Amy, I wish you great success in your new role.
As for me, I would welcome more writing about travel destinations from the people who live in those places. But at the same time, I would not want to lose The Times's discerning. If the writer is a local then the perspective of a visitor should still be an important consideration. Frankly, we are visitors, and that we can live in a place for a week or two "as a local" is a bit of a conceit.
I would also like to see Travel use more photography and video. I travel plan with my eyes as much as with my head. I will spend hours at other travel sites clicking through photos trying to build my own sense of the gestalt of a place in a way that words cannot fully capture. Recently I was shocked to read an article that said that many younger travelers consider how photographically "Instagrammable" their destination is when they think about travel.
I would also like to see more articles that are not about ultra exotic locations and very high end experiences. It is the Times's perspective that matters.
On a technical note I want to suggest that the story referrals at the bottom of each page keep the travel thread going. For example, I just finished reading a travel story about Martinique. At the bottom of the page were links to marquee stories from the home page and editors' picks. I wanted to see links to travel stories about other islands in the Caribbean rather than links that take me out of my travel state of mind.
Historic New England (one of the country's oldest regional heritage organizations) has just opened one of our historic houses for overnight guests for the first time in our 109 year history, and I'd love to get the word out to my fellow NYT readers. Nickels-Sortwell House is an 1807 mansion on the coast of Maine in Wiscasset. You get to experience the past with all mod cons! FMI, you can visit https://www.historicnewengland.org/property/nickels-sortwell-house or email me with questions. Thank you!
Beyond the nice fantasy of being sent free to 52 places, I find the 52 places column a snore. I am interested in stories by people who live in other parts of the planet that will offer me insights into experiences I might enjoy. I am not interested in the latest cafe, and the restaurants are generally beyond my ability to pay -- and, again, we have nice restaurants in NYC, so the mom and pop places are more involving, more of an adventure.
I would like to see more coverage of the post Maria situation in Puerto Rico. Specifically, the "streamlining" of the building permit process and how it is leading to unrestrained development here. Currently there is a proposal for a 300 room hotel and casino in our peaceful little town, located about 500 yards from Tres Palmas Marine Preserve. Please bring some attention to this, and other similar situations (there is a similar situation in Aguadilla at La Playuela).
Hello Amy,
My family and I circumnavigated the globe from August 2017 to Aug 2018. I promised my fiancee, now my wife, after 10 years of marriage with or without children we would travel. My wife was lucky to put her career on hold as we took the kids out of “formal” school and rented the condo. I left my employment and didn't look back. After blogging for 12 months and returning to a sedentary lifestyle, the biggest questions from friends and family were “how did you afford the trip” and were you able to get the children back into their old school and into their appropriate grade level? I believe everyone interested in travel is looking for a perspective, a how to guide on how to travel, and most of all honesty about travel. Travel can be difficult both emotionally and physically, especially over longer periods. We also had difference of opinions on locations, cultures and activities. To have a single opinion on whether you “loved” a place doesn't mean the next person will feel the same; hence we call it an “opinion”. I find travel websites don't give a location justice nor does a single opinion. Our socio-economic baggage impacts how we judge a location. My only suggestion would be to point out places of interest and provide information on those points, especially if readers are passionate about those places. The question becomes what locations are readers passionate about?
https://www.anotherwhitedash.com
Congratulations! And thanks for asking for suggestions. It's a great way to start.
I'd second every one of the "don't write more luxury fluff" comments. The luxury fluff connotations keep me out of the Travel section and especially Travel magazines. I just skip to the Frugal Traveler columns online and the occasional 36 Hours. Not just because I can't afford luxury travel but because I'm not convinced it's that much better than regular travel. Luxury flattens difference, and differences are a big part of why I travel. We all know travel is about the unscripted moments of presence and that money cannot buy those moments.
Besides price points, I want to see a bit less of the self-loathing traveler. Yes, overtourism is a thing. But there's only so much avoiding a place you can do. One of us is going to go to Barcelona for the first time this summer, and is probably going to have a great time, even if it's not a totally unique experience. How can we make it less of a drag for the locals? To what extent is that our responsibly and not theirs? I live in San Francisco and I've had European friends tell me that Fishermen's Wharf was their favorite part of visiting SF. I nearly threw up on their shoes, but what can you do? We did set it up to be a tourist paradise. There's no use resenting people for going there and enjoying it.
Thank you for your hearing me, I think Times report is many biased on politically, sensatinalistic, and much more needed to nurvous to visiting place people, some people is not welcoming journalisted coming, the one who not want to talk , just being there, so sometimes jornalists be targeted. the attitude needed to much more cautious and no border like freely free
Good morning Ms. Virshup,
I am writing to you regarding a potential disaster planned for a thriving travel destination, Rincon, PR. Blue Water Rincon is planning a mega casino/hotel for this small, established, surf community. Built on a scale that would decimate the already fragile infrastructure, ecology and fabric of this town. The FB page "NO! al megahotel y casino propuesto en Rincon" is mobilizing to fight this project and has excellent background information. Was hoping you might be able to help by bringing light to this poorly planned, disastrous attempt to simply make money at the cost of this beautiful town. The agent listed in the filings for this project is a Lonnie Fuller, who, through brief profile searches, appears to have a very tangled legal background. This truly smells of another attempt to take advantage of this island with zero regard for the community, environment or the locals themselves. Hope to hear from you!
Best,
Peter Walter
Congrats on the new position! As a Travel Manager for my entire career I would like to piggyback on the comments from CT. It's the why of it. Take for example Colombia, a beautiful country with truly lovely people. Visiting three years ago with no problems you would be shocked now at the tension felt among the people and exasperated as old problems resurface. Why do we perceive that toilets flush backwards in Australia? Why do we need a permit for Galapagos Islands? Today so much information is thrown at a traveler, they need a simple background briefing before they start on their adventure!
Air travel is increasingly expensive. What can be done about it by us consumers? I just made a United Airline reservation and found I had to pay for seat choice: $12 for aisle, $9 for middle, etc. If I do not pay the extra $$$$, then random seating is chosen for my family. There is no family seating, so folks traveling with children or with group of friends, has to pay to guarantee they can sit together. Outrageous gouging! the airlines keep reporting strong profits, but the consumer is crammed in. And, there is no carry-on luggage! United probably using the overhead bins for seating even more people.
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I recall (I think it was in the NYT magazine but maybe I'm wrong) a selection of travel related short stories published within the past several weeks. I read to a group in a retirement community and I would like to locate these stories. My online search has been to no avail. I hope you can help.
I have a question, Ms. Virshup. I am a longtime ski instructor in Park City, Utah. The largest ski resort in the country and part of the Vail Epic Pass, which sold 900,000 season passes around the world; money upfront before the snow fell. (That's not a typo. But it is a story your NY-centered business section missed.)
Forgive me, back to my question. You bet we instructors frequent off-Main St. places that serve up the best breakfast burritos, the one truly outlandish bakery, the best buffalo burger, and the over-the-top friendly diner that kids love (and even eat the food) and even bums like us can afford. Places where we won't run into clients. So this is my question. Why on earth would I want to tell you and the readers about how us ski instructors enjoy the best life we know? I'd sooner part with my passwords.
Have about more middle-income and low-cost attractions, restaurants, accommodations when writing about a destination. When I read the 52 places summaries, I was disappointed that all of them described high-end eateries, but nothing about more modest dining opportunities. Travelers aren't all people with lots of money.
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I would appreciate focus on clusters of traveler types. E.g. family with teens, family with younger; single women of all ages; bucket list travel; budget travel; volunteer work travel. I personally need a list of places I can take grandchildren at Christmas for three or four days where cost is under control.....especially inside the US.
I would also include types of places to stay large and luxurious to small, cozy, simple.
Thanks. Welcome to your new world of work....
First-person narrative still matters.
I went to Cancún and didn't stay at an all-inclusive resort, and went to the city itself, and didn't just stay in the hotel zone where all the tourists are; that might qualify as 'authentic' for some. I did it; I speak Spanish, and when I used my Español to order a simple lunch in a decidedly not-fancy lonchería it broke through the defensiveness of Mexicans who had seen a tourist walk in.
No matter how we try, as travelers we will never see another city as natives do. Nothing wrong with that, as long as we get out of our comfort zone and not just stay with other tourists.
Some years back we went to Florence. We visited the usual places tourists do: the Academia (the statue of David has to be the single most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen), the Uffizi, the Bobolis. For lunch we took Rick Steves's advice (from his book; Rick wasn't with us) and went to a trattoria he recommended. I ordered minestrone soup; of course it was magnificent. Whenever I tell a story about going to Florence, I mention that soup (and praise Rick); the art? Well, I saw a lot, but aside from David, not much stands up to the minestrone soup.
Fancy hotels and expensive restaurants and the usual galleries and museums aren't what makes a great trip. An outstanding bowl of minestrone and David; they do.
Great idea. Per NYT's travel section, I gravitate more toward the "36hrs" and "Frugal Traveler" columns for that exact reason — I want to dig into a destination or neighborhood with insider information. I can imagine most readers already know where they want to go. It's what we can do when we get there with a local feel that's most interesting ... bon chance!
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The NYT has a YouTube regarding opera tours to Italy, called “Times Journeys.” Do you still offer those tours?
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I vacationed in S Africa and went to several locations, and was amazed by the country and its people. I would like to see more about traveling to different African countries, both in terms of places to visit and, importantly, the people. Addressing safety concerns would be appropriate, but should not be over-emphasized, in my view
Dan
Here is a idea for the travel section,' Bicycle Routes and tours.'
Trips; Eire Canal, Courage Classic(Colorado), Loure River Valley, Provance, Islands of Croatia and Amsterdam to Athens~89days alone without a compass. Circumnavigating Cuba took 3 trips. Biking has become a way of transport and just the right speed.
The Pan American Highway is a very interesting route that someone must have biked. If proposing a trip like that would give one feedback from others it may lead to an interactive story.
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I very much like the idea of travel for pleasure, but a personal desire to travel for pleasure has been eroded through decades of jet lag and airport horror for business purposes.
What I need, I think, is some sort of attitude adjustment.
My partner and I live on fixed incomes, which are very small. Please add a "How to travel cheaply" feature. Road trips, inexpensive hotels/motels, cheaper restaurants at the destination, flights, etc.
It gets frustrating to read about fabulous destinations all over the world when we can't afford to travel in that manner.
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I've read a bunch of the reader comments, and the editor's replies all seem to be BUT--we'll do what we want. So why ask? When we say, think about the old and the young, not just the moneyed, that doesn't necessarily mean articles on hostels and street food. Your article about walking Paris is a perfect example of what you can do: let us explore what isn't in the guidebooks. We can find the info about lodging. In September I too did a walkabout of Paris--much less than your columnist--and then in Copenhagen. Five weeks of walking, actually, and it was the best trip I ever took since I walked Europe at 20. I'm 75. I stopped a lot for coffee, but I couldn't wait to see what was around the corner.
I am a vibrant (still working full time and teaching yoga on the side) single almost 65-year-old. I would love to hear more about travel options for singles. I have friends who travel, but we can't always coordinate schedules or locations. I've traveled in South American with Adventure Life and in Southeast Asia with Wild Planet Adventures (I'm not up for planning my own travel beyond deciding where I want to go), and visited some world capitals and cultural sites, and am open to all ideas. Single supplements can be very high priced. Would love to hear how others travel when there's no partner or friend to accompany them. Also, maybe an evaluation/ranking of travel firms that offer single options? Thank you!
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Would like more history in your articles...less on food! We travel to learn, not to eat.
While I used to simply see travel as something you do to fill a vacation, I now see that so many destinations -- not only big cities -- can be enjoyably visited for distinct purposes 1) relaxation 2) stimulating cultural tourism (notable museums, buildings, performances) 3) culinary tourism 4) neighborhood or "daily life" tourism (how life unfolds in the places where people live and work, etc. and 5) residential tourism (traveling to get some sense , however elusive such a goal might be, of what it's like to live somewhere).
My most satisfying experiences have been when I focused on one or two of these at the most. My least satisfying have been when I swept into some town and tried to do it all, which in retrospect I see was virtually always destined to leave me disappointed.
My point? In as much of your coverage as possible, you might make it a point to to keep these each in mind and make clear to readers some of these distinctions, if you find them at all useful.
Take Nice, France. There is so much present -- from pure relaxation to culture to neighborhoods -- that helping readers decide HOW they want to approach a place like Nice might be just as important as letting them know about notable attractions.
Thanks you for asking us to post questions and comments about the section.
My wife and I run tours to India. Demographically we are third generation European-Americans.
I am perturbed that the report spends its opening paragraphs and its first large photo dealing with a slum neighborhood. As a reader of the Times for decades I can't recall this as a customary - or more importantly - a particularly useful subject for travelers in the hundreds of tourism articles I have read. Our fairly random collection of travelers over the years want history, culture, nature, religion, food, hotel, and arts reports about India and its cities. Only a tiny handful are eager to make slum visits; our Indian colleagues are loathe to rush people there.
Think of it this way - when Times reporters update us on Paris or Buenos Aires or Thunder Bay or Sydney, it would be surprising to find the first two paragraphs and a large picture about the slums in those cities.
The Times does an excellent job in its news and opinion pages telling its readers what is happening in India in politics, government, business, and social ills. There are uncountable thing to see and do in Mumbai. The Travel section should tell the stories in which travelers are interested - of course it should educate them but again, the news sections do that so well.
Travelers are responsible for millions of tourism jobs, and taxes that feed millions and millions of families. Let the Travel Section tell traveler stories.
Which six interesting places in the world, would be candidates for me to live for an extended period of time? And what would be the pluses and negatives of each? Security; health care; taxes; housing. Examples: Christ Church, NZ; Sydney, Australia; Chile; Spain; Portugal; Denmark; Scotland; Vietnam; Step one: Which would be the six your readers would express most interest in?
I'd like to read more about museums, music, dance in your articles. And, how to buy inexpensive tickets. No more trendy restaurants and places to shop for hip clothes. Tips on public transportation is helpful.
I want to travel more and have been following younger travel bloggers for tips on budget travel as most marketing for travel for age 60+ is out of range financially for many of us or is too brief of a stay. I actually am thinking of trying backpacking, hostel stays, and agritourismos to be able to stay for a month or more in Europe and have a more authentic experience. I am going to La Paz, Mexico for a month in February 2019 and am staying at a place through VRBO. My goal is to see the gray whale migration while there which will involve getting to the other side of Baja Sur to San Ignacio. I am doing it this way because it is cheaper than trying to do a packaged tour. I guess I would recommend looking at all different kinds of travel, whether budget or exclusive to reach a wider swath of readers.
Congratulations on your new postion!
I love traveling vicariously through adventure travel articles like those featured in BikePacker magazine, Adventure Cyclist, Canoe & Kayak, etc.
I'd like to see articles about regular people (not wealthy or in too good of shape) trekking the walkable flatter hikes in the Austrian Alps, or Torres del Paine. Paddling along the waterways in the Norwegian fjords, cycling not too hilly roads in England or Scotland. The people traveling should be older too, not just the 20 or 30 year olds, but the 50-80 + year olds.
I think you get the picture!
I'm making 2019 the year I no longer travel via magazine or news articles.
When I travel I like to experience the history and culture and art and scenery that makes it different from home. Not interested in the night life or the shopping unless it's different from what we have.
Congratulations, Amy.
Some people love to travel but cannot for various reasons (financial, disabilities, small kids, etc) and still gain pleasure from reading travel stories and not just about deals.
The most obvious idea (and yet, still I think the best) is to go all in with VR. If we can't get there, maybe we kind of can.
But here's the thing with most VR/AR that's around now: there's no story. I don't want just to be there, I want to be in the middle of a story. That's next for sure.
Can't wait!
Elizabeth
I miss the back-page personals essays (from a decade or so ago) that differentiated and distinguished the Times Travel section -- and not simply because I used to contribute! Though first-person, they provide useful tools for readers in imagining where they'd like to go next and and the means through which they'd like to travel.
I agree with this move to more digital friendly content. As I travel, the best trips are after the first one where getting a feel for the area is just a quick glimpse. I want to hear from the locals and the people who have gone to a place three or more times and are not just staying with in walking distance of a fancy hotel or resort.
I love your idea of having more travel articles from people who live in the locations they write about.
I hope you do not eliminate the first person travelogue stories. That is why I go to the travel section first evey Sunday! I love hearing the writer's experience and descriptions and their adventures in a place I will likely not get to visit. The photographs in your lead articles have been fantastic as well. It is so nice to have an in-depth travel story to look forward to each week. Even though, as you say, people can travel more easily than they used to, most of your readers do not have the time or money to go to the locations we read avout.
As for coming into the digital age, you already do 36 Hours and numerous how-to articles, so I think there are plenty of ways to find "how to travel better" ideas.
The first several comments I read had helpful suggstions, but you responded with a version of "Did you read XXX article. If they cared to respond they likely read the article as originally published.
My suggestions
Stop focusing on high end travel; it only serves as unpaid bennies (fam tours anyone) for your reporters. High end travellers reading your stories likely won't result in comp for the Times.
Personally, I find the articles on how do deal with the process/operation of travel the most helpful - tech issues, dealing with the airlines, etc.
Great travel writing is what you need. A writer who entices an interest in an destination is the best advertisement ever. But not if it costs $6k per person per trip.
There are tons of people on the internet posting personal guides and how to's on specific trips. This is where I go to get my real info.
Additional consultng willcost you.
Best of luck.
For the last 25 years I have worked as an international mission surgeon in low resource countries through out the world and have found that some of my greatest travel experiences have been not on the streets of Paris but the trails of Nepal or the rivers in Africa. There are so many wonderful opportunities to experience in these countries and travelers not only welcome but help the economy as well. Tourists today I think are more adventurous . The world is becoming more homogenized with KFC on the Champs and Mac Donalds in the old city of Hanoi. I believe many people wish to be travelers not tourists and experience cultures not so tainted by western influence. They tend to be the independent traveler . For many the limiting factor to experiencing those less touristed areas is fear . What if I get sick? What medicines should I take with me? Is it safe? What do I pack and how do I keep my packing efficient? What are the cultural tips I need to be a good guest ? Who are reliable guides in country so I won't be wrapped in the tourist bubble of an "Abercrombie Adventure" Today the influencers are "Globe Trekker" and "Parts Unknown" on TV. The best antidote to fear of travel is information . I think the Times should consider exploring these areas in their travel reporting.
Sincerely,
Andy Wexler MD
Los Angeles, CA
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You comment about getting more input from people who live in the places that are written about. That's sensible. As someone who will never visit most of these places, I'd also appreciate a bit of the opposite. Could you ask someone from those places who lives in New York where they would go for an authentic meal, or where to take a cooking class or get a recipe, or a museum here where we could experience a bit of that place? I know that this may be difficult because the Times has readers all over the world, and what I'm requesting is New-York centric. And as I write, I realize that a big part of what I am asking for is more connections between the travel section and other parts of the paper- the Food section, cultural coverage, etc. It would make the travel reporting more relevant to my day-to-day life.
I seldom read the travel section. I don't even check the headlines much.
But we travel the N. American continent for four to five months and 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year in our motorhome, which is our second home.
While DW loves to read about restaurants, entertainment and sight seeing, I'm most interested in history, politics, local real estate markets and where to buy bison, beef, fish, fruit and vegetables for our home table and the picnic table.
What grabs me are links to books about the Oregon Trail, Civil War, Gold Rushes, historical figures and the history of say, the Flint Hills in Kansas and Michigan sand dunes.
Others are sports fans: football, baseball, basketball, soccer, fishing, hunting and auto racing. You could do monthly articles about people who follow their teams, players and race car drivers around the continent.
You could write about the risks of traveling in Mexico and what to look out for when you cross into Canada and spend a couple of months in Canada and Alaska.
As RV folks, we get a kick out of meeting people in campgrounds. Others like to pay caravan leaders.
And speaking of tours, why not have non travel writers take tours with leaders who know their stuff and know how to take care of you? How do you find these leaders? What makes a great tour leader, and how do you avoid the burned out and cynical ones?
I'm a retired business journalist. I don't want a job. But there are a lot of such retirees you could hire.
Link, Link, Link.
I like to see suggested itineraries for certain time periods -- a long weekend, a week, etc.
Many thoughts:
1) You need diversity in your writers. More than rich white people travel.
2) I applaud your desire to have local people "fill in the blank."
3)Back to diversity---you need diversity in location. Places that aren't just exotica to rich white people. Or where liberals fantasize about either touching the great unwashed or somehow being spiritually fulfilled by them.
4) Okay, I'll just come out and say it: ask an African American, Asian American, or Latino American to do any writing related to our culture. We will know the truly unique aspects and not just cover us in some sort of stereotypical way.
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@Sierra Good ideas. Here's more diversity.
How about articles that tell political junkies how and when to meet presidential candidates in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, etc.? Publish the candidates' speaking schedules weekly. Then suggest local Democrat and GOP county club meetings where candidates are likely to appear or be discussed.
Try creating guides, schedules, entertainment type listings for Rotary, Lions Clubs and other other organizations that welcome guests, including non members.
Create and weekly update seasonal guides to great farmers markets, fishing, hunting, bird watching, photography opportunities, bike rides and hikes.
Create guides for motor cycle rallies, tours, new product shows and seminars.
Seminars: How about guides to road, RV and air tours and seminars on wood working, cooking, computer coding, web site design, home decorating, science fairs investing and all kinds of languages, cultural topics and health care challenges?
Think about serving consumers. What will make the NYT even more of a must read for travelers?
Just playing assignment editor.
I would love to see more stories about the histories of place. For example, a piece done on the history of Bronte Country was fantastic. The story about Elena Ferrante's Naples was great. Stories about what people put in their suitcases--who cares. Also love the 36 hours column. Hate "bucket lists."
Hi Amy,
What a great thread you have running here! And, am pleased to hear you want to take the I out of it.
I agree.
I spent a good 7- year cycle working in western Europe and one fine day, in the middle of it all, I'd had enough. It had been incredible; all great hotels, restaurants -- but REMOVED from the people I was near. I wanted to live like the locals; to go to the markets, to exchange coins with the bakers, the butchers, the vendors in the weekly markets, and come home (to cook!) with the freshest ingredients ever. The day that choice was made, the world changed. My life went a complete other direction, including owning and renovating a 250 year old stone cottage in Normandy. Talk about immersion!
As a travel writer and tour guide in France, I travel, blog, provide itineraries & live from inside of it all. Within that, I've long paid attention to transmitting what's there; it not being about me but about IT; fresh inside perspectives help that. There's a growing clamor for this facet. I watch millennials by the droves want to 'get away from it all' who go to floating grass huts sitting in the waters of an ocean to have an immersive experience!
Personally, I love destination articles that can guide folks to tuck-aways and unknown places. And, I consider IT is available everywhere in every culture - and writers can take you there!
I think you're onto something:)
Personally, I would like to see more literary travel stories... About interactions with locals, unusual experiences... Stories that paint a picture of a place through narrative. That can be accomplished in third person too but I don't think it really matters so long as it's the right approach to each story. That's what matters most. As a writer, I'd tell you of a baker who dances as he makes delicious eats in one of the oldest food markets, communicating with someone when neither of us speak the language, lingering in a restaurant with a chef as the restaurant closes for the day & how everyone transforms, chance meetings on trains, a craftsman in Japan who had to follow in his father's footsteps after his older brother refused, etc. But most stories these days tend to be service pieces.
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Hi Amy, congratulations on your new position. You have an interesting perspective on travel, so I'm grateful that you asked for feedback on the direction you're wanting to take the travel section. Not everyone has the means to travel; they look to the NYT Travel section for that experience. Those that do have the means to travel look to the NYT Travel section for inspiration. There's a reason why the current format is so popular and has been for years. There's a reason why Anthony Bourdain was so popular, and it wasn't about the food. Personal travel experiences and personal connections made while traveling bring a travel destination to life. If i want mundane, impersonal details (i.e. the the tools to discover a place for myself), I'll buy a Fodor's guidebook or search the Web. In my opinion, the NYT Travel Section's niche is well-written travelogues that allow me to experience new destinations through a writer's eyes and inspire me to travel there myself to dig deeper into the destination's culture and history.
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thank you for reaching out. Would you consider adding travel pointers for individuals who have low vision (glaucoma)? I avidly read the column where the photojournalist who uses a wheelchair described the nightmare of using a NY subway.
We live in the West (LA).
Thank you for your time.
Hello,
Let's turn the lens from US commenting on THEM. Can we get stories from visitors to the US? How do they navigate the language, culture, just getting around. What impressions do they have? What do different cultures, people, age groups, want to see the most? That story, told from every point of view ( again, people, culture, age, etc) would be very insightful.
Perhaps a bit more on the experience of getting there, the public transportation. My most memorable experiences were the on the trains, busses, and the backs of pick up trucks, rather than the actual destinations....much more insight into local customs and behaviors, presumably the point of travel to places different from our own.
I am CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association. We work with thousands of companies in travel around the world. I think one of the most progressive and important things NYT Travel could do is taking a leading stance on sustainability in travel and combating overtourism, which will be quite the challenge. One of the blessings and curses of good travel journalism is that a place becomes 'discovered' and sometimes overwhelmed by the resulting traffic. So- I propose that NYT create an advisory group that helps the publication think through these issues.
Invariably my focus is: "What's the story?" "Where's the story?".
As with photography, "I" feel more comfortable tucked into the background.
My reward (apart from the cheques, of course!) comes when readers say they're inspired to return to a location because of lesser-known local history, anecdotes, or folk lore.... like the old gal who was 'Spiderbrusher to the Master'.
We Need more stories on how to get around without cars or planes. Ship journeys across the Atlantic or even to Hawaii at affordable prices? And along the US coast? Trains and buses? European travel without short-haul flying? All this is very climate relevant and not nearly covered enough in travel writing.
Wow -- my eyes bulged when I read this sentence ("in general I want to take the word 'I' out of our coverage") because I'll be so excited if you can actually do this. I am a former travel editor, but I sadly stopped reading the Times travel section years ago because the places are so secondary to the "I." In addition to the "I," we often get the names and proclivities of the writer's travel companions, about which I could not possibly care less -- it's a waste of words and a distraction from the subject. The section has served, I think, to train a whole generation of writers and readers to approach travel in confessional mode (well before social media), reducing everyone's curiosity about the world at large and the other people in it. Bravo for taking this on and bringing place back to the fore.
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Please keep the 36 hours pieces! Every time I’m heading to a new place I search NYT for 36 Hours plus the city’s name. Just in October I used the Portland, ME article and had an excellent time there.
For any story you publish, if you could also let us know what the carbon footprint of the trip was, it would help us. And maybe you can also suggest what one can do in that region to offset such an impact. This might open up new revenue avenues for locals too
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More of your 36 Hours In. ..., not just worldwide interesting Cities, covering restaurants, neighbourhoods, hotels etc.....but including, museums, libraries, universities, Art Galleries, different cultures, oddities, municipal transportation Etc....As Canadians, my wife & I find visiting renowned University Campuses in the US , Canada, & Elsewhere, rewarding & fascinating I.e Stanford, UCLA ( various campuses) Hawaii, University of Texas, (Austin) , University of Washington, University of Michigan, Harvard, Colombia, Princeton, McGill, University of Toronto, University of British Colombia, Mount Allison, Cambridge, Oxford, Sorbonne etc etc.
Hope this is helpful, thanks for the opportunity to comment, reading& perusing the NYT online is one of our most rewarding & anticipated rituals❗️
[email protected]
We have started to cut back our travel because of concerns about the carbon footprint we are leaving by flying off to different destinations. Also as we travel we have become aware that many travel destinations are destroying local environments. We would like to see more coverage on the environmental impact of travel and how environmentally conscious travelers can make better choices.
Hi Amy,
I am writing from a tour operator perspective who both appreciates good travel writing and who regularly pitches travel ideas to media. I find that what is missing is the point of view of locals - what they love about their country/city, what they show their friends who visit, their knowledge of the mundane and extraordinary of everyday life - a real insider's perspective, not the retelling of insider's perspective from a writer. A local guide would be appropriate for this as a good one will be a natural story-teller and will have traveled around their area. Perhaps a regular column "Special Places, Local Faces." From a business standpoint, you could work with tour companies (a shameless plug, i know :) #sorrynotsorry!) to get in touch with their best local guides and contacts as it might be hard without an intermediary.
I also think it is important to acknowledge and focus on the fact that not everyone (like travel writers) is well-traveled and comfortable traveling. Many people aren't sure where to start, may be uncomfortable traveling to foreign countries or in a foreign culture. How can "travel newbies" be inspired to transition from "armchair traveler" to actually experiencing a place and getting out of their comfort zone?
Finally, in my office, we tend to enjoy most articles that delve deep into one aspect of a culture or one great experience instead of being so broad and trying to cover so much. So we'd love more of those!
Thanks!
Been told that most US citizens are hesitant to take all their miserly yearly holiday allowance, hence, writing which should encourage them to get involved in travelling and discover the world or for that matter their own country from their own perspective.Another point is to promote good hotel rates for independent solo travelers whose number has been rising significantly
Congratulations on your new position! I have been religiously reading Jada Yuan’s 52 places adventure. It’s a way to get to know the writer and the place. As she had written more, I hear her voice more, like the challenges of being a solo traveler and weekly mental health checks-in. It almost feels like the reader is on the yea-long assignment with her. It’s a joy to open the NYTimes and find her newest article. I’d love to read a similar set of pieces about a family with kids on extended travels or about a couple of people traveling more slowly and not using airplanes so that the local culture changes more slowly.
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The 52 Places article on Australia has a comment by a Canadian who moved with spouse to Australia and is working on citizenship there. Now that is a story I would like to read!
What about taking a location/destination and view it from different age groups with varying interest. My older kids have many different goals from their 50-something Dad, yet we would love to end each day discussing things seen, wether together or apart.
Take Rome and view it through different age groups.
I think “location” based travel writing (36 Hours in X City”) should be balanced with experience-based travel writing (36 Hours at Burning Man, for instance).
It’s wonderful to be told by a NYT journalist what to see in a given place (this restaurant, that cathedral, this flower market) but I would appreciate more a journalist telling me about how to fully maximize an experience at a certain place (how to “do” Art Basel in Switzerland; why should you or should you not go to the Venice Bienalle, and how do to it if you do go); how to enjoy Gay Ski Week in Ariana, Switzerland.
Report about experiences people can have and not just locations people can visit.
My dream travel section would read like the nyt magazine. Long, deeply reported features, essays, interviews. I agree with the comments about preserving the “I” — many of us read the travel section with no intention of visiting the places described. It’s escapism and story we read for. There’s no shortage of anonymous travel recommendations on the internet. Invest in better writers behind the “I.” The 36 hours features are insanely bad. It’s an impossible task, trying to recommend a whole city to some notion of an “average reader.” Better to have some local take us through her weekend. 36 hours in Denver with a cyclist weed expert. 36 hours in Copenhagen with a librarian. Etc.
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Hi Amy - excited to see the Times revamping the Travel section! As for travel coverage, I generally think the NYT does a great job of providing the kind of in-depth first person accounts of a destination that provide more than a surface-level guide. Those are the kinds of stories that inspire me most. However, I do feel there is still room to address travelers seeking specific cultural and historic experiences. I would love to see the NYT dive more into ways to embrace and discover global women's and LGBTQ history when traveling. It can be hard to curate a trip that is educational, specifically in destinations that aren't the already well-known hubs of history and culture. I would be thrilled to see deeper accounts and guides to help travelers like me get to know destinations through lesser-known landmarks, local heroes, and specific LGBTQ or women-owned venues. Thank you for taking comments on this!
I’m tired of photos of craft breweries; curated, locally sourced, farm-to-table restaurants; and cafes featuring handmade, artisanal coffee beverages. I might as well just stay home.
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Amen. Amen.
As someone who has written a little for the travel section in the past, this may sound a bit self-serving, but: take "local knowledge" with a grain of salt. Locals can easily be blind to what distinguishes the place they live. A rep for Amsterdam's tourism department once told me it was funny how interested I was in bikes; he hadn't considered that a very interesting part of his city. Conversely, a Dutch friend came to visit me here in NYC, and the first thing on her to-do list was a mani-pedi--they're so cheap and excellently done here, but I never would have thought to suggest it.
The perspective of the very curious outsider is one I most connect with. I think this is why I've often enjoyed the Pursuits stories in the NYT.
Also, in general, I prefer stories (and photos) that focus on *people* in a place and the specific knowledge or perspective they have--whether that's about the landscape, or local crafts, history, politics or whatever. In too much travel journalism, the residents of a destination are almost an afterthought.
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I'm happy to hear that the "I" articles will be fewer. Most of those long "I" articles are wistful and personal and lovely, but I admit I lose interest because it's a bit like looking through someone else's vacation photos - fine for a bit, but dull after a while. I read the travel section because I travel. I want inspiration, ideas, and information I can put to good use.
Maybe articles from a locals perspective "This is my home " that's not just "here's a great restaurant" (Which is nice) but "here's what I would like visitors to understand about where I live, and what my life is like". I'd love that, honestly. Also, I shop when I travel. I look for locally made craft and unique things to bring home. Love to see more coverage of the festivals/ fairs/ parks where artisans hang out. Thanks for asking and good luck on the new job!
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As an avid traveler and avid reader of NYT Travel, I implore you not to take the "I" out of the travel section. It's how an individual copes with a place, decides what to see and how to get there, uncovers interesting things and gives the cultural context that frames them meaningfully, for the writer and the reader, that makes for vivid--and, potentially, useful--travel writing.
I want more "I." I want to know who is accompanying the traveler, why they chose the destination, and how it reverberates with their life. For this reason I am appreciating your 52 Places traveler more and more. Traveling constantly (and to places she didn't pick herself, but must find a reason for being in), she has a lot to cope with--and she tells us how she does it .
I did also enjoy the report of the man who walked around Paris for these same reasons. What I'd like to see less of is the most formulaic travel pieces. I am so tired of 36 Hours and its formula--the inevitable drinks before dinner (and often after), the required shopping, the jumping around a city rather than making a day with logical connections. I did like Sarah Khan's 36 Hours in Johannesburg because I thought her choices were both interesting and doable. But many 36 Hours are overstuffed with drinks and shops and illogical hops from one place to a far off other.
Less advice, more personal insight into specific places. Local writers can be fine--or too locally specialized. And more "I", please.
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It would be interesting to read an article on wellness travel in North America and to learn about health-oriented retreats / resorts that are affordable.
1) Travel is everything to me. My first trip OS was to Bali in 1976. Bali’s opened the doors to a life I did not expect. Experiences that stretched the soul, taste buds, life’s meaning: watching the sunset over the Indian ocean, the tinkling of the gamelan orchestra, the simmering heat at the end of the day, hues of pinks, and apricots to purple, the perfumes of wafting from nearby temples and cafes. Over the past 40 years I have traveled extensively but there so much more to do. In the past 15 years with my partner who is a botanist, our holidays are based on what he calls, “the key stone experience”, the key that opens the portal to many and varied plant/travel encounters. Botanic gardens - Copenhagen, Kirstenbosch, Brooklyn, or hidden gems like Dumbarton Oaks, as the monuments in Washington DC were closed in 2013. Or learning about Carl Linneaus (1707 – 1778) the father of modern botany, traveling through the bucolic southern Sweden, where he developed his theories of taxonomy/classification system, to Upsala the university where he worked and his burial site, in 2006. More recently (2016) travel has included southern Africa to find the magnificent Welwitschia miaibilis that is only found in Namibia and Angola. We hired a taxi and 40 kms east of Swakopmund, into the desert found this most amazing conifer, hundreds or thousands of years old.
Amy,
What about stories about people in place who have done innovative things to share where they live, and what they love about where they live, with travellers?
Rather than the writer doing an ooh-aah piece (or not!) about a cool destination, how about finding people at the cutting edge of new experiences, and profiling how they brought their ideas to market.
Full disclosure -- I'm a writer who knows of a fascinating brother/sister team in Tuscany who renovated a medieval castle, are pioneers in slow food in Italy, have added an award-winning vineyard etc. The story about how they conceived of their project and brought it to fruition is far more interesting than how nice the rooms are, or how exotic the experience is (although it is all of that and more).
In my experience, none of the great travel destinations are divisible from the people who make them so. Stories that privilege the creators, rather than the consumers of wonderful travel experiences seem infinitely more interesting than the "I went here and I did this and it cost such and such" that we've become accustomed to.
I know of a Masai in Kenya who is redefining the safari. A Canadian chef and bookseller who is creating a literary/foodie destination a couple of hours south of Paris. And so on. So much re-imagining of tourism depends on the entrepreneurs at the heart of just that. Seems to me like a very good place to start reimagining travel journalism, too.
I miss the essay-memoir that used to end each Sunday Travel Section. They were personal, practical, and captured the unexpected.
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Nothing much on offer for those of us who remain religious while we travel. How to worship in one’s ancestral church? Where to take communion with locals? The same for all other faith traditions.
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Travel articles that offer mid-range price options in hotels and restaurants. Also, articles, novels, etc. to read before traveling to a location. I read Walking Patagonia and Turn Left at Machu Picchu before visiting Argentina and Peru respectively. Made my experience of those two countries even richer.
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We are retired and tend to travel months at a time. Its easy to find the highlights of a destination but what would you do if not limited by time?
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I know you can’t please everyone, but I’ve often seen destinations in your “52 Places” where I, as a gay man, might encounter a cool welcome on a good day or violence on a normal one. I wish you’d not promote those places or at least offer a disclaimer. The “things so-and-so always travels with” - I love them. But what about “what Patty, a teacher from Wisconsin can’t travel without.” I’d love to learn about Patty and I bet she has a travel hack that benefits most of your readers more than what’s in a celebrity’s dop kit. It sounds like you’re on the right track, so I’m excited to see what’s on tap for the Travel section. Best of luck to you.
I miss the old travel search engine, where you could pick a destination (country, region, city) and be given a list of all the NYT travel articles that were written about it. It was great when planning a vacation.
I don't find the site-wide Search function very useful. Even when I include "travel" in my search request, there are plenty of non-travel articles that I have to wade through.
There should be more focus on middle income travelers, both young and older people. Most people are interested in finding clean, safe hotels and restaurants that are good but moderately priced.
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More articles on solo travel would be helpful
It would be refreshing if you didn’t ignore the climate impacts of both travel and your encouragement of mass tourism. Why do we travel? How can we understand our world better close to home? If we do travel, what can we do to be more mindful of climate impacts? In short, how can you make the trade off between wants and needs in travel more front and center? Too often your section feels like a nostalgic wave to the dawn of air travel....like a travel version of Madmen. Keep in mind that ignoring climate in the US is like the legacy of colonial conquest and imperialism for much of the world. You have to do better.
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Hi Amy, One short article that may be interesting would on on foreign currency. What do you do with all the foreign (non-USA) coins you accumulate from your travels? I recently donated a big bag full of coins from everywhere in the world to UNICEF's Change for Good at 125 Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan I cleaned out my desk drawer, much better they have it that it taking up all that space. Another currency topic is old bills. I have old Swedish Kronor and Danish Kronor bills - are they still convertible to recently issued bills, and if so, how and where? Also I understand after the conversion of European currencies (French Franc, German Deutsch Mark etc.) to the Euro the statue of limitations has passed for converting almost all of them, but not for Irish or German - is this true? And if so, what can we do with those out of circulation old currency bills to covert them to Euros? I have many friends that have piles of old coins and currency sitting around, little value probably over all in any one currency, but collectively probably quite a bit for all of us. Thank you for reading this and best of luck in your new position, our household looks forward to more fun reading in Travel. Best, Bob
Welcome to your new exciting post, Amy,
I wish you an exciting journey en route to making the travel section more inkeeping with our time.
In addition to using writers living in places people want to travel to, I would like to suggest a reference section at the end of an article which could include any or all of the following: a reading list (literature set in the place being written about, ethnography or anthropology references, history book, coffee table book, cook book), movie or documentary set there, music playlist (of the place), language curiosities (eg. saudade in Brazil, hygge in Denmark, yapa in the Andes, etc).
Looking forward to big changes...
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I would like more articles on solo travel, especially for women. Articles addressing safety and security, traveling alone or as a part of a group, traveling to out of the way places.
Congrats Amy. This may seem self-serving but as a recent expat (15 months) it would be great to see more articles about transitioning away from first world living and adapting to the way the rest of the world lives -- modestly and for the most part, happily.
"Authentic living", not just traveling, is also a valuable topic to cover. What happens when you become friends with your housekeeper or gardener? How does it change both parties? What happens when you get invited to a Balinese ceremony because you and your builder have developed a genuine friendship? I'm not the only one changing, as I can see my builder getting better with English and I am trying more Indonesian words (but mostly failing).
Other topics relates to expat living peripherally would be medical tourism. Engaging in healthcare practices in foreign countries (but where the practitioner is usually Western trained) is a major trend and the experience is unlike "normal" travel in terms of care-giving. You're not just trusting someone to prepare your bed or dinner -- there's someone with a scalpel leaning over you!
And then of course there's crazy people like me who are setting up retreat services for first world people who are too stressed for even a normal vacation. The laptop and phone is too handy and so additional procedures are required for detox or proper chilling out.
There's an impressive array of foreigners who come to exotic lands, fall in love, and start businesses at huge personal risks. Cover them
It is obvious that you cannot satisfy all travelers' needs with one kind of article. One kind you clearly need are guides to budget traveling. Very few readers have an idea of the plethora of budget travel options in Europe: all the budget airlines that will transport you from Venice to Amsterdam, London to Marseille, Nice to Barcelona, etc.etc., for around $50 one way, even in high season. Then there are the cheap but comfortable buses that will get you from Granada to Madrid if flights are not available. Then there are the innumerable budget airlines in Asia. AirAsia, flying new Airbus 330s, will get you from Kuala Lumpur to Bali, Jakarta, Makassar and many other places for $50 as well, but then are many other budget airlines in India, Indonesia, and so on. So what are the experiences of actual travelers? (I have flown them and love it.)
I'd like to see travel news of interest along with the usual "go here--stay here" fluff. For example: Should Gay people visit tanzania? What to do if you are overseas and your tour company/airline folds? How to stay safe outside your baracaded hotel complex in Jamaica?
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All that you wrote about Travel is immediately available online, so what does the Times really offer. We need to know the “how to’s” of travel, not a “local’s” singular view ( Its like only hearing a critic’s take of a play). The Travel section, looks me so many others in the paper (Real Estate, Style, Cooking) are passé, from “another time,another place.”
I always enjoy the off-the-beaten-track travel articles. I would love to visit Cape Verde, but am having difficulty finding information beyond the basics. Perhaps you could do a feature on visiting this country?
As a parent of three children ranging from 17 to 10 who has lived in Europe and still frequently travels there I find that the travel articles about family travel skew to a very specific travel market--Very upper middle class to above in a sort of chic bohemian but very monied New York set that probably meets each other in the school yard or at the same playgrounds. I found the Tuscany and German pieces to be of this kind.
For a contrasting example when my family traveled to Copenhagen we stayed in an immaculate pension at the edge of the city center owned by an older Nordic woman. She welcomed us even as we would leave for a few days to travel further out or to Sweden. She'd tease the children sending us wheeling around the city for the smorrebord and flea markets our kids requested. We shared a spotless bath in the hall and a tidy kitchen. The cosy room in the eaves looked out over the rooftops by a church spire; with beds all in a line under the windows like the seven dwarves. My children still remember it all for barely a hundred dollars a night.
Or in contrast to the piece on the Presidio Lodge there is also a wonderful youth hostel at the edge of the water on a cliff within the Presidio that caters to families with whole rooms that can be shared. Two experiences to be had by families in different but still rich trips.
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Hi, Amy.
My family buys the NYT every Sunday expressly for the Travel section, which I read aloud while we eat a special breakfast. Our very favorite articles to share are the ones that tell a personal story through the eyes of the writer. Traveling by the writer's side to a new place sometimes gives us something to dream about, sometimes just gives us a "window into a different world". While my family would love to explore Patagonia or the Australian outback for ourselves, it's not very likely that we will. Please continue to publish the first-person travelogues that allow us to take our magical Sunday morning journeys!
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We are all in for independent travel, although as we are getting up there in ages (91 and 83 respectively) our travel days are becoming limited. However, we have enjoyed many wonderful journeys to Europe on an independent basis, staying in small out-of-the-way hotels, eating in local restaurants and walking, walking, walking in local neighborhoods. Once in Paris when we had walked too far, we hopped on a local street bus, using the Metro card we had purchased for the week. I said to my husband, "Where are we going?" He replied, "Wherever the bus takes us." So we rode around town to the end of the line, got off, as we were told to do, found a local cafe where we enjoyed a small snack, and then when the bus was ready to leave, we hopped back on and rode to the area which was close to our hotel. We saw sections of town we had never seen before, and it cost us next to nothing.
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I love walking in the footsteps of history. So i am interested in places where you can learn what had happened at that spot decades or centuries ago and how the local environment allowed it to happen. For instance, here in Silicon Valley, I have fashioned a sort of walking and driving tour of important sites in the growth of technology all within a few miles of each other that i do for local guests.
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My wife and I love to walk, it is a way to immerse ourselves at ground level. Maybe some walking routes of specific cities? Instead of places to eat (we like the too) provide food suggestions (pizza and Naples) and leave the discovery to the reader.
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A lot of good coverage already on many places that would never be on my radar. I do refer to the travel section when researching trips so wish there was a better search tool to find out about destinations. More articles on family travel and cruises, not just exotic places but how to do more interesting things even on the big ships and in tried and true ports, especially in Mexico and Caribbean. Also more people of color going to far flung destinations and getting their perspectives.Great to read about places like Budapest but what is it like if you are visibly different from the locals. Is it safe and friendly, especially with the current right-leaning political climate in so many places. I also like consumer oriented articles such as what’s going on in airline industry, medical care abroad or trends in travel.
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Thanks so much for asking for reader input. The Travel Section is one of my favorite sections to read every week and has inspired more than a couple of my family’s travels. I would just like to echo what a few of the previous comments have touched on with respects to race, privilege, and perspectives. Articles that touch upon (a) traveling while a person of color and how your experiences when you travel are greatly impacted by what race you are, and (b) how to unpack your own implicit bias when traveling to places where the majority ethnicities and cultures do not match your own. These are important conversations that we need to have more of in our world today. Most travel writing seems geared towards what’s becoming a more narrow demographic of travelers, and it would be great if the Times could become a part of the charge to represent more diverse perspectives and dialogues about travel that other groups have taken the lead on (ie. TravelNoire).
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Dear Amy,
I am moved by your new approach to the Travel Section!
I saw the comment on Americans flooding Tuscany. East of Tuscany is the Marche region, which could use more tourism to boost its struggling economy, and which is no less beautiful than Tuscany – at half the price. Last year I spent a sabbatical at Macerata (Marche) and was amazed by the beauty of the region. It has the seaside, the mountains – not far apart; it has Carolingian and Romanesque churches in addition to the monuments and art we are used to seeing in Italy. Dinner at a fancy restaurant in Macerata for three people – abundant appetizers, a main course, amazing deserts, after dinner drinks and wine chosen by a sommelier was 85€ (for all). End of July / beginning of August, Macerata has open air opera. At the seaside, near Civitanova, there are inexpensive B&Bs on a hill, with a beautiful view on the ocean. There are the Grotte di Frasassi, a flowstone cave that is unique in Europe.
I like in particular your wish to collaborate with locals. I would be more than happy to facilitate contacts.
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I'm a big fan of the travel section (and the entire NY Times, for that matter). I would like to see the section become more practically oriented. For example, you have run a fair number of articles over the years on safaris to Africa, but there are so many diverse experiences. How can a reader sort this all out? If you could go on one trip only, how would you decide? If you could go on further trips, how might you decide that?
Then again, why go to Africa at all when we have so many potential "safaris" in the US? I would like to see more articles on nature excursions. There is so much to see in nature, most of it, of course, far less dramatic than seeing zebras and lions, but very much intriguing and often beautiful, from hearing spring peepers, to seeing a woodcock mating dance, to viewing the exquisite mushroom growth during this rainy fall, to viewing the ephemeral wildflowers in the spring in the Appalachians.
I would like to see your articles become more specific as to the date the writer was traveling in a certain area. It's often not clear.
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Hi Amy...you ask us to "Follow the @ReaderCenter on Twitter for more coverage highlighting your perspectives and experiences and for insight into how we work." I would love more perspectives, experiences, and insight" into the work of NYT travel stories. But I don't have a twitter account, have no plans for a Twitter account, and don't really want to get involved with another social media site.
Suggestion: I assume my negativity toward Twitter involvement is not a unique notion. But virtually everyone has internet service and can read web posts. Isn't there a way the Reader Center can appear there (as I believe it did). Or maybe it still does but I haven't found it within the complexity of the Times - in which case eventually I will with my thanks.
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Travel for seniors and singles, particularly senior singles.
The difficult logistics of travel, the selfy culture at popular destinations which often make it impossible to take a picture, and the general increase in tourism give contemporary travel a downside that can detract from its pleasures. Writing about practical problems such as these, addressing the reality of travel as it is now, would be helpful.
We live in the Midwest and enjoy reading the NYT. We would like to see more travel articles from a wider variety of voices, and would especially enjoy story-driven articles that focus on travel with a cultural, political, environmental, fine arts, or foodie focus. Not just travel for travel's sake (though those are welcome, too) but, e.g., travel that explores a demographic, political problem, gender issue, or environmental/geographic issue. Thanks for taking time to ask what readers want, that's very much appreciated. Please hire and collaborate with more women and more people of color.
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Congratulations on your new job. While I enjoy some of your travel service pieces and articles, I think removing "I" is the exact wrong way to go. The first person pieces in the NY Times are my favorite (and it's why Modern Love in the Style Section and the op-ed pages are so wildly popular and I also go immediately to "Rites of Passage" and the "Ties" section, as do thousands of my students. I still miss the first person "Lives" column in the Magazine and the travel essay the Travel Section that used to run weekly and wish you'd bring it back. These essays were a way to bring art and diverse perspectives to a newspaper. How about one first person Travel piece a week and the rest can be third person?
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I'm not sure that travel writing by locals will serve your readers needs. Most of us are and will be short term visitors who have different desires and interests than locals. The Times spends too.much time and resources chasing the trend of the moment.
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Quit running stories by young able-bodied white men who can get away with wearing the same 3 pieces of clothing for fine dining, business meetings, sleeping, swimming, hiking, and riding a chicken bus. (Nightmare: flying next to a dude who decided he didn't need to launder the last weeks of his 6 month trek) The rest of us would be barred from hotels, planes, restaurants or even arrested if we tried that.
Please feature people of color, older(over 30?), women, people with disabilities or health issues, larger sizes in features, guides, and tips.
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Travel tips for nearby destinations that feel like miles away! For example Montreal surely is not Paris but one can have a unique French experience. Also, more train travel options.
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Jen Smith is one of the best travel writers I know. I believe she has written for the NYT before. Traveling constantly around the world, she has a genuine love of foreign cuisine, different cultures, and the exploration of personal interest stories.
Check her OUT!
(https://www.jenrosesmith.com)
I've greatly enjoyed the Travel section recently, the detailed stories and personal perspectives are delightful and informative. I've had the pleasure of traveling extensively in my life, but now believe that the notion that human beings can travel anywhere they want, whenever they want is misguided. In fact, if everyone did that, we would surely ruin this incredible planet through the consumption of fossil fuels, just in traveling.
I fully believe in the extraordinary advantages of in-person visitations. We understand each other better when we can do it in person.
Your articles have instilled in me the desire to travel - but I should not! I have savored and will continue to savor your vivid depictions of some wonderful places. But, I've cut back on my travels, and am more content to stay at home, reading other people's accounts of their travels.
What is my advice? if possible, include a bibliography or posting of other resources so that we can more fully appreciate other cultures - and stay home. Tuscany, Colombia, fire-ravaged Yosemite Park - I want to visit them all. But I shouldn't. Can you include resource listings so we can continue to appreciate a location vividly and with great enthusiasm, without getting in a plane?
It's quite a dilemma.
And now it's time for me to cook my favorite Thai recipe for lunch.
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We are a group of retired folks who get together once a month for a daytrip. We do public transportation (NY) or a designated driver in a rented van. Our rule is anything 2 hours or less from Newark. We've gone to Ct., Pa., plus the 5 boroughs, and NY state. We love old houses, museums, gardens etc. etc.. Would love to have your suggestions.
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Travel is kind of a weird thing. The irony of tourism is, tourists count on people at their destination to create a place that is interesting to visit, but they don't always take on the same responsibility in places where they actually live. How about instead of focusing on the constant churn of tourists, focus on people who are engaged in conserving and maintaining places worth visiting? I'm interested in new forms of geography for community resiliency-- community mapping, Jane's walks, sustainable tourism and such. In the age of climate change, travel isn't always fun. How about Trebbe Johnson's practice of visiting wounded places? How about travel stories about human migration of refugees and climate refugees? Journeys to escape violent conflict? And apparently the world's rich have also taken to migrating away from political and environmental trouble. Where are they going, and what are they running from? I guess I'm trying to say, I'd love to see "travel" defined as human mobility in a more broadly geographical way. For instance, Orion magazine has some great place-based writing that's not relentlessly touristy.
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@AmyB Thanks for the Orion magazine suggestions. Couldn't agree more about defining travel more broadly!
The "Times" generally forgets (if an inanimate article can forget) the other part of its title, "New York."
New York also contains approximately 8,000,000 people who outside of the New York City and its immediate New York State suburbs.
The 'Travel Section' should have at least one if not two articles about traveling in areas of New York State not considered as being dependent upon New York City for its culture.
The old joke of "upstate" being defined as Westchester County, Nassau County, or Rockland County; north of The Bronx and west of the Hudson River no longer applies. There are regular daily commuters to New York City from Hudson, New York in Columbia County.
With three of the 11 New York State Vacation Regions centered on New York City (New York City, Long Island, and Hudson Valley) that leaves 8 regions to travel through and around.
It is only 455 miles/8 hours by automobile (9 hours by train & bus; 41 hours/8½ days by bicycle) to Westfield, NY on Lake Erie near the Pennsylvania/New York State border. Likewise it is only 360 miles/6 hours by automobile or train (6½ days by bicycle) between New York City at Battery Park to Rouses Point on the Quebec/New York State border. That's a lot of territory to experience.
Yes, you could bike to both
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Congratulations on your position. My suggestion is an article on United States Cruise Ports such as Hotels, where to dine, sightseeing, etc.
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Thanks for asking! I would like to see advice on how to dress for the places you feature. I would love to travel lightly but need more guidance. Also, not all of us travelers have lots of money, so please more budget friendly travel tips! Focus on areas that would appreciate our travel $$$ and are certain to immerse travelers in the actual culture instead of being surrounded by tons of other Americans. For starters, I would like to recommend Calabria, a beautiful underrated region of southern Italy. Dining is cheap, people are friendly, and one can enjoy the sea, the mountains, and lots of history too.
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I adored Reif Larsen's piece from a couple of weeks ago about visiting Tuscany with his family. It sounds like you want to move away from this style of travel reporting. I get it. Can you pair him up with a local on the next trip so we can get the same quality writing with a more "off the path" experience and a focus on affordability and authenticity?
I travel a lot and very often my destination is determined by fictional book settings or movie locales that look beautiful or exotic or just interesting in some way. Very rarely or never does the travel section recommend or include novels or movies that enhance a future or past trip. I would be happy to do this!
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Please visit Dominica, in the French West Indies. Exotica is a wonderful place to stay when on the island. Still a viable and gorgeous destination, even after being ravaged during last year's hurricane season. Thank you.
Many of the writers are much too young for the preponderance of your readers to identify with or wish to follow in their footsteps.
One series I particularly disliked showed cheaper ways to have an expensive time in various places. It hit the wrong notes.
I suspect that many NYT readers are (like me) a sucker for literary pilgrimages.
Please don't recommend or even mention AirBnB, Uber, or Lyft, which are evil.
It's changing, but for a long time the NYT viewpoint that anything outside of Manhattan was quaint was tiring, despite the overall solid reporting. I'm glad to see NYT no longer surprised or snarky about discovering culture or amazing restaurants in my diverse city of Los Angeles. I encourage more of that attitude everywhere. I love to hear about offbeat places or discover things we wouldn't discover in places we regularly go. Again, keep up the great quality, but less attitude. I challenge you to tell us about Michelin star quality places that are NOT Michelin star, nor want to be.
One of my favorite recent articles was Michael Benanav's piece on the Gurez Valley in Kashmir. I doubt I would ever go there but I thoroughly enjoyed his writing and the glorious photos.
I love the New York Times travel section. When it's winter in Canada, I need some armchair travel to distract me from the cold. Please continue to feature a variety of places and include plenty of photos.
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I'm a regular reader of the New York Times travel section and have two suggestions: please 1) do away with the favorite travel hacks of the rich and famous, and 2) continue the column on creative bargain travel. Thank you!
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I LOVE this and thank you for being so insightful. 20 years ago the “I” travelogue was everything, now I barely read any of the articles in the travel section as I don’t really care what the writer and his/her spouse and kids did in France. IF the NYT has a Jonathan Gold-esque writer then I’d be interested in first person. Really look forward to the changes coming for this section.
Two things: Please continue the 52 Places Traveler! I really look forwsrd to every piece from Jada. And I like the idea of getting articles from folks who live in a place; sort of sn "Expat's Corner?"
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I'm afraid I don't have anything to suggest; instead I would like to recommend a column to delete: I have always disliked the "36 hours in ___." It's almost like "if it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium." Prior to the 36 hours column, there were columns that gave a broader view of a place. Please go back to that kind of article.
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Hello Amy, congratulations on your new appointment.I am glad that the NY Times Travel section will be featuring more locals writing about their cities. I think that in addition to travel tips, I'd like to see writing about some of the issues that locals themselves face in countries where the tourism industry is essentially marketed almost exclusively to people other than themselves. I am from Lusaka, Zambia and I am a travel blogger and writer. I'd love to visit all the 20 national parks in my country, but the reality is that even with 'residence park entry fees', i cannot afford to stay at most of the accommodations in the parks because they quote per person per night in US dollars (even though charging in foreign currencies is illegal in Zambia). Our ads posted by our tourism council typically feature non black travelers and many of the lodges in national parks are run by non Zambians who sometimes don't seem very welcoming of locals. So stories like how to navigate that are things I'd like to see. I hope to write for the NY times one day!
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This is so relevant. Being from the Caribbean, it infuriates me that so many beaches are no longer accessible to locals and reserved exclusively for hotel guests. Also they still have this notion that tourists are only white foreigners and locals are exotics just for backdrops instead of people living their everyday lives in warm but complex places. I would like to see interviews with some of these ministers of tourism.
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My suggestion is to never use stock photos, especially those provided by destinations and other travel companies. I want real people doing real things...not paid models. Thx
Amy, your comment about using writers who live in the city they're writing about was spot on. This is especially true for 36 Hours. My teeth ached when I read the most recent one about my city (Victoria, BC) that trotted out the usual chestnuts: oh, yea, the Empress Hotel, Chinatown uh huh, followed by a plethora of eating spots.
As a traveler I want to know something about a place that I haven't experienced previously for sure or to get updates about sites I couldn't visit before, oh, the Picasso museum is open now? Great! But I also want to know about its danger spots. In my city I'd be inclined to add that it has the highest per capita percentage of street people in Canada: those who are drug addicted and mentally ill. And that on a Friday night if you're walking down the touristy Government Street in downtown Victoria you will be hit up on every corner for change. You will see people sleeping in doorways. You will see people shooting up in doorways. You will not want to walk these streets alone at night. A visitor should know these things. Not just where to go for the best Pho or Poutine. But how to stay safe.
And sorry, but I still love first-person travel narrative, especially the Footsteps section. Because then it's not just information, it's literature For nerds like me who will admit to visiting a place because so-and-so lived there, Footsteps is a pleasure to read and to keep tucked into my "Want-to-go-there" file.
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I agree wholeheartedly with readers who voiced concerns about overtourism & the environmental damage generated by travel. I, too, am interested in travel not as a commodity (i.e., a product with an industry), but as an active verb that implies learning & growth through cultural immersion. Going local, off-season, off-hours, off the beaten path and low-budget are proven strategies for minimizing the harmful impacts of travel. As an introvert married to an extrovert, I am drawn to small-group travel that will entertain my husband while allowing me time to think, take photos & write. (I am a poet, journalist, photographer & environmentalist.) But I have been horrified by the cost of many educational trips sponsored by worthy groups like National Geographic & the Smithsonian! So when I wanted to travel in haiku poet Matsuo Basho's stomping ground, I discovered a small group travel company based in the U.K. that employs local guides, patronizes local hotels & offers affordable cultural immersion, then used the same approach for trips to Ireland and Costa Rica. The best aspect of these trips has been the collective age & nationality range of the travel groups: 21-77, from Canada, Germany, England, Scotland, India, U.S. & Australia. Our guides have all been 30-40 somethings, w/ a wealth of local lore, experience & knowledge. Best thing of all, NO DRIVING! I find these kinds of trips are the best value & least stressful. I've also enjoyed great writing workshops abroad.
Show us the companies, but not necessarily all of the places, else they become part of the travel machine.
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I loved your vision statement and request for input, thank you.
I went to Knosis a few years ago, the museum in town was laden with precious stuff, the site was abused and troden apon. I started thinking: the old idea of bringing back the spoils and placing them in London, NY, Paris to prove we have concord is the worse thing we did before the travel-log. I dream of taking things back to where they were really or virtually so we can go visit the sites authentically (as you said we are now able to really go all these places!). I would dream that we become a bit interested as travel enthusiasts of promoting and reporting on preservation and what everyone can do to help with such.
I want to hear about women in their late 60s finding friendships in villages throughout Europe and S. America. Having traveled widely on my own, I know that villages suit appeal to me more than metropolises. But, fewer people to get to know, fewer people with enough time to make new friends. Where can I find this elusive small town that welcomes older single women for what they bring to the party?
I traveled to Attendorn DE last week. the city did a commemoration for families that had been displaced and decimated in WWII, it was the deepest spiritual experience possible. People traveled from all over the world to attend a monument unveiling; relatives that had never met from parts of the families that were only vague in anyone's mind. As the world is full of diaspora, the memories, reunions, connections across the globe become a fascinating part of the stories.
In this case the town made a trail for my Grandfather, a monument for my Grandmother and a the children of the town took on pictures people who had to leave as mascotts, trying to imagine them as friends of today (My mother was 16 when she left so a 16 year old made her into a "virtual friend"). A play was made about my cousin who died in DC a few years ago... so touching.
Good luck making NYT travel writing special.
My wife and I have been teachers for over 20 years, and while we do have to budget, the profession does allow for some amazing, immersive experiences. Imagine two months in Peru, living with the locals and enrolling the kids in school. Imagine a road trip to visit family in Ohio, and friends in New York and Washington, D.C. over a three week period. The summer of '16 gave us two months in New York City, (we live and teach in South Florida). While the latter was not for pleasure (my wife was getting treated at Sloan-Kettering for stage 4 cancer; she's been cancer free for over a year now), it did allow for some unbelievable experiences for our family.
Teachers do get a bit of the vacation experience no longer available to much of America. It's something worth exploring.
make foreign less exotic! there are billions of people outside of america living our mundane lives. the exotic is attractive, but so is the everyday, and that connects us all. so, share stories that take readers to, say, a university cafeteria for lunch (great food anyway!), or a beach local families go to for weekend getaways.
also, please, more travel with children. most people in the world have children and more and more of us are taking them around the globe whenever we get the chance.
looking forward to reading!
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When I was a teen, I did one of the 92nd Street Y bike tours. In my twenties, I used LP guides to explore less expensive countries. In my thirties, it was mostly business travel and a few trips to nicer small hotels that I found in some of your travel writing. In my forties, it is family travel and camping and weekend trips in my state. Who knows what my 50s will have in terms of travel. Out of all of that, there were only a small handful of relevant travel articles in the NYTimes. Write for a more diverse readership. There are so many ways we travel and this paper tends to only write about a narrow sliver of that experience.
I would like to see an more equal blend between regional travel destinations - US destinations and world wide destinations. It seems that things are weighted to world wide destinations that not everyone can afford. Even when you can afford it most of us travel locally more often than internationally. I also appreciate what to see and do in a place rather than concentrating on where to go and eat drink and shop and stay.
The Times centers a lot of trendy hotels and restaurants that cost a lot. Also - the choice of things to do is so focused on the young. I am happy to see that the Denver article actually mentioned art museums. Too many times people are directed to shopping or trendy things to do rather than Museums or Architecture choices. Reading your comment below - Frugal Traveler isn't always the answer. There is an in-between High End Hotels and Hostel type environments. Mid-priced hotels and restaurants, but good ones, would be helpful. I see you say that you do present a range of hotel prices. I disagree. Mostly you present fancy high-end which must be so as I've read many such comments below. And telling the truth about a place would be terrific. Mentioning how uncomfortably crowded Venice is most of the time would be an example. Not just to glorify each city visited as if you owed glowing reports to them. Anyway - you can't please everyone all of the time. Good Luck.
I live in one of those places that tourists visit to experience the „authentic Brussels“. They take photos of me while I do my shopping at the market (without asking me first) and party on the neighbour‘s terrace (the Airbnb).
Whilst the tourists „ want to feel as if they are slipping into the lives of the locals“, they are standing outside looking in.
Not speaking even basic French they can‘t go to the local bakery for the croissants or shop at the market to cook in their delightful Airbnb kitchens. I have not seen one single tourist authentically participate in local life.
I really don‘t see any added value for me, or anyone else living in a tourist area, to contribute our voices and knowledge.
What‘s wrong with classic storytelling and well-written pieces of discovery about places? It‘s one of the reason‘s I subscribe to the NYT.
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Congratulations on your appointment.
As a travel professional for over 40 years, I always tried to see things through the eyes of the people I was traveling with. I was always sensitive to their responses. Some like 'gritty', some don't. Some don't care about the $$$, some it was more than they could afford to come on a trip.
Traveling with children was always very rewarding, trying to see things through their eyes. The amazement and wonder at discovering new things. There are a few museums in the world that give tours led by high school age docents. If you have been to these museums on your own to then be shown exhibits through their eyes can be very humbling. Maybe an occasional column written by children for adults and children might add some extra depth to a destination and to the Travel Section.
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Climate change is the biggest challenge confronting all of us right now, yet the carbon footprint of travel is rarely mentioned in the travel section. In fact, by normalizing long-haul flying, I would say the section has worsened our climate situation, since air travel for many people outweighs the entire greenhouse gas expenditure for the year. I would like to see discussion of the carbon footprint of travel to each location routinely included (perhaps from a standard location, such as NYC), with alternatives for how to get a similar experience with a lower carbon footprint discussed.
This is great, taking in suggestions. I have an extended huge family, and my own "nuclear" family is 4 to 6, when it comes to travel, depending on who is traveling. It would be great to see articles that focus on travel to places for small groups. Yes, I agree with suggestions from others: affordability! Where do the locals eat, where do the locals go to an art, dance show, culture show?
The articles I bookmark and share have the commonality of family owned or locally focused businesses. I can enter my destination in a marriott/hilton website and find lodging, but quality and unique accommodation or a whole-in-the-wall bistro is worth the price of subscription. The recent West Virginia piece comes to mind.
Also, travel (and the world) has become less and less families and couples. Would love to see more friends, parents with grown children, and solo travel without the mention of "how to travel solo."
There are so many young, fresh and exciting voices on social media, tap into those!
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Even if it doesn't please your advertisers, no more luxury resorts, hotels, restaurants, shopping. Let's concentrate on what is genuine in the respective culture as well as affordable for normal tourists.
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I thought one of the strengths of the late A. Bourdain's show was his attention to food on his travels. Food, its preparation and history should be a feature of the new travel column. Food orients you to a new place and new culture in multi-dimensional ways and should be part of a travel agenda.
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Dear Amy,
My husband and I were passionate world travelers (although we did not make it to Antarctica). We were avid readers of the Times but frequently frustrated by the Travel Section. Too many articles were written by first-timers to a country. We felt there would have been more depth and meaning from those who lived there or had visited often.
Thanks for the offer to send a suggestion!
Sincerely,
Thelma Blanc
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Please don't abandon personal, subjective -- opinionated -- narratives in favor of superficiality. We're awash in content in our modern life, and it's rare to find a place like the NYTimes that have the resources and craft to help us discover new places AND gain some insights about other cultures (and ourselves!).
So - yes yes yes to more local voices. Less 'best of' lists. And how about expanding the medium? I love your explorations into data visualizations, illustrations and animations in other parts of the paper. Lots can be done to evolve the photo essays. Podcasts, newsletters, conversations... would love to see Travel experiment more with different content forms.
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I seldom read travel articles because they are mostly about food, which I can find just down the block from my home. If that is the only reason to travel, I'll take a pass, which gets to the real problem with most travel accounts: they don't offer a compelling reason for transporting yourself to any particular spot in this age of global homogenization. Talk about the museums maybe? Surely one reason Japan is such a popular destination is that - for reasons laudable or not - the country retains control over its population and hence offers a unique atmosphere. We could stand to hear more about similar pockets elsewhere and not just sensual indulgences.
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It would be really great if there were some "travel" articles for those of us who cannot physically travel. With gorgeous photos for us "shut-ins" so that we can put them on full screen. We enjoy this type of thing more than you can imagine! And, as you said, let the "I" be absent, so that we can substitute our own "I's." I can hardly wait! Thanks a lot.
How to become a better tourist in our own towns. I live in Richmond, VA.
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The world is oversaturated with tourists at this point. One of the most depressing photos I've seen recently was a group of privileged white backpackers in Luang Prabang, all staring at their cell phones in a cyber cafe. I used to spend hours on Sunday reading the Travel section, dreaming about visiting exotic places. I guess nothing is "exotic" anymore, with so many resources on social media. I now give the section a cursory glance. I don't need to know about the best Thai restaurant in Budapest in your "36 Hours" feature; I can google that info. Another pet peeve: when I visit Budapest, I want to eat what the locals eat.
NYT Travel needs to be acutely aware of the consequences of visiting countries with brutal, repressive regimes, even though they may have fabulous beaches. Women are routinely flogged in the Maldives. Bhutan engages in ethnic cleansing. Why promote tourism to places that devalue and repress their own citizens?
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I would be interested in future articles about remote getaways in North America to relax, unplug and enjoy new experiences. I’m also interested in more affordable options as I’d like to see/do more traveling.
Recent excursions have included Nimmo Bay Resort, Stowe Mountain Lodge, Tofino Resort and Marina, Calistoga Ranch, Cove Haven Resort and others.
I love to look at 5-Star dream holidays on occasion but more interested in practical and affordable places that I might actually visit.
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While we all can appreciate useful service pieces about travel, I think you are doing your readers a disservice by getting rid of the idea of the first-person travel essay or the essay-cum-article. This type of work is often some of the most delightful travel writing to read. Are you just nurturing travelers, or are you also there to serve readers?
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Your toughest task may be to overcome the preconceptions that seem endemic to the NYT.
Almost any story the paper writes concerning California, for example, includes unnecessary — and largely erroneous — bits that leave me, a fourth-generation Californian, shaking my head.
Today, for example, I noticed this lede: “In many ways, the story of Ernie Foss runs right alongside the narrative of the state he loved, California. He was a surfer and skateboarder as a young man. He grew up in San Francisco and worked at a store in the hippie heyday of Haight-Ashbury, selling candles and crystals, ...”
How exactly could someone write that without tongue firmly in cheek? I’ve never surfed in my nearly 60 years. Nor has any member of my extended family, so far as I know. I’m not a hippie. I don’t skateboard. Neither do my kids. I don’t sell (or buy) candles and crystals. And thus, judging by this story, despite generations here, my family must not have a Californian narrative.
Even California-based writers in the NYT can’t seem to get into print without adding that kind of lense tint to their stories. I roll my eyes and move on. But I usually skip NYT stories/newsletters/etc. with California datelines.
I don’t know if NYT coverage, including travel writing, of other places has the same kind of tilt, but that wouldn’t surprise me.
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Idea for name: Voyages
I would like to see me with a column or a few pieces in the NYT, that's what you're missing, you're missing me....I'm a person in my 20s that has traveled around the world and got to experience the greatness of humanity and the depravity of humanity. Wherever I go I try to do as much as I can for as little as possible so I can keep traveling, if that means eating at roadside stalls or food trucks, camping out in a national park to see some really cool sights and save on a hotel room when I'm on a road trip across the states, or staying in hostels/guesthouses or riding in Tuktuks and trains while backpacking India, then so be it. It would be a shame to miss out on my adventures...especially if it's such a small budget...
What would I like to see?
Travel stories where the focus shifts in emphasis: from foreign places to politics and economics. Thoughtful readers want to engage more deeply. In my travel writing for Guernica and other venues, I have unearthed and reported under-the-radar stories on artist housing in Scandinavia and Paris, artistic censorship in Cuba and Vietnam, and political art by Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East. Through these stories, readers are immersed in global issues. I believe that younger and older travelers crave such reportage.-- Roslyn Bernstein
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To solve the first-person debate unfolding on Twitter, I'd love to see a designated weekly essay section in the style of Modern Love.
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First of all, congratulations for the initiative! It is very necessary and timely. I've recently watched a TED Talk in which an award-winning food and travel writer says that sharing travel stories can contribute to global understanding and change, and I think that should be an essential part of travel journalism because, at the end of the day, people are the ones who make places great. Here's the link to the TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CNulcWfi-0
I can't wait to read your new travel stories!
Only one tip - don’t fly to much. Or we won’t have anywhere to travel. Thanks for looking out for Morgan :)
Here are my suggestions:
1) More videos: Shoot footage to accompany articles. Make stand-alone videos about specific places, activities, events, foods, etc. I remember watching a short video some time ago about Sichuan food in Chengdu, China, that was great.
2) Write about museums and historical sites and describe the highlights, what not to miss, and what can be skipped, and include actual visitor info at the end (like articles used to do and which was very helpful) or in a sidebar. For example, write about Buckingham palace on London and tell readers why they should visit, what they should be sure to look at, how to get there and when to go.
3) Give cameras to local people in places and tell them to write a love letter about their town, ie an article from an insider's perspective. Of course, the writers would have to be vetted in some way but you can surely figure that out.
4) More info about budget travel! Not all NYT subscribers want to know about luxury travel.
5) More attention given to single travelers and female travelers.
Thanks for asking for readers' input!
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Hi! I am a great traveler, because i love it (about 45 countries, at least once) and a mediocre travel writer--no one prints my stuff in this country. Anyway, up until my New Orleans trip 2 weeks ago, all of my trips were based on my being poor and/or cheap. And I always travel alone. I wander. I try to avoid tourists. I have to avoid all of the articles about high priced hotels and expensive restaurants and chic shopping. I need affordable!!! I won't even look at the column telling me how celebrities do things on trips. I don't care. I DO enjoy being told enough tantalizing stuff about a place that it gets added to my To Go To list.
One more thing: stop the dumb and multiple articles about how great Portland, Oregon is. Enough, after so many of them. It's where I used to live and my second home and it doesn't need more tourists and I rarely recognize the place as described by the writers. Yeah-they have food trucks and lots of donuts..................
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don't recall seeing any print nor encouragement to visit the philippines? I'm aware of political issues there but does that make the country dangerous to tour? If you do consider going do more than cities, such as manila, of course, and check out rural islands that are so beautiful. I admit I haven't returned to PI since serving/stationed there, too many years ago, but would like to.
From Zamboanga to the rice paddies in the north. Food of course mostly sublime, blah blah, go for it, maybe?
As a "solo" traveler, I prefer to take group tours. I've never seen articles about them in the NYTimes travel section. Why not have articles about various companies and what they have to offer; comparisons of different companies offering similar trips; recommendations for different age groups, etc.? I realize that the Times offers many tours, listing them in the Travel Section, but they're not always given at convenient times, or affordable for everyone.
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Perhaps travel writing should include more people. I know the destination is what travellers want but if they understood more about the locals, their circumstance and their history it might help travel develop into a more meaningful experience. I do also like the ‘I’ in a piece if it is well done as it says something of the writer’s point of view. Thank you for asking.
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I have found that most of the recent NY Times articles on travel focus heavily on restaurants and food and drink. Restaurants open and close more often than most people change their hairstyles. I would much prefer articles that focus on walking through neighborhoods, unusual shops, museums, even some of the more common tourist attractions. Tips on saving money, avoiding crowds, and other practical matters, would also be appreciated. I agree with pad.eve that a choice of budget selections, in addition to high end selections, is very welcome.
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I think there is a danger of confusing travel writing with guidebook writing. One is there to inspire you to make the trip, the other is to provide the nitty gritty details to help you on the ground while you are there.
"Authentic" experiences are all very well but eating somewhere where they don't speak any english and you can't read the menu can be a stressful experience for visitors. It may be difficult to get to without your own car which the local might not consider because it is not a problem they face. I've lived as an expat in Asia for over 20 years, 15 of them in Tokyo. I've taken a lot of visitors to a lot of restaurants and I've learnt that the most successful sorties are often to places with menus that are a bit more accessible, their toilets less basic etc. My family's favourite ramen place is in the business district and not open at weekends, it is simply not practical for a tourist itinerary and it is much more sensible for the visitor to enjoy a different bowl of ramen just as "authentically" somewhere much more central to the temples and museums. Similarly the latest trendy neighbourhood for locals may be packed full of boutiques stocked with clothes in Asian not western sizes: just because it is trendy for locals doesn't mean it is worth the schlepp on public transport to an outlying area.
The "I" approach is a good one because, like it or not, the traveler is not a local. Ideally, the writer should be someone who travels frequently to the destination and gotten to know its charms beyond the highlights featured in brochures, and has also found a few things that should be avoided because they are not worth the trip.The problem is that the writer too often touches on a few expensive restaurants and hotels and spends few words telling the reader why that destination should be considered. The writer is the reader's stand-in. Like it or not, the writer is performing a service for the reader.
Hello Amy-
What a great job, and opportunity! I’ve read the NYT daily, live in Saudi Arabia as an expat...the travel section is tagged as a favorite on my laptop, and I frequently use the 36-hour articles as an initial roadmap into locations I visit in the MENA. I’ve personally found the articles useful guideposts which take me places I would not have really thought of—-and, along the way I usually become distracted and pulled into other areas which are off the beaten path. When it’s all done, I read the 36-hours as an ‘after-action’ and fiend while I’ve hit most of the suggested areas, I’ve seen so much more as a result of the initial guidance int he articles.
So—great job! More local/on-ground input likely will take a great product to an even higher level. Don’t think the baby needs to go out with the bath water, though!
Look forward to seeing your changes—-all the best!
The Travel sections have always been some of the best articles in the Times! Hopefully you will keep the traditions while incorporating the many good suggestions in these posts. I have been wondering when you will create a "NYTimes Traveler" app similar to the "Cooking" app that allows a subscriber to create a Trip file to organize archived articles for upcoming trips. Also, you could provide ways to organize travel tips, photos, pricing updates, maps and weather advice by destination or mode of travel. This would be a great tool for readers to use in curating their own trips.
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I’ve always enjoyed the articles on how to make travel easier. What are the best things to pack, how to get around, what atmosphere to expect when you visit a place, what locals do and don’t do (like order cappuccino only at breakfast)? More of that and gorgeous photos of the reality rather than the pretty, please.
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Don't know if this has already been expressed, but I would love a greater focus on photos. I really enjoy the 24/36/48 hours in X City features, and the writing is great, but I would love to have visuals of what the writing is describing.
Please keep doing the 36 hours series!! I also think a series about traveling as a college student or young adult (ie, cheaply) would be very cool. Like for students studying abroad and doing weekends in different cities- what should they see and eat? (For as little cost as possible). I love the travel section tho !!
More travel coverage on African and Indian safaris. While safaris are generally very expensive especially for families, almost anyone who has gone on one for the first time comes back wide eyed and raving about the experience. Also, with large animal (big cats, Elephants etc) populations being decimated in the past couple of decades, the more people who go on photographic safaris the better for conservation. The number of American's who have been to Africa and on safari remains very small. The Times overall excellent coverage on Africa and conservation would be greatly enhanced by safari travel coverage, especially on the affordable for families options.
Jeffery Gettlemen's piece on the Selous park in Tanzania was magnificent- more like that please. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/travel/tanzania-safari-family-travel.html
Also, an Indian safari article (much more affordable than Africa) is overdue.
I actually enjoy first person travel articles. For me, part of the fun is enjoying the trip vicariously through the writer's experience. These articles also provide inspiration for trips. For example, I visited the ranch in Patagonia, Argentina described in a NY Times article "Eating Lunch with Penguins" (or something like that), and virtually everyone staying there also came because of the article.
I recommend describing the travel experience warts and all, without glossing over negatives. Articles must be fact checked. There was a 36 hours in the Bay Area article where there was no way someone could do everything in the article in 36 hours. Another article on San Francisco recommended a restaurant that was a crummy tourist trap. As a result of these flaws, I do not have full confidence in the travel pieces about other places. (More recently, "Entering Burn Area," states that the Panorama Trail in Yosemite is 10.5 miles round trip, but it is 10.5 miles one way.)
I would like more stories about off the beaten path adventures. For most destinations, I don't think that you need to focus too much on the practicalities of a trip, as most of that information is readily available online. I like the idea suggested by someone else of having NY Times reporters living abroad write articles about visiting places near where they live. They could provide suggestions and context that a mere visitor could not. Kristof could write an article about hiking the PCT.
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More emphasis on culture and people.
Less high end travel to expensive hotels and restaurants.
3 day weekend travel features are not useful to many people. How about spending a week in a city or area, staying at local places, not high end, and getting to know it in more depth.
Travel not tourism.
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Reading lists to accompany long-form pieces would be wonderful. I like to read at least one piece of fiction and one piece of nonfiction from each place I'll be visiting. I'm sure your writers do extensive reading about their destinations, and I'd love to know what they (or locals!) recommend.
More activity-based writing would also be appreciated. As others have noted, anyone can find a bar or restaurant, but many could use help finding the best hiking/biking trail in the area or figuring out what kinds of unique outdoor offerings exist.
The 52 Places series has been a delight. Please do it every year!
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I'm curious if your team will think a bit more critically about companies like AirBnB and the tension they cause for those who both love to travel, want to travel affordably, but realize that choosing to spend money within hospitality industry as can be an ethical dilemma. While the travel section has the reputation of being positive and aspirational, we live in a time now where the ethics of our travel choices have more consequence. I think its important that travel and tourism journalists consider these issues. When I see a travel writer casually choose AirBnB over established local businesses, it normalizes what shouldn't always be a simple decision. Issues of privacy, economic disparity, local housing costs are part of the fabric of travel now.
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Many times we are told of a great place to go with little information on how to get there, i.e., how to handle planes, trains, and automobiles. Road trips would be appreciated; often things we would like to see are right outside our door, such as the Blue Ridge Mountains where we live. Or, how does one plan train travel across the USA and back? Others, not so far away, like Canada, would be fun to visit if we knew more about how to handle transportation to and from there. For example, a recent Road Scholar trip to Canada ended on a frightening note when, due to weather, we were late getting to LaGuardia airport and told by TSA agents that the terminal would be shut down and we would have to spend the night on the street. Logistics on getting to far away places, outside of our continent, would be equally helpful. Singles trips, either male or female, would be nice to learn about, as my wife and I often have different ideas of where to take a vacation and have no problem with the idea of going in different directions. Some places I would like to see, such as Ikaria, Greece, hold fascination for me, but I don't want to be part of an area's disruption due to its popularity's interfering with the everyday lifestyle there; out-of-the-way places are appealing so long as human ecology, if you will, is not unsettled by a wave of visitors. Budget information is always helpful. Let's say I want to compare a trip to Patagonia with one to Paris. Where to stay and the cost is helpful, too.
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Dear Ms Virshup:
As an avid traveler currently living in France, may I offer a couple of suggestions:
1. Depth & detail: not mere skimming the surface but with some mature understanding behind what makes a place tick.
2. Alternatives for different types of travelers: students/ couples/ families/seniors -- all with different needs.
3. The "36 hours in..." must go. It's wishy-washy, besides being esoteric, mostly (opposite of pt 1).
Thanks for listening!
Neel
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To have an authentic travel experience, one could spend a significant amount of time in one area instead of trying to see the whole country. My wife and I have a house in a small village in the Garfagnana in Italy. The locals who live here are hard working salt of the earth people, farmers, bakers, brewers, millers, weavers, restauranteurs, musicians, and artist. There are people who do tours, including my wife, of these local artisans. There are many festivals in this area that celebrates local products, there are also numerous musical events to attend.
I am sure there are many other parts of the world where one can have this kind of authentic travel experience.
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I too still enjoy "36 Hours In..." after all these years. Don't make any drastic changes please. I do like first-person narratives; sometimes they are by well-known writers, which can add extra motivation to read a lengthy article. I seem to recall when the travel articles gave a few recommendations for high-end lodging as well as more budget-minded choices. As I get older, I might appreciate some sort of rating of whether a particular suggestion (whether day trip or longer) requires a lot of stamina (hills, steps, etc) or is more easily accessible. How about a calendar of international festivals twice a year to help readers plan a particular time to visit?
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Older adults, baby boomers, who are retiring, like myself, and want to travel while they still can. Supportive articles for traveling on a budget, being single, female and older, safe places that aren't too expensive, places to stay a while longer since you have the time. . like a month or two, etc. Also, traveling is best with the help of technology. My generation will always be getting up to spec on technology. . so articles to support that. . .apps, etc. How to deal with money changing, keeping stuff safe, etc. How to locate or negotiate longer term accommodations. Blogs and web sites that could be resources.
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I have traveled extensively as a tourist. My desire now is to travel to a country and live for a short period of time as a resident. Perhaps several weeks. How do I do it? Open a bank account? Travelers checks? How do I find a doctor if I feel sick?
How do I find out where the locals eat? Could I find a part time job if I feel like working? I know that I will have to pay taxes to the IRS but what about local taxes if I am away from home for more than six months? These and many more questions would be very helpful.
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Four years ago my family and I moved to a place we'd only read about: a small town in rural WI where a group of teenagers in the 1990s started (and still run) an independent high school. We just had to know 'what about this place created the conditions for something so exceptional?' And every day since has been so illuminating! For me, good writing about places asks a similar question... why does this bread taste so good right now? what was happening here to result in this spectacular building? what's with this city's obsession with roller derby? I wish you and your team an insatiable curiosity and a deep empathy in being able to connect to new people and places as you identify what makes places unique but also universal, quirky but also widely relevant. Then I'll look forward to following along as you do the forensics on those distinguishing features for the enjoyment of all your fans!
Please continue to provide more unique perspectives on travel: as a a single woman, person of color or non-heterosexual orientation, sustainable travel, offbeat (the Paris border article), frugal travel, etc. Such pieces illuminate countries with the very real cultural experiences that are in store, positive or negative. Providing links to other related articles would inform those wanting more detail without the need for resorting to shallow summaries or overly long introductions to any relatively lesser known destinations. Look forward to reading this column as I’ve always done. Cheers!
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I'd like to see articles focused on the types of travelers who have plenty of time to experience new cities, but are doing so on a moderate budget; travelers who fit between the Frugal Traveler and your more typical article, which tend to depend on a large budget. Highlight unusual local activities that cannot be experienced in just a day or afternoon. Embrace travelers who are working remotely, too.
Also, in addition to locals, given that your primary audience is Americans, bring in the perspective of expats who are experiencing foreign places for a longer period of time, but still bring something of an American perspective. It might also be interesting to bring in the perspectives of international travelers visiting American destinations.
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How wonderful that your readers are seeking the tools to discover a destination rather than just basic background info. With that mind, how about a column that compares two different routes to a similar experience with pros and cons etc. Examples: Pompei versis the less-traveled Herculaneum or Machu Picchu versus Choquequirao. On the island of Santorini there is Akrotiri - yet the island has become so crowded, can I explore a similar site in another location?! You get the idea. Thanks for improving my favorite Sunday section.
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My idea of travel is checking the guides and doing those things, but also walking and observing the local scene; checking the local markets, public places ( like libraries), and stores to see what’s available to the natives. Getting into conversation is particularly enlightening....on line you could offer some key conversational expressions (properly pronounced) that would show that we’ve taken an extra step to learn a little more. Would also like to learn about avoiding areas that are unsafe for single travelers who might like to go beyond the typical tourist areas.
Here’s the issue: Locals don’t always have the perspective to write a travel piece. Sure, they will know of insider places. But they will also have biases and axes to grind. Your recent 36 Hours in Chicago piece was really great, I thought, and I’ve lived here 40 years and have been a journalist covering local restaurants, shops, arts and culture for much of that time. It was a good piece, and yet I saw all the Twitter comments complaining about it. Point is, locals can always nitpick a piece on their own town.
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I love the historic detail - the story behind what we see and how it got there. Or the story behind the person seeking or making that perfect croissant. I'm not sure stories of place need to be - or are even best written by - locals. A great observer is a great observer, as long as they keep themselves out of the picture. Tell me why and how the two gelaterias came to be at opposite ends of the bridge, but I can yelp or google a list of the town's 10 best gelaterias. Take me to the market with the chef at the local lunch spot, but park yourself outside the story.
Travel coverage is always too positive. Now that is good, but I want to hear the downsides, especially crime. If there are dangers in a city, I want to know about it. What should I not do in a city? If an airline or airport is bad, I want to know about it. If it is tough to get a visa, I want to know it. If locals will rip you off, I want to know about it. If they are great, I want to know that too. What are tipping rules? Etiquette? Laws to be aware of. How to take public transportation, including from the airport? Look at flyertalk.com sometimes to get the views of flyertalkers about a location. How to get discounts like a local?
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I read most of the travelogue reports. It's an easy way to take a peek at places one may or may not have visited, or may or may not visit in the future. I admire the way your writers get around on foot. I decry their emphasis on food and drink -- stopping on every block it seems. Good gracious -- I cannot lampoon it because this over-emphasis is its own lampoon.
Tips on seeing the good honest stuff away from tour buses are most welcome. Follow the local people -- one can actually learn something that way, even if one's time is limited.
Another useful ploy your writers have tried is lately is learning from foreign residents who have lived in the area you're visiting for some years.
Thanks,
Wallace
I'm here every day, and if it says "Travel" I'll click! Travel books explore all sorts of internal and external subjects, why not travel articles?
Personal philosophies of travel
How to develop yourself as a traveler (gaining confidence; interacting with others; being respectful; pacing a trip; determining priorities and interests; managing expectations, energy, stress, moods, illness, companion conflicts)
How your travel style changes with/without children, as you age, with limitations
Language and travel
How to use public transportation (overviews with links; for example with a data plan and google you can easily use the bus system instead of taxis in European cities.)
How to develop a do-it-yourself itinerary (overall approach, a general timeline & things to book early, overview of resources for planning, calendaring tools.)
Tips for “learning how to eat” in different locales: types of restaurants, markets & stores; adjusting your eating schedule; where to find salads and veggies (river spinach, anyone?); where to find substantial happy hour snacks; picnicking
Different approaches to using a camera on a trip; What to do and not to do with your photos
Advantages and disadvantages of different types of travel: cruises, group tours, solo, local tours, (you might be surprised ...)
Evangelizing travel for the timid
Your fellow tourists are part of the journey
Ideas like this should be explored in the context of specific destinations. Open comments will enrich each article.
Thank you, Amy. I LOVED the West Virginia piece and let me tell you why. There was space for me to enter the story and imagine myself there. Sometimes, a first-person narrative is so specific and so personal that there is no room for the reader.
I've never written to a NY Times columnist but was pleased to read your request for ideas or questions.
I choose to visit places and people of cultures that are difficult for me to imagine. In two weeks, I leave for Nagaland to enjoy their annual Hornbill Festival. I'd like more ideas from you and your team.
But I have a few ideas, too. For instance, I worked in Yemen years ago, of course have no plans nor optimism about visiting that exotic place again but Oman does allow tourists to get a sense of Old Arabia.
Best wishes with your new assignment,
Congratulations, Amy! I love the travel section, and think Jada Yuan is doing a great job. I also love 36 hours and frugal traveler. Great idea to use more locals. I’d like to see more information about how to travel sustainably in a given place. For example, if there is an article about the northern Andes, what are the locally-owned companies or those that work to support the local economy? Also, what’s the best way to help, or at least not harm, the local environment? And some options to overtouristed areas. If those could be incorporated into destination pieces, that would be helpful. And maybe user forums ala TripAdvisor (maybe you already do that). Oh, and a roundup of where to go and what to do with just one kid (of various ages) that’s fun for adults and kids but is not a cruise or resort. And service trips? Thanks for soliciting suggestions, I hope you love your new job!
Thanks for asking for our input regarding travel journalism. The travel columns, as far I can recall, do not mention safety or security issues for the places that you report on and think this would be good to include. The writing tends to make the places sound wonderful.
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“A day in my neighborhood” written by locals, writing about the places they like to visit in addition to the traditional tourist locations. I did something similar in a local paper and it was well received.
Anyone can use google or trip advisor to plan a vacation, based on the most popular and well-reviewed hotels, restaurants, and things-to-do. But a local, who not only knows the tourist attractions in their area, but the best deals and meals, should be a source for travelers. I know I’d read these columns and consult NYT archived columns for places I was planning to visit if this type of column appeared.
Congratulations on this new position, Amy! As a travel blogger and wheelchair user, I would love to see more diverse coverage in the Travel section of the NYT. I have only seen 1-2 articles showcasing accessibility in the past few years, but accessible travel is a HUGE market. People with disabilities spend more than 13 billion dollars just on travel annually, so the interest and market is definitely there. I also think that including accessibility info, even a one-liner, within articles would be tremendously helpful.
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I would love to re imagine the 36 hours articles. They're all the same -- check out this up and coming neighborhood for craft cocktails, art galleries, and avocado toast, no matter if it's written about Bucharest or Baltimore. Instead, I'd love to know where can I get the best local dose of culture? What's an essential restaurant to the locale? What neighborhood is best for strolling? How do you recommend getting around? Etc...
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I would like to see me with a column in the New York Times, because that's what you're missing, I'm trying to tell you here and now, you're missing me. What do I have, the perspective of someone traveling around the country and the world as a person in their 20's experiencing different cultures and food, as well as just how nice people are. Doing as much as I can on as small of a budget I can manage, finding the good food, the hot spots, the hidden retreats, and fun activities....
I'd love to see a regular q & a column about a city with a person who has deep ties to that city. Where to eat, what the tourists miss and shouldn't, etc.
Amy,
Congrats on your new job. I like the idea of having locals write about destinations. What I've not liked so much recently in Travel are destination pieces that assume most readers are looking for hipster bars and hipster hotels. I'd also like to see check-in pieces on well known hotels instead of exclusively new ones. Anyway, best of luck in the new job. I'm sure the place is very different from when I was there. --Steve Bailey
More bicycling, walking, or outdoors stories. Even walking around a city or town.
"I" is O. K. for it personalizes the travel story.
It's taken me over 2½ months to write up a simple blog entry of a 3 day ~120 mi./193 km. bus/bicycle tour I took along the Lake Erie Shore and into the depths of Chautauqua County NY to the National Comedy Museum.
Travel writing ain't easy and that's from the author of 8 bicycle tour guide books.
Yes, travelogue about the nice taxi driver and the comical elephant ride and frustrating mixup at the hotel is tired. Travel is about what one learns - truths both ugly and beautiful, about both society and the individual, and sometimes a traveling writer's personal experience yields a universal insight, best communicated from a first-person viewpoint. Stories, I guess, which the Times usually so expertly culls and edits. Service-oriented material pays the bills, but even vacationers like to fantasize about deep travel occasionally. The kinds of experiences created by the traveler, not an outfitter, are what remind people what exploring is about, and inspire readers to become deeper travelers themselves, beyond the subject of place. So I hope a little room is made for tales.
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Dear Ms. Virshup,
Thank you for your refreshing introduction to refreshing the NYT Travel section. I have read it happily for many years but was getting tired of the “I” article, especially those praising and describing their precocious children in self-effacing ways as they move through the Basilicata or Siberia.
Your point about many able to visit Patagonia gives me pause; many cannot and the new Travel, in my opinion, should speak often to them also.
I love your idea of reports from people who live in a Travel place. My worlds are the Finger Lakes, Lombardia and Molise and I often wish for more of the local eye--going beyond the most crowded places usually mentioned.
-----------------------
Best wishes for great success.
j
I would like to see consistent emphasis on sustainable travel, noting carbon offsets for each trip, ways of travel to lessen impact on the local and global environment etc. Talking about how to minimize your impact as a traveler and tourist, at least the negative aspects of that. How to be a 21st century traveler, in other words.
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Thanks for the invitation, Amy.
My wife and I are devoted travelers--with over 50 years of (primarily European) journeys and extended (3+ month) stays under our joint belt(s). We read the travel section almost religiously, but often are disappointed.
One reason: "36 hours..." anywhere is guaranteed to disappoint. Those are articles about bars and restaurants, and a few 'cultural diversions'. We'd prefer (as you suggest) insights from 'locals,' including affordable restaurants, and residential neighborhoods. Our main travel activity is walking--in areas with interesting architecture and street life. Where are they? How can we reach them (especially on public bus routes that pass lively but less-well-known areas from which we can choose a starting point)?
We travel for culture--usually off the perennially overcrowded A List. Where can we find cultural and historic interest without fighting tour groups and passengers from cruise ships? This means in part 'secondary' sites, that often possess many of the best qualities of their more famous siblings.
Last, how about columns that imagine longer visits? For us, coming from the west coast to places where we need to overcome jet lag, time is both a luxury and a necessity. We'd love columns that acknowledge the virtues of what might be called Slow Travel: returning to the same sites, savoring neighborhoods, looking carefully at qualities that rarely make it into the travel books... or travel columns.
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I teach Travel Journaling class (mixed media, art journals) and they are always full! I also just returned from a trip to Spain where I took students to sketch - we experienced the Catalon region in an entirely new way. Art tourism has risen dramatically...it would be fun to offer something along these lines. PM me to see my travel journals (flip thru on YouTube) . I can imagine a column for “how to” directed at the novice who is looking for a different way to travel. BTW, most of my clients are baby boomers looking for a new way to see spots they have already visited.
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I just returned from a wonderful trip to Tanzania and wish that I could have known more about the social/political/cultural dimensions of the country before my travels. It would give context to the what I've seen and experienced. I love to read books set in places I visit. A list of recommended readings would be a helpful addition to any travel article.
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Thirty years ago I read the Sunday travel section and clipped articles about interesting less traveled places to go. The articles would be about very scenic places, trail information might be included, and simple inexpensive places to stay. I was in my 50s at the time, traveling by train and walking long distance paths in Europe carrying only a backpack. Now I am 85. I page through the travel section but the articles hold little interest for me. The target audience appears to be young, very busy New Yorkers, with considerable money to spend but little time for travel. 36 Hours. Really? I live in Michigan. An uncomfortable long flight puts me near a large city. I can stay at an expensive hotel, eat expensive meals, see the "sights" and just about the time my jet lag dissipates, I am on my way back to the airport for an uncomfortable flight home.
I am still a hiker with limited funds. I am retired and have time. The past 2 years I have taken my grandchildren aged 12 to 21 to Iceland and the Scotland highlands. We rented a car, stayed in B&B's and hiked Skye and Orkney. The grandchildren had no interest in the cities or museums. Nightlife was not appropriate. We're thinking about hiking in Ireland next. I don't think we'll get any help choosing an interesting, less traveled area from the NYT. The Frugal Traveler sometimes has an idea but Boulder is hardly "less traveled."
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The travel section seems to have less copy, larger pictures and more empty space each week.
I contemplated trying to write something up for NYT when my husband and I took a trip to participate in the Saffron Festival in La Mancha, Spain, last month and would love to know your criteria for considering articles. We're art professionals/ enthusiasts, but relish articles that allow for our interest food/history (Context Travel Berlin Wall tour a highlight of our stay there) opportunities/cultural experiences.
As you seek to engage younger readers, also consider perhaps have a place topic addressed in companion articles by 30-something and a 60+ something writers.
Writers from a community an interesting idea, although sometimes travelers from outside may have more incisive commentaries. 36-hour articles often seem to be slanted toward breakfast/lunch/dinner/bar--not as many museums/arts activities as we'd prefer. Consider directing readers toward outstanding lesser-known arts organizations--say Apollo's Fire, Les Delices or the Music Settlement in Cleveland.
More than places we feel we already know enough about, some recent articles describe travel experiences that seem too arduous for even relatively committed travelers to undertake.
Thank you for asking for input.
I love the travel section and go to it first each Sunday. I enjoy the articles about off the beaten path places and the authentic experiences of each place. I love travel but I am less frequent traveler due to limited time and funds. But I have young adult children who have been able to travel more extensively than myself with tha increase of study abroad programs and work abroad after college and I know I am not alone in that group. I would like to see more articles about visiting your young adult children during their stays abroad.
Oh Amy... I’m so glad the Times wants to get with times. Y’all are just not speaking to our generation with these long-winded, dry essays. They’re not written for the mobile consumer or really even a web user if we’re looking at UX and sharability (give me digestible chunks broken up by sub heads and vivid media). But moreso, they’re just not relatable. You can use anecdotes in storytelling without it becoming a “dear diary." Like you said, we have more access to travel than ever before and I want to be able to visualize myself in a place not hear someone else’s logistical blunders or mishaps over-shining the actual destination or experience.
Subject-wise, I want to be wowed. It's a lofty goal, but you have access to the best network of writers on the planet. I haven't seen anything written as of late that I really felt wow, I need to add that to my life list immediately. Show me the world. The weird, wacky, and wonderfully untapped. You should be the go-to resource for the next great whatever. I want to see things that haven't been regrammed or covered a million times. Surprise and delight me. The news and media is so heavy and depressing, we look to media as an escape. Give us light, colorful, human stories. There's a happy medium between infotainment and investigative journalism.
I, too, enjoy many of your travel pieces and, while I'm glad you are thinking of new perspectives, I hope the section doesn't lose what clearly is working now.
One new consideration is advice on how best to deal with congestion and crowds that increasingly threaten the joy of travel. I now spend many hours planning precisely how and when to get where I want to go, precisely where to stay to maximize what I can do there with the minimum time getting from desired place to desired place with no or minimum time waiting in line or lost. This time planning with Google maps and GPS is very well spent but I'd always appreciate good, experienced advice.
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Congratulations! An enormous percentage of your content is about hotels/restaurants, which seem to me the easiest things for people to sort on their own (and many of us stay in apts and never use hotels) and of lower value. I'd love to read about how to meet people and make lasting connections while traveling (I use meetup and other apps) and more on experiences beyond the hotel room and dinner plate, including walking/biking/transit touring. As for food, how about markets and cooking in one's apartment? Also, a regular sidebar on what-to-read-before-you-land, both non-fiction and fiction, would be delightful. I like to read a novel and perhaps some history about a place I'm spending time in. Finally, secondary destinations! The world doesn't need another Amsterdam article, but the other cities of N'lands, lightly visited in comparison, are fabulous. Thanks and good luck
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Hi Amy,
We met ears ago (picnic at Tanglewood, I know Peter from Conklin Rossant days)
My favorite travel writing is by Alec Waugh (Evelyn Waugh's lesser known brother): "Love and the Caribbean" essays from the 1920's through the 1950's based on his travels, originally via tramp steamers and mail boats, through the age of early air travel. Certainly not wealthy, but of the highly educated class of Englishmen, he got by on income from his writing.
He invariably had a letter of introduction to the English consul, an upper class expatriate or other dignitary, who provided an insider's views and connections. In addition he was a very perceptive observer, in spite of occasionally representing the universal prejudices of his times.
What made this great travel writing for me was unvarnished descriptions of often unique people he met and their interactions with a somewhat alien culture. It had nothing to do with tourist attractions (which really didn't exist until about the 50s) but with how life was lived in unusually exotic locals like mountainous Dominica. Not quite "Heart of Darkness", but you got a sense of real life beyond the patina of "tourism".
Travel as a personal sense of discovery that would be very difficult to replicate today.
When I was appointed the Times's travel editor in 1970, the first of two stints in the job, the third person ruled. I plead guilty to putting the major emphasis in the section on first-person writing. My reasoning: I wanted to make sure the readers understood that what they were reading was no more, and no less, than one person's take on a travel experience. My concern: Third person writing reads as reporting and as such carries the imprimatur of revealed truth. But so much of anyone's travel experience is inherently personal, depending upon such variables as weather, the writer's personality and financial wherewithal, and plain old luck. First-person writing allows for those variables; third-person (or, God forbid, second-person) does not.
Over time, the Travel section has relied more and more on first-person articles about out-of-the-way places - exotic destinations and activities that the vast majority of readers would never experience. I considered such pieces to be what we called "armchair travel," and I ran them only occasionally. They had to make room for pieces that would give readers practical information about places they might actually go to. First-person articles do that, and they also convey a sense of what it's like for a tourist, like themselves, to visit there. That's one of the most important advantages of the first person, and not achieved by the third person - or by writers who live in the place.
Good luck! Bob Stock
How about stories about the people and events who make a place what it is known for? How did the Beijing noodle-pullers master their craft? Is there a school for gondoliers in Venice? When I watched farmers harvest rice in Thailand a few years ago, it changed the way I looked at rice forever.
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I am here in PGH and intimately connected with Tree of LIfe. I'm a freelance journalist. I'd like to write about the process of a site becoming one of commemoration and the responses of the local community - businesses with signs of support in windows, pumpkins carved 'Stronger than Hate' movie theater marquee with "PGH is Stronger than Hate" listed as number one. My Squirrel Hill neighborhood has been transformed into a site for commemoration and I could write a piece that is both reported and personal. Reach me via my website www.bethkissileff.com. NYT arts reporter Jennifer Schuessler was here visiting Sunday and I spoke with her but she might do a piece for you as well...
When going to locations with largely Black populations, don't make most/all the photos of white people. On the occasions that NYT Travel covers such locations I've seen this time and time again.
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I would like to see more quality photographs of the places you cover, and if one or two of them are suitable for framing a way one could order a copy.
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We’re travelers who stay at hotels, not Airb&b, but would like to know more about local life. When we visit Playa del Carmen, Mexico, every other year, one of the pleasures is getting to know waiters and other hotel workers.
We’ve even learned to speak a little Maya. I’d like to read about the lives of local people as seen through their eyes.
When doing a 'travel literature' course in college, my conclusion was that the best source of info was the local culture's fiction writers translated into English. Review or list such books when covering a country, please.
Please offer more articles about active travel opportunities. Some of the Frugal Traveler and 52 Places articles have featured information about active pursuits in foreign lands, but it seems that many of the articles focus on sleeping, eating, and drinking.
In my experience, visiting anywhere as a visitor is a far more immersive, insightful, and enriching experience when led by a local friend. Being a local, they know the best (and worst) of the place, its rhythms, and its communities. Being a friend, they're motivated to build fond memories and share the very best of their chosen home. What if the NYT Travel writer was the visiting friend? It's common practice for seasoned travellers to find a local guide, but I'm talking about friends. Friends will take you to their truly favourite spots and provide access to people who you can genuinely trust. Who, no matter how much they're willing to pay for a bottle, doesn't want to have local insights?
Btw, one of your past travel writers, Porter Fox, is an old friend of mine. I'd be happy to host him any time. From a local's perspective, my backyard is amazing.
I always look forward to reading the ‘36 hours in XXX’ articles, but often find the places and venues out of my league: too expensive or not cohesively linked through the story. I tried my own hand at writing a similar article for Planepack https://www.planepack.com.au/blog/2018/10/28/how-to-enjoy-24-hours-in-vibrant-sydney where I wrote what I think is a more true reflection of spending a day or two in a city: we walked the route, caught the bus, entered the underground - and really ate at the places I write about. I like that kind of authenticity.
I totally agree that it’s wonderful to spend time with locals when travelling. I’m fortunate to have family in Serbia so usually go there and to Montenegro for holidays. I adore staying in a real person’s house, eating with friends and family at the house, and strolling the streets like a local.
In terms of new ways to write about travel, I loved the story about walking around Paris. I’d like to read more in-depth articles rather than parachute-style content. It’s easy for me as a traveller to go most places in the world to see the well-known sights, but it’s less easy to know what to do like a local - so I enjoy reading about visitors who travel on local transport - usually slowly! - and visit interesting spots in the perimeter of cities. I think having a purpose to travel is great: for example, I’d love to visit Serbia to see just three or four of their monasteries - and make it a slow trip with my sketchbook!
Amy, Please keep some first person accounts, and more help for the traveling disabled.
March 2018:
I was striding out in confident exploration on this, my first jet-lagged afternoon in Casablanca. Abruptly, a grinning face thrust sideways into my path. His out thrust hand and insistent, “It’s me! From the hotel!” caught me off guard. I tentatively shook his hand as he explained that he recognized me and asked if I had seen the one day Berber exposition that was in town? I confessed suspicious ignorance. He kept walking briskly, urging me to follow, on to where the camels were clustered. His long legged stride was difficult for my short, jet-lagged legs and out of shape lungs, but I sprinted across streets, allowing him to guide me. His wife and mother had been to this special event this morning; I was so lucky to be here. Would I like to see a picture of his two year old son?
“He’s darling”, I panted. The giant explained that the rugs in the market stalls are all fakes from China, but the Berber women showed their handiwork only one day; we should hurry. “Are they still open?”, I breathlessly queried. He waved me forward as he answered his cell phone. His wife, reminding him to get milk.
Huh?
It wasn’t until he disappeared, after the handoff to his “cousin” , that I realized, he had never mentioned the name of the hotel in which he had seen me. My purchase was wrapped immediately. After all, the camels must be loaded for the trip back to the Atlas Mountains tonight.
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The outdoors! I know the travel section does include occasional big outdoors pieces, but how about a weekly column highlighting local options, including ones accessible through mass transit. Look at the SF Chronicle for an example. (I read online so not sure what section it's in.)
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Please cease publishing the "24 hours in..." and the "36 hours in..." articles. They're superficial to the point of being inane.
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More visual content is always appreciated!
Also, one of my favorite trips abroad I went with a travel company that had a group of people from around the world. We got to explore a new country, while also learning about each other's countries and cultures. I think hearing all the diverse perspectives on a seemingly similar experience was special. SO, I would recommend getting a diverse team together to travel together. It could be ethnicities, age, education, travel experience, anything to expose both differences and similarities in perspectives.
Another aspect that I have found meaningful about travel is relevancy in world topics. For instance, visiting the Pergamon museum in Berlin, and realizing that all of the islamic art there is being preserved, while some of the islamic art around the world is being destroyed because of wars. If writers could be asked to explore areas with a lot of cultural change happening or interesting views on the world, I think it would help more people to better feel connected to what is happening.
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I would like to see more listings of plant-based restaurants and cafes to explore. Eating animals is ubiquitous and those who do can drop into most anyplace and find something to eat. Not so with those of us who eschew eating animals. Thank you. Love this section of the Times.
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Thanks for inviting ideas! One idea: highlight local, authentic stories of women, men, children and young people across the country (and world) who are responding to the varied social problems of their region, city, town, rural area.... lift up their creative and inspired solutions connected to place. This could add such a rich dimension of discovery and naturally cultivate responsible tourism and respect for the world’s places and the changemakers who are all the time tending to them, repairing, innovating with their full spirit and commitment. I work with @Ashokaus and we’re happy to share ideas and/or help your team ID great changemakers to connect with if you want to explore this idea more. In the meantime, thanks for taking us readers on a weekly journey of discovery via great reporting.
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Since you asked.....a recent travel article about a family traveling in Tuscany feature kids eating pasta. In short, it was a vacuous turn-off. An alternate perspective: Our family has visited Tuscany twice & each time spent 2 weeks at a villa. The kids primary interest was visiting the small towns (we rented cars) and wandering around talking with residents, both adults & kids. Indeed, 'travel broadens'. Spending time in 'farmer's markets' & sitting & chatting in piazzas rather than gawking at architecture was very enriching for all. It is people that comprise a culture & the kids, especially, appreciated that experience. So what do I suggest? Instead of listing places to eat & look at, you might request a focus on people, families & our take-away & learning about how others value their daily lives.
A few years ago, my wife & I visited some of the towns between Moscow & St. Petersburg. While chatting with a local, I asked 'How are you?' He replied, 'I'm alive.' The ensuing conversation was...eye-opening. By the way, you might be surprised that any 'language barrier' is often not a barrier.
Congratulations on your new position. Your initiative in welcoming suggestions from Times' readers is very well taken.
The only drawback in soliciting such informal feedback is that you will receive all kinds of responses and at the end of the day you won't know what to do with them.
In the digital age we're in now, the name of the game is market segmentation. Why not do a formal marketing survey where you would be able to analyze readers' responses by a whole slew of factors - from age to life-styles to interest levels, to education to income level etc - and find out how to position the contents of the NY Travel section vis-a-vis your target segments. I can assure you that while the wishes of a baby boomer might be different from that of a millennial, there are also areas of convergence as well. And this is where you may have your winning proposition.
I ran market intelligence for a US multinational for years and I know first hand that the benefits of a well-crafted and well- designed marketing survey could be phenomenal and yield rich insights.
Good luck!
I echo the comments of many who've noted that the travel section skews heavily towards wealth and reflects a narrow privileged perspective. To become more diverse, you may need to enlist writers who are more diverse/less privileged. In terms of wanting to provide a more embedded "local" experience, I question whether that's really what most travelers seek. They may want to claim to have experienced what's local, but chances are they don't want to truly live, even temporarily, in what would authentically resemble local community life. Further, it's important to understand that many true residents of local areas do not benefit from, and are often disrupted, by outside self-absorbed visitors.
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Some of the articles, particularly the "36 hours in...." series, have been mostly a litany of consumption: restaurants, shops, etc., and said very little about the cultural assets and classic tourist attractions of a location. The latter are what should be emphasized.
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@Marc Nicholson: I agree completely. I have been consistently disappointed with 36 hours ... recently.
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@Marc Nicholson I commented earlier that I want the 36 hour pieces to remain but after reading others’ comments I realize I skim over the restaurant recommendations and only look for the 2-3 cultural destinations they suggest. I stay in many Airbnb’s or hotels with kitchens and save money by cooking myself. I’d rather more doing and less eating in the articles.
I really agree with you and I'm glad you've come to these conclusions. I love most of the travel writing but some first person stories are irritating because the writer is more interested in writing about herself or himself than the places they seem to be skimming through. And the writing style for travel stories by different writers still manages to be similar as if they followed a template for it or had a heavy handed editor. Stories about countries like Italy can seem condescending. As you said, these are not third world countries. My best trips are when I immerse myself and am able to meet local people who talk with me about their country. I like reading local news. When I left Liguria in 2011, I soon after received letters from people I'd met telling me about the flooding. I'd rather hear from a violin maker who is making violins than someone who visits a violin shop. I prefer when you quote people like you would in a regular long feature, like your news stories on earthquakes in Italy. This third person style will work better for travel stories to me than the first person egocentric pieces where someone talks for five paragraphs about their boyfriend or trouble with their luggage. I am so glad you are taking this direction.
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Greetings,
First, thank you kindly for seeking your readers' guidance and I do look fwd to seeing what becomes of it.
Second, I have many single female friends who have the financial ability to travel but dread the idea because it means they'll be by themselves alone in a new place and they view it as a painful reminder of their "party of one" status. I suggest a weekly article devoted to just that - a series that illustrates how to enjoy one's own company. Yes, the Frugal Travel series touches upon that topic - but an article specifically angled toward's women and travel, would be great! (Think Eat, Pray, Love, but less narcissism and endless self-examination... and more tips on unique experiences and where to go and how to enjoy it all.)
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Unless the writer has at least a Pulitzer Prize, if not a Nobel, never use the first person. Nobody cares about his/her whiney relationship with children, parents or disease and how the trip has brought solace or resolution. I'm so glad you're stopping that. I click the back-button whenever I run one of those stories.
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In "Your Biggest Carbon Sin May Be Air Travel" the NY Times told us that flying in an airplane is the worst thing we can do for the environment.
You should encourage regional travel, and discourage distant travel. Future generations and wildlife are dependent upon us being smarter. The age of binge indulgence is over.
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I recently returned from a 2-week trip in Central Asia. Before leaving, I could barely locate a map showing both Uzbekistan and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. Uzbekistan is a safe and charming place to visit, especially with a guide or in a group. Xinjiang needs more visitors if only to expose the police state it is under Xi's policy of genocide toward the Uyghur population. The US State Department does a disservice to us by recommending against travel to certain locations.
We stayed in Airbnb's in Dublin, Belfast, London, and Stockholm and loved being part of a neighborhood for awhile. Howeveer we had considerable trouble finding them and getting in! It would be a big help if the host would meet the guests, or at least be available by phone The anonymity of the process detracts from it.
Congrats, Amy, and way to go! I applaud the changes you plan to make - taking the "I" out of coverage, getting residents, local or expat, to tell us about their places rather than "parachute" writers. This will hopefully result in more realistic, clear-eyed, warts-and-all critiques. NYT travel pieces tend to err on the side of rosy paeans that gloss over chronic irritants or underlying problems that would be useful, or just interesting, to know about a place.
In this age of overtourism, I'd appreciate more articles on less-touristed but still accessible spots in the world. Or how best to tackle overtouristed destinations. And if a place is, say, overrun by mainland Chinese tour groups or cruise ship disgorgement, please say so and when, so that we'll know when to avoid it. A resident writer would likely know things like that.
I also agree with many of the comments craving more info on affordable lodgings like small B&Bs, and affordable eateries frequented by locals rather than Michelin-star seekers, and affordable public transport options. Practical, helpful info is preferred over lyrical personal narratives, though I'm sure there's room for both.
Thanks for asking for readers' opinions and look forward to the new Travel section.
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Hi. Report and write less on expensive bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels. Instead, please report more about local common folks. For example, neighborhood parks where students and families hang out. Local laundromats. Neigborhood libraries. Local community colleges. What are the bus stops like (and what does the area have around them?). Certainly NYT reporters and journalists have not lost their touch in being with the working class, the unemployed, the handicapped, and others. Of course, the NYT can continue to write travel articles on fancy and expensive places. But, please, balance out the travel reporting. Thank you.
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I thought maybe you could develop a database of local recommended places to eat. Travelers could log-in for a fee or a subscription service to more quickly become familiar with local cuisine as travelers fan out and discover new places around the Globe, The New York Times Travel (department?) will be there to support these folks who want to experience the world as people that go places, respect the local culture, and enrich themselves and the native folks as an exchange of values, conversation, and a way for a reduced footprint when we travel. Just a though..PK
I have to say I agree with almost all of these Reader Picks comments I see. (less food, less shopping, less expensive!) and I love the idea of having locals offer suggestions.
BUT I do have one suggestion. There is still something magical about being the outsider and discovering a place and I do think that it has a place. I think it would be fun to feature the "I" in the travel writing from the little guy. A "Modern Love" style column where readers write about travel experiences that opened their eyes, or changed their life. Travel is about so much more than a collection of check marks, and this is the type of "I" travel writing that I would love to read about.
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Hey Amy--In early October we returned from a cruise on the Adriatic Sea, leaving from Venice, following the Croatian coast to Athens. Every port was jammed with tourists which we found really detracted from the experience. So, what's the "new" off-season to explore and travel? Best stop was Venice where a guide we learned about from a friend took us around her uncrowded and charming neighborhood. We visited her favorite vendors, taking our culinary treats back to her apartment where she made us lunch. The sautéed artichoke hearts, a Venetian specialty apparently, were to die for. She was a fountain of information - historical and cultural. A real find.
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Thanks for the opportunity to provide feedback. I've enjoyed the travel section for nearly two decades. As a frequent traveler, I'm looking forward to the new approach to the desk.
Two ideas came to mind:
1) engaging with readers/fans about a city/place before it's covered. Your note about "what's missed," could add a solve by allowing locals to share their thoughts & ideas. As a resident of Orlando, I am acutely aware we're more than theme parks.
2) why not take a page from Anthony Bourdain and bring in local writers from the destination? What humanized his series, "No Reservations," wasn't just the destination, but the locals who brought it to life; helping him discover the beauty and majesty from the eyes of the residents. His Cairo piece stands as a fun example of this approach.
Again, thanks for allowing us the opportunity to share and hope I might be able to tag along with your writer one day within the Sunshine State.
-RS
"People also increasingly want an “authentic” take on a place. When they travel, they want to feel as if they are slipping into the lives of the locals, not standing outside that life looking in. "
This resonated with me after a three week tour of Europe. But I would take it a step further. I missed actually getting to know the people...what their lives are like, their thoughts, aspirations, trials, joys...etc.
I don't see how the travel section can continue recommending air travel trips (or even long-distance car travel) when the planet needs to see a reduction in air travel to help combat and mitigate the effects of climate change. I don't think The NYT helps with this BAU attitude. Maybe you should consider a column that considers travel from a climate's-changed-now-what's-ethical-in-terms-of-travel perspective.
Stop using words like "parachuting." Bring back Joe Sharkey. Print more stories about the facts of travel, such as dynamic pricing or airline tickets, the best way to travel from airport to center city, the reason you should avoid whatever it is. Borrow some people from the food section to write about restaurants or dishes to enjoy at places they actually know. More pieces about the kind of travel affordable to your less affluent readers. Perhaps a weekly feature rather like "Metropolitan Diary." Profiles of people in the travel and hospitality industry, from the conductor on the long distance train to the chef or organizes a dinner for 50 world leaders to the pilots who have witnessed the greatest aerial views imaginable.
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@jcraigbarnes Cosign on profiling people in the travel industry. So many interesting angles. It's a good reminder that the people travelers interact with most have their own perspectives and interests.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast is the world's best kept secret.
Know that the little City of Waveland, MS, razed by Hurricane Katrina, was honored in 2015 by "Destination America" because it is a beach-lover's paradise.
When I recently hosted visitors to New Orleans, the first destination was the Mississippi Coast--- a wonderful side-trip for anyone visiting this area. And there's even a tour bus that rides up and down the length of Beach Blvd in Waveland and Bay St Louis.
I have always enjoyed reading travel articles in The Times, and I especially enjoy the personal perspective of the writer, so am hoping you don't totally take the "I" out of your coverage. The thing that I hope will change is the emphasis on high-end lodging.
I often read and article and think, "That sounds lovely, I will put that on my list for my next trip," but when I get to the part where prices are listed for the recommended places to stay or dine, I realize that the article really wasn't written for me, but for some more elite traveler.
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When I read "36 Hours in ______" I wonder if the writers visited the same city I visited. My vivid recent memories of trips don't match up with this travel column. The writers name and describe places that are so shrouded in mediocrity that perhaps only 2% of the population would like them. Their recommendations for lunches, brunches an dinners are so over the top that your readers who might look forward to a precious, hidden artisanal experience can be hugely disappointed to discover an eatery so esoteric no one wants to order anything. Often, I think I'm reading travel reviews written by writers who have culled their recommendations from a cursory scan of local free newspapers. My suggestion is to broaden your reviews of travel destinations so they may just match up in part with places travelers will feel are worthy of their time and money. To do that, the reviewers must actually have been there.
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Above all, keep up the great work! One of the aspects I like about travel writing is having a point of view, but this can be controversial. To me, there are two broad kinds of writing: there is the uncontroversial Rick Steves approach which is an inoffensive, bland description of travel points. Many people like this tone.
Then there is the Tony Bourdain approach that packs a strong, sometimes, maybe all of the time, controversial, POV. This I like.
To describe this approach further, the Bourdain episode on Marseilles is a case in point. Marseilles is a rough-around-the-edges city that has real character. Bourdain (and his co-traveler, Eric Ripert) muse about retiring there. It's a subtle interplay that navigates between images of unrefined but infectious diversity and destinations that are purely, and blandly, touristy. It takes writing with some intricacy to cover these kinds of places.
Here's to great travel!
The market has to be broader than what it is. Reaching out to the young people and senior citizens who would benefit from travel based on $$$. Most seniors haven't got much of it. Young people paying for college don't either. There should be some choices that don't break the bank. Places where one can learn something new (for students) and enjoy the stay without falling in to tourist traps (seniors). Inexpensive deals on hotels, air fare, etc. I would be traveling more often.
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@pad.eve Have you read our Frugal Traveler columns? We publish those regularly offering lower cost options. We were just in Boulder, Colorado, for instance:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/travel/budget-boulder-colorado-.html
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@Amy Virshup
Not enough of the kinds of articles pad.eve recommends. These have much more utility and interest than (just as an example) the wistful walk around Paris's periphery. Let's have more how to's - as even the business section is now doing.
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@Amy Virshup
You miss his point. Affordability should be the norm and the luxury should have the special section.
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Good Morning,
My husband and I love reading really good travel articles, and you do supply us with a steady diet of them. For years, we could not do much travel as we were educating our 4 children. Now, we have more time to go on journeys. I would really appreciate more articles on insider tips. For example, if I visit a foreign country, or even a domestic site, I would enjoy knowing how be mindful of the customs and manners of where I visit. In this very divisive age, it would be good to know how to be known as a "good traveler" rather than an "ugly" one. And, knowing the customs and culture of a place before visiting allows one to plan better.
I loved the walking around Paris article. I would love to see more articles on exploring by foot. I would also like to see more articles on affordable travel and lists of interesting restaurants, hotels, and sites to sample in a variety of price ranges. I think of how Gourmet Magazine used to write their travel articles, and I miss them. Personal narratives with interesting places to visit had my senses salivating. I hope these comments help.
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I've always wanted to write a series called, something like, "First Impressions." Describe every detail of going to a new place from an experiential point of view: How easy was the signage at the airport; what was it like trying to navigate local transportation; how friendly (or unfriendly) were the locals you encounter, from the barista to just meeting random people on the street; what did you discover about the place, especially any hidden gems; does the place deserve more time or a return visit... you get the idea.
I find that fear is the most common reason I hear as to why US citizens don't travel internationally more frequently, so giving readers very personal, detailed, step-by-step insights into a new place could help alleviate those fears.
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How great would it be should you expand your coverage. A middle-class family of four from Minnesota can't imagine a weekend trip to Paris, but a visit to Milwaukee would work. Travel should not evolve to become the domain of the privileged few. How I remember traveling through Europe on a bike, a recent college graduate, camping and eating cheap. The travel section can aspire to be more than a vicarious thrill for those that do not have a six-figure income.
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This sounds great but I’d still leave some room for the human connection stories - otherwise, you’re not much different than a Lonely Planet guide.
Biggest suggestion Is offer is try to offer a bigger range of travel options by price - not everyone can affford the expense, time and effort to go to Patagonia but a lot of people in the US could do Glacier National Park or Acadia.
Good luck with your new job - this is always one of my favorite Sunday sections!
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At the airport in Madrid, a week ago, I met Erin---a passionate young woman photographer who also writes a travel blog "Erin Outdoors". She was curious about me, who at 70 has traveled the world as a solo woman for over 50 years. I looked up her blog,
and it was fresh, exciting and so current. I would highly recommend you check out Erin and her creatively enthusiastic approach to discovering the world. She would especially appeal to younger readers and those who want to explore the unbeaten paths.
Every hotel, activity, excursion, etc is now researched on TripAdvisor or hotel booking site or some other third party site. There are a thousand sites out there that review and advise on airline service, airline deals, etc. I don't know who to trust - I trust the NYT though. So, if you get into the review and rating game, and apply the same journalistic rigour of the other departments of the NYT, you have a ready market. The Wirecutter site run by the Tech coverage side of the paper is a great example to follow.
Echoing a couple of other comments, please focus more on real-world travel, not the über-luxury lifestyles of the rich and famous stuff, but what most normal folks and families and solo travellers want to do and experience.
The travelogue has been one of the most important contributors to literature over the years. There is a place for long-form and in-depth travel writing that explores the non-logistical side of travelling. I would love to see pieces by writers like Bill Bryson, Jamaica Kincaid, Colin Thubron, Susan Orlean, Pico Iyer, et al in these pages.
Looking forward to seeing how the revamped Travel section looks like - all the best!
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I would like to see more focus on travel without airplanes. The richness or interest of a place often has to do with how closely it is observed or explored. In an era where we must curb carbon emissions, jetting off to far flung places or taking quick flights just for pleasure seems to me to be ethically untenable.
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Would love: the names of individuals who give architectural and historical tours of the various places; the names of companies that rent bikes and do bike tours; to know about interesting day trips including great hikes or rural bike rides to go on. Thank you.
Congratulations, and thanks for asking. I'm a 73-year-old single woman with chronic pain and hearing loss who lives on a fixed income. I'm also 4'10". And I'm part of a growing demographic that finds travel a well-earned luxury.
Please provide a "Senior Score" that considers obstacles and opportunities for people like me. Where is telecoil available so we can adjust our hearing aids at museums, shows, airports, other venues? Who gives senior discounts? Where do stairs interfere with mobility? Which rental car services have the best inventory for us? (For me, it's a Ford Escape with its 12 positions in the driver's seat...so I can actually see over the steering wheel!) Do they have enough room for suitcases and a walker or wheelchair? Which places are friendliest to us?
Over time, I'm certain destinations would want a high rating on the NYT Senior Score. And senior travelers (and their families/caregivers) would be delighted to share their insights.
Please focus on the message as much as how it's delivered. Word-of-mouth is a powerful tool. Best of luck!
As a millennial, I am always trying to figure out how to travel on a tight budget. I'd love to see more reviews on outstanding hostels, inexpensive flights, and cheap but good food.
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There seems to be three travel planes- standard (packed/crowded and localized), fabulous wealthy (interesting/lustful and unattainable) and off the beaten path.
We seen it all on the first two planes, time to explore the third.
Show/take us to where we haven't been. Bust our comfort zone. Go granular. How about a thorough report on Mexico? Spend a few months on nothing but Mexico. Then go deep on Canada. Canada and Mexico outside a few places could be as mind-blowing and exotic and anywhere else in the world.
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@Robert Toronto, ON, is my favorite city in North America. It's a place where you could visit for 2 weeks and still not experience everything wonderful about it. And don't forget the beach and the islands.
I find myself wishing your travel writers would write from a more diverse point-of-view. As a gay man myself, many of the 52 places to travel seem off-limits to me or, like much of the U.S., it's best to stick to the big cities. Having that kind of insight could help your readers avoid making a dangerous mistake. Single women may be wondering what it's like to travel to some of these destinations alone. People of color may not realize they could, and likely will, experience some form of hostility (fresh on my mind after reading the NYTimes article of a woman of color's semester abroad with NYU in Italy). It may not occur to the authors who have the privilege of not having to think about these things that there are travelers who have to take these things into consideration.
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Small biographies and profiles of artists, craftspeople, business owners, cultural and municipal leaders--these always interest me, and especially when they are used to examine a new city or country. Also, reading recommendations and reviews. For example, after returning from Spain this summer, I ordered books on Spanish cooking, the Inquisition, the colonization of the Americas, and on and on. And what about the bestsellers of the last few years, or the "classics?" Anyway, how-to travel writing is rarely interesting to me as a writer/reader--unless it centers on adventure travel, attending major festivals, etc. With that, congrats to you and your team and look forward to the coverage ahead.
How will you handle the issue of bias? Locals typically aren't impartial about where they live - they support restaurants, bars, hotels, tours, and shops run by family and friends. Or are business owners themselves. This has always been a strength of traditional travel journalism: retaining an impartial perspective. The experience of a travel writer is much closer to the experience of a regular traveler -- hitting the ground for a handful of days at a time -- than a local's experience. Here's an example. Last summer I traveled to Rome and arranged to meet some friends who are natives of the city. They wanted to bring me to a sushi restaurant. What locals want and what travelers want does not always align. There are countless websites for crowd-sourced tips. Please continue to inspire us with powerful storytelling.
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The travel writing I like is not the "3 days in Toledo OH" kind where you find out about little known hotels and museums or whatever. I like GOOD writing and when it's in the travel genre, it can particularly interest me.
I didn't read the piece about walking the periphery of Paris, but that might qualify. I don't necessarily want to do that, I'd rather read a good writer's experience doing it.
Years ago I read a story in a travel collection (Best Travel Writing I think) by a guy who camped out in Central Park for a night and encountered some really weird stuff. Loved it. I wondered about why it was in a travel writing book. It made me realize that we're all traveling all the time and if an editor wants to label it travel writing, then "voila". Ok, that's too broad, but you get the idea. Do you want to include well-observed experiences in your travel section? Ones that no one else is going to replicate?
We travel 3-4 months of the year and are also daily NYT readers. I never even look at the Travel articles any more. They focus on restaurants and common sites. We just visited Berlin, where the Kookaburra Comedy Club, the Kathe Kollwitz Museum and a concert at the Philharmonie were highlights. Everyone will get to Checkpoint Charlie and the Holocaust Museum. Tell us something new.
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I just want to read more articles on places I could actually afford to go.
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As an enthusiastic traveler and NYT paper subscriber for 42 years, I've probably read every Travel section.
I agree it's outdated and formulaic, especially with the 36 Hours column and attempts at authenticity. 36 Hours is all about bars and trite stereotypical things that can be better found in TripAdvisor, etc. For any place that I know well, I usually don't agree with much in a 36 Hours column.
I think it would be most helpful if Traveler advice in any portrayal should include up-to-date unusual lodging bargains, tips only locals know and cultural items not on the usual lists.
One way to re-state what your column posits is that the Web has radically changed travel but the NYT Travel column hasn't adjusted. Everyone uses the Web, so the only practical reason to use the NYT is if there's something else there, or perhaps a really good traditional travelogue read or pictures.
I believe the NYT has a chance to fill a big void by providing up-to-the-minute advice from locals that is not on the Web.
Also, the Frugal Traveler was one of the best columns and is a great example of a void to fill in a new way. Hope this helps you, Amy.
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Thank you. I never agree with 36 hours in_____. I often wonder if the 36 hour writers have ever been to the cities they describe. This feature is worthless.
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I’d like to see information about tours by local people and info about women traveling alone. The more details about a place, the better, short USA Today-like summaries don’t give the flavor of a new place.
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Are you aware of Words without Borders, wordswithoutborders.org? It is a fantastic source of just the kinds of writers from around the world you are looking for (including writers from well over a hundred countries and languages, far more than any other publication I’m aware of) and has for the past 15 years sought a collaboration to produce just the kind of travel features you are proposing. I hope you will be in touch with the Executive Director, Karen Phillips, [email protected].
HI, I'm traveling to Istanbul next spring and am concerned about their new airport's transportation to the city center. How about a series on all the new International airports that will be finished soon with advice/links on how best to use them. Thanks.
I'd like to see "news that you can use". For example, in Malaysia it's very helpful to know that restaurants are required to display a health department sign with the letter "A", "B" or "C". C is minimally acceptable, B is better and A is given to restaurants with outstanding cleanliness. This kind of "inside" info is what I would like to read.
The Times has done a good job in covering the sharing economy, from the moment it became a national and global trend. But: there is one significant topic never published in my memory, and that is the negative personal experience of your readers in addressing the lack of transparency when working with travel agents & tour operators.
This is a huge issue, covering—just a guess!—70% of your readership. I have worked with many (travel agents/tour operators)---often both on the same trip! The customer is never right! There is no separate disclosure of individual prices that add up to one aggregate package price. Nor is there anything remotely outlining the travel agent/tour operator fees embedded in the larger total. Even worse, I have experienced smug rejections for any such disclosure, and outright refusal to even discuss the issue.
So, in my very strong opinion, you have an ideal opportunity to publish a “series” around this particular topic, [lack of transparency, etc.] in all its many ramifications. It may not endear you to industry professionals, but it will certainly de-mystify the service/pricing equation and it is consistent with your new emphasis on making your articles more focused on the personal side of travel. In fact, many people I know are using “sharing” websites and unbundling their trip planning to achieve greater choice and transparency. And cost savings!!
“Caveat Emptor!
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Congratulations! Reading these comments is especially interesting to me as a former travel editor. It's also a great topic for professional discussion, and I hope you'll share with others in our profession at the SATW Editors Council meeting in NYC in January.
As a disabled retiree, I believe that EVERY travel column should assess the accessibility of the travel venues.
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Thanks for asking Amy. I’d like to see more affordable travel options. Too often the lodging and meal options are out of my budget. We travel a lot on a budget so I know it can be done. How about some backpacking options? Hiking trips? Ideas for active independent travel. I love 36 hours! I’m crazy about therestaurant review site cakes the Infatuation but have never seen it mentioned. Their texting service is amazing. Tips like that would be valuable.
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How about more VR videos or 360of places, so people can experience these wonderful places without adding to their carbon footprint .
1. Ask locals: what's the one top sight or experience that you would recommend to any visitor? (Tabulate, visit, include it.)
2. Ask locals: what's the sight or experience that distinguishes this city/area and perhaps that cannot be experienced anywhere else? (Note that 1 and 2 may be the same.)
3. On the first day the reporter arrives, what are the sensory experiences that make this city/place different?
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How about more local, discovery travel that stirs the adventurer's spirit, such as:
http://www.pedallove.org/travels-with-charlie-by-charlie-gandy/
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Congrats on your new position. However, I honestly think your perspective on taking the "I" out of the story and adding that people "want the tools to discover [a place] for themselves" is the exact opposite of what makes a good travel article. There a thousand, maybe more, websites out there that allow us to find those tools. It is the personal narrative and individual experience that makes a travel article and the place being visited come alive, at least to this reader. Taking that out is akin to a restaurant reviewer saying "there are six sushi restaurants on this block go enjoy them in your own way," rather than going to one and writing about their likes, dislikes and overall impression. As for the articles themselves please do become like some travel magazines that have become nothing more than pictures with long captions. Please retain the longer, detailed articles this paper is known for and that let us get immersed in the locale. I guess you feel that the travel section needs fixing. I, however, do not think it is broken.
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@Andrew I'm all for the long, detailed story, and I love great writing (did you look at the walking the perimeter of Paris piece that I mentioned), but I want the place being visited to be in the foreground, not the writer. And I don't think you need the first person pronoun to really capture the sense of a place. I mentioned this article in my reply to another commenter. Rural, deeply observed, no 'I'
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/travel/west-virginia-towns.html
Our story on Yosemite after the Ferguson fire is told in the first person, but it rightly puts the place at its center, not the writer:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/05/travel/yosemite-fires.html
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@Amy Virshup Now that you mention it, I read and loved that West Virginia story, and i almost never read conventional travel stories! I never would have pinpointed the lack of first person as the reason why. Interesting!
@Amy Virshup That Paris story was great and I personally look to the Times for stories written by authoritative writers. When such a trusted writer is taking me on a journey to a place they know intimately, I like when the story is framed in the first person. There's no reason why a story with that expert voice can't walk and chew gum at the same time -- be personal and personable, but also immersed in local culture and provide the kind of service journalism you describe.
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As are many of your online readers, I am an American and long time resident abroad, in my case, the Philippines. How about regional approaches, such as: "the best travel destinations two hours from Metro Manila"? Gear this to the middle class reader. Most Americans abroad are not wealthy expats, but NGO workers, volunteers, and the like. This would also appeal to middle-class Asians -- a growing class that travels more and more, especially for 3 and 4 day outings within the region.
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Please consider sharing ideas for hotels and meals that will not be “expensed”. Instead please choose real places that are special that people may wish to explore that are fairly priced. I find I no longer read the articles with absurdly priced slices of nirvana that are only afforded by the very few. My husband and I love to travel. Inspire us please! Make suggestions. Maybe even include a road trip or two where we can throw our 2 dogs in the back of our car to go with us and find adventure, wonderful food and a cozy roof for a few nights. In fact that is would be a regular column I would love to read or write! Thanks for the opportunity to make a suggestion.
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@Joy Fopiano We do try and include a range of hotels in our stories, particularly the '36 Hours' column. We've also recently added sharing economy options to each of those columns, because we know that's how many people now travel. Check out our Frugal Traveler columns, too.
Hi Amy - I hope you will continue reconsidering what the 36 hours column covers. My personal informal content analysis is it's mostly a food and drink column (which is not a bad thing) with just a touch of places of interest.
I believe the Times reader can find coiuntless suggestions already available for a good palce to eat and drink as she/he travels the world. But we need more and more advice on the little, quirky things to do and places to see.
Also I've wondered for years where the time span of 36 hours came from. Has the Times considered more conventional time frames - short and/or long - for giving us insight into a given city?
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@Amy Virshup
You are being too defensive. Don't worry about writing back what you think you are doing for now. You can address that in a larger response once you read through everyone's comments. For now, just listen.
Interesting corners of large, historic cities, worldwide.
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Less pandering to the tastes of the wealthy and footloose, more on the US and in particular places that can be visited on day trips and long weekends within reach of the tri-state area. Serve ALL your readers, please.
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@KS
Couldn't agree with you more about the pandering !
An example: the recent 36 hours in Oslo. Fully two thirds of the article dealt with eating, drinking and shopping !
Not sure about day trips being "travel", tho'
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Last year I watched a PBS travel show that featured African safaris. The host suggested some “pleasant” places to stay in the parks. I got excited and looked up the destimation hotels on line. They all started at about $1,200 a night. That quickly squashed my travel plans.
How about an article on affordable safari adventures, i.e. travel for people other than the top 1%.
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As an erstwhile owner of a Market Research company I despair at the way companies, not just the Times, ignore their audience. Check the demographics of your readership first. How many have the fortitude and fitness to walk 25 miles around Paris for goodness sakes! Or drive here, drive there, hop, skip and jump. The largest demographic boom is probably 50+ AND these travel the most because they have the TIME and they have the MONEY (travel these days, particularly in Europe, is stratospherically expensive. When you are older, you don’t want to be searching for an owner with the key to the Air BnB after a 5 hour flight and time change, and you don’t actually want to even worry they wil turn up. So I disagree your audience want that. MAYBE the 25-34 group want that, and can tolerate problems and uncertainties but are they your largest cohort? But typically I would tell my clients they must know who their current audience is and who are the people that do not use their product. I suspect the current audience is older, hence my earlier comments. But regardless the Times has to verify the profiles of users and non users, - their interests, needs, worries, concerns, with a market research study.
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Most comment should here’s mention the nyt is out of touch: too many articles on expensive trips, hotels and real estate. Most readers aren’t part of the 1% and travel on a budget !
I am retired and living here in Nerja, Andalusia. Peak season here is in the summer, but in the off-season, this town attracts many northern Europeans who spend the winter months here. I have met many through hiking in the area's wide variety of trails for all levels of hiking expertise. I also meet some Americans and Canadians who come for up to three months to enjoy low rental and living costs. I think it's a different kind of travel then much of the 'vacation destination' writing. Folks who come here for longer stays are generally retired, rent an self-contained apartment rather then stay in a hotel and want to join local activity groups versus sight-seeing tours. Towns like Nerja, with mountain trails, convenient to locations like Malaga andGranada, and plenty of activities are different from typical big city travel destinations like Paris or Rome. I enjoy reading about weekend destinations, budget travel and seasonal skiing or winter Caribbean sun spots, but focus on attractive long stay destinations for retired travelers with details on off-season weather, rental and food costs, and ease of entry to activities would be useful! Thank you!
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Hi Amy
I read the digital NYT every day, and as soon as I am done with the core of the newspaper I check with the Travel Section to see if anything interesting is there. I have traveled extensively, both for work and for pleasure and I am always looking for a connection back to somewhere I have been, and insight into somewhere I want to go, basically a reason to rearrange the priority on my travel wish list.
I personally find more interesting when the stories dive into a particular unique cultural idiosyncrasy of a place or a historical or personal connection to a location that one could visit. I feel this can mostly be accomplished by local sources and not the fly-in-fly-out, carpetbagger type reporting. For instance, in Lima, ceviche is generally only served for lunch, because locals feel that by dinner the fish is no longer fresh. See where that story goes!
With WiFi and 5 minutes anyone can figure out the hotel, restaurant and cultural highlights of most anywhere they are going to travel. Why not have a local interview patrons at the Click Clack hotel in Bogota on a Thursday night and see where that leads?
Just my thoughts, hope they add value.
Thanks, Carlos
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@Carlos Fonseca I will remember the ceviche tip the next time I'm in Lima!
When I read the wonderful travel columnists in the Times, it's an act of daydreaming. I'd love to visit so many places--in the US and afar, but money is the critical obstacle. Getting to a destination, especially air fare, is the biggest roadblock. If I am going to set aside precious and limited vacation time, I want my trip to be affordable and enjoyable (I know there's never a guarantee for that). How does one put a trip together from start/planning to finish/getting home. Not everyone can get to Fiji or Sydney or Machu Picchu, even Mt. Rushmore (that ain't easy). Such trips eat up vacation time with travel time (I went to London recently and spent over 2 hours in the passport and immigration line after an overnight flight) and are expensive. Show me not only what I can do, but how to do it. That would be worth reading about.
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Maybe a re-think of the "36-hours in.." series. People who write those articles seem to spend so much time "eating and drinking", many a time in expensive places. If I were going to follow those itineraries I would be too drunk to remember where I have been and would come back home 10 pounds heavier, not my idea of a good travel experience. Besides there is nothing like friending and asking the locals or checking non-tourist online reviews to find the good places.
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When we’re preparing to travel, every person in our four-person family researched what they wish to see and comes to the table with their proposal. We end up with a rich array of activities based on our different interests and priorities ann’s budgets. Then we create our itinerary so each person gets a share of their ideas on it. We often turn over a day or a portion of the day to each of us in turn. I’d love to see some facsimile of this in your writing so we can find a range of activities, cultural institutions, neighborhoods and routes to choose from.
And if you ever want someone to talk about Philly, let me know. You know how we feel about our city!
I’d like less on trendy bars and restaurants and more on where to grab lunch when out and about in a new city. More average-price hotels. Ins and outs of using public transit to get around a country, particularly in Europe, including travel passes.
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Travel articles have evolved into a series of descriptions of restaurants and bars linked together with brief references to the place visited. If there are restaurants of unusual interest, of historical or cultural significance, then mention them at the end of the article with the hotels.
We love to travel but mass tourism has become enormously culturally and environmentally destructive. Try to think outside the box about how we can satisfy our love of travel without being part of the problem. Local trips, train trips, hiking, volunteering & study trips etc. It would also be valuable to read more about travel itself as a political issue. Investigations of how different places are trying to limit tourism or deal with the problems it creates, for example.
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@Martin I agree wholeheartedly with you & others who voiced concerns about overtourism & the environmental damage generated by travel. I, too, am interested in travel not as a commodity (i.e., a product with an industry), but as an active verb that implies learning & growth through cultural immersion. Going local, off-season, off-hours, off the beaten path and low-budget are proven strategies for minimizing the harmful impacts of travel. As an introvert married to an extrovert, I am drawn to small-group travel that will entertain my husband while allowing me time to think, take photos & write. (I am a poet, journalist, photographer & environmentalist.) But I have been horrified by the cost of many educational trips sponsored by worthy groups like National Geographic & the Smithsonian! So when I wanted to travel in haiku poet Matsuo Basho's stomping ground, I discovered a small group travel company based in the U.K. that employs local guides, patronizes local hotels & offers affordable cultural immersion, then used the same approach for trips to Ireland and Costa Rica. The best aspect of these trips has been the collective age & nationality range of the travel groups: 21-77, from Canada, Germany, England, Scotland, India, U.S. & Australia. Our guides have all been 30-40 somethings, w/ a wealth of local lore, experience & knowledge. Best thing of all, NO DRIVING! I find these kinds of trips are the best value & least stressful. I've also enjoyed great writing workshops abroad.
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More travel tips and in-depth stories with people on limited budgets, especially retirees, in mind. (The Frugal Traveler pieces seemed to be aimed at younger people, especially men.) Older women traveling alone in developing countries. How to navigate between cities/countries using trains and buses (such as, in India,Thailand, and Africa). How to cut or ameliorate carbon emissions. Bring back the online feature that made it possible to find older stories with links to recommended hotels and restaurants with a range of prices. Thanks for asking!
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Great initiative. I believe that in general travel articles miss three key points: Authenticity, Enlightenment and Sensorial Delight. Best of luck with all.
This is really exciting and refreshing to read! I love to travel, but often work prohibits me. I really like reading about more authentic experiences, and getting away from the first person I would love to hear more from locals.
I think there is an opportunity for travel journalism to be more like regular journalism, telling the stories of the places and people rather than an outsider's view of those. Even though writers will continue parachuting into places, talking to locals and figuring out what's going on in a place is important to the story.
For example, I studied abroad in Rabat, Morocco. There are plenty of travel articles about Morocco, and there are lots of news articles about Morocco. However, I never really connected the political unrest to something I would see day to day, people actually protesting in the streets of Rabat. That should be included in travel articles to give people a fuller picture of what's going on with context.
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so many of us are seniors and slightly handicapped....we can't walk around Paris. A weekly article about intrepid oldsters would be welcome, not one about those who are still hiking 10 miles a day, but those who need to overcome obstacles. For example, airports require one to walk miles to the gate, and yet I don't like to take wheelchairs...I'd like to know which airports have the longest walks. When I do take wheelchairs, how much to tip around the world. Also, how to get around best, e.g., London tube frequently a problem. How about hiring guides who are sensitive to physical problems. These articles can be upbeat.
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Great initiative. In the age of over-tourism, I'd like to read about overlooked adjacent places to visit. Paris-adjacent adventures. Eastern European locations. How to travel ethically, and to make sure our tourism dollars go to support local shop owners and artisans. Articles that include what time to visit popular destinations to avoid the crowds. Sobering pieces that support contrasting opinions. Learn how the local lives are affected by the surge of social-media inspired travelers. Places to go where the dollar is strong.
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Good Morning, I would like to see articles on outdoor experiences: kayaking, backpacking, hiking, camping. I find that I enjoy the outdoors more than cities, although I have visited a fair number of cities both here and abroad. I notice that many of the comments request less expensive travel, and surely camping addresses that concern!
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As a single mom, it would be great if the Travel section could include more information about trips that would be good with kids of various ages (mine are 9 and 18). I’m looking for places with natural wonders (Galapagos or Costa Rica), rather than Disney World or resorts.
I’d also like information about good trips and hotels for single people. For example, I’ve enjoyed safaris in Africabit want to stay at camps that have communal tables and make it easy and comfortable for singles to meet up with others.
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Congratulations on your new position! I hope it is both exciting and fulfilling. As a happy traveler to lots of usual places both here and abroad, reading about unusual locations in the US would be enticing to me. I’ve been exploring both the Midwest and Southwest the past couple of years with Airbnb and also camping in national parks and BLM land. There is so much to explore in this country and incredible people to meet along the way. Articles about THIS LAND would be welcomed.
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I'd like articles on train and river trips in the U.S.
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A travel question, Amy, the region of Puerto Vallarta, i.e.
Punta Mita (a little north) of PV good for snorkeling?
thank you!
sjl
I’d like to see more transparency. It’s a known fact that many NYT writers lie about getting their hotel or activity covered and even request fake receipts so they can pretend they paid for the experience. Use the same policy as most other reputable publications and simply state if the writer was hosted on a press trip. You’ll bring in a much wider variety of voices as a huge bonus.
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More affordable places please. Less of the exotic $1000-a-night hotels overlooking a scenic location, followed by a $500 meal of local produce cooked by a 3star Michelin. These ‘fabulous tales of the rich elite to boast to the poor, pathetic masses’ are incredibly eye-rollingly tedious. There’s room for both.
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@Mat
I agree. If you really want to experience the culture of a place you aren’t going to find it by staying in a $1,000 hotel room or in a restaurant none of the locals can afford.
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@Mat I totally agree. With such articles, I sometimes wonder if the readership of the NYT is mostly in the 1%? I'd love to see more articles about affordable AND interesting places to travel to--for working class readers.
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@Mat - I totally agree. The Sunday Times reads like a paper for the 1%, and I find it amazingly boring.
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It would be great to have more factual, historic, cultural information in articles and less about the writer's personal experience/revelations/personal growth stories.
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@DHM agree on the history aspect. I would prefer a NYT article to a wiki search, which is what I do now to put a new place into historical context.
Within five years all of your travel material will be in virtual rality. You may as well get started now.
Glad you asked! You recently ran a story on traveling in Tuscany: Pasta Dreams and Flying Machines. There is nothing wrong with going to Tuscany. Tuscany is gorgeous. I love Tuscany. But come on: another article about the same six places in the same little corner of Tuscany? Even the The New York Times itself has written about ALL of these places multiple times over. Another article about going to Tuscany and eating pasta isn't what travelers need. If you want a different kind of experience - where you won't run into your neighbors from back home - head just a bit off this much beaten track. Even to another area of Tuscany. Or a bit further south to Umbria. There are just too many tourists in the world to responsibly send them to the same places over and over. The Times has even written about this problem (mismanagement of tourism in cities like Florence, Rome and Venice). As travel writers we have to take responsibility for both the problem as well as the possible solution. We as writers should not just provide specifics for heading off the main roads, but provide inspiration for a way of traveling that is both inspirational as well as instructive. Don't be afraid. If you leave your comfort zone even a little bit you will be rewarded by finding yourself in a town or village where you might be the only tourist.
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@Elizabeth Minchilli Well, we took you farther afield with our cover story this week on observatories, which begins in Atacama, Chile. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/travel/astronomy-stars-observatories-science-tourism.html
I hear you on Tuscany, though on the other hand, it is a great place to visit with children. But we definitely have to take into account our own impact on places, especially with so many once-delightful places now feeling overrun (Barcelona, I'm talking about you).
And along with the Tuscany piece we ran this, about some more surprising destinations for family trips: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/travel/four-family-trip-destinations-in-europe.html
@Amy Virshup, congratulations on the new position, wish you all the best!
As a freelance travel journalist currently based in Barcelona, l respectfully disagree with your assessment that this "once delightful" city is now overrun with mass tourism.
When it comes to popular cities, most travel publications focus on overviews of the same old districts, monuments and activities that made these locations famous in the first place. Unbeknownst to many, there is a wealth of areas, activities and personalities found minutes from the city center that offer authentic, well-rounded experiences seldom found in typical travel pieces. Barcelona is no exception.
My suggestion, on par with some of the changes you'd like to implement, is to report on a well-known location's lesser-known (but equally captivating) delights through a fresh lens or perspective.
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@Amy Virshup
This is exactly the point. We pay the Times $750 per year to discover and explain what we can't discover and explain for ourselves.
So as Elizabeth points out - less Tuscany - more Umbria. I know you can give us specific examples of "Umbria coverage." We are asking you though to lean toward it more heavily. Thanks.
Hi Amy, Congratulations on your new position. My husband Michael and I enjoy the “36 Hours in . . .” section for its overview of a destination that might pique our interest for a longer visit. We’ve been full-time global nomads since 2011, and typically stay at a destination for a month or more (using Airbnb or similar rentals). We’ve found that by embedding ourselves in a city or town for an extended time we are able to absorb the local flavor, yet still view it with the fresh eyes of a visitor.
We write the “Field Tested Travel Tips” column for the Philadelphia Inquirer based on our experiences, and have learned that our readers value travel information from a “been there, done that” perspective. Recognizing that much of the future for travel stories is digital, we also maintain a blog called “Changes in Longitude,” where we provide our readers with a more in-depth account of our “live like a local” travels. We’d love to chat with you more to see if we can assist you as you reboot the Travel section.
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Dear Ms. Virshup,
Congratulations on becoming the new Travel editor for the New York Times. What a feat! I am eager to see the changes you want to bring in for one of my favorite sections at your paper. I want to address two different ideas here. First, I support your intention to have more travel pieces written by locals. I scout old Anthony Bourdain, Samantha Brown, and the New York Times own 36 Hours video series whenever traveling and focus on the places locals recommend tourists go to. I want to hear more from people who reside in these foreign countries and learn where I should go from them. Second, I wish for you to continue the 36 hours video series. I miss watching new episodes and enjoy seeing these places not just with photographs but in video. The 360 degree series is great but I prefer to watch those for political coverages and foreign affairs, such as the fantastic report on a mental health hospital in Venezuela. I want to see the 36 hours series make a comeback.
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@Rebecca Thanks, I liked the '36 Hours' videos too, and it would be great to bring them back.
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What might be interesting would be for the regular (as in non travel) writer/journalists to write a slice of life or essay on the places where they currently live and are stationed by the Times.
In travel writing I have always been more interested by what a place is like rather than a list of places to go and things to see. Any place is way more than the bucket list check offs first time visitors spend way too much time trying to see.
Another resource would be regular writing from expatriates so that we can see the places they live as they unfold during their time in that city or region.
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I would like to see the total cost of such trips itemized by categories like airfare, lodging, food, insurance, related clothing, technology, health care needs, etc. I hesitate to travel because I assume it will cost a lot. Sometimes it might, but often it probably doesn't cost as much as I might think. Also, maybe a trip for a given cost may be less than something I already pay for routinely but could forego. It would be helpful to have the facts from experienced travelers, since I'm unlikely to easily discover them myself.
It would also help to do away with the presumption that we all travel, or that only avid travelers read the articles. It's insulting to be reading an otherwise interesting travel article and then come across a statement that reveals that the author is addressing a group that does not include yourself. It doesn't have to be an exclusive club for those in the know. It could be an open seminar on the mechanics of mobility, in many senses of the word.
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More on $150 a night hotels, less on $500 a night and hostels. More on good reasonable locals to eat and less on the bar scene (36 hr. articles) More on areas and attractions of interest, public transportation options, insider tips (how to reserve an entry time into the Academia Gallery etc.) The local food specialties and markets, festivals, traditions, cultural do's and don'ts.
People travel as tourists; to see and explore, or vacationers; to relax and play. Two different articles, same local.
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When browsing through travel reports, I would love to read more about people in urban areas across the world confronting gentrification and rising prices for housing. Are there strategies that we all can learn from ? How can we avoid disasters like the "ghost ship" fire in the bay area? Which initiatives and communities and coops exist and what is their strategy to tackle absurd housing prices?
I like articles based on interesting experiences. Sailing around Haida Gwaii. Learning to cook in India. Walking through Portugal. Doing stuff, as opposed to seeing stuff.
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I do many volunteer travel trips. I would love to share my experiences with you and the readers. I’ve been to Ghana, Honduras, China and Bolivia. There are many, many stories that come out of each experience. I typically stay in the country and travel after the trip. It leads to great stroies!
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I'm inclined to think that the idea of "authentic" travel is something of a fiction (and a marketing ploy). Travelers are outsiders, and renting an apartment or hanging out in local bars doesn't do anything to change that. That's not to say that travelers to Paris should throw up their hands and split their time between Les Deux Magots and Disneyland—it's very much worth seeking out special experiences that aren't straight from central casting—but to me, celebrating the perspective and wonder of being an outsider is part of the joy of travel.
While I often seek out writing from those who live in places I visit, I believe there's real value in the travel writer as a newcomer to the place they're writing about. Often, what they'll see and experience is very different from what locals are oriented to—that's not necessarily getting it wrong, it's just travel.
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Love the post. Interesting to note what travellers are looking for these days by way of information. As a writer who grew up in Abu Dhabi and currently based in Dubai my gut feeling is that people want to discover 'hidden gems,' things that they'd like to experience that are integral to the culture. How is Emirati cuisine prepared? What does the Emirati hospitality constitute (think traditional ghahwa and dates)? What about historic monuments? What's the story behind the ancient forts seen in each Emirate? Perhaps traditional crafts such as telli and sadu.
Then, a taste of contemporary Emirati cuisine. What does that look like? Also, given that the UAE has a lot of desert wildlife and bird sanctuaries (Dubai's Ras Al Khor sanctuary and Abu Dhabi's Sir Baniyas Island are examples), wildlife and nature enthusiasts would definitely be interested to learn more.
Personally, I'm always intrigued by the past, where did the people of the land come from? What were their stories? Which ruler or tribe made it possible for the generations to come to have an abundant life?
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@Jan I think you're spot on here. I know when I travel I love to discover the smaller, less-visited spots. And often they are places locals know well, but that don't make the "top 10" list about a certain place.
I have rarely used the word I in my travel articles, my basic themes are how the past informs the present, and how such veil-lifting leads to a sense of authenticity and greater understanding of human pace and place in the world. I like travel articles that help define the paradigm between subtle change and drastic transformation, instead of quik color swatch articles that deal with where to eat and what to see.
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I'd like juxtaposition articles. Not just the traveler, not just the local, but both of them talking about the same place. For example, I'm thinking of my fond memories of Syria in 2010, it would be fascinating, to me at least, to have someone tell us what those beautiful places have become. Same for any war-torn country/region. Remind people that war is not the only defining factor.
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As a female college student, I have done some solo traveling with the help of family, friends, and (of course) the internet. While social media can paint a rosy picture of solo traveling, in reality there are many bumps in the road (some of which turn into memorable stories). That being said, learning more about the challenges of traveling would be useful. Exploring how an area has changed/historical features of a place could also be worthwhile to learn about. Profiles about the day in the life of a person who lives in the area could also give readers an "authentic" perspective.
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I absolutely agree with the idea of taking the "I" out of the equation. There are still a great number of places in the world that see virtually no foreign visitors and where the "I' basically stands for "irrelevant." I know this for a fact as I've made it my business to visit those places. I've submitted copy to the NYT relating to my travels in places like Abkhazia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, the Russian Caucasus and the Badain Jaran desert in Inner Mongolia- without even a response from the previous travel editor. I've had some of these pieces published elsewhere once I determined that I was never going to receive even a polite letter of rejection from The Times. Hopefully, a change at the top will allow for more coverage of the world that exists beyond western Europe and those other familiar tourist traps.
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I would love to read articles about travel in such off the beaten path places.
Less about trendy boutique and gourmet experiences that can be found in every major city and more about things that are truly unique to the location
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I think you should reinstate the Business Travel column, previously written by Joe Sharkey. I don't know why this was dropped, but I found the information timely and useful. That kind of information is more pertinent for me than, say, tips on renting yurts in Madagascar.
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I definitely agree with this, but also, recognize that there are different types of business travelers from diverse work settings. We work for non-profits, are self-employed, etc. Joe Sharkey's perspective after a while felt very geared toward a traveler with a generous expense account, and a particular type of employer/employee.
While I really enjoy the “52 Places” columns, I do think that I would prefer someone having more experience in a place before writing any sort of travel guide about it. Could you consider still covering 52 places in the year, but doing it with four people, who are, perhaps, there for more than a week each? Alternatively, you could pair each of the 52 Places columns with a more in-depth piece by an expat local, or someone who regularly works in the travel world and is familiar with that place. I am not looking for sales brochures of tours here, but a sense of “boots on the ground,” useful information that “a friend in the know” would give you.
Getting a feel for a place and spending two nights there are just two different things. Jada is entertaining and insightful, but I’m reading one person’s travel log instead of getting a real sense of place. I miss the more in-depth articles.
The travel section is one of the many reasons I read the New York Times as a digital subscriber. Frankly, it’s not cheap. I think you would provide more value to your travel subscribers if you considered an alternate approach to this coverage.
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@Unknown, glad you think Jada is insightful and entertaining. I have found her to be boring and the way she travels and what she does is so different from my travel style and interests that I stopped reading her articles after about 5 places. The only thing she was spot on about was how dangerous New Orleans is...and she got slammed for that! If there’s one thing NOLA hospitals are food at, it’s treating gunshot wounds.
1
Consider that most travelers have limited funds. Exotic, adventurous locales are unrealistic. How about affordable Paris, London, etc?
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I am loving the 52 places to go articles! The NYT has the best overall travel writing. Sometimes the writing paints too rosy a picture. I prefer a clear lens in my camera. For example, I was in Paris and the streets have many refugees. I have deep empathy for the refugees as well as personal safety concerns. I believe most readers would prefer a clear lens over a rose tinted one.
6
In this day and age of global warming, climate change, planetary pollution, spread of non-native species, and so forth, consider including estimates of the traveler's carbon footprint and environmental impacts
9
Congrats on your new position! My wife and I love the 36-hour series but now that we have a two-year-old all of those cafe and bar stops (and hat stores) are not happening! We still love to travel but the Times travel section isn’t as relevant as it once was. Your planned focus on asking locals for tips should help. Perhaps you should always have a tip from a local parent. To give you an idea of the kids of places we travel, we’ve been to Sonoma, Boulder, Asheville, New York City, St. Louis, and Philadelphia over the last two years with our daughter (and St. Lucia without our daughter). Also, Helene Cooper is a fabulous writer who has excellent taste when it comes to travel! Thanks!
1
Please encourage Sam Sifton and other contributors to write more about their fly fishing travels. There is a wider readership for this topic than you might imagine. My wife and I have cooked his Bahamian stew receipe many times which he discovered while fly fishing in one of the out islands.
1
Please give the pricing in US dollars throughout your stories.
7
Practical info articles, please. Nuts-and-bolts stuff. Let some other publication do the introspective personal reaction pieces.
7
Just don't do any more stories about the search for the Trump family roots --
17
In-general, I’m very happy with NYT’s place in my travel planning library! I see the NYT as being uniquely capable of providing authoritative, current, up-to-date travel information – while also providing detail, depth, & context.
When I prepare for a trip, among other references, I always search for the most recent “36 Hours” articles about the places I’ll be visiting. If they’re recent, they provide excellent ideas for new places to stay, restaurants, and unique things to see or do. Even older articles provide insight into promising hotels, restaurants & activities that, in the meantime, may have become established.
I also bookmark the relevant NYT news & travel pages for more detailed, topical, recent news & travel writing on the location.
I recently traveled through Eastern/Central Europe – including Prague, Czechia. I found the very up-to-date, fun, & local information provided by the guys at Honest Guide (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt7oj318jVQi7vRbc1bNjJA) extremely useful, helpful, & entertaining! They originally focused on their hometown of Prague – but are also branching out to other nearby cities. Their approach provided that “’authentic’ [and current] take,” that you mention, on Prague. This recent experience reinforces your plan to increase the use of local writers to provide insight into what is new, current and unique – which will nicely augment the coverage of tourist staples provided by traditional guidebooks & guidebook-based online references.
1
I love the articles in the NY Times and hope you don't change them too much. I rely heavily on your suggestions as I plan my own trips. I love the focus on off the beaten path neighborhoods. Please continue the 36 Hours in a location series as they are my favorite articles. Please continue to write about hotels as I prefer hotels, inns and B&Bs compared to house rentals and AirB&Bs. Please do not follow the lead of Travel + Leisure and other publications that now spend a lot of time on articles on what to pack, what shoes to wear in Rome, how to pack and other ridiculous articles. I think they do it to make a commission on sales
4
I'm excited to hear that the NY Times is revamping their travel articles! The quality of writing and photography has always been impressive and I look forward to seeing what new types of articles will be released. A question for Amy - how does the New York Times plan on taking on this new age of visual-heavy articles? The rise of social media has overloaded the public with photographs and it's becoming harder to stand out as a travel photographer. How will the upcoming NY Times travel photographers rise above the pack to produce images that truly move it's readership? As a travel photographer, I'm always interested to see the angle that your photographers are going for with their images. Thank you for your time!
1
I love the NYT travel writing, but as a wheelchair user it ends up being completely useless for me from a practical point of view. I can't base my own travel on the NYT suggestions because I have no clue if they are wheelchair accessible. It would be great to see more consideration for diverse travelers with different needs. Disability is my main concern, but the coverage could also be improved regarding different genders, different races, different family structures, etc.
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@Lindsay You have been listening to our conversations! We have been talking about this very issue lately and figuring out some coverage of traveling with a disability. We also have been trying to have writers with a broader range of backgrounds write for us. Did you see this piece a little while ago about the experiences of a young, black woman on her college year abroad in Italy?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/travel/racism-travel-italy-study-abroad.html
1
Lindsay, I agree. There is a distinct lack of coverage of accessible travel destinations. I write about accessible and inclusive tourism for a family publication and for my own website. My readers are so grateful for the detailed information which addresses their needs and queries. My son is a wheelchair user so I'm particularly passionate about the topic. It is always seen as niche market but 1 in 5 Australians live with a disability. It can be engaging as well as informative. A great opportunity for NYT.
@Amy Virshup thanks Lindsey for bringing up this issue. I too am a wheelchair user that loves to travel. As a Reader I have always valued the New York Times restaurant reviews. The reviews always include a very simple accessibility note. I do not know if it is possible, but maybe New York Times can create a similar type note to attach to travel reviews. Happy to help contribute ideas for assessing! Thanks for asking! And please continue to 36 hours-I really appreciate it and often use this news column. @Julie what is your website?
Dear Ms. Virshup:
As a veteran Maine journalist in "Vacationland," I'm familiar with the lacks of many writers who parachute into the state, including some famous ones. So I applaud (perhaps a little self-servingly) the desire to hire locals.
But it's hard to get an "authentic" view of a place--another desire expressed--without a first-person narration, which you desire to reduce. Such a narrator automatically brings a certain authenticity--a real human's eyes, ears, taste buds, etc. that the reader can share.
How can all these desires be reconciled? Well . . . here's a possible example: why not commission Carolyn Chute, Maine's literary novelist of our poor people, to write what she sees at a celebrated resort of rich people such as Kennebunkport or Northeast Harbor. But ask her to write it--keeping it totally true--in the third person, as she does with much of her fiction. I guarantee It would be both hilarious and highly informative.
She might not be willing to do this, but I bet the approach could be duplicated all over the earth with all sorts of writers. It certainly would provide a way to break out of the moldy travel-article conventions.
9
@Lance Tapley: Thank you for your comments. I live in Portland, and haven’t quite yet gotten over our city’s being described as “a resort town” in The Times, or, in another article, reading that, since it was October, restaurants were shutting down and “the last of the cruise ships [had] gone ... “ when I could see them arriving daily, packed with leaf-peepers, from my living room windows. There is the idyllic tourist iconography of “lobster-and-rocky-shore-Maine” that never sees the grinding poverty of our state, the horror of daily overdose deaths, the homeless people sleeping in storefronts, the empty mill buildings, and the young people who flee for better opportunities “away.” People who think it’s all about snappy sailboats, khaki shorts and boat shoes don’t realize their dinner may have come from the boat of an oxy-addicted lobsterman. You’re right - they ought to know.
2
* When I was much younger, in the late 1980s, I backpacked in Southeast Asia, India, and Australia.I'm a recent amputee now and whenever I come across a travel piece that emphasizes taking long walks down narrow streets I stop reading. Where are there good places to sit and observe?
* I'd like to see more about travel in America. I don't feel welcome in other countries. (I can't imagine why!)
* Americans are obsessed with food. I mean, look at us! When we're not out eating, we're home eating or watching cooking shows. Travel writers should imagine that the place they're visiting will be the last place they'll ever go outside a five-mile radius of their permanent home and do what they would do if that were the case. How much time would they spend in bars, cafes and restaurants if that were the case? Not much, I bet.
6
1. The 36 hours section could be expanded to 48 hours and is a great resource regardless.
2. Websites to use for organizing trips/cost savings is helpful to be incorporated into articles.
3. Articles for solo travelers, women, etc are as important as other suggestions on family travel.
4. Multigenerational trips could be explored for families.
5. I read what high profile individuals pack for entertainment but not for information.
5
Congratulations - and thank you for asking! Fostering connection between peoples should be central to your mission. I would like to see more stories connecting travelers to real people in interesting places doing extraordinary things. For example the Rainforest Alliance's work in the Peten in Guatemala. Everyone can experience it, meet the people and feel invested in it. Of course it supports the mission - but it also enriches the traveler and their experience. Travel now needs to be far more than a comfortable chaise with a view.
Congrats on your new position! I actually like the "I" in travel stories - I agree we want more "authenticity," and what's more authentic than someone's story? Love the idea of local reporting. I'd like to see more on solo women's travel, especially boomer-aged women. I'd also love to see pieces on spirituality in travel -- as the word gets more chaotic and stressful and downright insane, I think many of us would appreciate stories of meditation, prayer, silence/solitude.
2
Travel journalism should include the reality of the travel, not just the romantic story of it or the big narrative. I'd like more reality. Lots more reality, feasibility; make it tangible, not just wistful. How about you consider a reader who earns enough to travel well but not be wanton or frugal? I'd like a down-to-earth narrative of what to splurge on (not the hotel) and what to save on, including hindsight analysis. I'd like more on logistics--how did you get that car to take you from point A to point B and pick you up 3 hours later to take you to point C? And how much did THAT cost?
I'd also like more diversity. Lots more diversity. Diversity of perspective, of activities, of destinations, of hotels within common destinations. Show me something well-visited with a truly new set of eyes...and logistics.
4
Budget-friendly travel with kids off the commercial path. Ideas for how middle class families can engage in the world, not escape it. For example, is there anything between huge corporate Disney cruises and ultra-luxury small educational cruises? What gems can you uncover that my online searches cannot? (And after the NYT uncovers them, do they stay that way?)
9
@Allison Not a cruise, but we did recently run this piece on some surprising places to take children that don't begin with a D or have princesses (at least fictional ones) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/travel/four-family-trip-destinations-in-europe.html
And overtourism is a problem that I am definitely thinking about. We don't want to ruin places that we love, either, but it's a fine line to walk.
1
First, congrats on winning this great gig. Things I like in travel writing: Humor and facts (not mutually exclusive). Trains. Cruises (but not the behemoths). Things I skip over: Anything about travel with kids (I'm interested in avoiding them).
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@Susan: I do skim the articles about travel with kids sometimes - so I know what to avoid.
3
What is travel for? To expand horizons? To encounter nature? To be merry? To enjoy couple time? To introduce children to their heritage - or new cultures? To eat? To see? To interact - or to get away? Or - these days - to fill an instagram feed with gold?
I would love the travel section to enable me to explore travel ideas from different perspectives: as a mother of school-aged children who love exploring cities, as half of a Spanish-speaking couple, as an East Coast native who loves quaint sea-side towns, as a nature-lover with basic camping gear...
Sometimes I want vivid culture, sometimess I want quiet family time.. I’d love a layer of different lenses/personas onto content.
7
@CT Very well said. I think we all want different things from travel at different times. Or all at the same time. I know I don't travel for any one reason and that we need to feed all those hungers.
1
I'd like NYT Travel Features to sort out four alternative budget tiers as well as four alternative exertion level tiers for destination highlights, lodging, food & beverage, shopping, getting around, etc.
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This is VERY exciting news - thanks so much!!!!
As an avid reader of the travel pieces, it really brings new destinations to life and makes my company look for equestrian vacations in those areas to add to our cache!
Seeing an area like a local is one of the main reasons the horseback riding trips are so popular - sleeping in the beds, eating the food and getting to places only accessible on horseback or foot - it's the "real" deal!
Can't wait! And Tally Ho!
1
@Stacey Adams
I have nothing against horseback camping, but to say you would do it would be to experience life “like a local” is quite a stretch. Most people I know here in Wyoming have ridden horses, but not very many do horsebac camp trips. We hook up the RV and head for the pretty places.
3
Here I mostly see what rich people do while traveling. Except for the Frugal Traveler guy. The chic, the stylish, the trendy. Well, I suppose it IS the NYT. Sometimes I see useful tips e.g. how to buy a ticket cheaper. On the other hand, once you have "discovered" a place, anywhere, it's immediately mobbed. Oh look, we saw it in the Times, gotta go there. And domestic travel is often overlooked. Ask ME, I live in a small rural area. So I guess what I'd like is more stuff for the little guy, the modest-budget guy, the solo, driving tour guy, the no-frills camper guy. Can you do better than Lonely Planet? Otherwise, I read for vicarious interest only.
26
@just someone We're there! Did you see this article we published last month about great small towns in West Virginia? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/travel/west-virginia-towns.html or this on Lexington, Kentucky?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/travel/horses-lexington-kentucky.html
@just someone We're there! Did you see this article we published last month about great small towns in West Virginia? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/travel/west-virginia-towns.html or this on Lexington, Kentucky?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/travel/horses-lexington-kentucky.html
@just someone
When we were poorer, we met people as we hitchiked, people we met on rideboards, some even jumped in a boxcar, or ... took public transportation. And some of us see up close as we get on bicycles like the Buddhist bike pilgramage, the sierra to the sea. I have a friend who rode the great divide from Banff to Newmexico, even though it was all on dirt, she met people from everywhere every day. Just go to a climbing mecca like Smith Rocks or Mt Hood in your area and you'll meet people from all over the world.
For the travel editor: include carbon footprint info for travel stories and suggest ways to minimize it. Emphasize how flying has a heavy carbon footprint, and feature local ideas or train travel, etc. Thanks!
12
As a culture and travel journalist, and an avid reader of the genre, I'd like to see more small towns make it into the stories we tell. Writers should embed themselves with locals and make those people the central characters of their stories.
Far-flung places outside of the U.S. are beautiful and rich in history—showing many readers a world they don't know. That said, few know what it's like to be a local in the former boom towns and communities that make up the country as a whole.
That said, let's explore the small towns in countries beyond our borders. Take us there with experiencial technology like augmented and virtual reality, map application integration (that rhymes), and photos that the reader can interact with. It will bring armchair travelers closer to the places they long to visit.
1
I recently traveled to Spain and one of the highlights that I looked forward to was the food culture. I wanted to experience the local cuisine as the locals do, but finding those restaurants that are like gems was sometimes challenging - especially with a language barrier, jet lag, and a full day of sightseeing. Later I saw the article, “How to actually eat like a local while traveling,” and thought, “More information like that would have been useful!”
Here are some thoughts: 1. Empowering the traveler. Among the travel articles that I find myself clicking on are the Travel Tips. As a traveler that seeks to be off the beaten path, I look for information that will allow me to travel with local know-how. More tips and resources that equip readers to be more confident and informed would resonate with travelers who want to discover things beyond the prescribed in order to have an authentic experience. Culinary tourism is growing, and examples of my questions are: what websites or apps do locals use to know the best places to eat? What if it's in another language? How do I order in a restaurant without any English speakers? 2. Travel approaches. I appreciated the recent article on the walk around the Paris periphery because it gave a fresh perspective on a highly traveled destination. Pieces that inspire travelers to explore and interact with locals in new and different ways would help readers to find more or new meaning in their travels and to make new discoveries.
More family travel. For each destination, add options for families.
2
Take me to places outside of the tired and true tourist path. Outside of cities and urban centers. I want details about the experiences your writers have in the wild, in small villages and towns that dot the planet but may only have a handful of hotels and restaurants, but offer something I CANT DO at home.
3
Here's what bugs me about so many of your travel articles: You spend way too much time talking about where to eat. Yes, I eat when I travel, but that's not why I travel. I travel to explore geographies that are new to me, museums that are new to me, people and cultures that are new to me. And, yes, food is a part of all that, but the NYTimes puts wayyyy too much emphasis on where to find the best meal or drink, usually at overblown prices.The NYTimes also spends too much time talking about where to shop while traveling. I don't travel to shop.
40
@R.F., totally agree, and the 36 hours articles are the worst in that regard. They seem to think that all you’re in town to do is eat, drink and shop, and only in the trendiest places. I keep reflexively hitting on 36 hours, hoping for some real insight on how to make the most of a 2 or 3 day stop in a town only to once again be hit in the face by a sales pitch to a 30 something with money. I really need to just say “no” to the NYT travel section. Sad
1
Hello. I am a frequent reader of the Travel section. My favorite column is the Frugal Traveler, but I also enjoy the 52 Places dispatches from Jada Yuan. Especially her photos - I like that those articles have quite a few photos.
I would like to see more pieces about affordable, low-cost travel.
Also, I like the idea of having local writers publish pieces about their region/city/etc.
As an aside, I enjoyed the pieces that used to occasionally be published about "A $1,000 Day in [City X] for $100." I found them amusing and entertaining.
3
@Emily S.: I stopped reading Jada Yuan’s pieces after she wrote extensively about the tourist-attraction puppets in Prague and never mentioned the glorious music that can be found nightly in, it seems, every little church in the city. I realized then that we were not on the same wavelength.
2
I am a 20 year old who loves to travel and I think a number of things would be interesting for your team to report about. It would be nice to look at travel bloggers in social media such as the accounts like gypsea_lust and the reality of how hard it is to get payed for posting pictures and blogging. Also, just a thought, looking if always documenting traveling on social media takes away from the experience. Also it would be cool to post backpacking routes and hostels and how to travel on a budget and find really cool hidden gems and hostels. I do love the "36 hours in __" But yes my biggest want is tips on budget traveling and how to get off the beaten path. Also personal anecdotes would be cool!
Amy, stories about Women of Color, of women's solo travel, of places that aren't "hip" and over-done, stories about hidden unexpected charm.. and #dogtravel. Thanks!
6
I'd like specifics re season and weather. One thing that frustrates me about many travel articles is the vagueness about when the trip took place. This probably makes it easier for the writer to place (sell) the article and for the editor to work it into a theme, for instance.
But I want to know what month, at the least. And what the weather was like and maybe the crowds.
I also think there's too much emphasis on food and especially drink. I could hardly care less, though it seems many people are traveling to eat and drink and photograph it.
8
I'd like to suggest a multi-perspective local flavor for a travel article. For example, an article on Ireland travel would include views from Clodagh McKenna (food), Norman McCloskey (photography), Marty Whelan (of the popular "Marty in the Morning"), and Fiona Shaw (theater). Of course your Dan Barry could introduce the topic beautifully. The "36 Hours" articles touch on this but this would be a local perspective.
Now more than ever, travel writing is an escape and should have the common ingredient of pleasure. Some people read travel writing to help plan a trip, but many read to be transported, to take a brief break from politics/the news/life in 2018. Tips don't encourage me to plan a trip, experiences that come alive on the page do. I'm hoping to be pulled in by strong narrative and storytelling when the travel section arrives each weekend.
6
@JAC We need to do both, I think. Transport you and help you plan. I am probably not going to make it down to Atacama, Chile, to look at the stars, but I loved this piece we just published:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/travel/astronomy-stars-observatories-science-tourism.html
At the same time, I want help figuring things out when I'm looking to book a trip.
3
@Amy Virshup
I have helped coordinate World Bank retiree and Dartmouth college retiree tours in recent years to Spain's Basque country, Romania and the Republic of Georgia. One of the most exciting and informative aspects was to arrange conversations over a meal with local authors, journalists, theatre set designers, former government officials about their lives, their countries and how they are dealing with many of the same issues that confront people in the USA.
1
I don't know why, but this year's '52 places to go' articles just do not hold my attention. Travel in the digital age, whether we like it or not, is all about images. I am not a big fan of videos, but image/video is the medium that's best for travel. I think more images to better showcase the places that are being covered will help most. Practical tips like local insights or best time to visit, with historical background of these places in shorter bursts would be more interesting to read. Thank you.
I usually search the Times whenever I am planning to travel, for both work and pleasure. It would be nice if there was an easy way to find all of the related articles grouped by country or at least region. Also, whenever your articles include hotel information, it's usually only a few hotels and they are almost always at the high end. I think many readers, even those who are financially comfortable and travel regularly like me, do not want to pay $300-400 a night for a hotel. I love a nice hotel room as much as anyone, but come on. The point of travel is to get out and explore. Why spend the money on a room you will only be sleeping in?
18
Hello;
I am a fan of "36 hours in...". Please keep it going. It is a great source of information if I visit a place for the first time. Sometimes, they concentrate too much on "off-the radar" spots whereas I was looking for the best 36 hours to grasp the core of the city. Best Luck
1
@Jack: Yes. Too much about bars and shopping. Give me small, interesting museums and walking tour recommendations. I can drink at home, and I don’t want to be stuffing my suitcase with more stuff to drag home.
8
I'm a travel journalist and researcher currently editing and researching travel writing for major travel outlets. As a researcher and fact-checker, clarity and honest reporting is crucial to the travelers looking to see coverage of an area or experience. Please make sure your process of researching and publishing is thorough, detailed, and provides everyone in every step of the process a voice to raise concerns over accuracy. NYT is the leading publication on accuracy, I hope the Travel section strives for that same reputation.
4
I may well be in a small minority, but I would like to see more emphasis on distinctive places and experiences and less on food. Many times I've read 36 Hours pieces, for example, and come away thinking there's nothing in that piece that I would actually do.
28
@striving I do like the 36 hour pieces because they put one or two cultural locations in the article and sometimes that’s all you have time to see over a weekend. But yes, I don’t need to have 6 meals suggested as I tend to find my own restaurants based on location. I don’t travel to spend all my time in restaurants. And frequently I’m in an Airbnb so I’m cooking to keep travel costs low.
Welcome!
Every Sunday, I read the "what I pack" feature & the tips & tricks. I like the how-to features; the roundtable among past & present "frugal traveler" writers was a fave. Roundups of useful apps, books, web sites, etc. are also appreciated.
On the other hand, I ignore the 36 Hours feature, along with reviews of fancy restaurants and hotels.
Oh, and I love maps! The travel section is often my first read on Sunday, so welcome to my morning!
2
Would love to see more travel articles on travelling with young children - particularly how one can have a child-friendly destination-unique experience while juggling the toddler schedule (nap-time, snack-time, meal-time, and bed-time).
For example, a venture to a playground is essential/inevitable, but can you recommend/find a playground that reflects the destination's charms/characteristics in a way that makes it feel like I had an experience different from staying at home and going to my neighborhood playground?
We’re in our late 60’s and take only active vacations. When we were younger we did a lot of bicycle touring, lately we’ve been walking hut to hut. I’d like to see suggestions for active vacations. We’re interested in history and culture. Not so interested in luxury.
5
While I can understand that when many people travel, particularly on a relatively brief trip, they want to splurge, but I often get the sense that many travel pieces are written either for them or for very rich folks. How about more along the lines of visits to places where there is more emphasis on accommodations that are nice but not deluxe, and where paces to eat are less the starred restaurants and more like the neighborhood bistro or trattoria?
Include the top-end places as well, but how about more between frugal and (so-called) top rank?
5
I’d love more travel stories that center on specific outdoor adventures. I loved the one on hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc and hearing about other hut-to-hut treks. Recommendations on pairing beautiful bike rides or hikes (even if they’re just day trips!) with where to stay and eat is especially useful for New Yorkers hoping to escape a city when they travel.
Learn from Anderson (CNN) 360 approach to journalism. Bring people together as a group rather than individuals to offer their viewpoint on travel destinations. Having contrasting opinions can help.
Some people have just time to stopover at some destinations; while others are interested in extended stays.
Finally, with "climate change" and early more and more people will want to consider moving to places where they can settle for awhile and establish a new lifestyle that's affordable.
Seniors who travel have different needs too!
The travel that interests me at this point is probably 2 kinds. 1) I'd like to know about quality trips that showcase themes. Maybe it's history, maybe it's technology, maybe it's language. For example, at a recent lecture there was an ad for the organization's "British Ancestry" sort of organized trip. My ancestry isn't British, but that's the kind of thing that appeals to me now. I've seen the Tower of London.
2) I'd be interested in good voluntourism projects. I did an Earthwatch project once that I loved--on antique books, and spent a couple of weeks in the library in Rome. But I'd also love an archaeology one. Or something sciency.
1
Because of limited funds and older age, I continue to travel via my daily journey through/with the New York Times. So... keep up with the good writings of people who have been there or are there. But, what is great about the Times is your willingness to explore new experiences of the world, not only on our planet but out in the cosmos and even other universes. Do keep on exploring and sharing what you find as well as equipping those who can to explore themselves....
Although the lure of the exotic is understandable, I would like to see more travel coverage of destinations here at home in the U.S. For reasons ranging from expense to personal security, many people prefer to travel closer to home. Those of us who do know there is no shortage of exciting, fulfilling and interesting experiences to be had within the lower 48. Domestic travel may not have the cachet of international excursions, especially among the "can you top this" crowd of foreign destinationalists, but I suspect there are many readers who would appreciate expanded coverage of travel and exploration options that require only a full tank of gas and not a passport.
1
I will probably be a voice crying in the wilderness with this comment, but here's what I don't want to hear: more stories about stuff and gizmos. I don't care what "famous people" I've never heard of consider essential to take with them when they travel. I don't want to hear tips about apps and keeping a plethora of electronics charged. I don't want to see blather about Instagram accounts or fantastically obscure/hip hotels in Indonesia. I want to read graceful writing by people who look and learn without being glued to their phones; who know the value of silence; who aren't traveling to post photos and impress their friends; who don't consider a tweet a credible form of expression; who read books; who can articulate ideas - and who have lived a bit.
20
@Olenska. Congrats Olenska. We need to start a movement of travelers based on your post. Those famous people cosmetics stories are really hard to read.
Does anyone really need "equipment" for a few hours in First Class?
1
@Olenska Ah yes, I believe we are both showing our ages by wanting this, one of the reasons I skim through the section these days. But good luck with this, we're a minority.
I remember the article you did on seeing Los Angeles via public transportation - I liked it so well, I used it as the basis of a trip to LA that my husband and I made shortly after the article appeared.
So, for me, any time you can offer how to visit a place using public transportation, the better.
Also, for those of us don't want AirBNB - I prefer establishments with fire doors, locks on the doors, and security guards - give us some alternatives other than the $800/night room. What's wrong with targeting lodging in the $100 - $175/night?
I enjoyed the article on walking the periphery of Paris. I took my husband to Toledo and Segovia, Spain 2 years ago just before the start of the tourist season. The lines were so long, it was impossible to gain entry to any 'tourist attraction' in either city. So, the idea of exploring 'second tier' or 'third tier' attractions in major tourist destinations has to be a part of the new tourism. Or, just leave out the 'major' destinations and shed some light on more places that are not on everyone's 'bucket list'.
18
As a traveler, what I want to know is when is the best time to visit to avoid the crowds. I first experienced Florence and Paris in the 70's, before the ballooning of the global middle class. A friend who lives in Italy refuses to go to Florence except in February because of the tourist hordes. Another friend refuses to return to Amsterdam because of his experience there during the summer two years ago. Too many people and not enough sidewalk. Older travelers can feel vulnerable and overwhelmed in massive crowds. Perhaps moderate sized crowds are a thing of the past, particularly for the most desirable tourist destinations.
14
Agreed, readers want to know more about how the locals live: where they eat, shop, what musicians are playing on local stages, what authentic cultural events aren't to be missed. Think of it as an international version of the cultural events calendar in the Arts and Leisure section. Probably requires joint ventures with newsrooms in other cities. And of course it should be available on mobile devices...
1
I want a non-commercial perspective and an insider's guide to the great places. So many sites are overrun with business interests promoting tours, etc. I want to also hear about the non-commercial spots like unique mom and pop cafes, or a beautiful plaza or park to enjoy.
I also want a curated and unique point of view. I want things that aren't packaged and mass produced. I love the 36 hours series because NYT brings together a unique, high quality perspective that I've come to count on. That and 52 places to visit are where I start every vacation plan.
1
Congrats on your new assignment. Sounds like a wonderful approach. I would like to see the occasional article for people who don't hike, do worry about blood clots with a 14 hour flight, may not want to climb a pyramid (or too many stairs for that matter), but still greatly enjoy travel. A lot of people with disabilities - and seniors who are not "the highly mobile" model but have the time to enjoy a leisurely travel episode - would be grateful and travel more. I became sensitized to these travel challenges when I was temporarily using a wheelchair, pre-surgery. I am sure there are plenty of NY Times readers who could use some guidance for great trips with limited mobility challenges for the visitor.
3
I'd love to read more situational travel stories. Imagine the traveler is attending a funeral, or wedding or business trip and adding one day to that. Some of these situations have limits and the travel added on may require creativity to do efficiently.
I'd also like to read travel specially designed for travel partners of different capabilities - boomer and millennial, athletic person and couch potato, museum lover and museum hater.
Who travels with a doppelganger? Most of us travel with compromise.
4
been a "ground floor" solo traveler for 20 years. I have also lived in an exotic location which is also a cruise ship port. When I travel solo I walk away from anything resembling tourism. In fact in many places it was the second or third visit before I got around to seeing some places (for example I visited Tel Aviv before Jerusalem and even then I went around to several places, before looking over the OLd City from the promenade. I guess I like to get the lay of the land. So my advise is to skip the adventure tourism solo trips and find people who do things like travel through cultural connection groups, such as Servas, and writers FROM places like Juneau, who can give more everyday nuance and reflect on true inter-cultural exchanges. The days of boring ex-pat gentrification travel is over, along with hostel partying and $400 a night stays in Vermont.
3