The Travel Mag Disconnect
April 1st, 2009 Posted in Travel bargains, Travel industry
I’ve been catching up on my travel magazine reading and am having great fun watching the identity crsis unfold at the likes of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure. It’s tough trying to talk about value travel in a recession on the front cover when you’ve got a Rolex ad on the back cover and a Dolce & Gabbana ad by the table of contents.
Last month’s Conde Nast Traveler began with the editor giving good lip service to frugality, talking about how she paid less than $500 for a flight (she flew in coach!) to the Caribbean. Their spread on “More Sun for the Money” highlighted some worthy hotels that really are a deal, but they couldn’t resist throwing in more of their usual fare: the most expensive hotel on the Honduran mainland for instance and a bunch more where standard doubles start at $250 a night.
Plus since their advertising revenue depends on pleasing “lifestyle” companies that make show-off watches and designer handbags, they can’t get too far away from their free-spending roots. So in an article there is a profile of a Christian Dior jacket that is listed as “price on request” and a $2,000 accordian-fold duffel bag that they say is great for bringing back extra souvenirs. And of course the “buzz hotels” they’re all atwitter about start at $480 and $750—in India!
Travel + Leisure has it even tougher since they’re owned by American Express. Conspicuous consumption is an integral part of their mission. So in their February issue you’ve got one rushed story about value next to an ad for a Mercedes SUV (268 horsepower v-6 engine, no MPG info listed) and Hotel News that lists new Caribbean resorts—three of them going for $500 or more per night. There’s an interview with Steve Wynn highlighting Las Vegas restaurants where the dinner tab for two would range from $250 to $350. (Car payment or dinner? I just can’t decide.)
When you get to their special report on money-saving travel, the first graphic is a martini index. I’m not sure why you would order a martini in Mexico City or Rio, but in case you wanted to, they’ve gotten the price from “a minimum of three luxury hotels in each city.” Because of course you would be staying at a luxury hotel, wouldn’t you? We’re not going to lower our standards THAT much just because of a pesky recession. In case you’re wondering though, that $32 martini in Paris will cost you less than half that amount in Seattle or Montreal, and a mere $3.30 in Cape Town.
Their shoulder season rundown is a good idea, though I think I did a better job of it in the book Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune or in this Transitions Abroad article. And in a fitting manner for the magazine, they end their three-page value article with a quote from a Dubai Tourism representative. Dubai! Apparently the identity struggle was too much for sister publication Travel + Leisure Golf. They’re off to that 19th hole in the sky.
Budget Travel magazine doesn’t have any of these problems, of course. Their mission has been to help you get more for your money all along, so there’s no disconnect between the ads and the content. Same for the National Geographic magazines. When your ads are for organizations like Scotland Tourism, Keen hiking books, Sierra Trading Post, granola bars, and Pacifico beer, you’re already all about travel—no matter what the budget may be.
Islands magazine doesn’t seem to be having an identity crisis either. Their articles have always been about anything related to islands, high budget or low, so they can just go on talking about Hawaii honey, Barbados rum, and paddling around in a kayak.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say the magazines that stay relevant and authentic in any economic situation are probably the ones that are going to be most interesting to read, year after year. So they’re probably the ones most likely to survive. Really though I hope they all survive. I don’t relish the thought of getting all my travel information from the web, especially if I’m sitting in a cramped airplane seat or lying on the beach.
4 Responses to “The Travel Mag Disconnect”
By Randall Shirley on Apr 1, 2009
Tim:
Having written for T+L (I did their new guide to Vancouver, http://www.travelandleisure.com/guides/vancouver) I can tell you that even before this ridiculous recession, I included affordable hotel options. That wasn’t hard: Vancouver has some stunning options…just check into the value-priced Listel Hotel where you sleep surrounded by world-class art. Ditto the restaurants…many of the choices on my list are inexpensive (Legendary Noodles, Banana Leaf).
Many people still have plenty ‘o money (actually, there’s still lots of money around, but everyone’s playing the “you spend first” game), and will buy Rolexes and other expensive lifestyle items. Conde Nast and T+L do have to adjust somewhat as not ALL their readers fit that demographic (especially yours truly). And god knows, they’ve both bled staff.
Meanwhile, while all print magazines are looking like they’ve been on Weight Watchers, I notice that Budget Travel seems to have really slimmed down. Not quite as much as my local newspaper, but feels pretty lean.
Like you, I hope they all survive. I make my living writing for newspapers and magazine (and yes, websites).
Cheers.
Forgot to mention good post! Looking forward to seeing your next one!
By nicole on Apr 2, 2009
You should also take a look at wend. http://www.wendmag.com
They are more about stories of travel, then were to go.
By tim on Apr 7, 2009
Nicole, I do like Wend usually, though on the occasion I can find it on a newsstand there seem to be more articles about rock climbing and snowboarding than travel without the adrenaline. Maybe it’s a Northwest thing?
By nicole on May 2, 2009
ya, Its all adventure travel, but they also do stories about things like voluntourism and lots of trekking.