To Take Gifts or Not That is the Travel Writer's Question

Many travel writers write on a part-time basis and use travel writing as a way to travel, but there is a difference between accepting an upgrade or other perk from the company who hires you to do the article and travel industry your viewing. Many new travel writers do not understand that travel press junkets are media events designed to seduce the media into favorable views, but it does not require writers to write glowing review.

Many travel writers accept vendor or merchant gifts while writing travel reviews, but as an ethical practice, monetary “gifts” are unprofessional. Travel writers need to remain unbiased and it is impossible to remain unbiased when sipping free drinks, eating free food,and staying in free suites. A balance must be maintained.

Still, at times, it's important to use influence as travel writer to gain access to areas that normal tourists cannot visit such as going through the kitchen, asking about extermination or bug infestations, check out the laundry room while investigating if they actually wash the sheets and comforters instead of reusing them. Good travel writers understand the job’s benefits, but they do not allow them to influence their writing.

Writers can not judge a hotel by its mini bar. A writer's review of services, food, quality, cleanliness, price, location, and amenities can help someone determine to pay thousands to visit a place. Some questions writers new to the travel business may wish to ask themselves are: What if you have to evaluate a big chain that gives you all these items for free and the guy next door is just starting out and doesn’t give you anything but a tour? What would you choose? How can you be unbiased? If answered honestly, your responses can tell you whether taking a company’s perks will influence your writing.

Most tourists would give the hotel that gave them free stuff a better review. The question concerns ethical practice. Travel writer reviews influencing people’s travel decisions. Studies have show that most people do some research on the places where they are planning to stay and they look at the reviews that are written. Tourists make their decisions based on these reviews.

Is a biased travel reviewer fair to the proprietor who works hard but decides that their property should be reviewed honestly? When the competitors are giving away everything (even cheap flights to thailand) all sense on fair and unbiased reviews are lost. This may be why so many smaller travel business go out of business. They may have great facilities but lack they resources or connections to entice some travel writers from the older venue next door, with an established clientele and a higher advertising budget which gives away everything but doesn’t have the cleanliness or quality. How is that fair? For travel writers, it is a responsibility to maintain some level of ethical practice. Travel writers get paid to write to write articles on locations, tours and excursions it is an implied relationship with the reader that these reviews are unbiased and honest opinions. Will they trust a writer if they knew they had obtained perks during their stay?

In the real world of travel writing paid press junkets are a road to fine wine, dinning, luxury hotels and sometimes it can be paved with better industry contacts and publishing opportunities. Some travel writers only travel through press junkets. They purposely register as journalist with tourist boards, airlines, tour operators and hotels to receive special consideration. However, in the course of a travel-writing career, one biased and dishonest review can ruin a writer’s reputation with the most important client- the reader.