Although…I don’t think “free” is ever the right word. It’s a bit misleading, frankly. It’s bartering as opposed to paying cash. Companies hand out things (gadgets, books, services etc.) because they are looking for some kind of return, however vaguely defined. They’re wanting expert, fair-minded opinion, or reputable exposure, or the zillions of other benefits of working with bloggers.

What makes me sad….and hell, what *annoys* me, is when people presume that getting things for “free” equates to selling out. I’ve yet to go on a press trip, but I know from talking to enough people who have that taking part in a press trip in the spirit that a press trip is offered….is *hard work*. You’re there for a purpose and you have a role to play that isn’t just for your own benefit. A working holiday. It shocks me how many people seem to forget that when they start with the “oh, you lucky git” comments…

Let’s get rid of the word “free”. It’s leading people astray.

Great site.
In defence of the grammar/ spelling issues, I am a stickler for both.
However, once I started blogging regularly on assignments realised that the need for sleep always overrides my desire for perfect copy. In fact, by 2am, after a long day I tend to think, WTF, they must know what I mean otherwise they’re too stupid to read this. Of course in the light of a bright, shiny new day I regret this, but by then I’m onto the next gig.

Freelancers simply don’t have the time in a day to cross every ‘t’ and dot every ‘i’. It’s more important to keep the info flowing which you are certainly doing!
So ditto Corbin.

Stumbled on your blog and I thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve read so far!

Freebies is perfectly fine, in my opinion, as long as you disclose it so that the reader is aware of it. There caveat is there. Readers are not that gullible to swallow everything they read, I’m sure (…. and I hope!). People get a lot of tips from your blog (for free!) and apply that when they’re planning their own trip. I don’t think they would complain about getting freebies then!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with how your blog is written. I love it! I like that it’s not completely grammatically perfect or spelling-error free. I like the expressiveness of it all. I like that there are little mistakes here and there. It makes me feel more “connected” to the writer, that he is someone normal just like me, that what he experiences on the road is most likely what an average person would to. That’s the whole point of blogs as opposed to publishing a travel book. That is why I read travel blogs more than nicely-printed, perfect grammar, editor-approved travel books.

Thumbs up for a fantastic job!

As for these nay-say-ers commenting on grammar and language. Eff ‘em. Writing while on the road is like crapping while being attacked by monkeys. It’s tough. It’s way too easy to miss a word or some punctuation. In this day and age I thought people had kind of grown to accept the occasional bout of crappy spelling and grammar. We have MSN and Facebook to thank for that. We’re just a product of our environments, and what’s happening on the internet is forcing the english language to evolve in ways unexpected. If they can’t handle the fact that I didn’t capitalize your name they should drop the internet and limit their reading to published books.

Most people reading your article probably wish they had as many freebie offers as you.

For example, I once had the opportunity to stay at a luxury resort for free (not a junket, just a simple gift from family members), and I thought the place was shangri-la. But, I was surprised to read many negative reviews of the place on the internet when I got home. Basically, people were down on this resort because they had paid $300 per night, and thought it wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t writing about the experience, but if I was, my review would have been much different if I had paid full freight. You can try to imagine you paid, but it’s not the same. There is no substitute for a light wallet.

Same goes for a meal in a fine dining restaurant- it always tastes better when someone else is paying. Go ahead and take your free trips, but be honest with yourself about how you will cover them.