bubb1

I have zero doubt that the "first class" bloggers receive some extra attention on occasion as the aspirational traveler market is so lucrative and social media marketing is hot right now. Also, I'm a little concerned about One Mile at a Time since he has crossed into the travel agent column, but it's fun to read still!

In short, I'm wary of hotel and CC advice from these blogs, but I still occasionally learn new redemption strategies for airline miles from these blogs. Just be careful

benzemalyonnais

There is a big market for these blogs apparently, or at least a lot of individuals who feel that they have tons of advice to share.

I just noticed that an acquaintance has started writing a blog about how to travel to interesting places and see the world for a good price. Honestly, the information is crap and she really isn't a frequent traveler. She wrote some article about how she went 'off the beaten path' and visited Chiang Mai and 'scored a great deal' by paying $500 to teach English for 2 weeks'.

However, it's a lot different from the elitism of TPG who needs to pay $1500 to avoid Y.

Astrophsx

Or that they have a 6 month old FT account with under 200 posts and start a travel blog. I think it's apparent when a blogger is doing a trip review of a Holiday Inn you have to question what level travel advice they are qualified to give.

dagaetch

But then there's the question of who is likely to read these blogs...I mean for FTers the info on blogs is often irrelevant, but for someone who just wants to know "how can I take a family trip to disney for cheap", it's probably better to have blogs condensing the information than ask them to wade through FT. And I've stayed in some very nice Holiday Inn's

benzemalyonnais

But the IHG forum is better. And tripadvisor has pictures and hundreds of reviews......

stevens397

Yes, much of the info is available on FT and MP. I feel a bit differently. We all have read some of the blogs and I daresay, some people (like me) find a blogger with similar interests and concerns. And we come to trust what they say and recommend (tho still trust but verify!).

Yes, that info might be on FT too, but it can be easier to learn what I need to, in the depth that rarely appears in one post on FT, and have it coming from someone I follow and trust. For me, it's Gary, Lucky and Brian.

I also enjoy Daraius at MillionMileSecrets. His interviews introduce me to other bloggers I might never have heard of. Few of them are of enduring interest to me but I get to taste some interesting stuff.

I enjoy starting my day with those 3-4 gentlemen and I can't even quantify what I have learned and how much I have benefited.

abcx

The only blog which has unique and interesting content these days is the Wandering Aramean. The other ones have become too much like flight/hotel porn and the only reason I follow them is just in case I missed some new deal on FT. I like traveling F as much as the next guy but ultimately my travel is only to get to the destination - that's where my journey really starts. I'd much rather see photos of interesting places to go and less photos from lounges, LH F, BA C, etc. That stuff gets boring after a while.

cruisr

I have found over the last month that there has been so much repetition on the blogs I follow. As I don't have the time to do what they do I stil read and appreciate them, referrals and all

RobertNC

they all are repeating all the deals that exist.. that said they are good resources because they provide easy to locate information for particular credit cards, etc. Not sure how long they will last though; i think the rewards bonanza of the 00's will probably end over the next few years

glu800

I suppose I'm a bit guilty of being part of the explosion of travel blogs lately. I started mine last May, and I have to admit it is really hard to consistently post unique and truly original content, especially when it comes to cc/hotel/airline deals and promotions. I too find it annoying when I go onto BoardingArea and see the same offers being cross-posted on 5 different blogs, but I also understand that each blog may have different audiences, and while it may be repetitive, helping spread the information is still a good thing at the end of the day. A small concern I have though is when I feel like blogs are pushing offers too hard just because they get a referral fee. I think that sort of undermines what a good blog should be about. I refuse to add referral links to my blog or even ads, and I don't think I would ever compromise on that position.

My feeling is, have a more narrow focus and do your best to write on topics that distinguish yourself from other travel blogs. I like going backpacking and hiking, so I post more info about my destinations and the planning it took to get there. I don't pretend to know everything about FF programs, airlines, or hotels, but I try to share information that I learn while planning my own adventures.

lovetotravel

No one has yet commented on the commercial aspect of the bloggers. Frugal Travel Guy just got bought out by Internet Brands. For some, it may have started as a hobby, creative outlet etc. but became financially lucrative.

Stubtify

Late to the party but I'll add:

FT is the best to me. It has so much information, and the experience of thousands of people who've done exactly what I'm trying to do, and having the problems I'm having.

The problem with blogs:

There's this over-simplified view taken on a lot of these blogs. I wish one of them would say "I spent 3 hours checking availability on Star Alliance/Expert Flyer only to find no seats. I then found a flight with Oneworld, but I don't have enough miles so I put the seat on hold while transferring in. The transfer took too long and I lost my seat. I then I called three times to book with Delta on the phone and had to spoon feed segments, but couldn't get my actual dates so we ended up changing the entire trip and instead going to Location B instead of A.

What they only show is "Hey its me! In Location B! we stayed here: <Photo> and we ate this on the flight <photo>. The whole thing cost me xx,xxx miles."

I find myself to be an average traveler, I don't fly for business, I fly a few times a year, and take a big trip each year. Almost all these guys put up a "Oh yea I went to London" report, and make everyone know that you can get to London. They don't mention that if you live in Seattle then you'll be flying SEA-LAX-DFW-JFK-MAD-LHR to get there, or spending 2x as many points. For me that is not going to happen, my wife and I won't spend 2 days instead of 9 hours no matter how great lie flat seat is.

The FF game is just soooo subjective. Where you live, what you're willing to do to get miles, who you're traveling with. If you don't care where you're going and don't mind burning tons of time, sure you can use your miles to take a vacation anytime you want.

FT for Life.

sbm12

There's a difference between travel blogs and points/miles blogs. At least there is in my view. I don't blog every single random mileage bonus or CC or hotel deal but if there is one that is special/different/appealing I will. I also write much more about the general travel experience, whether in coach or first, since I fly in both all the time.

At the end of the day, if the content you're looking for isn't there, stop reading. If the bloggers see their numbers decrease and choose to address it then they might change. If they don't change then whatever we might think of their content apparently isn't sufficient to drive a change in their behavior. Such is life.

tassojunior

I know I've had instances where a blogger will push a certain card- say with a $3000 spend for 50K miles and even link it in their story- when there's another link circulating here that only requires a $1000 spend for the same card, same bonus. When you try to reference the better link in a comment, the story doesn't get updated and sometimes the comment even gets deleted.

That's why I trust threads here more than blogs. Besides, the blogs are just summaries of what's in threads here. I read the headlines on the blogs each day to see what's new, but then research it on FT.

84fiero

I do think a lot of the blogs are the same. But to be honest I feel that way about so many things these days... "news" outlets all have the same story fed from AP or Reuters (even places I hope will have some of my local news). One 4-door sedan is almost the same, really, from each carmaker. TV shows are all so similar. Traveling the USA it's more and more difficult to detect local and regional variations in stores, hotels, food.

Or maybe I'm just getting older and more grumpy!

I don't want to get OT too much into which are my favorites, but the blogs that share realistic and interesting trip reports, general airline & travel industry news and status, etc. get more of my time lately. Or blogs that delve into more complex advice such as unique multi-partner award routings, for example.

I really don't need to come and see a hundred photos of the toilet in your luxury hotel and the after-dinner mint on your first class Etihad flight. Or hear the same latest credit card buzz that I've already learned about on FT.