scenario) a while ago. And for largely the same reasons – I want a different story so that I can sell it.
What I will do is approach tour operators, tourist boards and hotels that fit the piece I’ve been commissioned to write, asking for assistance. By assistance, read freebies. But I like to make my own itineraries and go for what fits my needs rather than adapt my needs to what’s on offer. Like yourself, I’ve often made a good profit selling multiple stories on trips I’ve paid every penny for.
My anti-press trip stance isn’t about ethics, it’s about finances and practicalities. Ethically, taking freebies is a grey area. Yes, I am more likely to stay at somewhere I can get for free, and ergo I am more likely to include it in an article as a result. There’s an undeniable bias there. But I will still give an honest description/ opinion – and that, I think, is the key thing.
David Whitley´s last blog ..South Pacific stopovers: Cheapest flights to Australia via Samoa, Tonga & Cook Islands in 2010
That’s an approach that can work well for some writer. Do you find it a problem with any UK publications or don’t they care how you got the story? – Caitlin.
Most of my work goes to Australian publications, so it’s hard to say. But only one of my Aussie outlets requires disclosure. I’ve never been asked for it in the UK.
But I’m a freelancer. If I submitted blatantly glowing rubbish or stories that suspiciously over-concentrated on one thing, then it’d be pretty obvious. And I doubt my editors would commission something from me again.
If you ask me, the real problem with press trips/ freebies is when they go to staffers who just have to knock out 700 words in return for a free holiday. When editors are paying freelancers for copy, the quality control is far higher.
David Whitley´s last blog ..South Pacific stopovers: Cheapest flights to Australia via Samoa, Tonga & Cook Islands in 2010
I think David is spot on but from what I have heard these PR agencies and companies want more than 700 words in return for a free holiday. I have seen bloggers go on a free trip and then spend days publishing 3 or 4 posts and then uploading videos, this takes up a lot of time.
I also do not like that most PR agencies and companies do not want you to be impartial. They want to have editorial control, i.e. seeing the post before it is made live, no negative comments etc.
Darren Cronian´s last blog ..Frustrations when booking holidays online
Depends where that 700 words is. If it’s in the Daily Mail/ Sunday Times etc they’re delighted.
On a blog, they’ll want a lot of blood, sweat and words in return…
David Whitley´s last blog ..South Pacific stopovers: Cheapest flights to Australia via Samoa, Tonga & Cook Islands in 2010
Hi Caitlin,
I like your blog title, “A personal decision on press trips,” as press trips are, indeed, a personal decision.
I’ve noted on other posts with this similar topic that, as a newspaper and magazine print journalist, as well as a professional travel blogger, I wouldn’t need to accept sponsored trips if I was paid $1 per word rate. However, in this economy, most newspapers and magazines no longer match that pay scale. Professional blog rates are pathetically low paying.
I think it should be noted that these “press trips” are in no way a “free holiday” as referenced by Darren Cronian. My time and writing needs to be compensated, thus I write stories and posts for multiple outlets.
Finally, in reference to Darren’s comment above, I have never had a PR agency or company ask for a word count, nor has anyone ever asked for editorial control of my content. As a journalism graduate I would never want my writing to read as “advertorial” as in “pay for play.”
Thanks for a thought provoking post.
Nancy D. Brown´s last blog ..Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa – Lahaina, Hawaii
@ Nancy
I am only commenting on what I have seen here in the UK as a blogger.
I am not a freelance travel writer (I’m not even a travel writer full stop!) You would go on a trip and with your contacts get the client a mention in a well known publication.
I take it (tell me if I am wrong) that as a freelance writer you get paid from the publication for writing the content, and an expenses paid trip from a PR agency
All that most want from bloggers is a free, cheap, way of getting links and churning out a lot of content, editing and publishing videos. No revenue for the blogger for the time and effort that they have put in.
Thats my point really. Am I wrong here, tell me if I am, happy to hold my hands up and admit if I am not correct.
Darren Cronian´s last blog ..Frustrations when booking holidays online
It’s probably worth clarifying that Darren is likely reacting to proposals like this: http://www.travelblather.com/2009/12/a-free-holiday-or-a-job-with-no-salary.html.
Although it’s not a fully formed plan yet, the idea is to target bloggers (people writing for their own blogs, not paid bloggers). They want to define a set number of posts the blogger must write and to retain some sort of editorial control over what they write. And they don’t even want to cover flights!
While it’s up to individual bloggers if they think this is worthwhile or not, I have to say that it seems exploitative to me.
As I’m not earning a living from my travel writing and blogging, I regard the odd press trip as a way of subsididing an increasingly expensive hobby and getting something back for the time and effort I put into my blog.
I think the best kind is when you have some or all of your expenses paid, free flights, hotel etc, but are then left to blog about the things you enjoyed.
I stayed recently in a gorgeous Boutique hotel in Lisbon on a sponsored trip. This weekend I’m in an uninspiring hotel in Munich on my own account. On the one hand I’d love to be in somewhere a little more luxe, on the other there’s no pressure to write glowing review. Choices, choices – you can always say no.
Heather Cowper´s last blog ..Postcard from the Christmas Markets in Munich
What is important here is that any blogger or travel writer should abide a certain code of ethics whenever they go on these sponsored trips. My minimum requirement is a full disclosure: I want to know as a reader if this is indeed an objective blog post or write-up or just another glorified press release.
I take press trips and a lot of freebies on the road. I have no problem with that. I don’t guarantee any good coverage and I have turned down people who only wanted good coverage. I tell it like it is and since I’m not making millions doing this, I have no problem taking a free trip somewhere as long as people know that if I don’t like it, I’ll say so. Most of the companies I have dealt with don’t have a problem with that.
Actually, I’m going to write my own view on PR trips on Monday…
Nomadic Matt´s last blog ..Talking Sustainability with Bruce Poontip
Sounds fair enough. I don’t think press trips or freebies are inherently wrong. It is, as I say, a personal decision. – Caitlin.