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Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism | 
 enlarge | Author: Thomas Kohnstamm
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $5.99
You Save: $7.96 (57%)
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Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 45925
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 0307394654
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.4092
EAN: 9780307394651
ASIN: 0307394654
Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For those who think that travel guidebooks are the gospel truth.
The waitress suggests that I come back after she closes down the restaurant, around midnight. We end up having sex in a chair and then on one of the tables in the back corner. I pen a note in my Moleskine that I will later recount in the guidebook review, saying that the restaurant “is a pleasant surprise . . . and the table service is friendly.” –Thomas Kohnstamm, professional travel writer and author of numerous Lonely Planet guidebooks
WANTED: Travel Writer for Brazil
QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
Decisiveness: the ability to desert your entire previous life–including well-salaried office job, attractive girlfriend, and basic sanity for less than minimum wage
Attention to detail: the skill to research northeastern Brazil, including transportation, restaurants, hotels, culture, customs, and language, while juggling sleep deprivation, nonstop nightlife, and excessive alcohol consumption
Creativity: the imagination to write about places you never actually visit
Resourcefulness: utilizing persuasion, seduction, and threats, when necessary, to secure a place to stay for the evening once your pitiable advance has been (mis)spent
Resilience: determination to overcome setbacks such as bankruptcy, disillusionment, and an ill-fated one-night stand with an Austrian flight attendant
As Kohnstamm comes to personal terms with each of these job requirements, he unveils the underside of the travel industry and its often-harrowing effect on writers, travelers, and the destinations themselves. Moreover, he invites us into his world of compromising and scandalous situations in one of the most exciting countries as he races against an impossible deadline.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 Quite a trip, alternately tedious and interesting May 26, 2008
Richard A. Jenkins (Washington, DC USA)
20 out of 27 found this review helpful
Kohnstamm sets out to expose the soft underbelly of travel writing, but often tells more about himself than about travel, and that's often more than many readers may want to know. Compared to some other reviewers, I didn't find the book that "carnal", although I could have done without knowing the details of Kohnstamm's many hangovers. The book begins with the author departing a tedious job, shredding a relationship with a woman he allegedly cares about and flying to Rio. He basically tells us that he likes traveling on someone else's dime and his life sounds like something more typical of the aimless and affluent 70s than the present day. Later in the book, Kohnstamm tells us that his flight into travel writing is based on ideals. Which is it--chucking responsibility, traveling on someone else's money or "ideals". I tend to doubt the latter.
Kohnstamm actually is at his best describing people and places, which is the bread and butter of travel writing. Despite being an experienced traveler, he seems to get himself into obviously problematic situations. A "model" who's on her way to work in a minor, touristy provincial capital is likely to be in the sex industry. A fellow American with an all cash business is likely to be selling drugs. These aren't difficult to expect and, in addition, Kohnstamm shares various misadventures from past travels which suggest that he's one of those people who "doesn't benefit from experience". Either that or he's embellishing. It's not unreasonable to assume that someone who can't keep his motives straight may not be credible in other ways.
I was drawn to the book partly because I used the Lonely Planet guide which Kohnstamm had helped revise. It was a mess. It failed to mention that a "quiet seaside town" was an international surf mecca and contained messed-up maps that easily led one into a favela while looking for a hotel. Kohnstamm intimates that his predecessor led the same life he did, but all he offers is a tiny, offhand-sounding quote. He talks about a Yahoo site with hundred of Lonely Planet writers, all complaining about the same things; however, I suspect that if it's like most Yahoo forums, the conversation probably is driven by, at most, four or five people, at any given time. OTOH, his description of Lonely Planet's evolution into a guidebook series for midrange travelers rings true. Kohnstamm claims to sympathize with Tony Wheeler's business sense, even though it means that the books have less to offer than they did in the past. So much for those vaunted ideals. The new edition of the Thailand guide (their best seller) has sharply cutback on locales, places to stay, etc., and seems more insipid than many mid-range guides. Kohnstamm seems to be saying he's happy to do that if someone is willing to tolerate his sophomoric behavior.
So, by the end, I was ready for the book to end. It's an entertaining read and occasionally you get some ideas how travel books get written. It's not awful, but it's not the 5-star trophy that others have made it out to be. If Amazon had a 2 1/2 star rating, that's what I'd give it. Will it stop me from using guidebooks? No--the people who say they never use them are usually happy to browse through everyone else's. Would I stay away from Lonely Planet? As it happens they have the only guide for my next trip, but their own business practices got me to look seriously at their competition quite awhile ago. And Kohnstamm--would I read another book--Sure, but only from the library.
 An Instant Travel Classic...I want to read more!! April 22, 2008
M. Harbison (New York, NY)
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
First off, if I would have believed all of the online chatter about this book before I bought it, I might have made the mistake of not purchasing it. Thank God I did not believe the hype!!
Kohnstamm weaves a fun, entertaining, hilarious, and informative tale about his first experience writing for Lonely Planet on their Brazil travel guide. He tells of all of the crazy experiences he had as a young guy jetting off to Brazil to travel across a large swath of the country with little experience and practically no guidance from his editors.
Kohnstamm did what many of us have only dreamed of doing, he left a comfortable, secure 9-to-5 job to pursue his dream of becoming a travel writer. From the very beginning, he learned that the lifestyle demanded someone with no strings attached (the self-inflicted implosion of his relationship with his girlfriend is laden with dark humor), and someone who was willing and able to learn a very challenging job on the fly.
In the process, we learn of a guy with the best intentions who just wanted to do the best job possible in order to secure more work with Lonely Planet (apparently he did a good enough job that he ended up being paid to work on over a dozen titles). But in the process, he learns that the system, while not necessarily set up for writers to fail, definitely makes it very difficult for them to do the job they are hired to do.
I read this entire book through in one sitting. As a traveler, a dreamer, and someone who has always thought of just quitting my job and setting out to make my living traveling the world, I identified with Kohnstamm. He brings us a story that made me laugh out loud, dream right along with him, and in the process taught me a lot about the travel guide industry. I will definitely continue to use Lonely Planet books, but I think Kohnstamm has given me insight into my own travel habits and given me the courage to take more risks on my next trip.
I sincerely hope this book is well received, because I am dying to hear about his adventures on the next twelve guide books!!!
 Did He Really Do That? April 28, 2008
Jackson McQuigg (Atlanta, GA USA)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
Several weeks ago, I was shocked to hear the news media reporting that Lonely Planet author Thomas Kohnstamm fabricated his research for LP's travel guides and had now written a tell-all book.
Moreover, I was flatly angry. I used the 2005 Lonely Planet Brazil guide which Kohnstamm contributed to for two trips to that country. I even followed his thoughtful (albeit a bit preachy) regimen for "responsible travel" while there.
And now all his contributions to the Lonely Planet Brazil guide were turning out to be a pack of lies? What a jerk!
Needless to say, I simply had to read Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? If nothing else, I felt compelled to read it in order to justify my anger, or perhaps redouble it.
The book wasn't what I had expected. As it turns out, Kohnstamm turns out to be an extremely conflicted guy. His standards are high, but he is disillusioned by the business of travel writing-- its deadlines and budgets in particular. He tries to build himself up as the cool guy who gets all of the women, yet his description of many of them is overwhelmingly sentimental (see the passages on ex-girlfriend Sydney in the introduction, if you doubt me).
So, did Kohnstamm fabricate some of his work? Did he take free meals and lodging? Yes, and yes, although not nearly to the extent that the media has reported. That's right: the press got it wrong!
This guy is no slouch (he has a Master's in Latin American studies from Stanford), but he does let himself become one at various points in the book. Kohnstamm takes us along for the ride, from Rio to Olinda, and various places in between.
You've got to admire Kohnstamm for putting himself out there like this in such a frank way. There's no trite moral story in this book-- just a travelogue which is part confession, part braggadocio and all well written (in Hunter S. Thompson style, no less).
After reading the book, I can't be angry. First of all, I've never laid myself bare like this. Further, how can I stay mad at a guy who puts pictures of his dog on his MySpace page, quotes Paul Theroux and is fascinated with D.B. Cooper?
I still think Thomas Kohnstamm is a jerk, mind you-- but one who I have come to admire greatly through the pages of this book.
It's good to know that travel writers are real people. If nothing else, Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? proves exactly that. Keep writing, Thomas.
Loved it! April 22, 2008
Ruthie Campbell (Florida)
10 out of 17 found this review helpful
Entertaining!
Thomas Kohnstamm has received significant attention from the press and the blogosphere over the past few weeks regarding his experiences as a travel writer. It now seems that in some instances, the media - and individuals who posted discussions on this Amazon webpage- irresponsibly reported on salacious rumors and fabrications. After reading Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?, I feel personally compelled to tell future readers that this book stands on its own, as a truly enjoyable read. I could not put it down.
We all have had moments when we know, not feel, but know that our jobs are sucking the life from us, that we somehow ended up somewhere we never imagined. Mr. Kohnstamm opens the book with such an experience and with awesome determination to avoid succumbing to the miserable fate of a lowly desk job. Once we know what his life goals are, we know he will never surrender; he is destined for a more adventurous route, one that I would honestly like to join him on - even though it is rather coarse! After being offered what would seem to be a dream job as a full-fledged travel writer, we follow him through his raucous send off to Brazil, his introduction to an array of interesting (to say the least) characters, his struggle to meet his deadline and many exciting, hysterical and energetic moments in between.
If you are expecting that Mr. Kohnstamm`s book was written with resent filled prose, with the intent to destroy Lonely Planet with a multitude of dirty secrets about the company, you may be disappointed, but don't let that stop you from reading this memoir. The book is not only a fantastic page-turner but an incredibly important glimpse into the world of a travel writer and an industry that is no longer able to support their authors in a way that allows for accurate and holistic guides. The travel guide industry has not only let down their readers but their employees as well. Let this be the start of a new discussion about travel guides. I have heard complaints from travel writers for years. Thomas finally had had the guts to let us backstage. I am happy to have discovered this great author. Thanks for the ride...looking forward to the next one.
Do Travel Writers Get Put On Double-Secret Probation? May 21, 2008
Erik Olson (Ridgefield, WA United States)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
I recently read another "tell-all" book on travel writing called "Smile When You're Lying." I found it to be quite enjoyable (see my review), so when I heard about "Do Travel Writers Go To Hell?" I figured I'd give it a shot. This lurid tale of the guidebook industry was worth reading, although I preferred the other book because that author was more relatable as a person. Much more relatable.
Once upon a time, Thomas Kohnstamm was a highly educated twentysomething cubicle drone stuck in a real-life version of "The Office." One day he decided to chuck the whole thing and became a travel writer for guidebook colossus Lonely Planet. With no real writing background, he got the job and was dispatched to update an LP guidebook for Brazil. Our boy headed south and proceeded to party his way through a couple months of "travel research." He even found time to actually write here and there, although he did most of his best work close to deadline while fighting hangovers and struggling to make ends meet in less than virtuous ways.
The author has a frat-boy vibe that I found a bit hard to bear at times, due to two parts disgust and perhaps one part envy. During his assignment he drank like a fish, did various drugs, partied with eccentric locals and dodgy travelers, and fornicated his way through Brazil like an Ugly American freight train. In between debaucheries, Mr. Kohnstamm makes travel guidebook writing seem about as appealing as chugging stale bong water in a Mexican jail. He ultimately hammers Lonely Planet's policy of underpaying its writers and offering them little support in the field while literally and figuratively expecting the world of them. And it appears that LP gets what it pays for: some of the publicity surrounding this book centers on allegations that the author played fast and loose with LP guidebook subject matter.
Even though tainted by the above controversy (which the author denies, and in the end may or may not be a publicity stunt) I found Mr. Kohnstamm's take on the guidebook writing process intriguing, and his ability to deliver copy under pressure impressive. Despite limited writing experience, no real help from LP, impossible objectives, dire financial straits, and various other vacation-destroying obstacles, he managed to make deadline and satisfy Lonely Planet enough to earn a living with them. And he even got this memoir out of the deal. However, his success might be off-putting to those who are serious about writing and meticulous concerning facts. Aside from his incessant carnality, perhaps the most dismaying part of this book is the author's blase approach to the craft. Indeed, writers toiling away in obscurity might find his Bluto Blutarsky approach (he says he's "a natural") to be maddening. But he can claim the title of "author," so it's hard to argue with success.
Despite the above blemishes, I recommend "Do Travel Writers Go To Hell?" as an interesting peep show into the seamier side of travel guidebook writing, rashes and all. You may wish to leaven it with these somewhat more wholesome travel books: "Smile When You're Lying," "Honeymoon With My Brother," and "The Geography of Bliss."
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