Customer Reviews

Travel + Leisure (2-year)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Travel magazines have never catered to the common man, instead preferring the rarified air found around those living in million dollar homes and driving Porsches with model numbers we've never heard of before. "Travel + Leisure" is no exception to this rule.

One would think that the editors would have toned down the chic and trendy during the economic downturn, but instead they seem to have ratcheted up the lust level another notch. A quick scan of the price tags attached to the luxuries described within "T+L's" pages will find most of the recommendations to be out of reach of mortal men. And don't get me going on the ads, either.

This is not to say that "T+L" is a bad magazine. If your idea of a family vacation is Monte Carlo, then it works beautifully. It does a wonderful job making people's mouths water over what is offered out there in the big, beautiful world. But if your idea of a getaway is Gatlinburg, you'll get nothing but a case of envy reading this magazine.

As for the actual content of the magazine, it suffers from "USA Today" syndrome: limited, perfunctory articles. The content resembles nothing more than a hodgepodge of tidbits. Many magazines today have this problem, though. Blame it on short attention spans. Or possibly that the world is a big place and too much specificity on one location would make the mag less useful for a broad audience. But with the demographic of "T+L", I think the target audience would appreciate knowing more.

"T+L" certainly has some plusses, with the best being the photography. This is a handsome magazine. But it is a "B-level" handsome and not an "A". There are more elite magazines that look even better.

In the long run, though, the negatives outweigh the positives. One of my biggest beefs with "T+L" is the sheer onslaught of ads. A random flip through its pages will almost always land you on an ad rather than actual useful content. Given that ad revenue at magazines is down, I guess a plethora of ads is a sign of the magazine's health, but still. Don't we buy magazines to read articles that are useful?

As far as competition, Conde Nast's "Traveler" comes to mind. Having read the two, I think I might lean toward "Traveler" as the superior magazine. My admittedly faulty memory has me remembering that it has a tad more depth in its articles and a higher "signal to noise ratio" of content to ads than "T+L".

If you are a daydreamer, get "T+L" simply for the "what-if" possibilities. But if you are like me, save the money you would have spent on "T+L" and use it to get away for a couple days with the Mrs. to a nice, local B&B once in a while.

T&L is a visually appealing travel mag, but they seem to be slipping on the editorial side lately. I'm always enticed at the newstand to pick it up and flip through, but I find myself buying less and less these days, because there isn't as much substance behind it as there used to be.

The rare times that I do buy is when there's an article about an area that I'm about to go to, or want to go to. Even in these cases, I find that some research online, augmented by CN Traveler, does the job much more efficiently. Don't get me wrong; I still *like* T&L; it's just that most of the value I get from it can be much more effectively accessed on their Web site, under 'destinations.'

If you want a useful travel magazine, try CN Traveler. If you want eye candy for travel, I'd suggest something like Wallpaper (alas, they've somewhat fallen off the pedestal as well, but that's a different review...).

Several years ago I had a job where I traveled a lot for work. This experience made me choosy about where I stayed, and what I did with myself when I was away from home on weekends. It was at this time that I began reading Travel and Leisure; I've read it ever since.

Travel and Leisure is unapologetic about writing for people who want to be pampered when they are on vacation. It inspires readers with pretty pictures, and promises paradise to those with money to spend and time to plan. This is not a magazine for those who prefer youth hostels. It is not for people whose goal is "adventure travel." Travel and Leisure is for people who want to relax, to be pampered, and to be charmed when they are on vacation from their otherwise hectic lives. What if you don't have time to take that vacation? Well then Travel and Leisure is precisely the magazine you should read to help you imagine what that trip would have been like.

A lot of reviewers share similar views, as seen in the recurrence of similar criticism of today's magazines. What these complaints also have in common is that they can tend to be fairly uninformed in regard to certain issues. First off, we all know that T+L is for "affluent travelers." Read the publisher's description, and it will tell you just that. So if you're not an affluent traveler, then don't waste your money on T+L and stick to Budget Travel. T+L occassionally has "affordable" stories, especially in their affordable issue in March. But don't expect the hotels to be to be under $200 a night. You know why? Because nowadays under $200 a night means you're a step above a youth hostal, especially in Europe where you pay an extra 20% on top of every dollar with today's exchange rate. The point is that T+L never positioned itself as an affordable travel mag, so to criticize its shortcomings in that respect is an invalid complaint.

Anyone who claims the photography is blown out and out of focus hasn't picked up a copy of the magazine since 1999. Furthermore, if all you saw were straightforward photographs of hotel rooms, you'd go out of your mind with boredom. There's nothing wrong with adding a little art to your photography, after all photography is in fact art, and T+L does a pretty good job of that. And so what if there's a beautiful woman in the photo. No one's saying you have to look like her or promising that she'll be strewn across the bed in your hotel room. Use your imagination - this is travel photography in Travel + Leisure magazine - it ain't Newsweek. And with all of the other offensive problems with media today, only in America do people complain about too much skin.

Lastly, readers need to understand that magazines don't put in more ads for giggles. A magazine is a business, and ad revenue is THE way a magazine earns money. So the more ads they have, the more profit they have, the more money they have to pay better photographers and writers and hire more staff and do more research, etc, etc, etc. No magazine is going to choose to throw away money in order to not offend its readers with fewer ad pages. In fact, high ad content is an indication of a high circulation, which is an indication of reader satisfaction. The more people a magazine reaches, the more companies want to advertise there.

The fact of the matter is that there is no perfect travel magazine in existence. They are either too service heavy, or editorial fluff, or too scientific and adventure-y, or just a b-level publication. T+L has its shortcomings, it has its top whatever lists and there's a lot of high-end service in there. But it's stunning and has its share of well written and interesting articles.

I think Travel & Leisure is a great "aspirational travel" magazine. Travel is so much about the dream, the experience, the memory, and the storytelling.... I think T&L does a great job of helping travelers IMAGINE the possibilities.

This reader thoroughly enjoys the photos and articles about 'exotic' vacations in Europe, Asia, the Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand] and Central or South America ... one can dream ... and possibly one day live the dream. One learns of vacations in out-of-the-way unique locales. For instance, in the July 2004 issue, there is a feature article on "Puglia' dubbed "the next Tuscany". There one can rent space in a 15th century convent or room at the most modern resort. In either case, one can taste the finest Italian cuisine, fresh food, grown and raised in the region. Another adventure which appeals to this reader is "perfume tours in Provence".

This reader is in love with Mayan ruins, so reading about how Richard Hansen, an U.C.L.A. archeologist, has worked for 25 years to excavate and preserve, El Mirador, one of the largest mayan cities, is of great value. This reader shares his dream to designate the region a national monument and turn it into a living outdoor museum. It would become a top tourist attraction, such as the Tikal National Park (Guatemala's most popular). Another fascinating article featured "Shanghai". Here one learns of where to shop for silk slippers and the beautiufl blue and white porcelain for which it is famous. A person can have designer clothes copied by tailors at huge savings ... The contrast of ancient and modern China is amazing. Going antique shopping would be most satisfying ... Featuring, Ming Tsai, a Chinese chef and owner of "The Blue Ginger" Restaurant in Massachsetts is quite the perfect ending to a wonderful magazine. He is often featured on PBS channels sharing his recipes and techniques for Chinese cooking. This reader enjoys every article and looks forward to each monthly issure. Highest recommendations. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

As Condé Nast's chief rival in the affluent traveler sector of the glossy magazine industry, TRAVEL & LEISURE comports itself admirably. For those of us who have not yet considered buying a private jet, such affluent travel is more a spectator sport. Interesting, occasionally worth yelling about, but not something we'd put on our kit and run out on the floor to do for ourselves.

This reviewer travels almost constantly as part of his work. As a result, I regularly brush up against the destinations T&L points toward, though only by accident or overbooking do I end up in the executive suites.

Still, there is something here for both rich and, well, un-rich. For example, the December 2006 'insider' column on London's greenmarket neighborhoods is worth a look for anyone who finds Londontown a place, as do I, of bottomless fascination. P. 182's 'Guide to Cairo' manages a similar multi-class helpfulness and the fine treatment of northeastern Brazil is interesting on any budget.

Plus, if you *can* manage the ching-ching for, say, the SEABOURN LEGEND on one of its French Riviera cruise, hey, you're in gravy. If you can't - like the Chicago Cubs - it's still fun to watch.

Most magazines have gone too far with how many ads they have in them, but T+L takes the cake.
Every page, even the "articles" feel like an advertisement.
This is by far the worst travel magazine I have ever subscribed to.

I will admit to being pleasantly surprised at T&L. There are a wide variety of articles on a wide variety of topics, all relating to the magazine's namesake. Glad to be a subscriber.

I enjoy this magazine, but I am downsizing my paper subscriptions, and I really don't read this enough to make it worth it to continue the subscription. I enjoy the magazine for virtual travel, but I can easily find it at the library, and spend an hour with it there.