Editorial Guidelines & Stylebook
Our rules for investigative travel writing: naming physical materials, citing primary government sources, and eliminating marketing fluff.
The Banned Words Registry
Travel journalism is flooded with stock PR buzzwords that conceal an absence of first-hand research. Our editors operate under an automated linter that flags and rejects the following terms across all drafts:
Lazy spatial cliche; name exact geographic coordinates or topography instead.
Uninformative filler; state exact pedestrian volume or market operating hours.
Pretentious PR metaphor; describe physical materials, stone types, and mortar.
Meaningless tourism hype; if indexed on Google Maps with 2,000 reviews, it is not hidden.
Ornate filler phrase; state the commissioning ruler, architect, and completion year directly.
Imperative marketing assertion; provide the facts and allow travellers to decide.
The hallmark of shallow content; specify who the site actually caters to.
Copywriting cliché unsuitable for factual editorial prose.
Formulaic rhetorical construction banned across all atlas entries.
Tactile Prose & Physical Specificity
Writers must describe monuments using their exact geological and construction materials. Do not write "an ancient palace" — identify whether it is built from ochre sandstone from Karaundi, Makrana white marble, basalt rubble masonry, or lime surkhi plaster.
Every entry must address practical friction points directly:
- Shoe counters: State whether shoes are placed in open wooden racks, attended token counters (and exact tipping norms, typically ₹10–₹20), or if shoe covers are permitted.
- Bargaining norms: Provide real autorickshaw negotiation ranges from rail heads and airport terminals.
- Camera & tripod rules: Differentiate mobile camera permissions from commercial DSLR permits and tripod bans.
Mandatory Outbound Primary Citations
Outbound citation to primary government bodies is an essential credibility signal. Entry fees and operating hours must cite primary authoritative portals: