Is Writing Trip Reports "Work?"

I agree that they are not easy. If they were, I wouldn't be "back blogged" in terms of trip reports. We all aspire to be as punctual as you, Lucky.

I like that you point out the negatives to a particular airline, aircraft, etc.. I don't see this feedback that often in other trip reports. I'm glad to see that you board early to take photos of an empty cabin. I see too many bloggers taking photos of other passengers and not blurring faces. I'd be curious if you've had any instance where they have asked you not to take photos. I know Matthew at UPGRD has had at least one story on this.

I also wonder what your opinion is on other travel bloggers that post trip reports when they don't typically write them. Sometimes I have to wonder if they do this for a tax write-off on a vacation. I have seen some pretty low quality cellphone photos being used on international dinners, flights, and hotels and have wondered the motive. Even when you are traveling with family members your reviews are just as high quality.

There are many great bloggers, but I never fail to enjoy every post that you write! And I agree, writing trip reports and taking pics is not as easy as it seems!

As someone who writes "Trip Reports" (except not in the blogger sense, actually for the hotels themselves, yes we do exist), I'd really have to say its writing it all down in detail after the fact. You want to fully enjoy the experience, but having to remember all of the details in hindsight is tough!

Trip reports are by far the most time-consuming posts to make for me. I also noticed it sort of makes me enjoy the flight experience less. When I get on a plane I'm constantly worrying about taking pics of the seat, every course of every meal, and I'm constantly taking notes on my phone to remember how the service was for the review later.

Hotels are a bit easier, but my friends get annoyed when I say they can't enter the room until I've taken pics first haha.

Wait...you mean you didn't used to be able to sleep...because you were too busy enjoying ZE AMBIANCE!? 🙂

"I had a little bit too much Hennessy Paradis, to the point that it interfered with my shower."..Classic. Love it!

Lucky, sometime I'd love to see a post about how you prepare for potential issues of traveling. Are you ever nervous about language barriers and being able to get around your destination? Do you carry a medical kit and have you ever had to use it? Have you had any major mishaps? Have you ever made a travel insurance claim, and how was the process? Have you ever gone to a country where you felt unsafe?

I love, love, love hearing about the glamorous and wonderful parts of travel, but I'd also like to hear how an experienced traveler prepares for and handles the inevitable issues that come from being far from home.

I write trip reports too on my blog and it's just a long way to go. It's not challenging or difficult, it's actually fun reflecting on the trip. The only problem is that it's time consuming.

Thanks for writing reports for us. I love reading your trip reports. Thank you!

I write trip reports regularly too. Not for a blog but on FlyerTalk. (My handle is BA_jfan, if anyone cares). For my first couple it was really exciting. After that, while I have taken pictures, I rarely actually post them just because of effort involved. I think to some degree it definitely qualifies as work.

Thanks for all of the work you do put into your trip reports. I've spent countless hours reading through your reports to look for my next points redemption.

I really can't keep up with trip reporting. I'm running a full year behind on mine at this point. God bless you for your efficiency.

Sure, its work, but its also Lucky's job! Think about it, those of us with ordinary 9-5 jobs work at least 40 hours per week minimum. Personally, I work closer to 50 or 60 hours per week, and there are certainly people who work more than that.

Now sure, there is more to running this blog than writing trip reports, and Lucky also has his award booking service, but I'm pretty sure that Lucky has plenty of time to write his trip reports considering this blog is his main job. Lets say an average trip report post takes 2 hours to write, that still leaves 6 hours in an ordinary 8 hour work day for other tasks. Hardly sounds difficult in my opinion.

No sympathy here, writing blog postings is infinitely easier than most jobs out there.

I've had a few "Lucky inspired" flights this year, including a trip to the LH F terminal. I have to say that I got very self conscious about taking photos in lounges or even on the plane in F. It felt a bit odd to constantly be taking photos (and trying to not disturb the other passangers and crew). I'm always amazed at the quality and quantity of the photos Ben brings us each week (or even daily)! Keep up the great work! And yes, the fourth 12hr segment in a round the world trip, even in F is not the most exciting for anybody, but that's why we all admire Lucky!

@ Lucky -- thank you for taking time to respond! I'm glad other bloggers/report-writers chimed in.

It takes extra effort to do such quality reports (a good write-up + lots of photos) and we all really appreciate it.

I know that my family is really glad that Lucky's flown so many different products and destinations. His report on SQ F from IAH-DME is how we found this blog and his write-up & photos is what helped me convince my mom to let me treat her to SQ F instead of Y and let her know what to expect every step of the way.

And Lucky being lucky*, sometimes he unearths real gems like SQ bears. Even people who work for SQ don't know about them (at least, ground crews in Houston and Moscow).

* - who else can get two LH F seats on IAH-FRA? LOL

Nice post! I always wondered how you got photos of the empty cabins, I just thought they let you on early. I appreciate the positives and negatives as it helps set expectations for when I travel. For me, after a few hours to put together my first trip report for my blog, I applaud everyone who puts the time in whether it is their job or their hobby - it is definitely time consuming