Traps in Travel Literature
 

[Repost] In a recent post on a visit to southern Spain, a forum member criticised the travel industry for the way in which they describe things. The example was 'fishing villages' where the only similarity nowadays is perhaps the smell. Sure, sure, many do have a few small craft that still put out to sea, but compared to the number of truck-and-multiple-trailers disguised as choo-choo trains, they are massively in the minority. I agree that the travel industry should stop gilding the lily. Here are some examples that I have come across:

"Fishing village" means a seaside town that has undergone rapid tourist expansion.
"Charmingly tranquil off-season" means as dead as a dodo for 9 months of the year.
"A car is recommended to enjoy this area" means - this place is truly waaaay out in the boondocks, miles from anywhere.
"Parking can sometimes be a problem"
"In mid-season the roads become busier"
"There have been reports of some pick-pocketing incidents in Barcelona"
"A raincoat might be useful in autumn (fall)"
"It could be difficult to get theatre tickets for the more popular shows"
"The weather can be warm in central Spain in summer"
"In the smaller towns, British cooking might lack a bit of imagination"
"Air conditioning in the USA might be set to levels a bit cooler than Europeans are used to"
"Italians are not very polished at standing in line"

Anyone have their favorities?

Peter

This cracked me up!It's like the NYC real eastate ads.. 3Rms, Rv Vu..in other words , if you propel yourself out the window, twist your body at a 97 degree angle, crane your neck to peer past the air shaft you can see a 1/4" slice of the Hudson...

On my first, and mercifully last, budget bus tour, the brochure said we would 'see' this, and 'see' that, and you know, this was when I really learned to appreciate just how literal the travel industry can be. No guilding the lily in that brochure. I did indeed 'see' this, and 'see' that, and sometimes, the bus was not in motion as I did so.

Hi

It was Baedekkar, I think, who penned, "There is little here to detain the casual visitor".

ira, I love that quote! It shall be committed to memory and spoken at appropriate times on future travels.

My wife thinks I use it a little to often.

I second Sue's comments regarding the wording of bus tours. If the brochure says you will "see" a particular site, it means you will zoom past it, or at best, the bus will pull over for a 5-minute "photo stop." Look for the word "visit" if you are interested in actually touring the site.

Also, when a tour is described as X number of days, they are including both departure days, times when you will be able to do little, if any, sightseeing. A 10-day tour is actually only 8 nights, so the number of nights, not days, is a better guideline for trip planning.

Another annoyance is listing hotel rooms as "per person, double occupancy." A more honest and accurate way is to list the rate per room.

I'm also wary of hotels that are described as being full of "character." Although there are occasional gems, often they turn out to be dumps.

Overstating the proximity of the hotel to local attractions or naming the hotel for a desirable area even though that area is miles away. If a hotel is described as "centrally located", verify it with a map of the area. Again, it may be miles from where you want to be.

Misleading rental car quotes: a $29.99 daily rate can be $50.00 or more once all the taxes and fees are added in. This is especially true if you rent from an airport location.

Use of the word "direct" to describe flights. This is confusing for novice travelers who mistakenly assume a direct flight is nonstop.

I'm sure there are many others....

I like hotels "close to the beach" which means you have to cross a 6-lane highway to get there.

I've just returned from a visit to England. Here is one that appears almost every day:

"Motorists on the M25 may experience some delays."

The problem is naturally with the "may" and with the "some".

I encountered another example of British understatement in an article on Wells cathedral - "Worshippers generally do not appreciate tourists doing video photography during the service." One parishioner was reported to have suggested "Toss the bloody buggers out". Not exactly turning the other cheek stuff.

Peter

Sue__xx__yy:

I've enjoyed reading your sharp tongued posts and your keen insight into human nature. May I ask your profession?

Thank you,

Mike ( you can e-mail me at [email protected])

Beware of
Quaint and
Rustic.

Look out for
Cosy and Charming.

Measure
Close To and Nearby

Read closely
Can Be Seen and Certain Times of Year

Look elsewhere from
Typical Local Cuisine and Your Fellow Travelers Will Enjoy A Night Of Local Entertainment

who is the person on this forum who uses "underwhelmed" to describe reactions to those overrated spots? i love that saying.

Well nothing scares me off any quicker than the single description of a small hotel with "quaint rooms", although telling me the rooms are "cozy" is a close second.