Dear Travel Blogger, Enough With The Politics

Dear Travel Blogger,

Enough with the politics. Please.

I say this with as much respect as can possibly be mustered in a political season revved to a frenzied pitch with candidates - on both sides - who are so unqualified that I can't quite figure out how they received their respective nominations.

Between the radio spots, the newspaper headlines, and the television coverage, I am beyond sick of the election season. Coming from a self-described political junkie, that's saying a lot.

So I try to escape with the things that I love. Namely, travel blogs and Instagram feeds full of exotic views. Oh, and kittens! Everybody loves cute kittens.

Paul Revere agrees.

Well, you can imagine the look of consternation and dismay on my face when I discovered that rather than featuring sunset beach photos, "top ten" travel lists, or even just a quick shout-out to a local coffee shop you discovered, your social media was clogged full of politically-charged tweets, links to registering to vote as an expat (from websites that were decidedly in favor of a certain candidate), and other posts that made it quite clear to which side of the aisle you are loyal.

For the love of all things travel, keep politics out of it! 

I get it. You're passionate about your beliefs. So am I. But people don't follow my blog for my political beliefs. Nor do I follow your travel blog for anything other than travel-related topics. On the rare occasion I've hinted at politics, such as when I outlined my reasons for why travel boycotts are not unethical in and of themselves, it has been within the context of travel and travel alone. I do not endorse candidates on my blog. I do not re-tweet criticisms of one candidate versus the other on my social media. I do not engage in politically-charged discussions with any avenue attached to my travel blog. That's what personal accounts are meant for.

There's an old saying that one should never discuss politics or religion in the workplace. I would assert that if you are purporting to be anything but a political blog, it's best to keep politics out of it. Completely.

Why? Because through regular reading of your blog, I feel in many ways that I've come to know you. You've become the imaginary friend of my childhood that's not so imaginary and does way more cool things. I love seeing the new places you've discovered, the travel obstacles you've mastered, and the other personal tidbits of your life that you've shared through your blog. I've come to really like keeping up with your life and vicariously living through your travels. And I don't want politics to tarnish that, whether we're on the same side of issues or not.

Now I'd love to see more photos from your last trip abroad!

Sincerely,

Someone Who Reads Your Blog


P.S. I feel the same way about movie stars, prolific authors, and other non-political celebrities who feel as though they must use their celebrity status to influence the vote towards one candidate, party, or platform versus another, but as this is a travel blog and not a celebrity tabloid, my comments are directed to the travel sector. :)

I call this one "Exotic Greek Kitteh Gives Cold Shoulder." 🐈 #catsofinstagram #travelmeow

A photo posted by Thrifty Gypsy's Travels (@thriftygypsytravels) on Oct 7, 2016 at 7:01pm PDT

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