The travel writing and hospitality industry is saturated with lazy content that is littered with the same, boring, over-used cliché’s. So, the question is: Do you want to join these legions of low-value writers and make the same miserable mistakes or will you rise above and dedicate yourself to crafting truly compelling writing that doesn’t force your readers to roll their eyes so hard they sprain an optical nerve?
Let’s find out…
1 – “A hidden gem”
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen a well-known tourist destination referred to as a “hidden gem”, I’d have enough money to buy the missus a whopping big diamond for Christmas.
2 – “Best-kept secret”
If it’s a “best-kept secret”, why is it that a simple Google search will present you with dozens and dozens of blog posts yammering on about just how special said “best-kept secret” is?
And besides; if it’s a secret, you shouldn’t be out there yelling about how wonderful it is from the rooftops!
What are you trying to communicate? That it’s a nice quiet spot? It hasn’t yet been tarnished by tourism? It’s rather remote?
There are many different ways you can big a place up without falling prey to the same old snippets.
3 – “Eatery”
Eatery is a very strange one indeed because nobody in their everyday speech ever says the word “eatery”.
You want to use conversational language in your travel writing and appeal to your audience by being relatable.
If you start using words like “eatery” you just as well remind them “doth not forget to pack thy wet-water attire in thine satchel” as well.
4 – “Melting pot”
“Melting pot” is used over and over again when writers are trying to describe a major city. It is a tired phrase and the worst part? It really does not conjure pleasant imagery in the mind. If anything it gives me goosebumps! Although in truth, that could be a result of my PTSD from watching The House of Wax when I was far too young for horror movies!
If you want to turn your readers off, use it by all means, but there are limitless ways to refer to a city as vibrant and multicultural and teeming with life.
Get creative.
5 – “Home from home”
If people wanted a “home from home” they wouldn’t bother going on vacation at all. Yes, it’s nice to describe certain lodging as homely and cosy – especially when referring to an alpine retreat or a glamping tipi, but aside from that, people want luxury hotels with lavish hot tubs, not something reminiscent of their 2-bed flat in the suburbs.
Conclusion: Consider hiring the professionals
In truth, these are honest mistakes and if I am being entirely honest with you – I’ve definitely been guilty of a few of these in my blog posts during my early days as a writer.
In any case, writing clichés is often a symptom of not having enough time to dedicate to proper writing. In which case, it may be worth outsourcing your content creation needs to the experts.
Want to get the most out of your writing? Hire a digital marketing agency and let them work their magic for you!
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