Excessive Abbreviations (page 3 of 4)

No, never in Madagascar. As far as I know. People often say Tananarive in France, right? It still sounds better to my ears than Tana—how awful!

Oh yes, Tana. You can even read it in some guidebooks or online sites. I only recently found out it’s also an insult. 😏

Little riddle for everyone: What’s the abbreviation for "Llanfair­pwll­gwyn­gyll­go­gery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch"? Yes, yes, it really exists! It’s in Wales 🙂!

That’s why I mentioned the Welsh a bit earlier. 😏

Llanfairpwll, quite simply. Prince Harry knows it... Not the most beautiful spot in Wales...

No, never in Madagascar. From what I know. People often say Tananarive in France, right? It still sounds better to my ears than Tana—how awful!

Oh yes, Tana. You can even read it in some guides or online sites. I only recently found out it’s also an insult. 😏

In some guides: There’s one guide that’s been driving me crazy for ages—the Rxxtxrd Guide. I don’t know if its style has changed recently, but I found it unbearably cheeky and chauvinistic, with tons of abbreviations like ‘Tana,’ ‘Casa,’ ‘Kuala,’ etc. That’s not the only thing I hold against it, either—it was (or still is?) often very poorly researched. I compare it to the Lonely Planet, which I’ve used a lot in the past (in English).

Their cheeky, very French style has been around for years—it’s their trademark. You either love it or you don’t, that’s just how it is.

That said, it does happen that their info isn’t always fully documented. And what they share isn’t always accurate—there are mistakes. But overall, I still think it’s a decent guide, even with its flaws.

Which guide can honestly claim to be completely thorough, exhaustive, and error-free?

That said, it does happen that it’s not fully documented. And what they describe isn’t always accurate—there are mistakes. But overall, I still think it’s a decent guide, even with its flaws.

Hi there,

I agree with you. And I think it depends on the destination. But it’s always a good starting point, as long as you supplement its info with other sources. (Le Petit Futé once pointed me to a lake that didn’t exist, and Lonely Planet’s writing is so condensed it makes reading unpleasant.)

Generally agree with you. The *Petit Futé* for some countries is absolutely useless—nonexistent addresses and even mix-ups between locations! (Madagascar, among others). For accurate info, good tips, and readable maps, here’s the order I’d go with: *Le Routard* *Lonely Planet* And last, *Petit Futé*. Turns out that for a long time now (since the internet took over), no guidebook is really reliable for good lodging recommendations.

Leur style gouailleur et franchouillard

Hi, what do you mean by "franchouillard"? I think this term doesn’t have the same connotation or meaning in Belgium compared to France.

Their cheeky and "franchouillard" style

Hello, what do you mean by "franchouillard"? I think this term doesn’t have the same connotation and meaning in Belgium compared to France.

Hello, Since I’m the one who brought up the criticism of being "franchouillard," I’ll try to give a hint or two. I found these definitions online, which I think are pretty accurate:

‘refers to behaviors or attitudes considered too centered on France’ ‘behaviors, tastes, objects, or expressions seen as too French, like naive patriotism, excessive attachment to local traditions, or distrust of foreign influences’

I came across this phrase back in the day when I still occasionally checked the Rxxtxrd Guide—it must’ve been about one of the countries between Turkey and India (my very first trips) where you could take a train, but you had to expect unruly crowds and almost use force to push through the chaos and grab a seat:

‘statistics show the French are never the last ones’

I found it cheesy (I had another word in mind...)

Hello, In "the backpacker's guide," there's mainly "routard": a person who travels with a backpack and a very small budget. Over the past 50 years, it’s obviously evolved. But it was definitely aimed at "backpackers," looking for great tips to eat on a shoestring and find the coolest youth hostels. What’s left of it now? Maybe those famous "good deals"... Personally, I think it’s always been very food-focused... and sometimes I’ve searched in vain for the restaurants they recommended. At home, while I have a good fifteen Lonely Planet guides, I only have one or two *Routard* guides left. It happened naturally... maybe because I’ve never really been a Jack Kerouac fan?

Hi, thanks for the message. For me, the term "franchouillard" has a slightly pejorative connotation in France

GeorgesOZ replied to your question, Mathews. That’s exactly how we understand the term "franchouillard" in Belgium. Do we use it in a pejorative way? Not really—I’d say it’s more teasing! 😉

For me, it's not so much the abbreviations that I find "exasperating"—it's more the terms people use when traveling, especially the infamous "I did Mexico," for example. Look, for a travel and culture enthusiast, it's irritating because when you "do" a country, you don’t actually know anything about it... You just go there to take photos and follow the same route as 99% of visitors.

For me, it's not so much the abbreviations that I find "exasperating"—it's more the terms used when traveling, especially the famous "I did Mexico," for example. I mean, for a travel and culture enthusiast, it's irritating because when you "do" a country, you don't actually know anything about it... You just go there to take photos and follow the same route as 99% of visitors.

Totally agree. Saying ‘I did India last year,’ chest puffed out, when (most of the time) you only spent 2 or 3 weeks there (or less)!

You’re opening the door to another discussion: how much can you really know about a country you visit for just a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months?... Compared to what you can learn if you actually live there for a few years, and especially if you work there!

Yeah, I’ve always found it infuriating—those people who smugly declare, "I’ve been to this or that country..." Well, whatever, it’s their business, I’ll let them talk. That way of speaking immediately puts them in the category of pretentious folks who’ve been everywhere but seen nothing, yet know everything better than everyone else! When you run into these kinds of characters, it can actually be entertaining to listen to them—they can spout a whole load of nonsense in no time! 🙂

Yes, I’ve always found it infuriating—those people who declare (often with a smug air), "I’ve done such-and-such a country..." Well, it’s their business, I’ll let them talk. That way of speaking immediately puts them in the category of pretentious folks who’ve been everywhere but seen nothing, yet know everything better than everyone else! When you run into these characters, it can be entertaining to listen to them—they can spout a whole load of nonsense in no time! 🙂

Totally agree!

There are actually two sub-categories of the ‘I’ve done X’ (X being India, Mexico, Morocco, Ireland, etc.):

- Those who return to a country they loved, for one reason or another. They go up in my estimation, and I get that using the phrase ‘I’ve done X or Y’ has just become automatic...

- Those who declare—often, as you say, with a smug air—‘I did X last year,’ and so ‘this year, we’re doing Y.’ Ugh, that really gets under my skin. It’s too much like the approach of a butterfly or stamp collector who pins one more to their board or album, only to give it a fleeting thought now and then.

I completely understand that people need to relax and take a break by traveling. But it’s superficial—that’s not my idea of travel.

‘I did X’

A former student of École Polytechnique? 😮 You could also see it as a linguistic shortcut, and I’ve noticed that the use of this expression tends to correlate with the socio-cultural background of both those who use it and those who avoid it. However, there’s no correlation with those who make money or those who don’t look their age (or who pull it off well). 😉 And to throw another coin into the mix—what do you think about the use of the word *travel* in "Travel Agency" or "Travel Forum" when it’s most often about vacations?

Maybe some Jacques Dutronc fans?

I’m an adventurer And I’ve roamed a lot

I lived it up in Warsaw I played dead in Baltimore I was a rat in Canberra I rolled the dice in Yaoundé I played checkers in Amsterdam I gambled in Birmingham

I’m an adventurer Someone to be reckoned with

I’m an adventurer Someone to be reckoned with

Or maybe some nostalgic folks...

And to add my two cents to the discussion, what do you think about using the word "voyage" in "Agence de voyage" or "Forum de voyage" when it’s most often about vacations?

Oh yes, exactly! Taking a *voyage* or going on vacation—those aren’t the same thing at all!

I might be repeating myself, but for me, *voyage* is just as much about the physical journey as it is about the mental, intellectual, or even spiritual one. The first leads to the others, or else I feel like I’ve missed out!