10 words and phrases we never want to see in travel writing again

Bad similes, definitely.

Hilarious, Teresa! I know I can always use a reminder on some of these.

Dappled…I know, right?

I’d like to tell you about Memphis’ best kept secret! This breath-taking paradise boasts exotic jewels of must-see treasure troves, et cetera. Don’t miss the sun-speckled oasis of Mud Island!

I feel like a pro already! Thanks Teresa! Thumbs up!

Can I just say that it took me a full minute to figure out that the image at the top of this article is a broken pencil and not a hot dog with a piece of metal in it? I was really concerned.

Also: good advice! I’ll have to keep these in mind (I don’t think I’ve used them so far, but I definitely feel your pain enough to watch out for them in the future!)

Nice! As a travel writing READER I’m sick of seeing these.

I will say this, though: such word usage seems to be much more indicative of a travel piece that is funded by the entity which it claims to be “experiencing”. I would say: look for these words when determining an article to be biased, unprofessional travel bullsh*t.

Colin– That’s funny; I thought it was a hot dog at first, too.

And I LOVED this article. It will become a Matador classic for sure.

It’s so tempting to use overused cliches. Thanks for reminding me to kick them out of my vocab!

My current peeve is people trying to spin that a place is kind of shitty. It’s “spartan” and the rooms have a “communal feel.” So, it’s a doghouse with too many beds in one room?

Heh. Good list. I’ve used “paradise” before. But it was for a newspaper and I’ve found that newspapers want travel writing to be pretty cliched so it appeals to a wider audience. Makes the pieces I write for newspapers pretty boring, but it keeps the bucks a flowin’.

I dunno if I’d agree with “oasis” though. I’ve never used it, but I’ve read it in a few places where I thought it worked well. One of my favourite bars in Ouagadougou was described by Lonely Planet as an “oasis of calm away from the chaotic streets” or something like that… and that’s EXACTLY what it is.

I guess it depends on what medium you are talking about… in something mainstream like a guidebook, I don’t care about cliches as long as it’s telling me what a place is like. For stuff in magazines or online travel writing, I want stuff that’s more original.

Love it! Even if I’m guilty of a few of these myself.

Thanks Teresa for this public service! Besides oasis and paradise, there’s the also overused mecca. And uber-anything. And Anything Central. Also jawdropping and postcard-perfect. I am also tired of seeing places perched and/or nestled in the countryside.

Yes! all of these! Though it does sort of seem like a challenge, as in I challenge you to put them in as short a paragraph as possible that still makes sense.

Not that I’m laying down that challenge for anyone.

Good ones, and I confess to using them when I’m lazy.
Some to add:
World-class. Why not just use specific details, rather than this toss-away word to describe a new hotel or museum?
In a time capsule, or where time stood still. Just because a place has period atmosphere or architecture, time did not stand still.
Beyond… Usually used in headlines, this describes any place that’s not the center of a well-known destination. (I.E., Beyond Orlando, Beyond Paris, Beyond London.)
Islands like a string of pearls. Yes, it’s like the gems reference, but this is always with island.
Eatery. When was the last time you said, “Let’s go out to an eatery tonight!”

I agree with Caitlin: editors often want this kind of dreck in the articles because their audience relates to it as shorthand. If you’re writing for a mainstream magazine, you find that they can’t really find 20 different ways to describe a sunny beach every issue–and don’t really want to either. I’ve often had editors stick in language I thought was really tired when I’ve provided a less cutesy alternative. They like cutesy, especially for women’s mags.

Agree on oasis too: often it’s the best and only word to describe a hotel like the Oberoi Calcutta. It’s a great metaphor that works and is easily understood by all.

Nothing is exotic anymore though, unfortunately.

Bigtown’s best-kept secret is also a must-see: this exotic, sun-dappled beach, an oasis in the busy coastal city, boasts breathtaking sunsets and a treasure trove of tropical fish for snorkelers — shinyfish, colorfish, sparklefish, etc. — each one sparkling like a gem below the water’s surface.

[Yes, folks, I have done this before. Sorry for the made-up fish names. And for being a hack. ]

Boast has gotta be my least favorite–I just get this image of a cocky jerk with a puffed-up chest going, “I boast beautiful beaches, be-atch.”

Funny stuff (and so true). I’m the queen of ‘must see’ or ‘don’t miss.’ I get excited about a place and out come the cliches and the descriptors: awesome, great, beautiful, terrific…

Tom Gates, I agree with you! Add ‘rustic’ to that list. A recent experience informed me that ‘rustic’ actually means ‘toilets are just holes in the ground.’

I got so into this, I almost burned the beans. Sorry to say, that’s not a metaphor. And Sarah, sun dapple this, be-haitch.

I have to disagree with Caitlin. Oasis as a band and as a metaphor are both warmed over crap with a burnt crust.

Hahaha…you’re my wonderwall Kate (and I think “burned the beans” needs to become a new phrase)

This is great Teresa! Thanks…although I’m sure the list could have been much longer. Not that I necessarily agree with Caitlin, but she is right about the medium. I still don’t like it, but it’s common place to be cliche and pretentious in glossies and newspapers. I took a travel writing course once and we were all using cliches and “fancy” words, because, that’s what you think it is. And the instructor never said anything about it. Which goes to show that they are widely accepted still. But not here! Which I’m glad to see

What do you think of “offers”? (as a replacement to boasts). I’ll admit, I use that time to time, but it probably fits right in there with boasts.

Thanks soo much for this….you’re a jewel!

Great tips; I’m saving this list in case I become a writer someday!

What about “enter” — as in: blah blah blah, and oasis paradises were starting to become a thing of the past.

ENTER PARADISE OASIS hotel! Or Enter, Bob Jones, smart guy behind Oasis hotels. Etcetera. (ha)

Vomit.

I don’t see any problem with offers, myself. It’s not trying to be fancy or pseudo-literary — it’s a straightforward use of the verb as it was designed. A hotel offers a list of services. A restaurant offers a good vegetarian selection. Etc. (Ha.)

Phew!

so pretty much your saying don’t be Samantha brown from the travel channel

Fun post! And yet I bristle at the idea of leaving any words out automatically.
So:

It’s a best-kept secret among travel writers that many gems of words that are quite useful in describing the exotic can be needlessly scorned. There are no off-limits words, it’s all about the finesse in which you use them, which you can do at times to breath-taking effect. (And we’ve all had the experience of seeing something so surprising that we’ve gasped, so yes, something can be breath-taking, and I have also personally witnessed the painterly scene of a good sun-dappling.) Sometimes it’s good to not go and on ad infinitum, so a simple “etc.” can sometimes do the trick, especially in this era of shorter writing for the web. I don’t take “don’t miss or must see” as bullying, but rather an summing up of the writer’s experience, I don’t think that anyone slavishly obeys any writer. I’d agree that “paradise” and “treasure trove” are overused — all of these words are, actually, but would not automatically red-pen ‘em – as I wouldn’t automatically rule out any word or phrase. I admit I’d find it really hard to justify using “boast” instead of the simpler “have”, but I retain an open mind.

Oh God, I may be guilty of one or two. I’m printing this for future reference.

haha, i boast numerous boutiques and fine dining….bee-atch

@Marily_Res: Marilyn, I think you just wrote the sequel to this article! Those were some good additions.

Hillarious! Still, I’m glad these aren’t criminal offenses, because I’d probably have been hanged by now.

Good comment, but do you really ‘bristle’?

I accidentally stumbled on your site today, and glad I did, it has lots of excellent information, tips and much more. I’m an aspiring travel writer (so far only been published in 1 travel magazine) and have been looking for some quality advice about travel writing for some time, I think I’ve come to the right place.

I agree with Eva–I think “offers” is fine.

Caitlin, I certainly won’t begrudge you a few paradises if they’re helping you pay the bills!

Alison, I actually totally agree with you. As some folks have commented, for certain audiences–less literary-minded ones–these cliches can be an effective shorthand. And even in more “literary” writing there are probably ways to make them work if you can put your own spit on them–I wouldn’t want to rule out any word completely–even “dappled” must exist for a reason, right?

Your own spin. Not spit.

I liked spit. “Spin” is so cliche.

…and while we’re doing the weeding, let’s uproot all these infuriating, look-at-me-aren’t-I-emotional exclamation marks.
Look back through the comments on this page. They’re littered around like walking sticks at a D-Day veterans reunion.
Please use screamers for “Fire!” but not “Nice post”, “Hilarious” or “in case I become a writer some day” and certainly not in travel articles unless you are reporting someone shouting: “Stop using excalmation marks immediately!”

“Land of contrasts”

Gah!

You’re welcome! I’d also like to ban all the varieties of “-cation” and “-moon,” including staycation, mancation, babymoon, etc. Thank you for writing this post!

Oy! I’m guilty on two counts: gem and treasure trove.

I’d add “nestled” to this list. It’s a word I’ve overused myself and vow to never use again. Also, “features” is a word that’s hard to avoid, also “boasts” (as in “boasts 600 thread-count sheets,” but we must try…

After having traveled to Cuzco, Puno, Quito and Leh, I’ve had my share of legitimately breathtaking experiences.

I like “spit” too!

Basically I think that almost anything goes in writing — if the writer is working thoughtfully. We bristle (and yes bristle!) when we realize a writer is being lazy. And readers can always tell.

Great post and comments!

Agreed that most of these are tired phrases, yet can be difficult to always avoid. However a top pet peeve that I’d like to see on the list is overuse of the word “unique.” So few things qualify as unique, especially when it comes to hotels, restaurants, attractions…

I am going to book mark this page and make sure to read it again whenever I feel the urge to use some of these phrases. Excellent.

the top picture looks like the chorizo dogs i buy for dinner here in colombia. lets just say they do not boast an oasis of flavor.

How about “impossibly”. ‘This place boasts impossibly fresh sushi’. See this a lot, it always sounds so fake!

Cutting-edge. I can’t stand it. Not just in travel writing, but in writing generally, . Especially if it refers to bands. Or technology.

Oh, great article. I have a great one:

When something is the ‘mecca’ of something. The ‘shopping mecca’ being the absolute worst.

There is only one Mecca. And unless you are Muslim you aren’t attending folks. So shut up and get a better word, there are plenty!

As a burgeoning travel writer, I appreciate the advice. As a reader, loved the delivery. It made me laugh out loud (literally)!

Thanks for the tips, very useful to have a checklist of words to avoid, though I think I may have been guilty of using them, once or twice, maybe.

The words ‘sprawling’, ‘bustling’ and ‘vibrant’ should have made it somewhere on this list

Love this article. All these words are so over used that it’s easy for them to slip in without you (the writer) even noticing. So edit them out! Warning – for some markets you will find them (and other cliches) edited right back in. An editor (NOT here at Matador, of course) recently edited one of my most hated cliches into my work. What can you do? Editor has final say.

Hey, how ’bout help a brotha out?

Let’s come up with some substitutionary words for some of those verbs… like “boasts” which is just a variant on “has” or “offers.” After a while “has” gets dead boring…

– It has white beaches. They aint jewels, just white with clear blue water.
– The rooms have views. They aint jaw-dropping, but they has ‘em.
– The souq has alot of stalls. They ain’t the mecca of shopping, but damn, there’s a lot of ‘em!

*Yawn*

I agree, some of the terms are MUCH over-used, but what’s the alternative? Use “has” three bazillion times? Come up with an online thesaurus that not only replaces the word but does not sound pretentious? Hey… maybe there’s a book in here somewhere for a brotha. . ..

I just remembered another one I greatly dislike: “compelling.”

I agree with Douglas about “mecca” — also “epicenter” is overused to mean the same thing.

And Natasha is right that “cutting edge” has become dull!

“Unique” is certainly abused. But sometimes it just can’t be helped.

can I add ‘plethora’, ‘myriad of’ and ‘stunning’ to the list?

great article – good reminder to all travel writers to up their game and keep on with the creativity

Classic! Definitely my favorite. Snaps me back to reality every time I try to go dreamy with my writing. I’d like to add ‘boundless’, ‘endless’, and ‘eternal’ !

hahahaha…. loved ur comment.. u must be funny!!!

well the issue is with over-excitement of a travel writer…. its just that you deal with too many beautiful places to describe- n most of the times you try to make your travelogue sound the best….the places you describe as most wonderful….well, creating a hypothetical ambience in your write becomes difficult with repetitive terms. And you resort to words that many a times dont make sense. Ha ha. and we fail to realise its meaning-in-depth on one end and some eagle-eyed readers catch hold of your neck, hehe …and you feel abashed of using those “cliched” terms. Well, the moral of the story….lets be more creative towards being more meaningful and rational in all. Good post Teresa! Thanks.

Some things are still exotic. They’re called viruses.

‘Iconic’ and ‘bustling’ would have to be up there…

Add to the outlaws, if you have not got them:

Storied, iconic, boutique, unique, pristine, legendary, signature, famed and eponymous.

Sure those terms are annoying. However, what is really annoying is the whining about them. Simply don’t read all of these articles with the “exceedingly offensive” terms. Not that you could actually write anything if you eliminated all of the terms in the post and all of the extra terms listed in the comments.

@JamesGordon: I endorse your suggestions– those are really good ones that pop up all the time.
And I don’t believe that if you eliminate these hackneyed words and phrases you will be rendered speechless. I’m reading E. M. Foster’s Passage to India now which has vivid descriptions of places and he hasn’t used any of these words so far. I think it helps to read top-notch travel fiction, which expands your vocabulary painlessly while you’re engaged with the story. National Geographic Traveler has put together the Ultimate Travel Library, a compendium of great reads with a sense of place. It’s organized geographically:
http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/travel-books/intro-text

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
local

Seriously?

Found in the links at the bottom of the article.

“Western Australia: 10 Places You Don’t Want to Miss”

good catch Gary. we put that one in there just to see if people were paying attention.

That’s a gem of a save David.

thanks man.

I thought that sounded harsh. To each his own, no?

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!

Any thoughts on ‘Indiana Jones’ sense of adventure in an article about ‘The Lost City’ Colombia?!

please send reference url of the article.

“Nestling” and “pristine” make me rage inwardly.

“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).

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.

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.

Okay I’m guilty. I just used “etc.” in a comment! Guess I’m very lazy.

there should be a travel-writing license that is taken away for using those words…

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

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….

“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

‘Hustle and bustle’

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………..!

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.

“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!

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.

Oh come on. The Corn Palace is South Dakota is a total must see!

Kudos for the advice.

“Itchy feet” – not a fan of this at all

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.

locals.
fanny pack.
cozy or quaint.
well-preserved (unless you’re talking mummies)

that’s a great idea.

sweet.

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.

what about ‘ubiquitous’? annoyingly popping up in all lonely planets

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

I totally agree. This reminds me of the habit of futebol announcers yelling “Goooooooaaaaallllll!” One Mexican sportscaster did this several years ago and from that day to this, not one announcer has been able to think of anything else to do when points are scored. Not even “Scooooorrrrrreeeee!” or “Poooooooiiiinnnnttttt!”.

Is this just being intellectually lazy or evidence of obvious stupidity in all sports announcers?

” World-Class”!

Please, please…I beg of you… NO MORE “World-Class” anything, except international athletic competitors!

Good grief, we once had a coupon for a “world-class” oil change!!!

…and we had “world-class” taxi service; “world-class” swimming pool ( no, it was NOT used for the Olympics, either!); “world-class” scenery (what the ^%$%^& is that?)

Well, the list goes on. Kill that phrase, except every two years for the Winter and Summer Games!

Bob S. Hale

You can’t take the word oasis away from me, I will continue to use in almost everything I write.

Lucky I live on the Arabian Peninsula, where the term is actually appropriate. Tomorrow I head to a lush green crescent shaped oasis on one side of the world’s largest sand desert.

Interesting list, and I must admit that you made some valid points, however, if you strip away all the colourful nouns and adjectives away from a travel article it can make for pretty dull reading.

The term ‘breathtaking’ for example is never actually used to describe respitory failure…but it’s frequently used to describe an invoked emotion. There’s nothing wrong with using terms like this in moderation.

I must admit that I do find the term ‘boast’ very irritating however. I’ve never heard of sun-dappled!

Yes, absolutely… but only if you are being forced to drive through South Dakota.

Teresa,

Now that you brought it up, how about giving “cheesy” a rest? It’s also a cliche, as well as slightly vulgar, and I bet you can’t even explain why the food item cheese came to represent the meaning you’re trying to convey.

In defence of the odd cliche in travel magazines / websites: they perform the role of sign-post or marker, sending a reassuring message to the reader that says “you are reading about a place more interesting and desirabe than where you are right now”. Consider sports writing / teen girl magazines, business pages of newspapers, etc. To rigorously omit cliche from these genres would be plain odd. What’s more, over-zealous cliche substitution can be really jarring.

Unacceptable in any type of writing but common in beginning travel writing: “unique” and variations thereof (“truly” unique,” “very” unique, “uniquely situated,” and my pet peeve, “somewhat” unique). “Unique” means “the only one or the sole example.” There are no degrees of uniqueness, and only one thing of its kind can be unique. It is or it isn’t, and if it IS, nothing else can be.

‘A rich culture’, or any of its various permutations, really makes me facepalm. It’s utterly meaningless.

What I don’t care for in writing are modern sayings that generally have no meaning unless you are immersed in the culture. Take Alex’s post above. What is facepalm? I have an idea, but it’s the first time I’ve read it. Same things can be said about words like segway and synergy.

Here are some overused nouns I would like to ban from travel writing: epicenter, ground zero, and mecca (unless you mean Mecca). And I think Adam Paul means segue not Segway.

so this post I did would be an example of “wrong writing??”

http://www.goseewrite.com/2010/11/castara-tobago-undiscovered-gem-wrapped-awesomeness-paper-cliche/

Hmmm.. now what to do when the motto of the town is “Nova Scotia’s best kept secret”… How to write around that one? (As far as I am concerned you are just telling the world your marketing s*cks, why else would your place still be a secret?).