Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?

I just finished Thomas Kohnstamm’s book, 'Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? I found myself rushing home from work to read the next chapter. The way he lived his life and the method of research he used to write LP’s guide book for Brazil were great - for shock value.

Being a travel writer myself, I understand how difficult it is to get all the facts straight, especially when you’re only visiting a place for a day or a few hours. In my own book, 'a few Drops short of a Pint', I wrote about sharing a house with a guy called 'Marcel'. 'Marcel' had moved from France to Dublin, to live with his Irish girlfriend. According to me, she dumped him after a short time and moved out. But when 'Marcel' read my book, he emailed me, saying: "Marcel left his Irish girlfriend at the time [not the other way around]!" I also attacked two consulting engineer companies: the ridiculous Dublin-based one that I worked for, and a major worldwide organisation that rejected me. I was very careful to change the names of these companies. It's easy to upset someone when you're writing about real people and places.

If I’d been Thomas, I'd have changed LP's name to something fictional. (‘Marcel’ certainly isn’t my housemate’s name, and we’re still friends.) I hope he didn’t use the real name of the drug dealer who offered him a share in the business. I’d also have used a pseudonym instead of my own name (so that neither LP nor the South American drug dealer could find me). Of course, having read Thomas’ book, I think it's his style to burn bridges and never go back. I admire his courage.

It’s unlikely that he'll be employed by any guide book company again. I don't believe this will worry him greatly, but I also don’t think he intended to cause harm to LP. Although he often behaves like an idiot in his book, he appears to be driven by [his own] ethics.

The book, 'Do Travel Writers Go to Hell', is a different take on the travel narrative. Thomas has pretty much carved out his own genre, with sex, drugs, intrigue and deception. Some of the situations that Thomas gets himself into are [almost] unbelievable. It's worth a look, particularly if you normally like reading fiction.

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