The BTS of a Multiple Award-Winning Article

At the LAPC Gala receiving the second place winner certificate. (Image: Ruksana Hussain)

When I first pitched an article about etiquette guidelines to Fodor’s Travel, I only knew it was a topic I had wanted to write about for a while and something I had simmering in my mind for a few years then but never felt quite ready to jump into it because it needed a certain nuance to how the topics was broached. Or at least that’s how I felt.
 
Little did I realize the topic would resonate so strongly with others to the point where when it finally published in September 2024 on the leading travel site, now titled How to Behave When Visiting Sites of Remembrance, that so many would respond positively or even encouragingly that I had addressed something so crucial, not just in the travel world but in how we behave and exist as human beings. 

Winning first place at ASJA was a surprise! (Image: Ruksana Hussain)

Every journalistic, travel, or other media-related competition or contest I’ve submitted this article to has earned it a recognition of some caliber. Here is the list of awards that this article has earned and what some judges had to say:

• Winner, How-To Service category, 2025 ASJA Awards, American Society of Journalists and Authors.
  “This detailed service piece offered an extensive list of practical tips that are widely applicable. Within a well-researched global context, the content was well-structured, relatable and pragmatic, delivering on its purpose in an engaging and inclusive manner.”

 

• Second, Travel reporting category, 67th SoCal Journalism Awards, Los Angeles Press Club

 

• Third/Bronze, Travel Tips category, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Western Chapter Awards.
  “Elegant and respectful advice for travelers visiting solemn historical sites. Unique, polished, and deeply relevant.”

 
Many have asked how or why I chose to write about it so here’s the backstory on that front:
 
Part of this article stemmed from my personal observations during travels around the world and seeing how guests behaved at memorials, cemeteries, and sites of remembrance. Places where historic events had occurred, where people had suffered, or where many were laid to rest. Places where visitors chose to visit and then disrespect the fundamental truth that these venues held. 
 
It was difficult for me to understand why one would behave that way when they are a guest on someone else’s land. Why would one behave that way anywhere, being disrespectful and hurting others’ sentiments when this should be an occasion of learning and somber reflection in most cases.

The first time this occurred to me was when traveling in Denver, Colorado, and one of the museums had an exhibit about the Japanese internment. It was the first time I learned of it, having lived and studied outside the country before then and not delved much into American history. I was devastated that a whole community was treated in this manner. But more so appalled at some folks taking pictures with unacceptable hand gestures and such. 
 
On another visit, this time to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda, I observed visitors disrespecting the rules of visitation, taking pictures inside the venue when there were clear instructions everywhere that this was prohibited. Others laughed as they read descriptions on some of the exhibits. I was too disturbed emotionally to even try to comprehend such behavior at a place that held the memories of an incident that shook a whole nation. 
 
Back then, I wasn’t a full-time freelance writer and both visits, memorable as they were, never saw a story written about what I felt or observed. 
 
Then came the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. On my only visit to Poland, this was a must. I’m not a proponent of dark tourism, but these venues teach us many lessons from our past we must pay heed. I’d read about the concentration camps in history books and seen movies but never imagined I’d one day be standing on the same grounds. I don’t know how anybody can tour here and walk out emotionally untouched. I couldn’t bring myself to take pictures of the area – the immensity of what occurred here was indescribable. And yet, there were people smiling and taking pictures at the end of the train line, at the entrance to the camps, and doing handstands outside some of the structures. One visitor got into an argument with one of the tour guides about some of the facts they presented. The ride back to the hotel that day was a silent one.  
 
And then in 2024, a visit to Cody, Wyoming, was the final straw, if you will, to push me to write this piece. A tour of the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center – a World War II Japanese American confinement site, brought me back to my first memories of learning about this moment in history back in Denver. I saw a sign at the entrance that read this was a gun-free space and firearms should be left in guests’ vehicles. I honestly couldn’t fathom, irrespective of what gun laws are anywhere, why anyone would bring a firearm to a venue of this nature.
 
All of these instances along with reports in the news on the regular about how some visitor had destroyed a historic monument, or disrespected a place of remembrance, or misbehaved in some other manner unbecoming of the venue and the experience got me thinking about speaking to some of the folks working in these spaces and how they deal with this and what they observe and recommend. I was grateful to find sources from two venues I’d visited, both Heart Mountain and Auschwitz-Birkenau, and a few others that spent time speaking with me because this was such an important topic. 
 
Fodor’s Travel was the only place I chose to pitch it and I’m grateful they chose to publish it as well. I’m glad that a piece I wanted to report on was well-received, found an appropriate home, and continues to be read by many and valued for the information it shares. If you find it a resource, I hope you will share it with others. Thank you!

Bronze from the Western Chapter awards at SATW. (Image: Ruksana Hussain)