I struggled with writers block , so much to rant about, I couldn’t decide what to write about, but, at lunch I was reading an article and it was littered with words like Staycation. I really really dislike that word, and I am unsure who first wrote it, but whoever did should be made never to travel again.
Ban silly travel terms
On Twitter I had a rant, that it should be banned, then other words started popping up like Nano break, so this got me thinking about other words that are used in travel articles to make it sound cooler. I’m a simple guy, and I don’t like using jargon, and tourism and travel articles are littered with it.
More travel jargon
Flashpacker – someone who doesn’t wear clothes when backpacking
Boutique – a hotel that’s trying to be cool because it has wallpaper on its walls
Luxe – it’s a holiday that includes free soap
Paliday – a holiday with your best friend, but you fall out and never speak again
Nano break – a holiday where you set off, but do not get there because the flight is cancelled
Travel is full of jargon
A lot of these types of words are used in articles and they do not really mean anything. It just makes the article sound a little different. There’s enough jargon in the travel industry, never mind the media creating more. Now it is your turn, what terms, jargon and buzzwords do you dislike, and why.
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karl | 27 July, 2009 at 1:32 pm
‘Dynamic packaging’ irritating isn’t it…
Darren Cronian | 27 July, 2009 at 1:33 pm
@ Karl
I think I’m guilty of that one a few times! It sounds like something that should exist in a warehouse.
David Whitley | 27 July, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Others for me include:
1. The prefix ‘eco’ – which is slapped on everything from eco-hotels to eco-uraninum mines.
2. Mancation – holidays for men who for some reason think that paintball is in some way enjoyable.
3. Set-jetting – trips to barely recognisable places that featured in a film for approximately five seconds, and then were smothered in CGI anyway.
4. Tree change – for people who forgo the beach to sit in a field full of cow dung.
And, at the risk of violating your comments policy, I’ve tried to tackle a few of these overused, nonsensical phrases in my Travel Writer Clichés series (http://bit.ly/qkitv). Boutique is most definitely next in the firing line.
Graham | 27 July, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Glampacking is another stupid buzzword.
Jodey | 27 July, 2009 at 1:56 pm
OMG I am so pleased you wrote about this Darren!!!!
Staycation BAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jamie R | 27 July, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Could you call all hotels on the greek islands, Eco hotels.
You are helping the environment by putting toilet paper in the bin and not into the environment.
Nathan Midgley | 27 July, 2009 at 2:24 pm
@karl I think some consumers – certainly some of the ones worst hit by the Freedom fallout – would argue that the term dynamic packaging hasn’t been used enough… a silly phrase, certainly, but not a meaningless one by any stretch.
I actually don’t mind staycation, on the grounds there wasn’t really a term for it before. ‘Domestic break’ means you’re away from home, ‘time off’ could mean you’re spending a week doing the garden. Certainly makes me wince a bit (as puns will, especially after you’ve heard them for the 500th time) but I can live with any word that serves a purpose.
…which the utterly pointless ‘nano break’ doesn’t, because we have ‘overnight’ or ‘short break’ for anything over a day trip. Let’s ban that one instead 
Matthew Teller | 27 July, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Holistay?
Emily Ashwell | 27 July, 2009 at 3:17 pm
The word ‘moon’ seems to now crop up to describe any kind of couples holiday.
So, if the couple is having a baby, before it is born the holiday is called a ‘babymoon’. If they are getting married while on holiday it is called a ‘weddingmoon’ etc etc.
Glamping is also a bit silly.
Think these terms are mainly found on press releases, with travel journos using them for a hook for a feature (myself guilty as charged!).
These are brilliant – a really enjoyable read!!
Mark Henshall | 27 July, 2009 at 3:31 pm
As well as Nanobreak, Paliday, Naycation and Yaycation… Today, Gadling gives us the ‘liecation’ http://tinyurl.com/n6zc82. At least they seem to have their tongue in their cheek.
Nathan Midgley | 27 July, 2009 at 3:37 pm
@emily you shouldn’t see weddingmoon used too much – pretty sure it’s a Sandals trademark. But I’ve definitely seen ‘babymoon’ out in the wild.
Gadling just used ‘liecation’ in a tweet, but in fairness both Gadling and Jaunted have their tongues pretty much permanently in their cheeks…
Merrill | 27 July, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Voluntourism….
Darren Cronian | 27 July, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I think weddingmoon and babymoon gives staycation a run for it’s money..
andygeog | 27 July, 2009 at 7:53 pm
It seems that when you take a normal word such as ‘Vacation’ and ‘Backpacking’ and then substitute the prefix of the word you get an annoying, trendy new term.
Ban all new prefixes!
(Not travel related so apologies for going off topic, but my all time most hated word is ‘guesstimate’ urgh – it means the same as estimate god damn it!)
Andy
Caitlin | 27 July, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Ian McKee | 28 July, 2009 at 11:25 am
Haha, great! Us PRs like inventing a new travel buzz words too. I saw ‘sabbat-packers’ used for the first time in the Sunday Times at the weekend, and instantly had to use it in a release. That’s grown up gap year travellers, taking sabbatical from work due to the recession.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article6722147.ece
Oh and I’ve heard ‘mini-moon’ more than babymoon. As in a short break honeymoon before a main honey moon, to save time and money straight after a wedding.
To be honest, I quite like the silly terms, gives us PRs a way to make stuff sound original! Sorry…
Darren Cronian | 28 July, 2009 at 12:14 pm
@Ian
I am sure it helps using these silly buzzwords in PR’s but, I’ll never understand why people cannot keep it short and to the point. I have to admit 99% of PR’s I delete when I see that it is more than a paragraph (or the title doesn’t attract my attention)
Most people (including myself) have a short attention span.
As for the media using them it spoils reading the article when you have no idea what the word means!
Louise Newton | 28 July, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I first saw ‘family-moon’ in a national, then, more recently, ‘mini-moon’.
‘Family-moon’ at least broadens the market for us operators, i.e. marry later, bring the family. Quite like ‘mini-moon’ actually especially if it means couples opt for a long-haul short break (Cape Town etc). But ‘mini-moon’ is definitely a term born of the credit crunch. Whilst we’re at it, I hate the term ‘credit crunch’.
Darren Cronian | 28 July, 2009 at 12:48 pm
@ Louise
I am guilty of ‘credit crunch’ – its okay using these buzzwords but what percentage of consumers are going to know what they mean. Do you use these types of words on your site?
Ian McKee | 28 July, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Maybe using the buzzwords can (or should) be a way of making it short and to the point? Just a thought. Doesn’t get around the issue of them being used without people knowing what they mean though.
We know most of our PRs don’t get read past the first paragraph, so even if it is longer one of the things that makes a good release is making sure the reader knows the story in the first para, or sentence even, if possible. That doesn’t always happen either though, I know!
Louise | 28 July, 2009 at 3:18 pm
@Darren, I don’t use jargon on our site. Customers are choosing by destination by the time they get to tour operators’ sites, in my opinion. But to give the weekend papers some flavour, I think it’s fun to toss in some new phrases. Good debate though.
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Emily Ashwell | 29 July, 2009 at 11:08 am
@ Ian @ Darren @ Louise
Interesting how sophisticated travel companies have got with their marketing – a tent with a Cath Kidston sleeping bag is now glamping, a short break for a couple now a mini moon. What next, calling a couple of pensioners going on holiday a silvermoon or something? It could be endless. Don’t blame companies for trying to come up with something to differentiate their product though.
Darren Cronian | 29 July, 2009 at 12:14 pm
@ Emily
All I can say is that companies must be struggling to get customers in through the door if it has to use buzzwords to try and sell holidays. I think though that most consumers will step over the fluff and read the bits that are important to inspire them or make a decision.
Lee Harrison | 29 July, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Some of these “Buzzwords” just want to make me swear, talking of Which I have decided to start a swearbuzzword, starting with that beautiful Maldivian Island Soneva Fushi, Talking of which if I catch that Sonevafushi that broke into my car at The Holiday Inn at Heathrow at the week-end, I’ll suggest to the Police they give him the longest staycation possible!!!
Alastair McKenzie | 29 July, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Provenance of ‘Boutique Hotel’
A year ago Michael Cullen (editor i-crossing.com) wrote an excellent piece – proposing a new 5-point definition of a ’boutique hotel’ – in which he suggested the name had been coined by Ian Schrager back in the 80s
Nick | 29 July, 2009 at 3:37 pm
@lee
Good one….though if under 16 will probably end up in Kenya or similar on a character building exercise……. I had a character building exercise from my local copper… and my arm still hurt 2 days later.
If wanted to ban something it would YYX 3 letter codes……… Apart from that my other wish would be for a standard hotel rating system worldwide.
Anil | 30 July, 2009 at 12:26 am
I saw ‘mancation’ recently. How uncreative.
Kef | 1 August, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Just reading a press release where they are trying to coin the phrase “econo-cation”
Louise | 3 August, 2009 at 10:02 am
Sunday Times 2nd August:
‘Breakation’ = The holiday where you realise he’s not the one. I can relate to that!
Nathan Midgley | 3 August, 2009 at 11:04 am
Just heard someone say ‘barefoot luxury’ in the office. I’d forgotten about that one…
Lee Harrison | 3 August, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I Suppose two un married Lovers away on holiday, never to be seen out of the bedroom would probably be away on a Fornication !
Anil | 3 August, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Nathan Midgley | 3 August, 2009 at 3:26 pm
@lee
application: tour of west country cider producers
now look what you’ve done…
Louise | 5 August, 2009 at 10:36 am
Are we bored with this yet?
If not:
I keep on spotting new words since this ranting started! Today: ‘freecation’ = free holiday house swaps. Thanks ABTA mag, who received this in a release from gumtree.
Louise
Fiona | 5 August, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Hi there – Michael Cullen’s defintiion of boutique hotel is mentioned here – Michael is actually the editor of http://www.i-escape.com – here is the link if you are interested to read what he thinks a boutique hotel should be….. http://www.i-escape.com/boutiquehotels.php !
Robert Reid | 5 August, 2009 at 3:13 pm
I’m with you T-Rant. In fact, I came up with 19 other ‘-acations’ to help defuse and kill the ‘stayc*tion’ nomenclature for good.
If interested:
http://reidontravel.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-19-acations-are-all-i-ever-wanted.html
Neal Baldwin | 6 August, 2009 at 9:34 am
Sadly, I’m partly responsible for the phrase ‘chaveller’ (the travelling chav, obvioulsy). Can’t claim to have invented it, but pushed it out in a research report I wrote for World Travel Market back in 2005 which got loads of media coverage. I still hang my head every time I see that one pop up somewhere…
Georgia | 7 August, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Mini-moon = a short honeymoon. Apparently.
Erica | 28 September, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I realize I’m a bit late to the discussion but stumbled upon a new term a few days ago. Bizcation. (At least I hadn’t heard it before. Had you?) Not hard to figure out what it means though. You work on your business while on vacation. I think it was Laura Roeder who coined the term.
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