The first time some travel writer tossed off each of these words and phrases, they might have sounded fresh and clever. But we’ve seen them too many times, and now they sound tired, strained, and cheesy—and at Matador, that’s definitely not what we’re about.
Photo: E-magic
1. Best-kept secret
Really? Are you sure The Purple Dinosaur Bar is Denver’s best-kept secret? You found it, after all, and now you’re publishing its location, so it’s a bit of a stretch to call it a secret, much less a well-kept one.
2. Et cetera
Whether it’s “et cetera” (fancy! Latin!) or plain old “etc.”, you’re really saying this: “There’s more, but I’m too lazy to tell you about it.”
Photo: Mikety28
3. sun-dappled/sun-speckled/sun-splashed
We get it. It’s sunny. Tell us about it in a way that doesn’t involve the word “dappled.” Please.
4. don’t-miss/ must-see
A bit of a bully, are you? What are you going to do to us if we miss it, huh?
Just give us your experience. Let us decide for ourselves if South Dakota’s Corn Palace is a must-see or a see-maybe-if-I-happen-to-be-driving-through-South-Dakota-someday-and-need-to-use-the-bathroom.
5. exotic
“Exotic” is relative—it just means “different” or “foreign”, and depending who your reader is, that could mean ao dai, guayaberas, or blue jeans—so focus on describing your experience, and let your readers murmur, “oooh—how exotic!” if they so choose.
Photo: Leo Chuoi
6. gem/jewel
A beach is not a gem, and a restaurant is not a jewel, and yes, we know what a metaphor is, but you can come up with a better one than that, can’t you?
7. oasis/paradise
If you’ve traveled to an actual oasis, as in “a small fertile or green area in a desert region, usually having a spring or well,” feel free to tell it like it is. But describing anything but an actual oasis as an oasis is another case of a threadbare metaphor.
And throwing “paradise” around just makes you sound clueless. Have you seriously found a place with zero problems, conflicts, threats, dangers? Or are you just, you know, on vacation?
8. treasure trove
If you’ve stumbled upon a previously undiscovered royal Egyptian burial chamber, or a forgotten cache of pirate’s booty, fine. Otherwise, leave “treasure trove” alone.
Photo: Riza
9. breathtaking
Was your breath literally taken away by the beauty of that sunset? Probably not, so this word is overkill. Unless you’re blue in the face and suffering from awe-induced oxygen deprivation, look for another word.
10. boast
Why must places “boast” fine dining, colonial architecture, unspoiled beaches, or symphony orchestras? Can’t they just have them? “Have” is a perfectly good word. The citizens may well boast about their city’s marvelous offerings, but that’s another story.
Community Connection
What are your least-favorite travel writing words? Call ‘em out in the comments.
You’ve avoided these cheesy words–now avoid sounding ridiculous when using quotes.
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102 Comments... join the discussion!
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I confess. I have used those words/phrases. More than once. But I’m trying to stop. Honest.
Currently my LEAST favorite travel writing words that I’m using the most are:
nestled
perched
stunning
absolute-must
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Seriously?
Found in the links at the bottom of the article.
“Western Australia: 10 Places You Don’t Want to Miss”
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good catch Gary. we put that one in there just to see if people were paying attention.
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That’s a gem of a save David.
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thanks man.
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I thought that sounded harsh. To each his own, no?
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Wow, thanks for pointing these out. The grasp some people have of language is less than stellar when they have to resort to these phrases. I hope I write well enough to avoid them in my posts!
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Any thoughts on ‘Indiana Jones’ sense of adventure in an article about ‘The Lost City’ Colombia?!
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please send reference url of the article.
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“Nestling” and “pristine” make me rage inwardly.
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“Blade-Runner-esque” or “like a scene from blade runner”, used by the lonely planet to describe any large city in asia (Seoul and Osaka in particular).
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This is right on
thanks.↵ -
Words make no difference. If the writing is good, I don’t notice words, only ideas. If the writing is bad, no correct use of accepted adjectives will save it.
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That’s a great point Somchai. A fantastic writer with unique ideas could get away with a few tired old words, but they can make mediocre writing worse and bad writing disasterous.
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Okay I’m guilty. I just used “etc.” in a comment! Guess I’m very lazy.
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there should be a travel-writing license that is taken away for using those words…
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This one is the crutch of almost every young “up-and-coming” destination PR person: “World-class.”
Whenever I read it, I know the p.r. person is fresh out of college, and cannot think beyond the collection of cliches he or she has leaned on for four years. So many of these public relations folks are a real…well, world-class pain in the ass!
Bob S. Hale
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If I hear another person claim to have been “bit by the travel bug”, I might just lose my dinner (which would truly be unfortunate as it was very tasty Chinese street food). The Travel Channel picked it up as their “new” campaign, but it’s so overdone….
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“World-Class” has become the leading crutch for PR and ad folks. Everything is now “world-class.” Well, it ain’t!
“world-Class” refers to international athletic competition…and only international athletic competition!!! A ship, a house, a car, a person, a building, and raod…whatever…CANNOT BE “WORLD-CLASS”!
Anyone using that term in any context other than international athletic events is a HACK! A World-Class HACK!
Signed:
Hale↵ -
Oops…I see I responded twice.
SORRY!
A World-Class mistake, to be sure!
Hale
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‘Hustle and bustle’
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I haven’t got a problem with some of those words and phrases, I think they work perfectly well depending on the context you use them. In fact I will continue to use them, I wont let you bully me into submission………..!
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Does any propositional statement function as the mirror image of the structure of the thing (that is, what it essential to it) or could it be that even the sturcture of the thing as thus envisaged is a projection of the framework of the sentence? No travel writing is ever going to resemble experience, so assigning degrees of “goodness” is like evaluating mad libs for a cohesive narrative. Then, should we all be Wittgensteinian mutes? Travel writing is by nature sub-par and should only be evaluated on the information it is able to impart to the reader. Writers who excel at travel writing, as it is commonly practiced today, and not much more in the realm of writing probably do so because their only ability is with hackneyed metaphors. Throw out your Lonely Planets and guidebooks. It only makes the worst sort of travelers – those with plans.
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“Travel writing is by nature sub-par and should only be evaluated on the information it is able to impart to the reader.” Au contraire mon frere! Travel writing is another form of literature, or the good stuff is anyway. The stories in travel writing should be written as well as any fiction story, but they’re even better than fiction because they’re true! From Twain to Dalrymple the story is about place, people and adventure and if well done makes for engaging reading. I would suggest reading some good travel writing, here’s a list of a few to get you started: http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/01/03/the-50-greatest-travel-books-of-all-time/ Happy reading!
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Okay, allow me to rephrase as it would seem I cornered myself in a sweeping generalization. The travel writing I am speaking of, and I think this article for the most part addresses, is that of travel magazines, blogs, etc. (and etc. is fine to use; I use it academically and when brevity is a factor – listing all of the sources would be inconvenient as well as silly as etc. is used to indicate more but of what is common knowledge and can be infered). And I said by nature. Everything can transcend its nature just as humans. I am not speaking of travel literature. I would likewise differentiate there.
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Oh come on. The Corn Palace is South Dakota is a total must see!
Kudos for the advice.
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“Itchy feet” – not a fan of this at all
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I have an idea– have a writing contest, object as follows:
Show a picture of Thira, Santorini–you all know the classic hackneyed photo
the charming,picturesque village nestled or perched on the cliffside, with breath-taking views, local color, world-class cuisine and a must-see for any trip through the Greek Isles. With its pristine white buildings and sun-dappled, cobblestone streets, this jewel in the Helenic crown must be described without using any of these cliches or tired adjectives. Let’s see what travel-writing could be without leaning on these pithy crutches and instead of substituting new exotic locations for fresh prose, let’s use new words to describe the same old places.↵ -
that’s a great idea.
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locals.
fanny pack.
cozy or quaint.
well-preserved (unless you’re talking mummies)↵ -
sweet.
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Okay so if we all get honest here and have been in the position of having to write descriptive travel content, than we are all guilty of using some of these expressions and words. Though I disagree that you just up and forget these words and move on to new ones, this article has brought me to at least be more aware of how I use adjectives in the travel industry.
I think the point the author is making is that some descriptive travel terminology simply got over-used, not that they were necessarily wrong terms or improper.
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what about ‘ubiquitous’? annoyingly popping up in all lonely planets
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From my sun-dappled deck, I write you a comment boasting, a treasure trove of must-see exotic words, phrases, paragraphs, et cetera. The oasis of adjectives doting this gem, just might be its best kept secret.
Great Post
Jurnii
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