Dear White Travel Writers,
I’m writing this letter because I’m frustrated, I’m angry, and I’m tired. Earlier this year, when Bani Amor pointed out that travel writing was inherently colonial, but there was – is – a unique space for writers of color, the internet responded well.
I thought we were getting somewhere, you know? It was a solid second step to last year’s realization that the travel community was too white.
But I was wrong.
You see, I recently considered writing a piece about the uniquely Finnish concept of ‘Sisu’. It’s a word that doesn’t truly have an English equivalent which, as I understand it, embodies grit, strength, and stoicism.
I was pumped for this piece. I got the feeling – or, rather, after living and working in Finland after my undergrad, the feeling got me: It was part of the reason I changed course from being a geology student to someone who wrote.
But I struggled to write it. Not because the words failed me, but because I wasn’t Finnish. “Is it okay, for me, an Indian woman, to write about a Finnish idea?” I kept asking myself.
Eventually, I decided that it wasn’t for me, and scrapped the idea altogether. But a writer friend of mine pointed out something that changed everything: “Do you really think a Finn visiting India would have the same thinking?”
I knew the answer, and, chances are, you do too. We see it in glossy magazines and travel sites all the time. Self-proclaimed experts on India, privileged and white, telling you what sites to see in Varanasi. Bali’s top nightclubs by a white Australian, for a white Australian.
Despite all the self-commentary that the travel industry puts forth on itself, we still haven’t gotten our heads around when it’s okay to step into a space and when it’s not. For example, an everyday white girl writing about her experience in India? Great, no problem – go right ahead. Tell me about what a transformative experience it was, and how Eat. Pray. Love. led you down this path. But the same girl telling me where I should go in Delhi to eat the best chaat? Maybe not.
Actually, scratch that – no. Bluntly put, it’s not your space.
And if you’re confused about what constitutes your space, let me put it like this: If you’re not the local expert on the subject, and you’re adding no value to a destination, it’s not your space; all you’re doing is writing something that someone – typically a person of color – could and should be writing.
If you’ve been assigned a piece that requires a round-up for a destination, ask yourself:
Are you really the best person for this piece? Why?
If not, can you suggest a more experiential angle to the editor?
If you absolutely must write it, can you consult and feature local writers in your article? Or, if you’re a travel influencer, can you coax a brand into pairing you with an equally deserving person of color influencer?
The thing is – you have a seat at the table right now. If we can all call out the lack of diversity in this field, and the need to collaborate rather than compete, the status quo will catch up. Editors and brands alike won’t have a choice.
So, for the love of passport stamps and ‘grams of airplane wings, stop stepping on non-white toes, and start speaking up.
Regards,
A Fed Up Non-White Travel Writer
