It’s time for a Live And Let’s Fly family meeting. This post is directed toward my core group of regular readers and the topic is politics on this travel blog and an alarming trend I’ve witnessed over the last several weeks.
The Consequences Of A Travel Blog Dwelling On Politics
After my kids discovered the concept of a “family meeting” on Bluey, we’ve been having them regularly on Saturday nights. It’s a great way to reflect on the week and to discuss whatever is on the mind of my children. Today, we’ll have a “family meeting” concerning this blog.
I’ve written this blog for 16 years and I know a few of you have been with me from the very start, going back to my UPGRD days. Live And Let’s Fly has certainly evolved in many ways over the years.
Early on, I would not dare stir the pot by posting anything political or religious. I also would not post any pictures of myself (beyond that James Bond-esque banner I had at the top of the page…).
While my intention was not to be a chameleon, I deliberately wanted to leave people guessing as to my political leanings and have been amused at people placing me all over the spectrum from a MAGA disciple of Trump to a left-wing communist (to everything in between). I recognized that in a divided nation, holding your political cards close was good business.
The Pandemic Years Brought Change
That changed during the pandemic…and perhaps as a function of me just getting older. The blog morphed from a focus on miles and points to more clickbait (which underwrites everything else I do on this blog) and current events. The pandemic changed the world and forever changed travel…and I felt the need to cover the more political aspects of travel. And of course, I had opinions on that.
Even then, I was still guarded…though I made the conscious choice not to moderate comments based on content, removing comments and banning commentators only for egregious vulgar language, spam, or personal attacks.
Thus, my blog became a repository for those who did not find a home on other travel blogs which took a more active role in moderating comments. During the pandemic, that manifested itself in a lot of skeptics over the government’s handling of the pandemic and skeptics of vaccines. Unfortunately, it was also mixed in with a lot of racism and xenophobia as well. As I’ve said repeatedly, I prefer to leave overtly racist and hateful comments as a reminder that such racism and hate still exists…we should not bury our heads and pretend we’ve fully moved past it.
But concerning COVID-19, I think time has proven many skeptics correct…not fully, to be sure, but I hope that as we look back on the pandemic years we can learn lessons including the acknowledgment of how politicized the pandemic became, how US officials and major social media networks attempted to squelch dissenting views on public policy and vaccines, and that we overreacted by closing schools for so long and introducing blanket lockdowns instead of focusing on the most vulnerable.
During that time, I know I lost a few of my “lefty” readers who were incensed that I did not moderate comments and could possibly leave such disgusting rhetoric. But most stuck around…and I’m grateful for that.
Readership In The Next Era
Now we are in a different time and I’ve made crystal clear over the last 100 days my disdain for so many of the policies embraced and implemented by the new administration. Who would have thought it would be countercultural to be for Ukraine, free trade, respect for our allies, and a global order built on US strength? All of that impacts travel in some way…and not just tangentially. And yes, I want to discuss it because I see it as critical to our nation and world and far more important than the latest credit card sign-up offer or even the new Air France First Class.
I would have thought that my “conservative” readers who ridiculed the “snowflakes” who complained about commenting in the Biden years and heralded my “free speech” policies would not turn into the “ewww, isn’t this a travel blog?” readers who are dropping like flies in the face of a new critic from what they thought was a “safe space.”
Readers come and go over the years and I’m not worried about the long-term financial success of this blog…but I do love the Live And Let’s Fly community and the diversity of voices here, at least historically, in what tends to be a (leftward) slanted sphere (I think Mark Twain was quite right when he said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”)
I am disappointed… disappointed that so many folks live in echo chambers (which our online world makes so easy) and refuse to even engage any longer. That’s true for both sides of the aisle, but more recently for the Trump side, which seems hellbent on dismissing those who disagree with them as simply suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and then refusing to even engage any longer.
Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
I’d like to think I’ve built up a little built of credibility over the years by approaching things thoughtfully such that I’ve earned the right to disagree with you respectfully. After all, there are 4-5 stories a day on Live And Let’s Fly and the majority are still non-controversial, like flight and hotel reviews. But you mean to say you won’t read my trip reports any longer because I oppose some of the policies of the current administration?
Really?
I’d be interested in hearing from some of you who may have stopped commenting but still read the blog on why it is so hard for you to accept that I don’t like the trajectory of the US government. Or why it is so hard for you to read comments from those you disagree with? As best as I can tell, that does not make me left-wing or all that partisan at all…in fact, I’m happy to count up what I’m “for” rather than “against” and I suspect there is an immense amount of common ground.
In the meantime, I am re-considering the comment policy on this blog and also re-considering how political I wish to be at all. It’s very concerning to me that so many are warning me now, after years of support, that they will stop reading if I continue to voice my thoughts on the politics surrounding travel.
Ultimately, I am not going to write anything in order to please others. This blog has been successful because it is my own voice and it has matured as I’ve also matured. I still write to myself and will continue to write to myself…but I sincerely appreciate the daily readers who, like a big dysfunctional family, all bring to the table their unique humanity. Please don’t be afraid to engage with those who see the world differently from you. That’s what travel is really all about and that is how deeper levels of understanding and respect are fostered.
Thanks for this. Keep being you. Just returned last night from a four day retreat in Scotland with 20 participants from all over. Travel is essential to continue to humanize the world we live in. The current political environment also tends to be discussed with others when traveling. Goes hand in hand. We can all disagree without being nasty. But we all don’t have to engage with the comment section in the same way that you do and that wears on anyone. My advice – pick and choose where you want to engage and take a step back from the comments when you can.
I almost left
Keep it just travel
Can you help me understand why you almost left and what it is about the politics surrounding travel that is a turnoff?
I did, as well, because the comments section has devolved. There was a time when a post would provide insight into some particular travel subject – non-political – and comments would have additional or supplementary information about that particular topic. It was educational. I would learn something new from the post, then I’d learn something new from the many knowledgeable readers who left comments. Now, though, the comments section is so full of vitriol, bots, vitriolic bots, etc. that the thought of even scrolling to the bottom to see if there’s anything remotely intelligent isn’t worth the modicum of physical exertion to do so. It’s ALWYS just idiots spewing hate. Nearly every. single. post.
And you’re very much to blame. You can justify your actions with “allowing free speech” and “not moderating” or whatever other nonsense you want to tell yourself, but there’s no need to tolerate the intolerant – whatever side of the political spectrum. Especially when the comment section sounds like a boarding gate in Miami for a Spirit flight to, well, anywhere they fly. It’s pathetic. And not moderating isn’t some virtuous thing. It doesn’t make you some sort of hero. Rather, it makes you look lazy and/or like you absolutely DO want to run a tabloid blog that gets a lot of page hits because people are stupid.
You genuinely have *some* great posts anymore. But by and large this has become a subreddit of ignorance that happens to be remotely travel-related. I still comment when there’s something intelligent that can be discussed but otherwise merely glance at the titles and can tell immediately if a post is going to be drivel full of the comments I just mentioned, or if it’ll actually harken back to the days of UPGRD when it was useful.
You make a lot of good points Matthew .
You are in a more reflective mood today , rather than a combative mood .
Lesson well learnt .
Remember when you step in the firing line you will be shot at !
The cornerstone of any democratic society is to be able to say freely what you believe in .
Lastly , I believe that your views are left of the political spectrum , and that is my opinion .
I would assume most of the negative feedback is from Trump supporters who will never be appeased by anything, so it’s best to just ignore them as we all should be doing.
Please leave
Agree with you 100%. It’s your blog, your opinion, and you do you.
Of course, it’s his blog and he can write whatever he wants. No one is going to cancel his blog. But I have limited time to read things of interest, and if I want to read about politics, I’ll read it in a political blog. Writing about how Trump’s policies may affect travel makes sense for a travel blog. Criticizing those policies is political and outside the scope of what this blog can do in a meaningful and fair way. In the end, it leads to less understanding and just more polarization.
Well said Matthew. For me, and not that I comment that much anyway, travel is becoming less and less a priority as I reevaluate traveling half way around the world just to try a new product.
I’m going to be traveling, via Jeep, more in the US and hoard the cash I save trying to procure a new lounge experience or the latest duck offering from LH.
I had a wonderful 7 day drive from the ATL area to San Diego last week. Took my aging dog to the beach for his first time and took him to Bark at the Park to experience a Padres game.
A much better time was had than dealing with self entitled DYKWIA’s at subpar lounges and crappy IFE’s.
Good luck to all in these horrible times and try to find something good at least once a day that you can hang your hope on.
Hi Matthew- thank you for this post and please keep doing what you are doing. I for one have liked the fact that you are not acting like you are living in some bubble, just posting flight and hotel reviews. We are all here because we love to travel, and of course political and economic developments are going to directly impact the travel industry.
+1
On that note I am interested in hearing on Friday Bill Maher’s take on his dinner at the White House last week. I certainly did not have that on my Bingo Card this month.
There once was a blog full of flair,
For travel, with stories to share.
But now it’s all politics,
And pics of the kids mix,
I miss the old days, when travel was fair.
Joking mate, keep up the good work. I’ll always be here checking in the AM and scrolling through your great posts, AF first class, or not.
And I will fly the new La Premiere at some point! 😉
Based on what I can infer from you thru the blog’s progression & a couple in person meetings, I think you’ll feel much more fulfilled down the road if you keep writing what you want & whatever readers drop off b/c of it, new ones will emerge or perhaps the ones who leave will reflect & come back, etc… this won’t be the last big hearted political moment of this nation.
Probably eliminate the posts about 1. people getting into fights on planes/gate (that’s get racial). 2. Israel or Jewish topics.
I regularly read your blog and comment only once in a while…. Over the years, I did get turned off from time to time when comments would become “nasty” and “disrespectful.” I stayed a reader because there are still some interesting travel stories here. Also, I don’t mind some political debate if it stay respectful and factual.
@ Matthew — If you really want to lose readers, become a suck up and never complain about angthing a big travel conpany does to cheat its customers. Failing to ever take a stance will male your blog super-boring. Don’t become an ad for Marriott and Air France. Instead, continue to be genuine.
Everyone has a beef about something these days – it’s a part of the life we live in these times.
Keep doing what you like to write about. Some will agree, some will disagree. So What ?
IT’S YOUR BLOG !
I believe LALF to be outstanding. As a Trump supporter, I do enjoy your varied views, as it forces me to appreciate different view points, and think more critically.
I didn’t leave reading, but I won’t click on ads, credit cards, or use Award Expert (not saying I won’t in the future). I stopped reading comments a while ago for my own health.
I am a minority and I get you wanting to promote not living in an echo chamber. But after a while, it’s tiring and unhealthy to see such vile racism in your blogs comments section. I hear it or see it in person, directed at me or others, enough. I see no benefit reading it daily in your comments section. I feel like the racists that comment in your blog, will not change their stripes.
It also feels like I would be supporting the continuation of racism in the comments section if I were to contribute to any revenue clicks other than clicking on articles/posts I’m interesting in reading: coffee around the world, reviews, trip reports, status of LUV (due to living in Dallas), etc.
I enjoy LALF, just not the comments section.
Second this. The racism in the comment section is so vile that I stopped coming to the site as much as it seems Matt by not stopping it, implicitly supports it. I still like some of the content like the SAS challenge so haven’t completely dropped it as he actually tries to have original content not so much clickbait articles that we see on VFTW- who is seemingly now more successful with this approach unfortunately.
Just my feedback:
Keeping up a travel blog and needing to fill it with regular content takes a lot of work and must be a passion project. I thank you for your effort and for the free content I consume regularly. Travel blogs such as yours provide me with great information that I use and also enjoy as entertainment. Its nice to see the world of international First Class and Business Classes on airlines I am not likely to travel on.
I understand why you post the clickbait, and can’t fault you for it for those reasons, but I believe this does take away from my perception of the overall quality of your blog. I believe you have equally good airline reviews as OMAAT, but I feel that OMAAT doesn’t do as much clickbait and so feels like it sets the gold standard. It is able to run a travel focused blog without resorting to the clickbait.
My advice is to keep but limit your political commentary. Use it sparingly for issues that matter most for you. I feel that Ben at OMAAT captures this well. He is apolitical and travel-focused 98% of the time, but once in a while will use his knowledge, insight and platform to express his opinion on an issue that really matters to him. Keeping it to an uncommon exception will ensure that the blog doesn’t deviate from its core mandate.
OMAAT is not gorgeous and is too snobby, never posting about economy class and poorly covers airports and destinations, except lounges.
OMAAT really is written by someone who is extremely geeky and introverted, and probably somewhere on the spectrum. The traits that make him great at reviewing details such as the fluffiness of airline blankets also mean that he is hopelessly out of his depth when it comes to basically anything other than business/first class products and possibly credit card perks. There’s nothing wrong with that- I go there to check out the latest cabin makeover at TAAG etc-, but I don’t think it even pretends to be a travel blog nowadays.
That’s my feeling as well. But I think that comes as the world of credit card churn and points accumulation has changed. 10 years ago OMAAT was a go-to for ways to maximize point redemptions/earnings. But as airlines has essentially closed all the really great loopholes and CC signup bonuses dry up – and EVERYONE knows about them now – the blogs have had to change accordingly. Ben’s blog is, at best, a “luxury travel blog” for people who have aspirational travel goals. Thanks to OMAAT I have hit all but two of my inspirational flights, and those two I’ll never see because times have changed and my priorities have changed that I don’t care anymore. Regardless, actual posts about points and miles are few and far between, but that’s not necessarily his doing directly. Indirectly, yes, through posting about HOW to game the system, like any blogger.
Matt. Yours – and your colleague Ben’s – are the only two blogs I now read religiously. I only stumble upon the others on ‘Boarding Area’ and usually can tell the click bait by the headline – and of course – those bloggers who are the most avid ‘ ‘baiters.’ I appreciate your balanced views, although I think you like Scott Kirby just a tad too much. Both you and Ben have your bloopers once in a while, but who’s perfect? Huh?? Keep doing what you’re doing, and don’t let a bunch of loonies out there detract you from outputting the quality blog articles you write. I do see a couple of contributors who consistently write cruel, prejudicial comments and they should be black balled – they’re not contributing anything except vitriol. Stay the course and keep’m coming.
it’s a blog – you can do as you please
politics is certainly a push button topic evoking visceral responses
it’s on the reader to remember that comments here are not going to make the reader any more “right” than another reader nor will comments convince any other reader to magically change political alignment
i do appreciate occasional posts regarding how politics impacts air travel, airline business, travel industry, airports and travel destinations
Political opinions are not really a spectrum but a mix of thick oatmeal, 3 dimensional. I often agree with you with some exceptions. For example, Netanyahu is extremely aggressive again bad guy Hamas, not blinking an eye to smash non-Hamas people, like stepping on an ant. Another exception might be that you have to protect yourself against Covid because doctors are not magicians and lawyer politicians are not very good people to depend on to be your doctor or mother.
As far as the last election, it was like an election for world’s best airline. Instead of EVA Air versus Singapore versus Emirates versus ANA, the candidates running were Spirit versus Megabus.
Another blog in boarding area is wrongly managed and, hopefully will not be copied by Matthew. It is Your Mileage May Vary. Not only do they use recycled stories, but it’s sometimes confusing which of the 2 writers is writing. They heavily censor comments to the level of North Korea and Putin. Many comments, they won’t publish. They even change what you wrote. Hopefully, Matthew will not stoop to their level.
Matthew’s column is the best in the world…. don’t change it.
Please just keep being you. It’s your blog! if you feel strongly about something don’t self-censor for fear of losing MAGA readers.
If they’re so incensed, they can start their own MAGA-themed travel blog. Actually, I’d definitely read that if for nothing other than the entertainment value!
Political comments of the type often appearing here (particularly over the last 6 months or so) are just tiresome. And so repetitive. I’ll still read an article on travel, but long strings of nasty political back and forth make me not want to comment. It makes you think a travel-related comment is out of place. As I’ve said before, I think you should do some moderating. Remember, bad comments drive out good.
I enjoy it more and more, especially since the blog largely doesn’t have the insane fanboys of other blogs. The US3 and other airlines all have various pros and cons and the way some people can only find their own “beloved airline” as satisfactory is off putting. And you often feel like it’s a discussion with a brick wall on other websites though… in fairness, we become the same brick wall when choosing to argue back with them… (guilty)
The impact of politics on aviation is real. And should be a part of an aviation blog. I don’t see why some are so offended by reading. Perhaps if we all tried to read differing opinions more, we’d all get a bit less offended while still maintaining core beliefs (assuming that opening your eyes doesn’t change those core beliefs).
I was really more surprised a few months ago by some of what appeared to be the anti semitic and bot activity in the comments. But it seems to have calmed down a bit.
You have a lot more patience than some website owners in the comments.
Thanks for your blog. I really enjoy it. I was raised in a similar Christian environment that you seem to espouse on the blog. I don’t adhere to it today for many reaons but I’m certainly not offended by you injecting your own personal views and life into a travel blog. It gives character vs what would otherwise be quite stale.
I think you are a rational person with rational thoughts. I was neither offended by your thoughts on Covid nor on the current, to me nonsensical decisions of the current government. Just ignore the haters and do your own thing.
If anyone is looking for a platform that discusses politics from both sides in a decent manner, check out 2WAY. Great insight from everyday Americans on both sides.
Don’t give the pandemic skeptics too much credit. No one had a full understanding of the situation during the early days of the pandemic, and while mistakes were certainly made by Trump and (even moreso) Biden, the skeptics being right is due to their blind luck, not their cunning intellect.
Keep up the good work Matthew! We need more moderate, rational bloggers speaking out and I love the perspective you bring. I only check OMAAT, your blog, and Frequent Miler now.
+1 – I also only read these 3 mentioned. Keep up the great work Matthew, I appreciate the content and scan the comments, in case other readers have additional insight/wisdom. I ignore the hate, and remain thankful I did not turn out to be unsavory as some.
Matthew, I think you are discovering the problem with Trumpsters, you are only of value to them, just like someone is only of value to Trump when you are doing something for them or when you are saying things that agree with their point of view.
The minute you say something contra to MAGA or insult their “Dear Leader”, decrees you are insulting to them to their core and they are going to do the one thing that they blame the left for all the time, cancelling what they do not like.
Trumpsters are thin skinned, they like to talk about snowflakes, but at the end of the day they are snowflakes themselves, nobody, not the right nor the left, like being told that they are wrong, it is human nature.
In a sense we are all snowflakes, it is not a right nor left thing, it is a human thing.
I enjoy reading your blog, no matter because it is an escape from all the bad that just keeps coming.
Don’t comment often but am a regular reader of this blog and just wanted to say I think you’re taking the right approach. Yours is certainly the most thoughtful travel blog on the internet and you have always come across as extremely reasonable and accepting of others’ differing stances. I think what sets you apart is how you’re willing to give your perspective on everything that affects the world of travel rather than just flight reviews/credit cards, and that’s much appreciated (for the majority, I’d hope!).
Matt, please don’t change anything about your blog. I value the discourse it brings and the fact that it is not just clickbait or credit card sales pitches. Appreciate that you asked for feedback.
I read your blog every day. Call items as you see them- it is greatly appreciate. Keep up the good work!!!
Matthew,
While I acknowledge I am not a regular commenter I am a semi-regular reader and I think you have struck the right balance between showing current society with all of its flaws and triumphs, as well as focusing on the travel aspects of life. Thinking back, I think the majority of my comments were actually on Kyle’s posts concerning public policy matters (e.g. declaration of cash, the Minsk diversion incident) which I suppose were more political than pure travel related.
I have winced at a few of the comments (from both sides) over the years and do find they tend to come from the same people. It’s always a challenge on how to preserve a robust vibrant forum (realize this isn’t a true public forum) for respectful but passionate debate without it devolving into nastiness. I’m not quite sure anyone has truly figured out a good solution either, but I think on balance this little corner of the internet gets it more right than wrong.
In short, I’ll support an enhanced comment moderation policy if that’s what it takes to keep this space functional. It’s not a great solution but I also can’t criticize it when I have no better plausible alternative.
Appreciate what you do for us all!
Any “righty” threatening to leave, or left is the true SNOWFLAKE.
Your blog, your decisions but changing who you are just to try and please a few that threaten your wallet seldom works out. But again I find it funny the MAGA crowd is the ones complaining now.
Putting one’s head in the sand about what’s going on shows weakness. As a polarizing poster here who appreciates what you do, I truly hope you find peace in life with whatever decisions you make.
Douchebag Dave Edwards, “polarizing poster here”, good to see you admit it, any recovering addict or addiction counselor knows that’s the first step toward recovery. Hope you get the help you so obviously and desperately need.
I prefer your blogs about unusual or offbeat travel locales as well as the shirtless selfies. But I’ll keep reading, even the political stuff.
I’m a regular reader, rare commenter.
I enjoy reading your opinions and do agree that politics are very relevant to travel.
I really enjoy a good comments section and yours tends to be good, but I definitely think you need to moderate more. Leaving up openly racist comments makes people think they are okay to say terrible things regularly, because clearly they have a home here.
I have been an avid reader of your blog since the UPGRD days however your political stance on supporting Israel’s genocide made me leave your blog and on top of that the clickbait articles were the last nail in the coffin.
Just curious, did you think you would be wasting your breath to try to help me see the matter differently? I’ve got to say, Israel continuing to do business with Russia throughout the unwarranted and aggressive invasion of Ukraine has left me very lukewarm to the government. And of course while I understand (and still support) the Israeli response in Gaza, it’s pretty negligent that the attack was allowed to happen in the first place…
Anyway, another matter for another time, but I appreciate your comment.
Not to be rude “NFD”,
but it doesn’t seem you left. The definition of “left” would be never seeing this article or comments.
Which agreed. The comment section of any website is full of absolutists that come back immediately because they love the quality of the writing and review, like I do with Matt.
Daily reader here. Please don’t change a thing. I really enjoy your insights/thoughts – be it on travel, policy, family, religion, etc.
The only thing I don’t like about the blog is the comment section – I do believe you should re-think it. A lot of the hate speech here makes the reading experience of an otherwise excellent blog quite icky.
I’m personally not a huge fan of the politics…the ones I agree with (anti Trump) or the ones I don’t (your very pro Israel position). I come here for a break from that stuff, which I can find anywhere.
Your comments section is a mess, esp on political issues. It’s the same 10-15 ppl saying the same, often quite hateful, things over and over again.
It’s a complete turn off.
I was a regular reader years ago but stopped because I just don’t have the time to keep up with everything I want to. Life’s like that, you know. But I enjoyed seeing you become a dad and sharing your love of travel with your son, not just what it’s like to fly in yet another first class cabin. I always took you for a closet Republican, someone who didn’t make it obvious because so many on the left tend to be insufferable about it. To hear you say that people on the right are acting the same way and threatening you with leaving because they don’t like what you sometimes say is disheartening. We’re supposed to be better than that.
My advice, if you want it, is to keep on keeping on. I always liked your blog because it wasn’t bland corporate-approved pablum, like so many other travel blogs are. You and Kyle have genuinely interesting takes on travel industry news. I think what you really want to avoid is having your comment section become incredibly one-sided. I am a big fan of Eric Berger and Stephen Clark’s space reporting at Ars Technica, but the comment section there has devolved into insanity over Musk and Trump. It’s just so tedious. As long as you can avoid that kind of one-sided atmosphere, you should be good to go.
I like the way you approached “political” topics. You gave your view on specific issues and policy proposals or regulations and how they impact the travel industry. I didn’t think the driving force of your posts were political. Rather, you just gave your opinion and usually acknowledged upfront what the opposing view would be. On religion, I’d direct people to your post about that interfaith complex in the outskirts of Doha. I have accepted that people will make anything about politics. I have family members who will say stuff like “They probably got the Fauci vaxx” if an elderly person dies and others who probably still wear masks and test themselves daily. I’m for debate on issues and understanding another person’s perspective. The “comments section” on all websites becomes a rage fest of moral absolutists opposing each other without a desire to seek the truth. I usually post and then don’t look back if others respond.
And keep doing the clickbait stories! God bless those Spirit Airlines passengers. They’re good for at least two videos of fights, drunkenness, and/or nudity—and definitely not “tasteful” nudity.
I still read, but I comment far less than I would in the past. It is because the comments are dominated by a small group of people who immediately link every post to something that they have been trained to fear. They are very small minded, angry, and frightened people who use rage and ridiculous statements to try to cover their deep deep insecurity. it gets boring to see them repeating the same nonsense over and over again and there is no point in trying to engage in a dialog with any of them, 90% of their statements are based on a very narrow pipeline of information that they intake and they have become completely detached from reality. They are also completely full of Sh*t because they will come on here boasting about businesses that they run and money they make and yet somehow they have time to engage in blog comments all day long on every single post. Again, small frightened people compensating with statements that they feel make them look “strong”.
And how do you feel about CBP Officers again?
Mostly decent, too many pigs.
And that’s the rhetoric that fans the flames. Don’t get me wrong, you’re entitled to it.
Why does that “fan the flames?” I don’t pull it out of thin air. I say that only after sharing several poor experiences:
https://liveandletsfly.com/interrogated-by-dhs-in-montreal-for-sounding-foreign/
https://liveandletsfly.com/us-border-misogynistic/
https://liveandletsfly.com/treated-like-a-criminal-in-my-own-country/
https://liveandletsfly.com/interrogation-el-salvador-international-airport/
https://liveandletsfly.com/us-official-amsterdam-schiphol/
Please keep it up, Matt. Any effort to discuss big-picture issues outside of the echo chambers is worthwhile and valuable.
Trump fanboys (I am not referring to the people who just voted for the guy or even those who identify as right-wing and agree with certain parts of his politics, but to those who are fully signed up to the cult) have been shown up for the frauds they are- countless examples, from Musk attacking free speech by censoring opposition accounts protesting the dictatorial acts of the Turkish government to the press person claiming that the imposition of tariffs doesn’t constitute a tax increase, The only derangement going on here is their cognitive dissonance in believing that these ridiculous behaviours (again, I am not talking about WHAT is being done but about HOW it’s being done) can somehow be acceptable in, and/or compatible with, a democratic society.
I don’t live in the USA and I am not hugely interested in its politics, but those of you who do live there should consider whether it’s a good idea to stay silent in the face of everything that’s going on and indeed allow the centre to be hollowed out and also risk the far left being perceived as the only credible opposition, eventually leading to democracy getting eroded even further (given that those who are into socialism tend to be even less committed to democracy than Trump).
I am an often labeled a MAGA white supremecist racist because I’m a Republican. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m a moderate right leaning centrist. I don’t love the guy personally or worship President Trump. I support my country , military , law enforcement , and 2nd amendment at the core. I’m smarter than the average Trump supporter. Everything else we are on the same page ; lgbt , pro choice , etc.
I don’t believe everything I hear on Fox News and visit CNN weekly to hear the other side. I don’t get the whole Marxism accuse the other side of what you , yourself do. Socialism. Why in the world would someone get their news from tik tok ? I can only afford to worry about the environment so much as I’m a blue collar worker. I don’t have the luxury of a 1.2 million vanguard mutual fund or 1.2 million home in NJ like my immediate family members who have devoted their lives to climate change. Anywho. Hate is a strong word ; there are things I don’t like. And I’m just here to live and let’s fly. And BE COOL! Everything will be fine. M’kay ?
Echo chambers are very dangerous. See Omni/PR on flyertalk as an example
People need to be exposed to all sides and know how to make their own decisions
I lived in OMNI/PR for years before this blog…some real vintage Matthew there.
that place is beyond toxic. It’s an ultra progressive/communist echo chamber these days
Is it still run by that crazy weirdo transgender, Slick Willy?
worse, a Communist admin who only allows leftist viewpoints, IBJoel. He allows attacks from the left but not the right
Wish FSKKR was the part of KKR that owned internet brands (I own FSKKR not KKR). I’d be gathering fellow shareholders to address him at the shareholder meeting
If so, then beat him at it. If the admin is a Communist dictator, then post opinions that make a Communist dictator look like a moderate and supporter of democracy. Post even more extreme leftist views!
cannot. after he threatened me with a permaban, I told him off
was getting banned for life from there anyways. I just beat him to it
Yes, but this space does not need to be THAT space. Matthew — I suggest just making the blog a politics-free zone in the comments. Equal “censorship” for everybody. But it’s not truly censorship…
There are countless spaces online where people can engage, discuss, disagree, or duke it out. This blog has a very particular focus, so I don’t know why people feel the need to post off-topic political views just to be provocative or create disagreement out of nothing. There are so many online communities where any political posts are deleted. That’s not censorship. If you walk into a friend or neighbor’s house and start spouting your political views out of nowhere, it would be justifiable that you are asked to leave — or just get kicked out. I don’t see ANY difference on a personal blog with a very specific purpose that is completely unrelated to its READERS political views.
Matthew, I think your political comments typically are fair and balanced and you keep an open mind to reassessing your opinions, if needed. That’s all you can ask of someone. On the other hand, some of your commenters can be nutty, and maybe that could be reeled in some if they habitually go off the rails, particularly with vitriolic personal attacks.
It’s your blog, so you control the content. Period. As a reader, if I enjoy the content, I stay; if I don’t like the content, I go. You’ll never please all of the people all of the time (and in the case of some, you’ll just never please them, even if you agree with them).
I happen to agree with much of your anti-Trump and pro-Israel stances, and I think that your posts are largely well-written and accurate.
As to some of the far-right and far-left imbeciles who post with frequency, hopefully they’ll disappear. I’m staying.
Thank You ! Honestly I have not been quite certain what to make of your political leanings. I am glad you clarified them.
I absolutely agree.
I cannot believe the chaos this administration has and is causing. Destroying so many lives just because they can.
I enjoy your blog and I am also an avid reader of OMAAT as well.
I thank you, Klint.
I definitely enjoy your commentary on current events and things in life beyond travel. However, I think that a lot of people like reading travel blogs because they want to disconnect from current events and the chaos of the world, and some people simply don’t want to be reminded of that when they are looking at first class suite photos. For many, it’s not about them being angry about your views (although they’re the most vocal) but preferring a more whimsical blog focused on the fun of travel. It’s ultimately your decision, and I don’t think it will affect your market share, but it’s something to consider.
Once again, a shoutout for not being a total credit card shill like most other travel blogs out there, though I honestly would understand if you decided to take the money.
Thank you Matthew. I am disappointed if some have abandoned this blog for the political content. Truthfully I have been worried about what had happened to some. Comments did become rough at times and some personal, but the few I am thinking of are made of stronger stuff.
So I miss you Stuart, Santastico and Aaron. And many others. If you’re reading this please come back and talk about it.
I disagree with you on pets in cabins, Israel, and I’m probably less patriotic than you are. But I appreciate your willingness to share your viewpoint, and I hope you don’t change that. I like your writing style, and while you may take more Ubers and less public transit than I do, I think the two of us travel in a very similar manner. I often take you up on your coffee recommendations.
I think your openness and honestly has led to the sense of community at LALF. I miss the ‘antics’ of some of the commenters who have left, and I hope their absence is just temporary. Long story short, keep up the great work; surely it’ll pay off in the long run.
You made your position clear and you have a right your opinions. I’m not surprised at the pushback but like you am disappointed that so many think the case for the policies you criticize is so weak that they have to resort to threats to cancel in order to silence you. I agree with you some and disagree som and that should be good enough for everyone.
Matthew, I’ve never commented before. I’ve been reading you for many years — I think going back to when you were in law school. I absolutely agree you should be who you are, and if that includes comments about your faith, your political views, or your family — well, then go for it. It’s nice to know that the person behind the writing is a real human being. Raising a family can’t be easy these days, and caring about your wife and children is something that comes through so strongly. Please keep doing what you’re doing. It’s fun to read about your road trips (even if I will probably never do anything like that), and what you do cover is almost always interesting. Even with the typos here and there (I’m a lawyer, so I notice stuff like that — not that it bothers me).
Thanks for commenting. I’m trying to rid this blog of typos!
I read your blog because it’s your blog, with its unique perspective and opinions. Just like other blogs. I might disagree with you on some things, especially religion, but that certainly doesn’t stop me from reading the articles. The world of travel is impacted by politics, and I don’t see any reason that you, as the blogger, shouldn’t voice your political opinions when you think it’s relevant. Unfortunately the algorithms on social media mean many people live in an echo chamber, me included to some extent, although I make a constituted effort to read and listen to alternative views. Yes, the comment section can be nasty, but that reflects more about the commenter than anything else. I say keep doing what you’re doing.
I appreciate the honesty. I’m not one for politics, I like the travel part. So what do I do? I don’t click on overly political articles. It’s that easy. Sure, there are some characters in the comment section, but either ignore or laugh at it. It’s very easy to not get upset over other commenters all the time. Some self-irony and not taking everything personal takes you a long way.
Keep it up!
Yes, that’s what I don’t understand about certain long-term readers on both the left and right sides. Why not just read the pure travel stories…it’s almost always clear when a story will be “political.”
You’ve certainly not been shy about espousing your political views of late, for better or worse. It’s certainly interesting to see an old-style conservative like yourself express those views, whether I concur or not. I can’t help but wonder if you feel abandoned by your party since you seem to stand for decency, the rule of law, and spreading democracy worldwide to combat authoritarianism but now the political right in our nation has largely abandoned those absolutely core positions and no longer has any immutable principles.
I would say you are very perceptive.
You hate Trump and support Israel blindly.
You are confused.
Next time you write about supporting Israel you should list things you have issues with about Israel. Like how the settlement in the West Bank are awful.
You mean repatriated native people in Judea and Samaria, part of the historic homeland of the twelve tribes and the Jewish people, land which has been part of Eretz Yisrael for centuries before Mohammed was even born? If you are going to be a Jew-hating bigot (or worse yet, a Jew-hating Jew who only identifies as Jewish for the purpose of criticizing Israel and the Jewish people), at least have the decency to get your historical facts correct,.
+1
“No other land” won the Oscar this year. That was a huge surprise, considering that majority in the jury are hardcore sionist supporters.
Illegal alien intruders have done genocide in Palestine territory over the last century, yet the Western world calls themself “civilized” by supporting the massacre of people, mainly women and children. October 7th is Palestine Uprising Day, Hamas members are partisans, not a terrorists.
Sionism and communism are the most evil that could be.
It’s up to readers to decide if they look at the comments, and we are all responsible for our own triggers. Abandoning a blog because thr owner occasionally expresses his own entirely reasonable political or religious views is, frankly, a little childish, and a sad indictment on how hopelessly polarised the US has become in these matters. If people put as much effort into grassroots political activities in their local community as they do to writing scathing comments on the internet, they might actually do some good in the world instead of merely shouting into the void.
I read your blog regularly, but this is the first time I have commented, and the first and only time I have or will read any comments. That is not because of your blog’s contents, it is a sanity-saving technique I apply to every blog and news article I read. The signal-to-noise ratio is too low for me. I wish you and your blog well.
First and foremost, it’s your blog, so you ought to feel free to run it the way you see fit. The country, and indeed, the world is pretty divided these days, and any political comment you make will probably be liked by half your readers and disliked by the other half. That’s just the world we live in. I learned a long time ago when it comes to debating politics on the internet, that anything I say or post is almost certainly not going to change the other person’s mind or point of view, and most likely, nothing they say will change mine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so I just use the internet for what God and Al Gore intended…and that’s for looking at funny cat videos, and reading the occasional travel blog!
Matthew — I suggest just making the blog a politics-free zone in the comments. Equal “censorship” for everybody. But it’s not truly censorship…
There are countless spaces online where people can engage, discuss, disagree, or duke it out. This blog has a very particular focus, so I don’t know why people feel the need to post off-topic political views just to be provocative or create disagreement out of nothing. There are so many online communities where any political posts are deleted. That’s not censorship. If you walk into a friend or neighbor’s house and start spouting your political views out of nowhere, it would be justifiable that you are asked to leave — or just get kicked out. I don’t see ANY difference on a personal blog with a very specific purpose that is completely unrelated to its READERS political views.
I think that you’ll probably run up audience numbers if you post more about specific airline lounges or about the mix or lounges at a a specific airport or airport terminal.
The politics stuff is fine by me, but I don’t go searching for that.
I have been a reader for many years. Unfortunately your site has been ruined by folks that like to gripe and provide useless comments.
Just curious, why don’t you just skip the comments and just read the stories?
My solution has been to largely just not read the comments/discussion. Matt, you’ve always been rational. Even if I disagree with you I can see a point of view based on actual facts and thought. And you sometimes think out loud and try to form your opinion in your blog, which is interesting to read. The reality is that travel in itself can be (is?) a political act. The desire to explore different places, cultures, ideas, people implies an open mind capable of learning and growing. And the reality is that policy decisions made in DC will impact travel. If economic policies make the dollar weaker it is valid for you to write about the impact of international travel being more expensive for us. If diplomatic policies make it harder for us to get visas or visit countries it is valid for you to write about that. But, beyond that, it is your blog, so write about whatever you want. Have opinions based on rational thought. People can easily stop reading if they don’t like it or if they are incapable of understanding issue vs spewing out talking points or not being snow flakey. Let them go; those readers are just programmed to demonize anyone they think they disagree with. Nothing you can do. You’re history, writing, and the White House you worked in put us opposite sides of the aisle I think, but I always appreciated your point of view. And you’ve always been an institutionalist and believer in the rule of law. That puts you on the outs with many these days. Keep writing, hopefully moderate out the hatred and vitriol and yelling in the comments.
The secret sauce that sets you apart from other blogs is that you’re authentic. Keep being that. People will adjust accordingly if you’re consistently you.
I enjoy reading your perspective on travel and life, even when we don’t align on some things. But to me that’s part of being an adult in society, we don’t all have to believe exactly the same things.
It’s funny things are always ‘left’ or ‘right’. The country is split pretty evenly down the middle politically, not much different than other countries like France, U.K, Germany, though different beliefs. My opinion is people tune in to read about all things travel, but without the commentary about political beliefs. Don’t do what Rick Steves did when he alienated a big part of his base – stay in your lane.
I have been sick to death with the politics and also some of the language that has just been too much. I don’t think politics has a place here, especially when it’s brought up completely out of context. If I want politics, I can go just about any where and find it. I do not and I will repeat. Do not want it in a travel blog.
I have left four weeks and sometimes months at a time and find myself being very selective of what I will read when I see the headlines posted on here and most of the time I have turned away! Not because I am one sided or another. I just don’t think it belongs in a travel blog and I certainly don’t want to be dealing with somebody bringing up politics when it doesn’t even belong in what you’re writing about..
I think I will continue to do as I have been, but eventually, we’ll probably stick with other travel blogs that are actually more interesting than what I’ve been seeing from this one over the past several months. He won’t miss me, but she’ll probably end up missing more and end up with a political blog, but that is your choice. You will get what you allow. Why don’t you consider writing a political blog instead of a travel one?
I’m afraid we can’t all just get along. Not when we’re dealing with questions of common human decency. I mean, no matter where people stand on the pandemic, nobody anywhere seems to care that millions of people died. That’s what politicized means. When real human suffering is reduced to a game scoring points. That’s modern politics in a nutshell. Every new disaster is an opportunity for someone.
But really, social media (and comment boards are social media) brings out and magnifies the worst of human, and I don’t think it’s worth whatever ad revenue it brings to watch the nazis fight the commies on every blog post.
No one is forced to read the audience comments, so skip scrolling down to the comments and problem solved if the comments aren’t your cup of tea.
And if an article seems to be “too political”, you can usually tell from the article title and lead copy and skip it.
There is plenty of other great content on here even if you disagree with something or a lot of things.
Hey Matthew! I appreciate this post. I used to be a daily reader and heavy commenter of your blog but haven’t been doing so for a while now for a few reasons. On the personal/professional side, things have been very busy so I haven’t had much time to actually read much. The other reason I reduced reading your blog and stopped commenting on it is very much related to comments made by many above. I have been reading your blog since UPGRD. You improved it a lot since you started and although your blog was not my main travel blog to read, I always appreciated your style. It was a very long time ago when I started reading about travel when TPG was still enjoyable (that is a very long time ago). OMMAT then became my top choice but as many readers have mentioned, Ben is no longer that humble blogger that he used to be. He is still a nice guy but his blog lost the appeal to me with so many credit card postings and now he loves to share his posh trips staying at very fancy hotels with no points although he never discloses how much he actually pays for those as his husband gets preferential discounts. Good for him but I have been less interested on his posts lately.
Then it comes to your blog. Because of the reasons I shared above, your blog became my #1 travel blog to read and I clicked on your page many times per day when I had spare time. Why? Because while learning more about you it became clear we had many things in common. You are a family guy, love your wife and kids and from want you share you raise them very similar to the way my wife and I raised our kids. You are person of faith and no mater what religion, I like that you have faith. You love Europe. You do not push credit card offers like all other bloggers do. Not that I am applying for credit cards by using their links but it is annoying. You share your personal experiences when you travel and the things that usually matter to you, matter to me. I love that you explore the places you visit, I love that you eat what locals eat, I love that you get out of your way to visit local coffee shops (I do the same wherever I go), I love that you are authentic. Read OMMAT and you will see the only things Ben cares are first class and hotels. I can’t understand how someone travel all over the world to eat at restaurants at hotels. He never explores the places he visits. Again, it is his choice but the reason why I prefer your blog.
Now, as you described above, your blog started to deviate from flight reviews, from hotel reviews, from coffee shops, local restaurants, etc… to literally anything “related” to travel. With that you definitely expanded the scope of what you mean by “travel” and unfortunately that included politics. But again, it is your blog so you have to do whatever feels right to you. Someone mentioned above about going to a friend’s or neighbor’s house and bringing up politics and how that won’t end up well. Well, I have always had a very clear rule in my family: we never, ever talk about politics or religion outside our home. Why? Because you can never win on those conversations and I do not want to lose friends. You know I am very international and that means my range of friends is extremely broad. I have very close friends from several religions, races, cultures, etc… since I have lived in more than one country, I have more than one citizenship, I speak 4 languages and I have studied and worked in very international places. Thus, I prefer to spend time with my friends talking about things that will unite us more and not divide us. Politics and religion is absolutely forbidden in those conversations because everyone has a different point of view.
Back to your blog, not only you started to really share your political side on almost everything you posted but the comments here became very nasty. I know I sometimes engaged in not very nice conversations with some people here and I regret that because that was not the purpose for me to read your blog. I hope you one day get back to the blogger you used to be and let readers find other sources of news if they want to read about politics. Reading your blog used to be a fun time for me to turn off from work and actually from bad news that are all over the internet. Your blog was a place for me to have a light reading of something very interesting to me and not another place to read people ranting about everything. That is the blog I want to read and hope it comes back the way it used to be.
@Maryland: I appreciate the nice note mentioning missing me. I miss you too.
I am glad you commented here @Santastico. I miss you very much.
Yes, @Aaron and @UANYC too…
Santasico, great to hear from you. Glad that your healthy & family is well. Safe travels always. Maryland
You lost 45% of your readers.
It should be pretty clear that inserting politics into your site has cost you.
Are you really sure it is worth adding your voice to the half of America that doesn’t agree with the current administration?
and thank you to VFTW for highlighting the dropoff in readership at several sites including OMAAT which also has taken a very political approach to its site and also has lost substantial numbers of its readers.
To be clear, VFTW figures are not 100% accurate, but there has been a drop-off…and have you read Gary’s takes on tariffs and Trump? No different than mine.
they come from a web tracking site.
Feel free to provide data for each of the company’s he sites as you see it.
and lots of people don’t like how the tariff issue has unfolded. That is why the administration caved today.
but your readership didn’t fall off because of the tariffs – they have just unfolded in the past week.
again, you like what you do and do it fairly well.
Is it worth losing half of your readers because you don’t like the party that is in control? And the answer has nothing to do with which party is in charge.
A number of airlines and other companies learned the lesson you are learning now. the US is a highly divided country. When money is on the line – and presumably you don’t do this as a hobby – it would seem to not be worth stating things that cost you readers.
Ben over at OMAAT is not capable of admitting what you are admitting. You are multiple steps ahead of him.
People tend to consolidate to narrower communication channels over time as they more heavily invest in a specific channel or set of channels and that limits their consumption of the rest. It has less to do with the content than people focus in on the channels their social circle discuss. This is why Netflix and even Disney streaming are stickier than most of the other streaming services of notable size.
In the case of your blog, it has a lot of overlap with VFTW, and that works to VFTW’s benefit due to scale and stickiness.
Also, VFTW is an easier read on mobile devices and the comment section on VFTW doesn’t work as well as your site for back and forth exchanges.
Please don’t stop your blog! I haven’t been here from the beginning but have been here for 10 years and appreciate everything, especially living in a UA hub. Cl
My advice, continue with your passion, but don’t get caught up in the blog comments. Maybe that’s easier said than done, but when I want to comment about the article in a nice, friendly manner, then I do. And I don’t look back – literally. I don’t care how people respond. I write what I need to write and I’m done. I don’t check back or even care if someone responds. The few times that I got caught up in other’s comments, it drove me nuts! Checking back, getting more frustrated seeing other responses, etc. Stick to what you love and let the haters hate, but don’t get involved in that.
This post sparked a lot of discussion. Personally I really appreciate how you have not moderated (censored) the comments. I appreciate full and open discussion. I simply ignore hysterical comments when I am skimming them. As I think a few others have said above, when travel policies are controversial, meaning there is disagreement over them, it will inspire political discussion, and that is appropriate. I would prefer subjects outside the scope of a relation to travel be avoided, as I specifically come to this site for Travel discussion. I will just skip over the purely political posts because I am not interested. For example, one of the travel people I follow decided to post about the last Supreme Court decision on abortion and I thought it was completely inappropriate because I do not follow travel sites to hear personal opinions on such subjects. However, it is your site and you can do with it as you will, I just consider it imprudent.
Actually, I find Matthew’s quick and repetitive denunciations of the White House to be a tired old cliche. Almost all travel blogs are left wing (virtue signaling as an art form). If you have to caveat every common sense observation by rushing in to soothe hyper vigilant progressives for fear of being cancelled, it defeats the purpose of the blog and you are self-censoring to appease the Dem rage machine.
A cliche?
Reagan and both Bushes also condemned tariffs, but I know they are just RINOs, right?
Matthew, I wouldn’t change a thing. I don’t agree with stuff you say from time to time but it’s interesting to read nevertheless.
Good luck Matthew. I’ve read your blog for several years now, and really enjoy your honest and thorough reviews and stories. I also like how you write in your own voice, and very practically. It always feel like you write to people like myself, so I hope it continues.
Given who is President of the United States, I don’t know how you keep politics off a travel blog. Especially a president who is trying to destroy NATO, and erecting as many walls and burn as many bridges as he can to isolate our country. I am not surprised your MAGA readers do not like you posting on the unconstitutional maneuvers of the current administration they support, and shedding light on it’s effects on the travel industry. Remember, these are not serious people, and have no respect for our government and its’ institutions.
I don’t read your blog as much as I have in the past due to the toxic comments many of your readers post. It often seems like a bunch of little boys who have nothing more to do than make incendiary nasty racist and homophobic comments. It felt like the adults had left the room, and the little trolls took over. And the back and forth between commenters just was ridiculous. I have better and more productive things to do with my time.
Regardless, I still enjoy your view of the travel world and will continue to read your blog and do my best to avoid the trolls that have invaded it, and who are doing their best to destroy it, as well as the rest of America
Hey Matthew,
I’ve been reading your blog regularly for years and Live and Let’s Fly is far and away my favorite. I’m impressed you made this post and it speaks to your values. You’re willing to have an open conversation all the time. Everything has become political and that sucks. You’re right we all live in our own echo chambers.
I appreciate your blog because it provides fair and honest views on travel, and anything related to travel. I don’t agree all the time but you make valid arguments, avoiding using straw men or creating circumstances that only seek to benefit your point of view. And then you engage in the comments. How you engage with people who demean and personally attack you. I don’t think many of us would be able to do the same. I chalk this up to your values, which you’ve repeatedly stated and then backed up with action.
I grew up overseas as an American, so maybe my education differed from those who grew up in the US, but I was taught that tolerance was foundational to the Bill of Rights. We have freedom of religion which means that we are free to practice our religion as are others. We do not have the right to prevent others from practicing their religion, nor must we accept or practice their religion, but we must tolerate it. That seems to be gone in it’s entirety in our society today.
I don’t get the hate for the clickbait articles. Don’t like them? Don’t read them. This is a business you run and you provide us your content for free, yet people feel entitled to complain it’s not perfectly to their liking. I don’t read them beyond the headlines but I certainly understand why people do. And more importantly, if it turns into a gateway to travel and points for someone who knew nothing about it before the article, even better. Regarding the comments, I think average people (and I include myself) in that don’t feel the need to take the time to battle with people who clearly have too much time on their hands. I’ll occasionally peruse the comments to see what crazy things are being slung today for a chuckle.
I think on the solution side of this. I’ve wondered if a reddit style voting system would help. These comments tend to dominate in volume, which makes them seem like the majority. I’d be surprised if these commenters were any more than a highly vocal, tiny minority. This would allow them to continue to rant and rave to their hearts content, and allow those of us who think they are crazy to down vote the conspiracy theory of the day.
Additionally, I’d be interested in a monthly subscription model. I understand this is not a small undertaking technically, and if it meant I could visit your site without all the ads, I’d pay for the privilege.
At the rate things are going, in a year MAGA will be pro-DEI, the Dems will be pro-guns, and Taiwan will have invaded Greenland. Until then, keep up the great work!
I think the Reddit style up or down vote thing would be a great idea. And agree too with the rest of your comment! I enjoy the clickbait and seeing what Matthew says about the latest incident haha
And it is fun to see what the crazies in the comments say about it too.
“…in what tends to be a (leftward) slanted sphere (I think Mark Twain was quite right when he said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”)”
lol. Nothing like “disagreeing respectfully” by not quite-so-subtly calling right wingers a bunch of non-traveling bigoted rubes. Amirite, Matt?
You’ve got a house here with a whole lot of glass so you may want to be more careful about that stone throwing.
Yeah, your politics is tiring, and some of your delusional redditor commenters (who don’t travel) are even worse, which is why I visit less. Simple stuff, I don’t need to post a thesis like half of the comments
I’ve always enjoyed your blog. It’s easily my favorite travel blog at this point. Whenever something big happens in travel I always very much enjoy reading your perspective and your take on it.
I actually am glad you weigh in on the more political stuff from a travel/international perspective. To not acknowledge these things is to not be living in the world. And I appreciate your opinions too because I believe they are honest and you are fair.
Most of all, I enjoy that you give a truly personal perspective. You have a voice and you share it. If I wanted a generic characterless blog I’d go to the points guy or something.
Keep doing what you’re doing Matthew. Don’t let the trolls stop bring you down. You have a long term reader in me.
I stopped commenting because I got bored with it and didn’t see the point anymore. I loathe leftists and love Trump but would never demand anyone be censored for disagreeing with me, favoring instead argument and/or mockery to deal with that.
I’ll probably keep reading despite your little bitchy sessions about Trump.
Matthew, as much as I would enjoy debating you regarding Bush 41 & 43, I would rather just come here for your travel insight. I travel a lot internationally and find your insights very helpful and worth noting. That said, the world doesn’t need another political blog. Your product is a niche product…..politics is a commodity. You are certainly free to blog as you wish, but the political comments will dilute the uniqueness of your demonstrated travel skills.
I fully support your comments Matt and would not care about whatever whoever may say! If you are not happy, just leave, we do not need you in this blog!
“Ultimately, I am not going to write anything in order to please others.” – I think this is a good decision, keep it up.
The difference is that an adult will just “change the channel” and move on with thier day.
Unfortunately the lack of treatment for mental illness these days is ultimately coming back to bite society in the ass.
We also inhabit a similar band on the political spectrum so I’ve long enjoyed the flashes of politics you drop in.
The risk is: When a John Doe travel blogger veers into politics, it can be a bit like a ruined orgasm for the readership, lol. Just when someone is settling into the escape of wanderlust — the mood shifts and is shattered by something awkward and unwanted.
Getting jolted by divisive hot takes in the middle of an Etihad review is a bait-and-switch that risks alienating an audience seeking planes over punditry. Lord knows there’s no shortage of punditry.
The beauty of travel is its universal appeal. (Just think of all the posts you’ve made over the years about political inflight announcements or FA pins and why those moments are controversial). Injecting politics into travel can quickly shift to a clumsy interruption of that universal joy.
Anyway: I don’t find it annoying. But that’s probably because I think you’re insightful and we’re politically like minded. But from the blogs perspective – you should ask yourself what your goal is with shouting into the political wind.
I’ve read your posts for years, but I this is my first comment. I do not read the comments section of any blog for the exact reasons you highlighted. I do not want that noise in my life. I appreciate the balance of travel and life reflections. Some posts really make me pause and think, and I call that a win. So thank you for sharing.
Hi Matthew. I’m a regular reader and rare commenter. I gave this some thought since you’re looking for honest advice here and this is more than just a personal blog, it’s a family business for you.
One of the sad realities of the modern political climate in the US is that fewer and fewer people will accept anyone’s claim to be “above the fray” on political matters. Many readers are going to comb through any political commentary you make, analyzing “are you on my team? or are you the enemy?”. This will probably be done with the assumption that you’re the enemy until proven otherwise. Once you’re ID-ed as “the enemy”, they’ll stop listening to you and attack you and any claims on your part of neutrality won’t fix that. I know that’s bleak, but at least it can help inform what you want to do with the blog.
It does seem like you need to go ahead and stake the blog’s claim to what it’s for and live into it, accepting the consequences. I can’t claim to have any idea what the right choice is for you, but it does seem like it would fall into one to three buckets:
“This is a travel blog” – Reviews, family stories, gate fight clickbait and CC points explainers all fit here. Observations on government policy don’t and the very mention of any politicians names should be avoided. Comment filtering should be relatively aggressive, kicking hard political statements along with anything openly confrontational. Your readers probably hear enough venom spewing in other venues and don’t want it here as well.
“This is a travel and political analysis blog” – Family stories and gate fight clickbait probably go out and policy analysis probably comes in. The blog steers clear of overt opinion pieces, but does report on the effects of policy on travel. This track probably gives up on the notion of appealing to readers on “both sides”. You report what you report and if readers decide that makes you “the enemy”, just let ’em walk. Comment moderation would be more minimal, only kicking out clearly offensive or attacking posts.
“It’s my blog and I’ll post what I want” – Content is whatever amuses you and that plays out in the analytics however it plays out. Be clear that’s what you’re about here. In terms of content moderation, kick whichever comments and ban whichever commenters you don’t like. You won’t owe commenters any rhyme, reason or explanation.
There are consequences to any of the approaches above, but they’re at least coherent in the content you’re bringing to your readers. I hope this is at least somewhat helpful and I wish you continued success, no matter how you proceed.
Try not to get too discouraged. It is a tense time in the world. Anxiety can lead to reactivity, impulsivity. Reader comments are an outlet for some people. Although they might be measured or diplomatic in other spaces, reader comments can be a curious way to vent.
My fear is that you will be hurt emotionally: as a person, a writer, a traveller, or as a father. You are a compelling writer. And you’ve had the courage to share your thoughts about travel with the world. I’ve always enjoyed hearing about how your kids have travelled, your trips to Germany, and where you find the joys and pains of flying.
You are allowed to be human. Some of the beauty of a travel blog is that you do not have to report to an editor or to “corporate.” You have the power to voice your own opinions. Let the rage of untethered user comments empower you to write even more, and to even expand the topics you cover. I would much rather read about your own insights rather than a tired story of Singapore Airlines lobster.
In the glimpses of your life you have shared, you come across with decency, as a good father, husband, and friend.
Ignoring the White House is an unreasonable expectation. Those of us who travel so much see how the President’s actions affect so many lives. It is like those who say, “I do not follow politics,” or “I don’t talk politics.” Maybe you should. Your writing holds greater power and depth when explored beyond the surface of an amenity kit or a credit card. The White House’s recent actions have made jarring changes in how we live, how we travel, how we do business, and our ability to afford travel.
If I could, I would buy you a beer and tell you that you’re doing an admirable job. Thus, here is a virtual pint. Cheers.
I genuinely don’t understand why someone would stop reading a blog that they otherwise enjoy because they don’t like the comment section. This seems like a danged if you do, danged if you don’t situation. People don’t want to read LALF because they don’t like the comments, but they refuse to read TPG because you can’t comment. I NO UNDERSTAND!
MAGA fans’ engagement with their most traditional forums pre-2025 has dropped as the Trump insanity this year becomes ever more obvious even to many MAGA fans/enablers. It’s called hiding from their own hypocrisy being exposed. The audience will mostly return to its old habits when they aren’t being owned by the MAGA cult leader.
Hi Matthew,
I read pretty much daily but comment rarely. I say ke doing what you’re doing. A mix of topics is good. My only request would be less “passenger does x on flight, causes diversion”. The stories are repetitive.
Matthew – in the end, YOU are the one that has to decide whether you want to continue to incorporate politics into your blog, at a cost of (what seems to be) much lower readership – OR – go back to a where it was before (more non-partisan) and hope to not lose any more of your base and maybe (?) gain some readers back. I find the inclusion of politics in today’s environment abrasive and a turn-off (and I would prob say this whether I was a Democrat or Republican) because you will never win the argument to try to sway people from either side, and it gets ugly with the reader comments – and that takes away from what you were trying to do with your Blog originally. Just my opinion – but I enjoy your blog and other various facets it provides related to travel – other than politics. Again I hope you don’t continue what Rick Steve’s has done or fear you may continue to lose a big part of your faithful readers. My advice = stay in your lane. Your Blog is unique enough WITHOUT the politics.
Myself, and many others decided to withdraw from your blog because of your past (and continued) support of the ongoing Israeli genocide.
It’s one thing to look at the initial Israeli attack on Gaza and think it’s justified, but more than a year later and hundreds of thousands of Palestinian casualties and the complete flattening of the strip and you’re still firm in your support of Israel.
I am amazed at the mental gymnastics you and your fellow zios go through to reconcile your “Christian values” and the slaughter happening in Palestine.
Anyway, the only reason I clicked this post is because I had a glimmer of hope that you grew a conscience, but alas, I was wrong.
Thank you for clicking and for your comment.
Complicated topic. Even subjects seemingly non-political can be interpreted as political. Posts about TSA, CBP, ATC, etc., while directly related to travel also can be interpreted with a political viewpoint. (I know, tell you something you don’t know.)
Regarding comments made. I look and I make an assumption, maybe wrongly in some cases, that the comments are posted by readers that live in echo chambers, And I generally ignore those comments. Everyone has the right to an opinion. But many people do not believe in that right.
I just finished a book written by a well known journalist – careers at the NYT and WaPo. I generally agreed with much of the writing (and where I didn’t agree, I at least respected the writer’s POV). Right up until the writer stated that the Biden administration did not do enough to ‘cancel’ any narratives or opinions that were contrary to the administration’s COVID-related positions and policies.
I’m going to read your posts, because I’ve learned an awful lot from you over the years, and I believe it was you who booked my first RTW in mostly F, in 2016 (you enlightened me too much as I do my own since then). Sometimes I’m going to read comments, time permitting. Some comments I find ludicrous, but I also at least respect, and maybe learn from, a different POV.
Someone above mentioned Rick Steve’s. Yes, his politics are a little nutty sometimes. But he has served as a great resource for Europe. I enjoy his PBS shows; I check out his books from the public library. And I separate his excellent knowledge of Europe from any politics that I disagree.
So, keep up the good work. And whatever happened to the female (forgot her name) that was coming on board?
Thinking that Rick Steve’s politics are “a little nutty” is an understatement. I love his travel advice and bought his guidebooks and travel info for decades. But when he started directly blurting out his political beliefs – and questioning out loud why anyone could think differently – well, he lost a lot of his Base. People don’t like to be ‘told’ what to believe and what to think – not in that way, and not on a travel program. I’m just saying I love Matthew’s Blog but fear he’s going down the same path and could lose enough people where his Blog doesn’t work any more (not enough viewership)
But isn’t there a difference between telling you what I believe and telling you what you must believe?
I’m just saying, Matthew, regardless of justgiving your opinion and/or telling me if mine is wrong – I don’t think it’s a good direction for you. People take it wrong and it alienates people overall.
have read your blog for a while, never have made a comment since it’s not really relevant to my reading experience or what I am trying to get out of your site.
I think you should make your own opinions heard, it’s not as though you are heavily making this travel blog political. In today’s age the more personal you can be, the more readers will enjoy it, and if you have readers who can’t deal with a minor amount of political commentary, good riddance.
Me sowing: Haha f*ck yeah!!! Yes!!
Me reaping: Well this f*cking sucks. What the f*ck.
I’m a long time reader and comment occasionally. I enjoy your flight posts. The politics ones are generally irrelevant to me because, like others said, I come hear to read about travel and not really world affairs. I agree with some of your views and disagree with others, but have no interest in debating since I don’t really know you or feel the need to change your mind.
I think you should keep posting whatever, I’ll remain a reader, but would prefer mostly travel content.
Summing up my take on content.
I do frequent here just don’t comment that much.
Trip reviews
LALF>>OMAAT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>VFTW
Political
VFTW>LALF >>>>OMAAT
Card pushing
VFTW>>>>>>>>>>>>OMAAT>>LALF
General content
OMAAT>LALF>>>>>>Kyle(no offense)>>>>>>>>>>VFTW
Entertainment
Tim Dunn >>>>>>>>>>>VFTW>>>>>LALF>OMAAT
Users & Comments
OMAAT>LALF>VFTW
So much lols