10 things I’ve learned from Travel Twitter
This month marks one year since I launched my travel writing website travelonastustring.com. Over the past year I have journeyed throughout the online travel community, including Travel Twitter, connecting with new and interesting people. These are the top ten things I have learned from my first year on #TravelTwitter.
1. We love talking about our luggage
On Travel Twitter, size matters. Just as hikers love talking about their gear, and vegans love talking about being vegan, on Travel Twitter we love talking about our luggage.
Whether it’s to boast about only using carry-on or sharing packing tips (here’s one – packing cubes are life changing!), or shaming your partner for overpacking, luggage is a never ending discussion topic on Travel Twitter. And long may it continue!
Are you carry on or check in? Do you like wheels or do you prefer a backpack?
2. The traveller vs. tourist debate will never end
Are you a traveller, or a tourist?
Every few months, the traveller vs. tourist debate is rehashed on Travel Twitter.
The debate is always sure to elicit some strong opinions, on whether there is a distinction, whether making a distinction is necessary, the many reasons why someone would identify as one or the other, or whether it really matters at all. If you hang around Travel Twitter long enough, you will be able to have your say.
Traveller or tourist - the never ending debate.
3. Solo travel is either anxiety inducing or the only way to travel
Travel Twitter loves a conversation about solo travel.
There are those of us who swear by solo travel (including me), and then there are those who are anxious about it, preferring to stick with the comfort and predictability of organised tours. Solo travel can be daunting at first, and not everyone is comfortable with their own company, but it is something that every traveller should at least try. If you’re considering solo travel, Travel Twitter is the number one destination to find tips, advice and firsthand accounts.
4. Paris is overrated… or is it?
OMG, Paris is so overrated!
Much like the traveller / tourist debate, overrated and underrated destinations are a common topic of discussion on Travel Twitter. Inevitably, Paris always emerges as the most overrated destination, often followed by Porto. So, is Paris overrated? I don’t know, I’ve never been.
5. Everyone has a Bucket List
Bucket Lists, yawn.
Travel talk (and a fair chunk of travel writing) is littered with buzzwords and clichés, from bustling marketplaces, to hidden gems, and lands of contrast that are off the beaten track where you can live like a local. Nowadays every Nomadic Digital Remote Content Influencer has a Bucket List, and they all feel the need to share them.
As Arj Baker correctly pointed out a decade ago, unless you have a terminal illness and are scrambling to fill your remaining days, you do not have a Bucket List. All you have is a list of things you want to do, or on Travel Twitter, places you want to travel. There are phrases that irk us, and Bucket List is high on my list.
The ‘Bucket List’ needs to kick the bucket.
6. To count, or not to count? That is the question.
Counting countries. Another discussion that bobs up from time to time.
Is counting countries just showing off? How long should we spend in a country before claiming we have truly travelled there? Which countries count? Is it better to travel less and have deeper experiences? Should we hate on people who have Scratch Maps?
Some people count countries and some people do not. In the end it doesn’t make you any better or worse a traveller or tourist, as long as you’re out there having a great time!
7. Listicles are the dominant form of travel writing
Listicles are everywhere in travel writing.
Whether it is the countless number of blogs, all rehashing the same sights in the same European cities, or the Travel liftouts in the weekend newspapers, ‘Top 8 tips for using the bathroom in an airport.’ or ‘147 Best Beaches in the World’ or ‘10 ways to catch covid while cruising,’ lists are everywhere.
While listicles are the dominant form of travel writing (trigger warning: controversial opinion coming up), they are to travel writing what the Marvel cinematic universe is to film. Listicles are easy to digest, have pretty pictures, are generally informative, and can be helpful when visiting a place for the first time. However, they seldom delve deep in the soul of a place, recount incredible tales from the road, or inspire. I read listicles, and even write them sometimes (you’re reading one right now), but they pale in comparison to a well-researched guide, or a well-crafted narrative travel story.
Lists, lists, and more lists.
8. Travel Twitter loves polls and either/or questions
On Travel Twitter we love discussing our favourite modes of transport, ranking countries, counting countries, pitting two destinations against each other (often for a weekend city escape), or debating the merits of aisle seats versus window seats.
As common as either/or questions are, answers of ‘why not both?’ or ‘neither,’ or the addition of a third option are as predictable. Come on guys, it’s an either/or question – you gotta pick one!
Polls and either / or.
9. Authenticity matters, or does it?
Ok, now we are getting into the serious side of Travel Twitter, and travel writing in general – authenticity. Can you publish listicles on solo travel without having done any? Can a man offer safety tips for female travellers? Can you write a city guide having spent only 24 hours there? All these questions and more are debated on Travel Twitter.
Authenticity has an interesting history in travel writing, with some of the most revered travel writers having casual relationships with the truth. The godfather for many, Bruce Chatwin, often flirted with fiction in his travel writing, while Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski published incredible accounts from around the world, often embellished, and it is likely that Marco Polo never set foot in China, despite his vivid descriptions of the Yuan dynasty.
Whatever your views on authenticity in travel writing, or listicles, you will be able to have your say on Travel Twitter.
10. Mainstream publications have some of the WORST travel writing
My bookshelf is home to dozens of travel books, including compilations from global publishers including Conde Nast and Lonely Planet. These books contain some excellent pieces and the stories have entertained me on long bus trips and helped me build my craft. But these brands produce some absolute rubbish as well, some of the most pointless articles going around.
Perhaps it is the need to continually churn out ‘content’ (there is another phrase I despise!) or perhaps the standard of travel writing has diminished? Or perhaps it’s a combination of both? The samples below are merely a snapshot of some of the mundane articles that somehow make it past the editor’s desk.
Clickbait and advertising copy disguised as travel writing.
11. Travel Twitter is a lot of fun
The past year on Travel Twitter has been great fun, being a part of the online travel writing community and connecting with people from around the world – and Travel Twitter is so much nicer than regular Twitter! I’ve learnt important tips in writing and blogging and enjoyed taking part in the discussions of #travchat, #TTOT, #Top4Theme and #PTTravel. Cheers to another year of Travel Twitter.
