The Lost Art of Travel Writing, Hugh Gantzer and the Decline of Thoughtful Journeys

The Lost Art of Travel Writing, Hugh Gantzer and the Decline of Thoughtful Journeys

Introduction: An Era Passes

The recent passing of Hugh Gantzer, following his wife and writing partner Colleen by two years, marks more than a personal loss. It signals the closing chapter of an entire philosophy of travel and its documentation. The Gantzers were not merely prolific producers of guidebooks, columns, and documentaries; they were standard-bearers for a genre of travel writing that valued depth over checklist tourism, conversation over consumption, and textured narrative over transactional experience. In an age where travel has been flattened into Instagram reels and algorithmic bucket lists, their legacy—rooted in patience, observation, and humility—offers a crucial counterpoint and a poignant reminder of what we stand to lose in our relentless pursuit of the “next destination.”

This current affair piece explores the Gantzer era of travel writing, contrasts it with the contemporary digital travel economy, and examines the broader cultural implications of this shift. It argues that the transition from thoughtful travelogues to consumable content is not a neutral evolution but a fundamental change in how we relate to the world, with consequences for local cultures, environmental sustainability, and even our own psyches.

Part 1: The Gantzer Ethos—Travel as a Dialogue

Hugh and Colleen Gantzer emerged as writers in a world where travel was still an occasion. In the latter half of the 20th century, access was limited, information was scarce, and journeys required planning, patience, and a degree of fortitude. This context naturally lent itself to a style of writing that was deliberate and immersive. As the tribute notes, they believed places revealed themselves “slowly, through conversations and contradictions.” Their work was not about broadcasting a final, authoritative verdict on a destination but about sharing a process of discovery.

Their foundational project—a travel guide on Kerala commissioned by the India Tourism Development Corporation—set the tone. Rather than simply listing hotels and attractions, they would have sought to capture the essence of the place: the languid rhythm of the backwaters, the vibrant clash of colors at a temple festival, the nuanced flavors of a traditional sadya. This approach was extended across dozens of books and columns. They wrote as “fellow travellers,” a stance that implied camaraderie with the reader and humility before the subject. It carried “the authority of having been there” but was always tempered by “the humility of knowing that no journey is ever the whole story.”

Their choice to settle in Mussoorie, amidst a community of writers like Ruskin Bond and Stephen Alter, further underscores this ethos. They were part of a tradition that valued “writing against haste,” where attention was a “defining principle.” In a hill station known for its misty, contemplative atmosphere, they built a life that allowed for the slow percolation of experience into narrative.

Part 2: The Digital Disruption—From Journey to Content

Contrast this with the dominant mode of travel engagement today. The democratization of travel through budget airlines and online booking has been a double-edged sword. While it has made the world more accessible, it has also commodified it. The rise of social media platforms, particularly Instagram and TikTok, has transformed travel into a performative act. The primary goal for many is no longer a deep engagement with a locale but the creation of compelling content from it.

Travel has “narrowed into bucket lists and curated reels.” Destinations are reduced to a series of photogenic spots—the “Instagrammable” café, the panoramic viewpoint, the colourful street art. The experience is often mediated through a screen, framed for maximum likes and shares. Algorithms dictate trends, creating viral hotspots that see waves of tourists arriving for the same photo, often with little interest in the cultural or historical context. This is travel as a “big greedy gulp”—consumed rapidly, superficially, and with an insatiable appetite for the new and the visually striking.

This shift has profound implications:

1. For the Traveler: The pressure to document and perform can eclipse the actual experience, a phenomenon psychologists term “photo-taking impairment effect.” The quest for the perfect shot can create anxiety, turning a leisure activity into a stressful production. The depth of understanding championed by the Gantzers is sacrificed for breadth of coverage.

2. For Destinations: Overtourism plagues iconic spots, straining local infrastructure and ecosystems. Cultural practices risk becoming staged performances for tourists. The economic benefits are often uneven, flowing to global booking platforms and international chains rather than local communities. The quiet, contradictory, and chaotic realities that the Gantzers wrote about are sanitized or ignored in favor of a marketable aesthetic.

3. For Narrative: Travel writing as a literary form is in crisis. Long-form, reflective travelogues struggle in a market saturated with listicles (“10 Things You MUST Do in Bali!”), SEO-driven blog posts, and fleeting video clips. The nuanced, “textured narrative” is losing ground to the grand gesture of the viral reel.

Part 3: The Ripple Effects—Culture, Environment, and Mind

The decline of the Gantzer-style approach is not just a shift in media; it reflects a broader cultural move away from contemplation and towards instant gratification.

• Cultural Comprehension: The slow, conversational method advocated by the Gantzers fostered cross-cultural understanding. By listening carefully and looking closely, a traveler could grasp complexities. The modern, content-driven model often reinforces stereotypes or creates shallow, exoticized versions of culture. It is a monologue of consumption, not a dialogue of discovery.

• Environmental Impact: Thoughtful travel often implies slower travel—staying longer in one place, using local transport, engaging with the environment mindfully. The bucket-list model, fueled by cheap flights and a desire to maximize stamps in a passport, has a significantly higher carbon footprint. The race to visit “before it’s too late” or to hit trending locations contributes directly to ecological degradation.

• The Loss of the “In-Between”: The Gantzers’ work celebrated the journey itself—the unplanned encounters, the moments of quiet observation. Today’s travel is frequently hyper-optimized, with every hour scheduled via apps. The magical, uncurated space between destinations—the very space where much real discovery happens—is being eradicated by efficiency.

Part 4: Carrying the Legacy Forward—Courtesy in a Hastening World

Is the Gantzer legacy merely a subject for nostalgia? The tribute suggests it is more a matter of “courtesy.” This is a powerful framing. To travel thoughtfully—to look closely and listen carefully—is an act of respect: respect for the place, its people, its history, and its environment. It is also an act of self-respect, prioritizing meaningful experience over external validation.

Reviving this courtesy in the digital age is challenging but not impossible. It begins with conscious choices:

• Embracing Slow Travel: Choosing quality of experience over quantity of destinations. Spending a week in one region rather than hopping across three countries.

• Digital Detox: Designating phone-free times during travel to engage directly with one’s surroundings.

• Seeking Depth Over Coverage: Reading historical or literary works about a destination before visiting, engaging with local guides, and prioritizing museums, local markets, and community events over just photo-ops.

• Supporting Ethical Tourism: Choosing locally-owned accommodations, restaurants, and tours to ensure economic benefits circulate within the community.

• Consuming Media Critically: Seeking out long-form travel journalism, books, and documentaries that offer narrative depth, and being wary of social media trends that promote overcrowding.

Publishers and platforms also have a role. There is a growing, albeit niche, audience for the kind of travel storytelling the Gantzers exemplified. Supporting and promoting writers who work in this tradition is essential for keeping it alive.

Conclusion: The Road Ahead

Hugh and Colleen Gantzer’s passing is a milestone. They belonged to an era when travel writing was a literary craft, a patient act of translation between a place and a reader. Their work stood as a bulwark against the homogenizing, consumptive force that has since accelerated dramatically.

Their legacy is not a call to abandon technology or return to a mythical past where travel was only for the elite. Instead, it is an invitation to reintroduce intention and humanity into how we explore. It asks us to remember that the greatest souvenir is not a photo for a feed, but a deepened perspective; that the most valuable authority comes not from having checked a box, but from having truly engaged; and that the finest stories are found not in the grand, curated gesture, but in the quiet, contradictory, and chaotic textures of the world. In a hastening world, the most radical act of travel may once again be to simply pay attention.

Q&A

Q1: How did the historical context of the Gantzer’s early career shape their approach to travel writing?

A1: Hugh and Colleen Gantzer began their work when travel was less accessible and information was not instantly available. Journeys were significant undertakings, requiring planning and effort. This slower pace naturally fostered a style of writing that was immersive and deliberate. They couldn’t rely on quick digital research, so they learned through direct, prolonged engagement—conversations, observation, and experiencing the “contradictions” of a place. Their writing emerged from this process of slow revelation, positioning them as “fellow travellers” sharing a discovery with the reader, rather than distant experts dispensing final judgements.

Q2: What are the key negative impacts of the modern “bucket list and curated reel” model of travel?

A2: This model promotes several negative outcomes:

• For Travelers: It can create performance anxiety, reduce authentic experience (the “photo-taking impairment effect”), and prioritize checklist completion over deep engagement.

• For Destinations: It leads to overtourism, straining local infrastructure and environment, can turn culture into a staged performance, and often directs economic benefits away from local communities to global corporations.

• For Culture: It flattens complex cultures into shallow, visual stereotypes and discourages meaningful cross-cultural dialogue.

• For the Environment: It encourages carbon-intensive, frequent flying to maximize destination count, contributing significantly to ecological degradation.

Q3: The article mentions the Gantzer legacy as a “matter of courtesy.” What does this mean?

A3: Framing their legacy as “courtesy” reframes thoughtful travel from a mere style choice to an ethical stance. “Courtesy” implies respect and consideration. To “look closely and listen carefully” is to show respect for the place, its people, and its stories. It is an act of humility, acknowledging that a visitor is a guest. This contrasts with the consumptive model, which can be extractive and disrespectful, treating a destination as a backdrop for personal content. Courtesy in travel means leaving a light footprint, engaging genuinely, and prioritizing understanding over exploitation.

Q4: How does the decline of narrative travel writing affect our broader cultural understanding of the world?

A4: Long-form, narrative travel writing provides context, nuance, and human connection. It explores history, politics, and personal interaction to build a multidimensional portrait of a place. Its decline in favor of listicles and visual reels means our primary windows to the world are becoming shallower. We risk developing a understanding based on aesthetics and trends rather than substance. This can reinforce biases, reduce empathy, and create a fragmented, sensationalized view of global cultures. We lose the capacity to appreciate complexity and contradiction, which are essential for true cultural literacy.

Q5: What are practical steps a modern traveler can take to incorporate the “Gantzer ethos” into their journeys?

A5: Modern travelers can adopt several practices:

• Practice Slow Travel: Stay longer in fewer places to allow for deeper connection.

• Curate a Digital Diet: Seek out books, long-form journalism, and documentaries about destinations pre-trip. Limit social media scrolling during the trip itself.

• Engage Locally: Hire local guides, eat at family-run restaurants, stay in homestays or locally-owned hotels, and visit markets and community events.

• Embrace the Unplanned: Leave gaps in the itinerary for spontaneous exploration and conversation.

• Travel with a Learning Mindset: Learn basic phrases of the local language, read about the region’s history, and go beyond the top-rated tourist spots.

• Document Reflectively: Consider keeping a private journal to process experiences, rather than only creating content for immediate public consumption.