Project:What is an article?

In order to keep Travel & Tours Guide organized and consistent there are guidelines about when a subject gets its own article. In this area there are two competing principles:

1. Articles should be relatively self-sufficient so that travellers can print them out, put in their back pocket, and use for travelling around.
2. At the same time, articles should not be so long that they're impossible to read, print, or use.

So, here are some rough guidelines for what topics should have their own articles, and what shouldn't. Nothing here is set in stone, but exceptions to these guidelines should have good justifications.

What does get its own article?

Geographical units on the geographical hierarchy should have their own articles. There should be articles about:

• Continents like Africa (formatted using the Project:Region article template).
• Continental sections like Southeast Asia (formatted using the Project:Region article template).
• Countries like Brazil (formatted using the Project:Country article template).
• Regions like Normandy (formatted using the Project:Region article template).
• Cities like Tokyo (formatted using the Project:Huge city article template).
• Districts like Greenwich Village (formatted using the Project:District article template).
• National parks like Yosemite National Park (formatted using the Project:Park article template).
• Hotels like Nesbitt Castle (formatted using the Project:Hotel article template)
• Restaurants like The Boma (formatted using the Project:Restaurant article template)
• Attractions like Eiffel Tower (formatted using the Project:Attraction article template)
• Activities/Things to do like Flight of Angels (formatted using the Project:Activity article template)

For regions, we only add a level of regions when there are too many cities or too much content in the existing breakdown. As a result, the regional hierarchy at Travel & Tours Guide doesn't strictly follow any official organization—and frequently is much "flatter" than the official political/administrative breakdown.

With city districts, consider also When to districtify recommendations--only create a separate article for a district when you have enough content for it, and the borders for a new district are well-defined.

What does not get its own article?

With a few very rare exceptions (see below) there should not be articles about individual:

• City parks, town squares or streets. (Districts named after streets like San Francisco/Castro Street and Singapore/Orchard are OK.)
• Festivals or events.
• Transport systems or stations.
• People.
• Uninhabited islands.

Exceptions

There are exceptions to every rule, and Travel & Tours Guide is no different. Be aware, however, that if you think something deserves an exception you should be ready to defend your position. Cases where exceptions are made include attractions, sites, or events that are far away (too far for a day trip) from any city and would require an overnight stay, or so large and complex that the information about them would overload the city article. Some examples of possible exceptions include:

• Complex and remote state/provincial parks or monuments such as Mount Robson Provincial Park (formatted using the Project:Park article template)

...but not state or city parks that primarily serve as recreational sites for day visitors.

• Large archaeological sites such as Angkor Wat or Ephesus

...but not individual ruins in or near modern cities.

• Big free-standing theme parks like Disneyland or Cedar Point

...but not amusement parks usually visited as part of a trip to a city, such as Coney Island or Tivoli

• Huge airports the size of small cities such as Kansai International Airport or Heathrow Airport

...but not typical metropolitan or regional airports.

• Famous tourist trains that a traveller would choose to ride for its own sake such as Trans-Siberian Railway

...but not trains only for transportation without extensive exposure to scenic beauty or on board entertainment.

In general, a good rule of thumb is that information about attractions, sites, and events should always be initially placed into the article for the place they're located in, and only when that information becomes large and complex should a new article be considered. As with most decisions on Travel & Tours Guide, consensus drives the process, but we try to err on the side of consistency and not make these exceptions unless we absolutely have to. Before starting an article based on one of the above exceptions, start a discussion to explore whether it would be appropriate.

Other types of articles

In addition, the following categories of articles are given their own articles:

• Itineraries should have their own articles (formatted using the Project:Itinerary article template).
• Phrasebooks should have their own articles (formatted using the Project:Phrasebook template).
• Travel topics should have their own articles.

When in doubt

When in doubt, leave a message in the travelers' pub or simply plunge forward and create the article. Someone else will always be around to answer your question or to edit any mistakes.

See also

• Project:Article templates
• Project:Where you can stick it
• Project:Manual of style