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One of the biggest issues in travel journalism right now is how journalists can realistically cover destinations amid shrinking media budgets, restricted junkets, and increasingly competitive assignments. For example, the New York Times and a few others don’t allow staff or freelance writers to accept all-expense paid travel trips in exchange for coverage.

When I first started writing about travel 11 years ago, USA Today and several more wouldn’t allow free press trips, but many of them have since changed, since they don’t have the budgets to pay journalists way but they still want to cover travel since it’s such an in demand news product. In other words, the question of journalistic access and independence is alive and well.

My take: I’m glad the big budget and profitable New York Times don’t accept free press junkets (someone’s gotta do it). But I’m also okay that I’ve accepted press trips for over two decades so I can write about the trips I’m being hosted on, travel very much included. Both have value. But I have to work extra hard to write objectively since shiny freebies are proven to soften critique, something publicists definitely know.

My approach: I reserve the right NOT to write about a place I don’t believe deserves publicity, critique experiences as if I paid for them, and review things honestly as if I would to a close friend or family member. I do all this while risking future access. For example, I’ve been blacklisted twice by two top 10 tourism operators and destinations after calling their trips underwhelming, because they really were. A few years later, one of them invited me on a different trip because they still wanted to be featured in my bylines (and the other is hosting me again after I’ve stayed in touch with them).

Moral of the story: there are lots of fish in the sea. You do you as honestly as possible, and you’ll always find a way if you keep working hard.