Comments

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  Jacy Meyer August 24, 2009 at 6:47pm

  As a former Arizona resident, the gun "laws" there drove me insane! I actually wasn't all that shocked when I heard about the demonstrators, as it seems anyone can get cleared to carry a weapon, and they all do. I do agree with Ted that we need to include safety mentions in our articles. I'm always warning people about pickpockets and the rip-off taxi drivers in Prague (not overly dangerous situations) Funny enough, I wouldn't even think to warn people off Arizona because of their gun laws. It's interesting what becomes "unsafe" or a "warning" when you are used to something...
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  Ed Wetschler August 24, 2009 at 6:45pm

  I'm reminded of a story about Myanmar that we assigned at Diversion about one minute before the regime started to get so seriously fascist. As the deadline approached, we kept debating what to do. Finally, the writer, a real pro and an expert on Southeast Asia, incorporated her qualms into the article, which made us all feel better. But we still didn't feel great.
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  José Balido August 24, 2009 at 6:40pm

  Good answer, Ted. I agree, the traveler should have all the information at his/her disposal and make the decision whether to go or not. Yes, I would probably go to Arizona, but I'd be kinda watching my back all the time, and how relaxing is that?
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  Ted Alan Stedman August 24, 2009 at 6:33pm

  Jose,
  
  There are a lot of ways to kick this around, but end of day we're talking about guns. And guns kill, so it's more than "politically incorrect" in my book. Personally, I wouldn't feel more safe waking into a bar knowing some drunk might be carrying heat. To me the idea the state sanctions the combo of alcohol and guns is insane. Would that alone dissuade me from traveling to Arizona? No. But I think it's probably a good idea to mention this issue to prospective travelers...you don't have to editorialize it, but it's worth addressing. Traveler beware.
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  José Balido August 24, 2009 at 6:15pm

  Howdy travel writers!!
  
  I'm sure most of you are aware of the controversy Arthur Frommer kicked up in the media last week with his tough stance against travel to Arizona as a result of the state's unusually lax gun laws, which led to demonstrators publicly wielding weapons outside a building where President Obama was speaking.
  
  Regardless of how you feel about guns, Frommer's action is an issue that touches on all of us travel travel writers, and I'm curious to get everybody's take on this, er, explosive topic:
  
  Do we as travel writers have a responsibility to alert our readers about places we consider "politically incorrect" in our view? Or are we overstepping the bounds of our mission as travel writers when we step up to the pulpit?
  
  What do you guys think??
  
  (And if you haven't done so yet, please vote in this week's poll on the Main page!)
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  Ursula Maxwell-Lewis August 22, 2009 at 6:13pm

  "Confessions of a Travel Writer." - snide, self-serving ...and he laughed all the way to bank
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  David Paul Appell August 21, 2009 at 9:40pm

  Hi all -- a little bird told me the Left Coast Writers confab was a success. Were any of you there?
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  Tracey Fuller August 18, 2009 at 12:47am

  Have yet to see "Confessions of a Travel Writer." When is it on? I will probably need to DVR it!
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  Susi Raphael, Host Let's Travel! August 14, 2009 at 12:27am

  I also thought David was pretty acerbic and contemptuous of his fellow travelers.
  Whiny is another good word as is arrogant. I hope this doesn't reflect badly on travel writers as a group. Let's hope in this case "once was enough".
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  Susan McKee August 13, 2009 at 3:41am

  What travel writer in his/her right mind would consent to be video'd for such a project? Not me! I've traveled with both Andrew and Jimmy (who were on that pilot), and neither deserved the opprobrium heaped on him by that so-called "host". (Who's probably blacklisted from Chile by now!)