What responsibility do we have as travel writers?
Lottie's asking the question again five years on from the last time she posed it. Things look a little different now.
I went to the Isle of Skye last month. I was researching a chapter for a new Bradt Guide — Dog-Friendly Weekends: Scotland (sign up to my dog-travel newsletter here if you fancy learning more). It was an odd weekend for various reasons (wild weather, millions of midges, a horrific traffic accident), but also because I spent a lot of it feeling guilty for being there. I suspect we are all aware of the issues Skye has faced as a result of increased tourist numbers. The term overtourism is thrown around a lot these days, but Skye was probably one of the first places in the UK to get bogged down in it. This island with all its drama — the Cuillin Hills, the Fairy Pools, the Old Man of Storr — is a victim of its own audacious beauty.
The entire weekend I was there, I felt like apologising to every single local I met for simply adding to the number of tourists. I could’ve not visited. I could strike it from my book and choose somewhere else. But that won’t stop people from travelling there. It won’t help create solutions to this problem. So what I have resolved to do is write about Skye’s lesser-visited corners. The areas where you won’t be surrounded by hundreds of tourists snapping photos of waterfalls or mountain peaks. I spent the weekend asking around for things to do beyond the tourist trail that funnels the majority of visitors to the northeast corner of the island. And in the Skye chapter of my book, I have written a stark warning for those intending to visit the island, alongside instructions on how to avoid adding to the pressure it’s currently under.
I have done something similar with my Dog-Friendly Europe guide, which is set to be released by Bloomsbury in March 2026. I travelled to Venice for that book, a city which greeted me and the other thousands of tourists arriving by train, with graffiti that told us all to immediately turn around and go home. I spent a good couple of hundred words of that chapter warning my readers about overtourism, considering their impact and exploring how they can be better visitors.
I don’t do this because it makes good travel writing or entertaining reading. I do it because it’s my responsibility as a travel writer. This newsletter was founded in June 2020, in the midst of the pandemic that changed everything, and our very first ever edition explored the sudden responsibility we travel writers had to public health. It was responsibility like we’ve never had before — all of a sudden, readers were looking to us as enablers of safe holidays. Where was open for visitors? How could travellers go on holiday without getting sick? Which companies had the best Covid cancellation policies?
Today, our responsibilities are very different. No longer are we dispensing advice on mask rules or Covid vaccination requirements. But we are still responsible for keeping travellers and communities safe. It is my responsibility, as a dog-friendly travel expert, to help my readers travel more responsibly, which is why you’ll see content like this on my Instagram and similar advice in the pages of my books:
And it is your responsibility to help your readers be responsible, too. But what other responsibilities do we have? This is what we’re exploring in this month’s series. It might sound dull, but I promise, it won’t be. Here’s what’s coming up:
Next week: Is it OK to write about illegal stuff?
15 July: Public liability — can our writing get us into hot water?
22 July: What are our responsibilities to PRs, editors and readers?
Bonus email: The things we’ve learned from writing this newsletter
Post of the week
This is the airport pick-me-up we all need right now:
Who to follow
Aimee McNee has possibly some of the most relatable content on Instagram for tired writers. Go follow her for more like this, and the occasional pep talk.
Industry must-reads
It’s not strictly travel, but accessible travel content creator Sassy Wyatt has written a new ebook all about digital accessibility for marketers. Since we’re sort-of marketers of ourselves, and many of us use social media, it could help you make your content/website/portfolio/social posts easier for all to read and digest.
This pertinent piece on the ultimate travel writer dilemma by Pico Iyer in the NYT is a relatable read. Read anything great lately? Share away in the comments!
Want more travel writing tips to get your teeth into? Check out Meera Dattani’s webinar series on travel writing here — new webinars are coming in June, too, so keep an eye out here for announcements. Our online course has tonnes of tips on this topic; head to our Teachable shop here.
Very wise words, Lottie. I've never been to Skye, though it's been on my bucket list since childhood ... somehow I've just never got round to it, and more recently I've been slightly put off by just the sort of issues you discuss. One of the boxes of memorabilia from my late parents' house that I can't bring myself to get rid of is a box of maps belonging to my paternal grandfather, who was Scottish and a very keen hill walker. There's one map of Skye in particular which is so worn and creased that he must have used it a lot. I'd love to use it as a guide for an exploration and write about how different the island is now from the one he must have known in the 1890s (he was born in 1876 and I never knew him, that must seem a very, very long time ago to someone of your generation!)
Excellent piece, Lottie. It’s a constant back and forth between ‘I’m helping by informing people’ and ‘fuck, I’m encouraging people to travel to these places’ when travel writing.
It’s a lot less lonely knowing other writers are going through the same internal struggle.
I’ll be sure to recommend your Substack and upcoming book to all my friends who love to travel with their dogs.