Ethereal Places exists to answer one question well: where are the real places on Earth that look like they belong in a fantasy novel, and how do you actually get to them? This page explains how we decide what to publish, how we research it and what happens when we get something wrong.
What we cover and why
We write about storybook villages, misty mountains, enchanted forests, northern lights, castles, ruins, deserts, fjords and the other places that make people stop scrolling. We also write the practical guides that turn a saved pin into a trip: itineraries, where to stay, what it costs, when to go and what to expect if you travel solo, as a couple, with children, with friends or at a slower pace.
We choose topics by looking at what readers are searching for and saving, and then asking whether we can add something a dozen other articles have not: a clearer answer, a more honest assessment, better timing advice or a route that actually works.
How we research
- Every destination guide is built from primary sources first: official tourism boards, national park and heritage authorities, transport operators, venue websites and local government notices.
- Prices, opening hours, seasonal closures and booking requirements are checked at the time of writing and the date is recorded at the top of the article.
- Where we rely on first-hand experience, we say so. Where we have not visited a place ourselves, we do not pretend otherwise, and we lean on recent accounts from travellers, local guides and official sources instead.
- Photographs are our own, licensed or used with permission. We do not use images that misrepresent a place, including heavily edited or artificially generated images presented as real.
- Lists are curated, not padded. If a “15 best” list only has eleven places worth your time, it becomes a list of eleven.
Updates and corrections
Travel information decays. We review high-traffic and seasonal articles before each relevant season and whenever we learn that something has changed. Every article shows a last-updated date.
If you spot an error, an out-of-date price or a closure we have missed, please tell us through the contact page and choose “Correction or update to an article”. We aim to review corrections within a few days and update the article, noting significant changes at the bottom.
Independence and money
Ethereal Places is reader-supported through affiliate links and may display advertising. Commercial relationships never decide what we recommend, which places make a list or how we describe them. Sponsored content, if we ever publish it, is labelled clearly at the top of the article. Our Disclaimer has the full affiliate disclosure.
Who writes this
Articles are written and edited by Ayesha, the founder of Ethereal Places. Her bio appears at the bottom of every article. Any guest contributors will be named, with a short biography, on the articles they write.
Use of AI tools
We may use AI tools to help with research organisation, outlining and editing. Every published article is written, fact-checked and approved by a human editor, and no article is published without the sources above being checked by a person.
Contact
Questions about our editorial process, or requests to reuse our content, can be sent through the contact page.