Our Values

Editorial decisions are made by our editors. Commercial relationships never determine whether a destination is covered or how it is assessed.

In practice that means a labelled commercial placement can sit alongside a guide, but it cannot change the guide. If a sponsor's hotel is in the wrong neighbourhood for a first visit, the guide still says so.

We prefer to say less and be right. Where details change frequently, such as fares, opening seasons and visa rules, we tell readers to verify with the operator or authority before travelling.

Numbers are given as ranges when a range is the honest answer. A precise figure that was true for one week is less useful than a band that stays true for a season.

Plain language, sequenced advice, and no padding. If a paragraph does not help someone plan, it does not belong in the guide.

We avoid the vocabulary that travel writing has worn out. Places are described in terms a reader can act on: how long the walk is, how early the market closes, whether the view is worth the queue.

We write about places where people live. Coverage should not encourage crowding, trespass or behaviour a resident would resent.

Where a site is under pressure, we say so and suggest a different hour, a different month or a different valley rather than pretending the pressure does not exist.

A guide that names six things worth doing is more useful than one that lists forty. Editing down is most of the work, and leaving something out is a decision rather than an omission.

The same logic applies to the library as a whole. We would rather cover fewer regions properly than every region thinly.

We assume a real budget. Where a cheaper route, a shorter stay or a free alternative gives most of the same experience, the guide says so rather than defaulting to the expensive version.

Because we take no commission on bookings, advice to spend less costs us nothing. That is the practical value of independence.

When we get something wrong, we correct it on the article rather than quietly in the background, and we tell the reader who reported it that it has been changed.

Corrections and disagreements can be sent to the editorial desk. Tourisme Ploërmel LLC, 2064 Sam Rittenberg Blvd, Charleston, SC 29407, US. Telephone +1 843-556-2063.