For a memorable "Disaster turned to something good," one of my all-time favorite posts comes under the heading of "Kindness of Strangers" regarding people who were especially kind to tourists. Go to(I hope I have this right) http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2 and check out the three-part story by Gardyloo. He has the best writing style - very droll with a dry wit.

Sorry - the link didn't work. It should work if you search for Kindess of Strangers.

My heart does rather sink when I click on a trip report and am confronted with a single long paragraph through which you have to scroll down, scroll down, scroll down.

A paragraph break here and there gives the reader (and the reader's eyes) a nice rest.

I know this isn't really what the originator of this thread had in mind, but it does make a difference to whether I stick with a report or think "Oh dear, no, I'll come back and read this another time..."

twin, that is such a great thread. I remember it well. The stories were astounding, but you're right about gardyloo's being the prize winner.

Flygirl, I am a huge Tim Cahill fan. I've read all his books and heartily recommend them. Along the same lines are several collections of travel disaster stories. One is called "I Should Have Stayed Home," published by Book Passage Press. I'll bet fodorites could fill several books with stories just as entertaining. Hmmm...fodors, are you listening?

up -nosing brag- a- thon ? LOL

On any given day, when I have the I'm not traveling blues, I love that I can come here and live vicariously through someone. It's fantastic.

And I like them all...especially since most people who post a report here often do so in the spirit of thankfulness for advice given to them in the past, and in the hopes of helping someone in the future. That's a very nice sentiment, IMO.

Mina, I think the newbies give the most heartfelt reports because the first trip is a thrill after their culling the information, is a high.

Fans, Check out Degas's amusing report to S.F

well, that's definitely true in my case Cigale...I was so excited to write my first report on fodors because I wanted to report back on the advice I got. It was a pretty cut and dry report, and done with the best intentions.

I haven't written one since registration...and it seems flaming has gone down since then. Anyway, I'm too busy reading some of these to write!

well that's too bad, mina, since Elvira left us, I thought your reports would fill the gap as they were funny and creative also.

Thanks Cigale, that is nice of you to say. But there really is plenty here that fills that gap! Plus 150 pages of trip report is too much to post.

Well, I think Martha Gellman's quote is true if you are telling your travel stories to someone who is jealous or bitter.

I would hope my friends and people friendly to me would rejoice in my good times and laugh WITH me at my disasters.

I don't like the idea of critiquing, comparing and judging other people's trip reports in the same way here on Fodors either. I think if you can't say something positive about someone's report, just leave it. After all they are taking the time to share their experiences and criticism might stop someone from posting and acknowledging their appreciation after their trip and isn't that what this board is all about?

What this board "is all about" seems to vary considerably from one individual to another as do both the contents and, apparently, the overall reason why trip reports are posted....and read or not read.

There's one currently going on right now that is basically, IMO, a daily diary of one person's activities, most of which no traveler will ever indulge in, much less report out to a bunch of strangers. But many people are enjoying it so what is the harm?

When one posts on a "public" forum and offers "advice" so-called "information" and opinions then the poster has to accept the fact that there will be disagreements and that people are not afraid to express their own opinions, etc......comes with the territory.

I must weigh in - I LOVE trip reports from everybody. Show me your movies, slides, photos, cheap souvenirs, matchbooks, maps, whatever! I just want to hear about it and then start the questions. UsuallyI want to know, What did you think? What did you like best? What went wrong (whoops!). What did you imagine before you left? Were your expectations met? What made you want to go there? What a rush to discover someone who has made an emotional or spiritual connection on their travels. Sadly, some people go because it's the thing to do. Happily, most of them aren't posting on Fodors!

Having read the trip report that Topman mentions, I have to say that some reports are amusing (Degas for example) and some are dreamy diaries of ordinary days spent in places a little less ordinary than "at home", some are exciting and some are like a good book, you want them to continue indefinitely.
But then there are the posters who are not quite as talented but they have asked for information and we have contributed and they are returning the favor by sending us all a report on how the trip turned out.
While some are real 'page turners' there are some that are not. But I appreciate them all.
And none of us should feel intimidated by the fact that there are critics who will grade our performance
I hope everyone on here writes a trip report at least once!
Actually, it was through some posters reports that I got to know them a little better and started friendships with them, not a bad thing at all
Scarlett

Trip reports need to be evaluated. One item that is always missing - a statement about the posters age! Years ago we advertised that our trips (whitewater) were safe. After the Vermont accident we quit telling people that our trips were safe. We advised that one person drowned every two years. We never lost any business. Winnow out the chaff..

..agree, though I prefer the term negative adventure..I learn more from the "mistakes" that people reporton the board than i learn from their advenbtures..i have entertained (or at least i think i have), countless friends with stories of misadventures.(a car accident in Arles when I was a kid ended up in the hospital and only years later did i recognize the courtyard as THE courtyard )..multiple missed planes, odd hotel rooms, even odder meals and the people ive shared them with..to me this is what makes travel..but i am known for my warped sense of humor.

Travel, for me anyway, is a pastime, as much I'd love for it to be a way of life. I admit, I try to listen when someone is telling me in detail about their love of model railroading or stamp collecting, but I know I still glaze over a little bit.

Sharing your interests with others who share that interest is completely different than foisting it upon those who listen out of politeness. That, to me, is why there are interest forums like this one. So that I can impose upon the semi-willing.

I actually haven't written a trip report yet, despite reading many that I enjoyed over the last few years. Still haven't decided whether I will or not after this year's trip. No planned visit to cities in the "Top 5" and all that.

At very least, trip reports are vital scouting data for planning purposes. That alone makes them worthwhile, as a whole.

At best, they are compelling narrative non-fiction. We can't all be Mark Twain, but we can try.

I enjoy trip reports! If I find one that is uninteresting or maybe way too long, I simply read the parts I choose. That, to me is the essence of this board---we can read what we choose.