I recently received what I thought was an invitation for a press trip to Israel. It turned out to be an invitation to apply for a spot in the trip. (Take note, PR folks, and remember to be clear in your language when you send out invitations.) It was a curious little invite, written by a student at the university in Haifa. The English was very good — not quite native, but excellent nonetheless.
The trip agenda included things like Security and Technology and conversations with real Israeli soldiers. It was this last item that tripped the yellow alert. Israel has universal conscription; almost every Israeli is a “real Israeli soldier.” Your waitress. The bus driver. The guy behind the front desk at your hotel. You don’t need a special liaison to find a soldier to talk to in Israel.
I went online to find out more about the organization backing this trip and found some interesting information. Suggested ties to neo-con organizations. Stories of conflicts with peace activists. There are talking points on the parent site (some are maddening tautologies) that address the usual critiques of Israeli politics and policy. It was all starting to make sense. This was a propaganda tour! I’d been invited to apply to participate in a sort of ideology field trip! Fascinating!
I’m not so naive as to think that this is the first press trip to have an agenda. There’s no flu or crime in Cancun, please stop cancelling your vacations to Mexico. Gulf coast seafood is safe and the beaches are clean, so spend your dollars on our shrimp and see the ocean from your hotel room. Yeah, it looks crazy in the Middle East, but Jordan is an island of stability plus, whoa, we have Petra! In most cases, the agenda is to spread this message: Our destination is awesome. Come spend your money here.
I have my own agenda on press trips, I’d be lying if I said otherwise. I’ve said yes to Cancun — I was desperate for sunshine and guacamole. I’d say yes to Jordan (see above under “Whoa, we have Petra.” I’ve said no to all inclusive resorts, it’s just not my style, and I recently turned down a trip to Jamaica because of bad timing. I said no to a trip to Oklahoma because they contacted me one week before the trip started. I almost always say yes to Hawaii and anything in the Pacific Northwest. I said a joyful yes to Austria, after all, that’s where I keep my in-laws. It’s also where I became a blogger. Austria kind of launched me as a writer, there’s some sweetness to returning there on a press trip.
It turns out that mostly, I say yes to places that I’ve gone on my own or written about extensively without any press trip support. But what about the “no” places? What makes me say no when I’m being offered airfare and (typically) the best hotel rooms in the house and all expenses paid? What kind of idiot turns down a trip to Jamaica? This kind, apparently. There’s a seeming method to this madness, though. The “Why no?” essentials go something like this:
- You’d think aliens had eaten my brain: I’m very much an independent traveler. I don’t care if you go to an all inclusive resort complex. Have fun. Enjoy the bottomless mai tais and breakfast buffet. But you know and I know that is not my style. If I picture myself somewhere and think my readers will say, “What the hell are you doing in [destination]?” I’d better have a good answer. If I can’t think of one — “I get to go to Chichen Itza!”– I turn it down.
- The travel is a pain: Seattle is great for winging off to Asia or Hawaii, and our connections to Europe have improved dramatically since those Seattle to Amsterdam/London/etc. routes opened up. But getting to the Caribbean involves many airports and hours. If I have to spend 36 hours in transit for four days on the ground, I’m likely to say no. It’s a ratio thing. The trip has to be long enough to be worth the wear and tear on my body. I can’t sleep on the plane anymore. Those days are gone.
- The invite is too late: Go ahead and ask, but I’m going to suspect that someone dropped out and you’re looking for a last minute fill in. I’d rather be your first choice, notified at the planning stage. After all, I have to plan too. Sure, if I can be a pinch hitter, I will, but nine out of ten times, I can’t. Other people are making demands on my time too, and the ones that pay me get first crack.
- The trip will make me crazy: I try my very hardest to be a gracious guest. I try to be appreciative and open minded and to maintain a sense of humor. This can be hard when someone else is setting the schedule. I still snicker when I think of that little group of journalists bursting into hysterical laughter — what we needed were showers and hydration, what we got was an earnest hotel employee pointing out the charms of a worn out suite. That was just one moment on an otherwise excellent trip. But when I imagined myself trapped on a carpeted cruise liner for seven days, wrapped in alternating layers of irony and sarcasm, I said no. I don’t want to be that person.
- I can’t afford it: It’s not always all inclusive. I had an invitation recently that didn’t include airfare. I get that making money on these things is a long game. But our household budget doesn’t support press trips that cost money. I measure the cost in time, too, what am I going to miss by saying yes? It’s a rare opportunity indeed that will entice me to walk away from tech work to join people I don’t know on a trip organized by someone else. It’s happened (see also, Antarctica!) but it’s not the standard. As a contractor, I have a lot of liberty to skip out of work, but I want happy clients back home. I turned down a winter sun-break one year because my client was freaking out. It was the right thing to do, even if my vitamin D levels were critically low.
I love to say yes to press trips, I love it. I have been on some amazing adventures — an Alaska trip that took me above the Arctic Circle, a tour of the Big Island that felt almost like it had been made for me, a surprisingly fine time at the Riviera Maya. I kind of can’t believe I get invited, still. While I do have a few small bylines here and there, I am, at the root of it all, just an independent blogger telling stories about my travels. A big part of me says “Me? Really? You want to pay for me to travel WHERE? Are you SURE?” With that in mind, it seems insane to ignore that email that wants me to answer a few questions in order to be considered for an all expenses paid trip to Israel.
But I’m going to let it go. I’m going to file this under “the trip will make me crazy.” If past experience is any indicator of future results, something else will come along that I can feel great about saying yes to.
Now you. Said “no” to a press trip? Why? In the comments, please.
@Pam – Nice wrap up of why and when bloggers/writers should say no. I use similar guidelines. The trip has to fit with my audience. It has to be a place or event that I think my readers want to know about. And the timing definitely has to work. The long trek from Seattle does give me pause more often than when I was on the East Coast.
I do send nice emails back to those who invite me. I tell them that my time is limited, or I ask if I can send another writer for my site. And I always thank them for thinking of me. Who knows, maybe a trip or opportunity will work out later that’s a better fit.
I say “no” to probably 95% of press trip invites, maybe more. Reasons in descending order:
1. I’m a mom. Leaving my kids involves writing a 33-page document entitled, “Good luck with all the homework, pets, basketball practice, book reports, dentist appointments, school photos, track meets, and the school play, sucker. You’re are so totally going to need it. Also, Friday is garbage day.”
2. Wrong angle. I don’t care about or write about spas, fine dining, and golf.
3. Not my style (see also: Pam).
If I could change one thing about the FAM and press trip invitation landscape, I’d like to get more invites that say, “tell us when you can come, and we’ll do our best to make it happen.”
I can dream.
Tell us when you can come? That would be AWESOME.
“Tell us when you can come” does in fact happen, not often, and not from too many firms, but I’ve been blessed with those. They are out there but those are brands that, especially when catering to family travel bloggers “get it”.
I’ve gotten the last minute and I can’t ever imagine myself applying to go on a press trip. Ever.
Thanks for the wrap up Pam!
Great piece! I love your thinking-through on the subject. But man I wish you’d go on that one. And write it like it happens. I’d love to read about the inside of a propaganda tour to Israel! Could be deep and rich, best-travel-writing kinda stuff.
dp
I TOTALLY get the appeal of the trip and the story. I really do. And I had a long talk with myself about it from exactly that perspective.
If I’d never been to Israel, I could have talked myself into it. But I have some history. I used to speak impressive street Hebrew, I learned it there during my time as a kibbutz volunteer. The peace movement was at a mega-high and the war with Lebanon started, I slept in bomb shelters, I hung out with Israeli peaceniks. I had a sort of serious Israeli boyfriend who had just finished his service. But more recently, I wept like a baby watching that documentary about the wall on the West Bank, cried my eyes out.
I’d LOVE to do a trip back to Israel, but not this one, not me. I’m too close to it, I don’t have the open mind this requires. I imagine myself infuriated a great deal of the time, and that is not why I travel or why I write.
Like Jamie, I am in the 95% no club with press trips. All three points are also why I skip most. Well not a mom, but dads can’t just fly off to Anywhereville for a week.
This is such a well put together thought on press trips and something more bloggers/writers/social people people etc should read and use before agreeing to go somewhere just because it is free.
I’ve said no to those last minute things you mention; no to ones that want you to have an written assignment from somebody like Conde Nast or National Geographic and want to be sure they get a cover story of 10,000 words;no to adventure trips where I would have to hike twenty miles or bicycle all day (the spirit is willing but the joints rebel); and no to places when I can’t think of one single publication in the world who would be interested in them. No is a good word.
My dream is a press trip that includes some down time. How about a couple of hours a day where I can find the beauty in the moment? Or take a walk in a unique environment? Or talk to a local who has not been prepped for my visit? I feel very lucky to be invited. I just wish there was a little more time to enhance their message.
I agree with you, that would be nice. But letting you wander off doesn’t allow the host to control the agenda. It takes a confident host to allow that to happen.
I’ve definitely said no to press trips, mostly because:
1) Wrong or too conventional an angle. To just go to a place and write about “just another family trip” would leave my readers bored to tears.
2) Overlap from other trips. Recently I turned down 2 back to back press trips. I need time to let the information process and simmer. I just can’t travel endlessly from place to place, writing captions that say “Awesome destination.”
3) Last minute (same as above)
4) Pay your own airfare. Sure, I could, but I’d also live on pet food.
Good article and thanks for inspiring bloggers to do sound research before saying yes to a “freebie.”
Charu
Loved this blog. I think the lure of free trips sometimes clouds travel writers’ judgement on what’s a good story. So don’t be afraid to say no!
Oh, hey, also…
@David: There’s no guarantee I’d have been accepted for the trip. I had to apply for participation.
Excellent points. I’ve turned down trips for the following reasons:
1) It was a family trip and the kids would have missed too much school (a day or two or even three I can handle, but why target a Monday-Friday trip at the elementary school crowd before school is out?).
2) All expenses were not paid, and that includes babysitting costs while I’m gone and transportation to and from my home airport. I know I’m not going to make money on press trips, and I know I’m going to lose money by not having time to do other paid work while I’m gone. All I ask is that I’m not actually paying money out of my own pocket to promote your product.
3) It was for something they couldn’t get anyone else of quality to write about, invitations along the lines of “And we’ll be in this fabulous city, and staying in this amazing hotel, and visiting this fantastic theme park (and oh yeah, it’s sponsored by this horrible movie that nobody wants to see, but you’re just a dumb mom blogger who will take a free trip for any reason).
((Snicker.)) Yeah, “because your invite makes it sound like you think I’m stupid” doesn’t happen often, thankfully, but it DOES, from time to time, no?
And not surprisingly is also often of the “last minute” variety…
Amy…those are my “favorite”.
Pam IMO press trips aren’t always all they are cracked out to be. Yes free travel sounds very appealing initially but there are many issues including opportunity cost, duplicate content, pressure to be positive. I wrote on this topic recently:
http://www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog/2011/03/29/blogging-business/
I haven’t said ‘yes’ yet – I’m too attached to my independence, I don’t much enjoy travelling with a tour group. (And I got that Israeli offer, too.)
I’m a mom too so I totally understand the inability to just up and go but I must admit I’d like to be asked more. But I have made a few of my own which in the end work better for my family and aren’t overrun with bloggers competing for a story. And like you I’d love to see Petra.
When it comes to press trips, I also say no to a majority. Most of it stems from the costs angle – if I’m going to pay to get myself there, I might as well do my own itinerary. But usually I figure if I’m hemming on accepting, I should just say no.
FWIW, I think you were right not to try for the Israel trip. If you were questioning it that much, you know deep down it wouldn’t have been a good fit or that enjoyable.
I have said no to a few when the timing isn’t right. Like you, any time I’m away doing something is time I’m not writing or that I need to black out on the photography instruction calendar. This year I doubt I’ll go on more than one as I have a number of other personal and business trips lined up.
And like a number of the other commenters, I’m a Mom, errr…. Dad and my time with my daughter is more valuable than a free trip.
I also skip ones that don’t fit who I am and wouldn’t pass the reader “WTF?” test. A week long spa trip? Nah. But a massage in the middle of an adventure trip? Well, twist my arm (and then rub it down because it’s already sore).
You say family cultural experience w/my daughter? I’m there. You say best eats in ? I’ll stay at home because I’m just not into food like some are.
Pam,
Great post. I *have* turned down a press trip before…to Croatia. For me, it was the right thing to do at that time. I’m in a different place now, however, so I hope that the opportunity comes along again. I think it will.
At any rate, here’s my post about it: http://www.missadventures.com/2010/02/10/freelance-travel-writing-and-the-art-of-being-a-parent/
Thanks again for your post and this blog. Good stuff. 🙂
-Melanie
Wish I was offered an occasional press trip to consider yes or no!
This is so on point Pam! You have spelled out everything that I always go through mentally when contemplating a press trip. Because I have a cultural focus, sometimes I can work out an angle with the reps when the itinerary is generic. Other times, I have to say no if there is no possible angle that appeals to me or I’m just not interested in the destination. I have turned down countless trips to Nashville, Civil War site trips, Disneyland and Detroit. The one trip that I turned down that it still pains me to think about was South Africa. I was sick with severe anemia and could not fathom taking the necessary immunization shots recommended for the trip.
Interesting post! I’m sure a lot of travel writers would be grateful for any opportunity to go on a press trip. It’s great you have enough cache that you are invited on so many trips! That said, I could see how some of these trips are not appealing. I wish you had gone on tat strange, neo-con Israeli trip– just so I could read what that was actually like. Sounds frightening 😉
I think I’ve turned down about 7 trips in the last week. Reasons are simple:
1) I don’t think I can sell it: That’s my job, to make money. And if I can’t foresee doing that, I won’t risk taking the trip.
2) There’s no beef: If the PRs invite sounds hollow and without flavor, I’m imagining the area they’re pushing is too. I’ll pass, tyvm.
3) Too last minute. I’m pretty flexible, even as a mother of two, as I run a pretty tight ship and have older children. So, I could go with a few days notice if need be. But like you, Pam, I don’t like being on the “B” list. And to be invited last minute and expect a pre-assignment? Doubly insulting and gets an instant no.
And thanks for not turning this into the usual “To Press Trip or Not to Press Trip” ethics debate. I almost blew my top when I saw yet another editor boasting about not taking press trips, yet pays writers less than $20 a story! But I digress…
I’m pretty bored with the should I/shouldn’t I debate too. I’m way more into less binary topics these days, things that revolve around why rather then yes or no.
I don’t think selling it comes up as an issue with a lot of bloggy types. They don’t need to sell it. I don’t usually try to sell it, but if I think I can’t sell it to my audience, that’s a big fat no too.
I’m astonished to see the words “free” and “trip” in the same sentence. Having done PR for 20 years that has included planning countless press trips for writers representing major outlets from around the world, I gotta say there’s no such thing as a free trip. PR pros tend to have established working relationships with the writers they deal with or they carefully target who they want to pitch. Then they customize an itinerary to suit a writer’s interests and/or the writer’s audience (s). PR pros walk a very fine line keeping their industry clients happy and keeping their media contacts happy. The last thing our industry clients want to hear is that a writer is going on a “free trip”. Press trips are hard work for journos and for the PR pros who put outstanding itineraries together but the good news is the return on investment can far outweigh any cost incurred by the travel industry. It may take a while to see coverage but when it comes, it is usually in spades. If it doesn’t come, word gets around pretty fast who is a producer and who wants a “freebie”.
I had to check because I wasn’t sure, but at no point did I use the words “free trip” in this post. Some of my commenters did, but I didn’t.
Also, on the “hard work” angle, while I know, from first person experience, that press trips can be exhausting, since meeting a marine welder at a party, I have stopped playing that card. It just feels, well, kind of absurd.
Yes, it is a bit absurd isn’t it. Writing about travel and exhausting all in the same breath but in my opinion, it is hard work and any writers I know who make their living from travel writing would agree. Comes with the territory me thinks. 🙂
If you are interested in a “real Israeli” press trip contact Israel Tourism in the U.S.
They have representatives for the west and east coast and midwest. My husband (and co-host on our travel radio show) just returned from a UNESCO World Heritage trip. It was fantastic!
I stopped doing group press trips a while back. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t do one again, but it’d have to be a genuinely outstanding opportunity to consider it. Travel writing is my trade – in whatever format. And as far as I can see, nothing makes a story angle less attractive to one of my editors than the fact that she’s already had ten pitches on exactly the same thing.
Most tourist boards/ hotel groups etc are quite amenable to the individual approach. If you’ve got a commission from somewhere suitably appealling (magazine, newspaper, website, your own blog, whatever), they’ll often fix up an individual itinerary based entirely around your needs and interests. And that suits me fine.
There’s also an unfortunate rule of thumb that goes something like: The people who can’t go on a press trip because it’ll cost them too much money are probably the ones who can’t get enough work from worthwhile outlets anyway.
I’ve heard of these “worthwhile outlets” of which you speak. I think there are many bloggers who don’t give a rat’s @$$ about worthwhile outlets, or they think their own blogs are worthwhile outlet enough. From the PR POV, it appears that a worthwhile outlet CAN be an individual blog, no additional press credentials or letters of assignment needed. I’ve done a few solo itineraries that did indeed suit me just fine, some of them for my own blog, some of them as a hired hack for other blogs.
I have an assignment with a worthwhile outlet right now. I have support from the relevant tourism board, which is great. But I’ll also need to see how many other stories I can spin out from the trip to turn it in to a genuinely profitable venture. There’s some basic math, sure, but also, that long game, again. And sometimes, my finances can’t absorb the long game risk. A few commenters said that they turn these things down because they can’t sell it — I think there’s some analogous thinking there with my “can’t afford it.” All risk, no payoff.
Thanks for the insight into the world of the travel writer. Years ago, I thought you guys lived the life, going from free trip to free trip. But now that I am a blogger, I know the amount of work it takes when you write about any subject and that nothing is free – even if a brand is compensating you for all or part of your travel.
This is the kind of “press trip” I’d say yes to: fly me (and my photographer aka husband — but he really is a professional photographer) to your land. Comp our hotel rooms and transport in-country (we can cover meals) . Help me with research if I ask, provide contacts if I need them. Before the trip, I will pitch stories — I know I can sell at least one, and probably more — and during the trip I’ll do my reporting. Do not schedule my time, tell me what I need to see (or eat) or who I absolutely must see, or tell me what to pitch or write about. Trust that while I will not allow the fact that you paid for my transport/lodging sway the way I cover you as a destination, I’m not out to smear you.
What do you, Destination A, get out of the deal? One (or more) stories about your destination in fairly major media outlets. What do I get? A chance to do my job. And basically, all the things (transport, lodging) that major media outlets used to pay for when assigning stories.
Seems like a win-win to me. But to date, no tourism boards are interested! Go figure. 😉
I think that you can do this if you have the story lined up in advance. I also think the photog/husband is a red flag for a lot of PR folks. I love it when I can do a plus one and bring my man, he shoots a lot of the pics on NEV, has a crazy memory for details, and in general, makes traveling easier. We did guidebook work together and I swear, I could not have done it without him. But it’s a lucky (or maybe celebrity) writer indeed who gets their “personal assistant” funded when there’s airfare involved.
Interesting. But I don’t understand the red flag part in light of the fact that we’ve worked together on stories for a number of decent publications. He’s a pro photog after all. We often sell stories as a package, the photog ed signs on and it’s a text-photo package.
I suppose it’s a moot point anyway. I hate asking for “media rates” from hotels when I’m doing a story (though it’s totally legit) and I wonder if I’d ever work up the gumption to approach a tourism board.
But thanks for the post. I appreciate the honesty on this site (and the wordsmithing, of course!).
Well, I stand corrected. Your mate is indeed your legit biz partner in the story, don’t mind me.
And hey, gumption shouldn’t be needed! Those tourism boards really WANT to help you. And if you’ve got a contract, you’re way ahead of those of us who are “just” writing for our own little indy blogs.
I’d just like a press trip 🙂
Good points though. It doesn’t make sense to accept all just because you got them. There needs to be a reason to go.
I love your take on this Pam, thanks for taking the time to explain your mysterious inner workings! I am taking my first press trip next week and this post came at the perfect time!
Great to see the points so well thought-out, and you’re right–it’s so important to know what effect accepting a gig like this will have on YOU personally. Too often we let the glam cloud our judgements, only to suffer the “why do I do this to myself” regrets later!
I love the fact that you are such a good listener when you sit yourself down for one of those one-on-ones with self!
The upside of being slightly schizo, perhaps? 🙂
very interesting points – i dont generally get asked on press trips, but i enjoyed reading this so if i ever do i won’t be one of those dumb mom bloggers who just says yes immediately w/out thinking about the bigger picture.
I am not offended by the last minute invitation. Sure they invited someone else first, but if the party sounds good, the party sounds good. I am just not that easy to offend these days. 🙂
I did relate to the “can’t afford it”. Half the press tours I have done have not cost me anything but time, but the other half only covered some expenses. A free airline ticket is nice, but you will still need to get lodging, transport, etc.
I’m not offended by it, not really, but the late offer gives me no time to plan. I was offered a trip to Oklahoma and I really wanted to go. But it took them two months to notify me — a week prior to departure? No.
Can I marry you? Oh, wait. We’re both already spoken for…
Brilliant post! I echo many of your reasons for saying “no” to a press trip. I DO wish it were easier to get to the Caribbean from Colorado!
I remember listening to you speak about press trips at TBEX last year and it really affected the way I think about press trips. There’s still a part of me that’s like “yeaaah sponsored travel!” but I realize now that what’s more important is finding trips that will serve both me and the company inviting me well. That means only trips that fit well within the theme of my blog and that fit my personality.
Although I’m not as flooded with press trip invitations as you seem to be (maybe someday!), when I do get an invite I have to think hard about what I’m going to pour my hard work in to.
Sponsored travel is GREAT, don’t get me wrong. But not all travel is right for me, and not all experiences give me stories that fit well with what I do online (whatever THAT is). If my reaction is “Yeah, that trip would be awesome for ME,” I’m probably not thinking right. But if I think, “Oh, I’m going to get great stories,” that feels a lot better.
Man, I wish people asked me to go on press trips. How do they find you?
I can see why you said no. While it would be interesting, it would probably drive me crazy, too. I’d want to meet up with ‘real’ people, not who they decide to tell us are ‘real’ people. 🙂