Does Thomas Kohnstamm deserve an apology?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

In an interview posted late yesterday at World Hum, Lonely Planet author Thomas Kohnstamm explains how he’s unwittingly found himself at the center of an unexpected controversy.

The author, who was quoted by dozens of newspapers over the weekend admitting to all kinds of guidebook-writing malfeasance, says that the situation has been “blown way out of proportion.” In fact, Kohnstamm claims, he wasn’t guilty of anything besides accepting a few comps and doing a bit of hotel and restaurant research on the internet instead of in person.

Several days ago, before the World Hum interview, I wrote an oft-cited post calling Kohnstamm a fraud and expressing outrage at his behavior. Now that Kohnstamm has backtracked from his previous statements, does he deserve an apology?

Well, yes and no. Kohnstamm certainly was not guilty of all the charges leveled at him, and some of the criticism he received was unfair. He doesn’t appear to be a massive plagiarizer of the Jayson Blair ilk, and I’d wager he’s far from the devil he’s been made out to be, here and elsewhere. Also, it probably would have been prudent for me to contact him before writing the “fraud” post to see if he was quoted correctly, even though he doesn’t dispute that he was.

With all that said, it’s hard to muster much sympathy for Kohnstamm, since he was the one responsible for bringing up these charges in the first place. He repeatedly gave his interviewer the impression that he was a veritable “bad boy” of travel writing, saying, for example, of his agreement with Lonely Planet regarding the Colombia guidebook:

“They didn’t pay me enough to go (to) Colombia. I wrote the book in San Francisco. I got the information from a chick I was dating-an intern in the Colombian Consulate.”

Clearly, Kohnstamm’s implication is that he was supposed to visit Colombia, but the misers at Lonely Planet were too cheap to make it worthwhile. Turns out, as Justin reported yesterday, Kohnstamm and LP agreed that he wouldn’t visit Colombia, as he was responsible only for writing the history, environment, food and drink, and culture sections of the book. So why make that explicit to the interviewer? Easy: because that’s not interesting, and it doesn’t move books.

Now, Kohnstamm is calling his Colombia claim “regrettable” and “an unfortunate choice of words.” Hard to argue with that.

His situation now is a bit like that of the college guy on Spring Break who lies to his buddies, telling them that he cheated on his girlfriend with a gorgeous, blonde 19-year-old. When the news eventually makes it back to the girlfriend– as it always does– he’s in the unenviable position of having to explain that before he was lying, but now he’s telling the truth.

As for the claim that he accepted “comps” from hotels and restaurants, he says that’s true, but he tried to avoid doing it as much as possible. Frankly, I can’t work up much outrage over this, and I’d never condemn a guidebook author for taking a discount here and there– as long as they aren’t in exchange for positive reviews. Kohnstamm is right that these guys don’t get paid much, and hell, I’d probably take a discount or two myself. (Gadling credentials, anyone?)

All this doesn’t leave me feeling as if I have much to apologize for, I must say. Look back at my original post, and I’ll stand by what I wrote: Self-promotion? Entitlement? Decreasing the reputation of LP and its hard-working writers? As Elvis used to say, I’ll take all of the above with a side order of more.

But wait, does Kohnstamm even want an apology? Probably not. He just wants everybody to forget about this. But oh yeah, remember to buy his book.

Thoughts on the Lonely Planet scandal: Guidebooks are a sham

by Jeffrey White on

So, Lonely Planet writer Thomas Kohnstamm, ‘author’ of the guidebook giant’s Colombia title, turns out to be a fraud.

That’s one of the big stories today, as dutifully reported and followed by Gadling’s Aaron. Of course, the travel world has a right to be outraged by this, and that’s including the numerous LP writers out there who simply do what is expected of them and produce honest work.

But I have this question: Who really cares? Is there anyone out there who takes these guidebooks seriously? Who honestly feels his or her confidence in the racket that is the global guidebook industry has been irrevocably shaken? No one? Exactly: We were doubtful from the beginning.

The Kohnstamm revelation further cements in my mind — and I’m betting in a few of yours — the belief that guidebooks are by and large a sham. I know writers for LP, Time Out, Let’s Go, DP and a few others. While certainly I am not suggesting I have first hand knowledge that they are guilty of the kind of intellectual laziness and deceitfulness that should surely turn Thomas Kohnstamm’s name into a punchline, I know them to call in favors, farm out their work, barter, happily receive comps and overall travel in a way that is, well, rather less than incognito (I witnessed once a writer for a well-known guidebook series making a pitiful pitch over e-mail to get a free weekend at a new, five-star Central European hotel by throwing around his title’s name).

This brush is not meant to paint the entire industry and those who write for it. But I’m aiming at a wide enough canvass, those who want to somehow influence our reaction to a place through gross generalizations and trivial detail, while allowing us to fall back on information that somehow always seems to be not quite right – which, of course, the disclaimers more than prepare us for.

Aaron gives us some reasons why we should be outraged by the Kohnstamm affair. They’re thoughtful and well-presented. But we shouldn’t be outraged. And we shouldn’t be surprised.

Guidebooks are the CliffNotes of travel writing, nothing more than a hand-holding exercise. They’re good for a few names and a few addresses, some initial info, and maybe even the surprising fun fact (but you better verify it). Beyond that, they’re useless. They’re often wrong, more often skewed, and they seek to rob you of the only thing you have as a traveler: your impression. How the hell can you come to some conclusion about a place using one of these things? The guidebook views you as an idiot incapable of asking questions: You really can’t figure out how to find a restaurant wherever you are? Stick with it and you’ll be seeing what someone else thinks you should see rather than perhaps what you need to see.

For me to point out the number of times that a guidebook has been wrong would be to point out the well-known. I hope what the Kohnstamm affair really does is to get people thinking long and hard about relying on a guidebook for anything in the first place.

5 reasons to be outraged by the Lonely Planet fraud

by Aaron Hotfelder on

We reported earlier today on a Lonely Planet writer named Thomas Kohnstamm who admitted to making up large parts of his books, and also said that he had never even been to Colombia, a country he covered for the guidebook series. In case this guy’s behavior hasn’t already pissed you off, here’s five reasons why it should.

5. His sickening sense of entitlement. Kohnstamm’s complaint that LP doesn’t pay its writers enough might be well-founded. I’ve certainly never seen any of the guidebook writers I know driving Ferraris or polishing their bling. But to sabotage your employer because you believe you’re underpaid is stupid. There are literally thousands of people who would love to write for LP, and I’m sure no one was holding a gun to this guy’s head to write these guidebooks. If he didn’t like the terms of employment, he should have quit and let LP find somebody else. It wouldn’t be hard.

4. His shameless self-promotion. In an amazing coincidence, Kohnstamm is set to release a new book next week called Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism. The book, from what I can tell, is the story of how Kohnstamm manages to embody every bad stereotype about travelers there is, and he comes off sounding like a complete boor who’s just dying to tell the world about his unbelievably cool life. Here’s an excerpt:

“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.'”

You had sex with a girl? In a foreign country?! Cool!

It’s worth mentioning that his shameless self-promotion is working. News outlets like CNN, Reuters, and many others have picked up the story, always including the name of his new book in their articles. And there’s a picture of it above. More proof that the most effective kind of self-promotion is the purely shameless variety.

3. He undoubtedly led travelers astray. LP reps say they haven’t found any mistakes in Kohnstamm’s books yet. Well, keep looking. Kohnstamm claims he made up large parts of his books, so it’s likely there are quite a few inaccuracies to be found. Tellingly, the author never appears to consider that people are counting on the schedules and recommendations he’s supposed to provide.

Spending the night in a train station because your guidebook messed up the departure times is far from the end of the world. But it also shouldn’t be written off as simply “part of the experience,” especially if it could be easily avoided.

2. He regards the whole affair as a harmless college prank. In his interview with an Australian newspaper, Kohnstamm makes sure to bash LP, but he never apologizes to his readers. Worse, he seems to view his “questionable ethics” as being a real riot, merely fodder for his next book and nothing more.

1. He gives a bad name to all the other Lonely Planet writers out there. As Matthew Firestone, a Gadling contributor and LP writer, said in the comments of our earlier post, this writer’s behavior reflects very poorly on those guidebook writers who tirelessly pound the pavement to check train schedules, review restaurants, and sleep in seedy hostels. If Kohnstamm believes his actions only hurt himself, or his Lonely Planet publisher, he’s dead wrong. His unethical behavior will cause travelers to cast suspicious glances at other guidebook writers, almost all of whom work their asses off.

For more, check out Eva Holland’s article over on Brave New Traveler.

10 quotes from Kurt Vonnegut, on the first anniversary of his death

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the death of a favorite writer of mine, Kurt Vonnegut. Best known for his books Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, Cat’s Cradle, and many, many more, Vonnegut had a way of creating alternate realities, while at the same time saying something important about our own.

Here are ten of my favorite quotes from Vonnegut, some applicable to travel and some just applicable to life.

10. “We are here on Earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.”

9. [In a Baptismal speech, from God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater]: “Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies– God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

8. “History is merely a list of surprises… It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again. Write that down.”

7. “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.”

6. [When Vonnegut tells his wife he’s going out to buy an envelope] “Oh, she says well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I’m going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babes. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don’t know. The moral of the story is, is we’re here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don’t realize, or they don’t care, is we’re dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we’re not supposed to dance at all anymore.”

5. “Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals.”

4. “The highest treason in the USA is to say Americans are not loved, no matter where they are, no matter what they are doing there.”

3. [After Kilgore Trout tracks mud onto a nice carpet in Breakfast of Champions]: “It was Trout’s fantasy that somebody would be outraged by the footprints. This would give him the opportunity to reply grandly, “What is it that offends you so? I am simply using man’s first printing press. You are reading a bold and universal headline which says ,’I am here, I am here, I am here.'”

2. Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterwards.”

1. “I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.'”

Catcher in the Rye inspired Holden Caufield tour of New York City

by Jamie Rhein on

The 10th most popular book in the United States is Catcher in the Rye. Way to go Holden! Although Holden roamed the streets of New York City at Christmas time in the early 1950s, you can take in what he did even in warmer weather. Holden Caufield’s version of NYC is certainly cheaper than the Sex in the City tour that Iva wrote about. That one costs $24,000.

Here’s my suggestion for a Holden Caufield inspired itinerary with costs included. I’m providing the adult rates. The itinerary is based on the places Holden went. Each are mentioned in the novel. I’ve thrown in the cost of a day MetroCard along with the subway and bus stops to make your gadabout easier. If you start early in the morning and don’t dawdle, you should be able to hit all stops–although this is if you only see highlights at the two museums. Each of them could take several hours. Take a copy of the novel with you so you can see what Holden saw and compare notes. There will be an essay afterwards.

Start here– Grand Central Station –free. Subways: # 4, 5, 6, 7, and S. From here walk to Rockefeller Center by heading to 5th Avenue and turning right. It’s a piece of cake.

Rockefeller Center –free, unless you go ice-skating. Ice-skating goes on through April 13th. For adults, $10–weekdays or $14–weekends. Skate rental, $8. Subways: F-D-B-Q. There are others that will get you close, but you’ll have to walk a little. Nearby is Radio City Music Hall where Holden saw the Rockettes. You’ll have to wait until their Christmas Spectacular Show to see them. Presale tickets are available.

To take the #1, which will get you to the American Museum of Natural History, the next tour stop, walk a few blocks to 50th and Broadway.

American Museum of Natural History –It can be free, however, there is a suggested admission of $15 for adults. You have to go through the line to pay what you want in order to get a ticket. Subway directions: Take B (weekdays only) or C to 81 Street or #1 to Broadway and West 79th Street.

Central Park Carousel -$2.00. The carousel and the Central Park Zoo trip fits between the two museum visits. The carousel reopens after the winter months in April. Although, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is directly across the park from the American Museum of Natural History, I’d go to the carousel and zoo for a change of pace and to enjoy some spring flowers. Here’s a link to a teeny tiny map so you can see what I’m talking about. You can take a bus M7 to Central Park South and enter the park at 6th Avenue. Grab a soft pretzel with a dollop of mustard. If you’re lucky you can find a knish. Oh, I love those things.

Central Park Zoo – $8.00 (for adults) To get to the zoo from the carousel, keep walking across the park towards Fifth Avenue. You’ll pass by the Dairy Barn along the way.

Metropolitan Museum of Art—free, except there is a suggested donation of $20 for adults. You can walk here from the zoo, if you like to walk several blocks, or walk to Madison Ave. and take the M1, M2, M3, or M4 up to 83rd Street. On Fridays and Saturdays, the museum is open until 9 PM so you’ll have time to not hurry so much–plus there’s music.

Here’s an article that can work as a cheat sheet to show you what Holden saw at these places. You won’t be able to take in the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. For that, come back during the winter holidays.

Admission costs if you pay the full amount at the museums—55 + MetroCard for unlimited day use–$7 = Total $ $62.