newelty

Growing up, my dream was to be a foreign correspondent. I didn’t really have any idea of what that meant, except it sounded sophisticated and extremely exotic. The notion of traveling overseas to report the truth consisted of wearing khaki, dodging bullets, and sleeping underneath mosquito netting.

Now my travel for work has little, if any, time for exploring. It’s seriously bittersweet.

Lia and I share some venom for lazy travel writers. These people have a platform to truly make a difference. And while I know travel editors’ and writers’ budgets are virtually nil these days, there has to be a way to report this amazing world in a relevant way to today’s travelers.

What’s stopping them? Their age.

It doesn’t take a seasoned private investigator (another childhood fantasy of mine) to google a few names and deduce that if they started at the Cleveland Plain Dealer in the mid 70s,  the writer in question is a boomer.

Meanwhile, Generation X created Google, YouTube, and basically altered the way everyone absorbs media. Studies show that the next generation has dramatically changed the way they spend their money, particularly in a recession, and particularly if they still have the means to travel.

Is this reality reflected in any newspaper travel section you read? Or do you, like us, find yourself rolling your eyes at yet another indulgent, self-important diatribe about something that was relevant 20 years ago?

Let’s look at the top five dailies in terms of circulation in the US:

• The Wall Street Journal: Scott McCartney writes “The Middle Seat,” a column about the airline industry. He’s the least offensive on this list, since his column is reasonably witty and certainly attempting to cater to his readership. But, still–a boomer.

• USA Today: Laura Bly, travel reporter. She recently wrote a story about a new bowling museum in Texas. Enough said.

• The New York Times: Stuart Emmich, travel editor, employs Matt Gross, the not-so-Frugal Traveler. Again, enough said. Oh, and he had boomer babe Maureen Dowd write a story for his section. Cringe worthy. Did you see the article she did about Twitter? Jesus.

• The Los Angeles Times: Beverly Beyette, travel writer, wrote this obese puff piece on the world’s largest cruise ship.

• The Washington Post: Does it even matter? You have to actually sign in to access content. BOOMER FAIL.

The list goes on and on.

Why are we still taking travel advice from journalists who were in their prime when the Berlin Wall came down, and people actually subscribed to newspapers? Especially if they refuse to respond to today’s reality. They have to stop monopolizing this medium.