Comments on: Travel Channel Bombs Again With ‘Confessions Of A Travel Writer’

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:28:49 +0000

Wow! These comments really make we want to watch… Im not sure if i’m joking or not… lol… I haven’t seen it before either but I do know Bridget’s Beaches was horrible – put that crapola on SpikeTV or something…

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By: The Tobster

The Tobster — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:58:34 +0000

Pointing out problems with a trip, like shaky train schedules, lousy food, dangerous activities, crime ridden streets….that’s something to “bitch” about. But Runnette complains about almost everything. He is totally self-centered and puts the ugly in ugly American when he makes the stupid assumption that people should “know who he is”. Okay, we know who you are – yuck – now go home! Obviously he has become so jaded and bored with travel, that he has lost the ability (if he ever really had it) to be excited at the prospect of visiting another country and seeing its people in their element.

For cripe sake, he even made fun of one of his fellow travel writers because the guy had the audacity to actually speak the language of the country – - – oh horror!!

Watching this guy reminds me of traveling with a petulant teenager who complains because she couldn’t find diet pepsi on the road to Doolin….or there was no TV in her room at the B&B….or she couldn’t understand people, and “wished they’d just speak English”….same “it’s-all-about-me” attitude – BORING!!!

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By: teethetrav

teethetrav — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:07:45 +0000

The Travel Channel is on a downward slide. The Travel Writer show is awful and I will not watch it again. Critical is different than mean-spirited and whiney as this Runnette guy is. I never tire of good travel shows but it’s been a LONG time since the TC came up with one. The bug guy is a one joke theme and they are even re-inventing Zimmern because he’s run out of icky things to eat. I love Bourdain but he seems bored, even with himself. The TC refuses to spend any money which is why they end up w/ such drivel. There is an audience out there and they are just missing the whole thing.

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By: jill b

jill b — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:16:33 +0000

Being true to what happens does not necessarily make a show people want to watch. Being in the biz you come with an entirely different set of expectations and experiences. Most people want to be entertained and watching someone snarky may be entertainment to some, but clearly many of us don’t want that on the Travel Channel.

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By: jill b

jill b — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:54:53 +0000

Yes 7-8 days should be more than enough for a show. Most reality shows get an episode from 3-4 days.

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By: Nomadic Matt

Nomadic Matt — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:52:23 +0000

The travel channel really needs to hire better marketers….

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By: Michael Dwyer

Michael Dwyer — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:50:07 +0000

The Travel Channel has a lot bad programming. However, this was one of their best shows in a long time! I can only guess that most of the negative reviews are from people that could never do the job of a travel writer. The program was true to fact as a press trip goes. The viewer only saw 45 minutes of a week-long trip. Maybe because I’m in the business I thought it was good programming, I’m sorry not more people enjoyed it like I did.

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By: eileen

eileen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:10:33 +0000

well, I just can’t wait ’til the program is aired in Chile. Then I can spend the next several weeks defending my countrymen, yet again. If you want to know about Chile, come visit, read good blogs. If you want to know about travel writers, follow ones you like. If you want to watch a trainwreck, well, then you know where to go.

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By: Sean

Sean — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:01:50 +0000

My wife and I watched the show. We were excited at first, since I’ve always dreamed of travel writing. Once we got into it, however, we were extremely put off by the host, and wound up switching the channel. He truly seemed to hate everything about his job, his life, and his friends. He had nothing but complaints about free travel, which was pretty offensive to someone who has to scrimp and save for a one-week vacation.

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By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:25:16 +0000

What a blunder on behalf of the Travel Channel. They had potential with this idea and failed miserably. The host Charles Runnette either is a complete tool or is trying to garner some sort of 15 minutes of fame for his future writing gigs.

The show was painful to watch and as a fellow travel writer I felt embarrassed and cringed at what my friends thought of it. Not the best depiction of an actual travel writer. The guy seems to hate traveling or is just so damn jaded from getting amazing press trips that nothing impresses him anymore. I felt sorry for the dude.

If they retooled the show and had 3 or 4 different travel writers each week go to a particular location and each give their own 2 cents on it like a Bourdain or Brown, then maybe just maybe it would be watchable.

Eh probably not.

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