MEDIA RELEASE: 20th July 2009
‘Travel tale-telling’ – majority of travellers lie and exaggerate holiday stories and still leave friends bored!
The majority of us exaggerate or lie when it comes to recounting our summer holiday stories and even then we fail to inspire our listeners, says a poll of travellers by
www.iknowagreatplace.com, the online travel community from leading responsible travel agent responsibletravel.com.
‘Tale-telling’ lies In an effort to capture listeners’ attention, over half (56%) of those surveyed said they had exaggerated their holiday stories to make them sound better and almost one quarter (23%) had even gone so far as telling an outright lie in order to make their stories better. The top holiday ‘tale-telling’ lies were as follows (in order):
1. The amount of fun had
2. The hotel stayed in
3. The weather
4. A made-up adventure
5. A fake romance
6. ‘Getting in’ with the locals
7. The destination visited
8. The people and new friends made
Yawn! However, it seems our efforts are not working. Three quarters of us have been bored by a mate’s holiday photos and a further 69% admitted to having found a colleague's, friend's or family member's holiday stories dull.
It appears we don’t rate our own travel-tale-telling much either - 67% of people admitted to feeling as though no one cared about their holiday stories when they returned to the office.
Story telling tips So how can we make our holiday stories more interesting? Here are ten top tips from the experts at
www.iknowagreatplace.com
1. Don’t show all your
photographs! Pick the best 30 and show them as a short slide show.
2. Choose
unique and funny single events as it helps build a specific picture of a place. Your most random experiences will form the most interesting tales.
3. Use
blogs and
online photo galleries such as those on www.iknowagreatplace.com. Your friends can then delve into your stories on their own terms. Plus you’ll have a lasting record from your travels.
4. Before you start, think about what
reaction you are aiming for e.g. shock, laughter or intrigue.
5. Talk about the two things people can relate to and understand:
emotions and people. How small did the huge gorge make you feel, how did you end up talking to that crazy old lady on the train? Make your description as sensory as possible - talk about how things smelt, sounded and tasted.
6. If you come across
independent artisans on your travels who make unique crafts, spread the word when you get back home - these kind of encounters make great stories.
7. Don’t be afraid to
exaggerate if that’s how it felt through your own eyes! If the bear was actually 1m tall but in your eyes in was 5m tall then say it how you saw it!
8. Don't be afraid to make it
personal. People want to hear about you rather than reading a travel guide account.
9. Send a
postcard hinting at some interesting stories so that everyone is intrigued to hear the full tale when you return.
10. When you are away buy some of the different
music you hear. You can discuss your travels with friends back home whilst listening to the music which will jog your memory and help create the perfect travel tale atmosphere.
Tips compiled by Holly Gee (currently circumnavigating the globe without flying) and Justin Francis, founder of
www.iknowagreatplace.com .
To read their inspiring travel blogs see:
- Holly and Nick:
responsibletravel.com/nickandhol
- Justin:
responsibletravel.com/JustinFrancis
- ENDS -
