Or getting a sense of the people.
Local radio stations
In a similar vein to Tip #94 (Pick up local newspapers), listening to local radio stations whilst abroad can give an excellent insight into a destination. Many of the reasons are similar – you get to find out about news angles and get a sense of attitudes and priorities.
Sense of the people
But radio is even better for getting a sense of the people – you can gauge what sort of music gets played (ie. Is it reggae, calypso or generic 80s dirge?). You can also get a sense of what sort of people are allowed on the radio – ie. Personality DJs or formal, starched collar, Government-approved announcers?
Phone-in programmes
And sometimes you can strike absolute gold by stumbling across a phone-in programme, where members of the public call in to rant and rave about the issues of the day. They may not be coherent, and they may be speaking utter nonsense, but there are few better ways of getting a sense of local character and opinion. Especially when the DJ starts arguing...
Showing posts with label Resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resources. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Saturday, 7 March 2009
#94 – Pick up local newspapers
Or looking at things from a local perspective.
Global view
As a travel writer, you tend to develop a global view of things. International news becomes important to you, and you tend to like knowing what is happening worldwide.
Switching perspective
Nothing wrong with this, but sometimes it can be useful to switch perspective. Getting a view of the world from the place you’re visiting’s angle can give a really useful insight into that destination.
Snapshot
That’s why I like picking up a local newspaper while I’m away. There are few better things for giving a snapshot of what a place is like. First of all, there will be stories in there that simply aren’t covered by the global media, such as controversies over tourism developments, national financial problems and disease outbreaks amongst local wildlife.
These often make a good angle for a travel story – you’re essentially covering a news story that hasn’t really broken outside the country you’re in and explaining it to the rest of the world.
Attitudes and priorities
But picking up the newspaper is also good for getting a sense of that country’s attitudes and priorities. How many pages in are the big international stories? Do all the stories start with “a government spokesman has announced”? How professional or amateurish does the paper look? These are all excellent little clues about the destination.
Global view
As a travel writer, you tend to develop a global view of things. International news becomes important to you, and you tend to like knowing what is happening worldwide.
Switching perspective
Nothing wrong with this, but sometimes it can be useful to switch perspective. Getting a view of the world from the place you’re visiting’s angle can give a really useful insight into that destination.
Snapshot
That’s why I like picking up a local newspaper while I’m away. There are few better things for giving a snapshot of what a place is like. First of all, there will be stories in there that simply aren’t covered by the global media, such as controversies over tourism developments, national financial problems and disease outbreaks amongst local wildlife.
These often make a good angle for a travel story – you’re essentially covering a news story that hasn’t really broken outside the country you’re in and explaining it to the rest of the world.
Attitudes and priorities
But picking up the newspaper is also good for getting a sense of that country’s attitudes and priorities. How many pages in are the big international stories? Do all the stories start with “a government spokesman has announced”? How professional or amateurish does the paper look? These are all excellent little clues about the destination.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
#93 – Stay at hotels with free WiFi
Or getting more work done for no extra cost.
Meals for one?
When a travel writer is on the road, the evening can often be the most depressing time. It’s when you have to resort to meals for one, and sitting in a bar trying to strike up conversation with someone.
This is somewhat soul-destroying and – depending on how many drinks you have – can be rather costly.
Writing in the evenings
In recent times, I’ve gone for a change of tack. In destinations where I know I’m not really going to be writing about the nightlife and bars, I’ve taken to using that evening dead space for writing things up.
Fresh in the mind
Inevitably, I’ll be able to write stories up twice as quickly during these evenings as I normally would at home. This is often because the story is fresh in the mind.
In-room internet access
But in doing this, I’ll usually need in-room internet access, just for checking the odd detail. And thus I always try and stay somewhere that provides this.
Looking up maps
It is also useful for planning purposes – with in-room net access, you can check out little details, look up places you’re wanting to get to on Google Maps etc.
Free WiFi
The price of the in-room internet access counts too. Some hotels charge outrageously for this, and it can often make financial sense to pay a couple of dollars/ pounds/ euro/ groats more for a place that offers free WiFi. The cost of the internet otherwise can put 10 - 20% extra on the bill. Besides, offering free WiFi should be encouraged, and I like to give my custom to places that do this.
Meals for one?
When a travel writer is on the road, the evening can often be the most depressing time. It’s when you have to resort to meals for one, and sitting in a bar trying to strike up conversation with someone.
This is somewhat soul-destroying and – depending on how many drinks you have – can be rather costly.
Writing in the evenings
In recent times, I’ve gone for a change of tack. In destinations where I know I’m not really going to be writing about the nightlife and bars, I’ve taken to using that evening dead space for writing things up.
Fresh in the mind
Inevitably, I’ll be able to write stories up twice as quickly during these evenings as I normally would at home. This is often because the story is fresh in the mind.
In-room internet access
But in doing this, I’ll usually need in-room internet access, just for checking the odd detail. And thus I always try and stay somewhere that provides this.
Looking up maps
It is also useful for planning purposes – with in-room net access, you can check out little details, look up places you’re wanting to get to on Google Maps etc.
Free WiFi
The price of the in-room internet access counts too. Some hotels charge outrageously for this, and it can often make financial sense to pay a couple of dollars/ pounds/ euro/ groats more for a place that offers free WiFi. The cost of the internet otherwise can put 10 - 20% extra on the bill. Besides, offering free WiFi should be encouraged, and I like to give my custom to places that do this.
Monday, 23 February 2009
#90 – Resource: In Your Pocket guides
Or finding the local hang-outs.
Sources of information
There are many good sources for getting information on places to stay, eat and drink in a city. The people at the tourist board can usually give a few good ideas, while a guide book will often give a decent selection.
Off the tourist track
Unfortunately, however, these sources rarely veer off the usual tourist track. They’ll give plenty of suggestions for places that many visitors like going to, but not necessarily the places that give a real feel for the town or are local favourites.
Little secrets
And it’s these little secrets that editors want to know about. They make for an interesting story, and there’s a certain cachet to being able to discover a place that most visitors won’t know about.
Needle in a haystack
But how to find them? Well my preferred way is always to stumble across them randomly. I love going into somewhere on a whim. Unfortunately, this is often something of a needle in a haystack approach.
In Your Pocket
One tool that I’ve found really useful when I’ve seen it is the local In Your Pocket guide. These guides have quietly begun springing up all over Europe, and they’re generally written by locals. They give a view of the place from the standpoint of someone that lives there, and the listings are generally both comprehensive and honestly-written.
Interesting places
Amongst those listings, there are usually a few really interesting places that are not covered in the Lonely Planet or tourist board literature. They’re worth investigating.
Free online guides
Best of all, the In Your Pocket Guides are now available for free online (www.inyourpocket.com), so it’s possible to get a list of a few good ideas before you arrive.
Sources of information
There are many good sources for getting information on places to stay, eat and drink in a city. The people at the tourist board can usually give a few good ideas, while a guide book will often give a decent selection.
Off the tourist track
Unfortunately, however, these sources rarely veer off the usual tourist track. They’ll give plenty of suggestions for places that many visitors like going to, but not necessarily the places that give a real feel for the town or are local favourites.
Little secrets
And it’s these little secrets that editors want to know about. They make for an interesting story, and there’s a certain cachet to being able to discover a place that most visitors won’t know about.
Needle in a haystack
But how to find them? Well my preferred way is always to stumble across them randomly. I love going into somewhere on a whim. Unfortunately, this is often something of a needle in a haystack approach.
In Your Pocket
One tool that I’ve found really useful when I’ve seen it is the local In Your Pocket guide. These guides have quietly begun springing up all over Europe, and they’re generally written by locals. They give a view of the place from the standpoint of someone that lives there, and the listings are generally both comprehensive and honestly-written.
Interesting places
Amongst those listings, there are usually a few really interesting places that are not covered in the Lonely Planet or tourist board literature. They’re worth investigating.
Free online guides
Best of all, the In Your Pocket Guides are now available for free online (www.inyourpocket.com), so it’s possible to get a list of a few good ideas before you arrive.
Monday, 9 February 2009
#84 – Invest in appropriate clothing
Or why you’re more productive when you’re comfortable.
Worst trip
One of the worst trips I ever did was when I went to Bratislava, Vienna and Brno in early January. The temperature was hovering around the minus six degrees Celsius mark, and I was really not prepared for it.
I had a coat, but was lacking gloves and a hat. I only had thin socks as well.
Wrong mindset
Needless to say, I was freezing. And I didn’t do nearly as much as I hoped to do, purely because I was freezing and couldn’t wait to get inside to the relative warm. And what’s worse, when I was in that relative warm, I was so happy to be warm that I wasn’t in the mindset to take notes on bars, restaurants or hotels.
Lesson learned
I didn’t sell many articles on the back of that trip (if I recall it was just one, plus a couple of snippets here and there in round-up articles). That’s not to say I won’t sell any more at some point down the line, but I did learn my lesson.
Suitable clothing for various conditions
I have since invested in suitable clothing for various conditions. I have an enormous coat, a hooded fleece jacket, hats, gloves and comically big socks for cold conditions. I also have zip-off trousers and light cotton clothing for warm conditions, including a lightweight, mosquito-proofed, long-sleeved shirt for jungle terrain.
Comfortable with surroundings
It sounds silly, but it really does help. If you’re feeling comfortable with your surroundings, you are likely to do far more and be in the right mindset for gathering stories.
January 2009
All I need to do is compare and contrast this year’s early January trip. I spent four nights in Munich and Salzburg, and got plenty done during the day even though it got down to minus 14. So far it’s six stories sold, and I think there will be more to come. This can’t all be put down to a scarf, hat and gloves, but there’s certainly something in it.
Worst trip
One of the worst trips I ever did was when I went to Bratislava, Vienna and Brno in early January. The temperature was hovering around the minus six degrees Celsius mark, and I was really not prepared for it.
I had a coat, but was lacking gloves and a hat. I only had thin socks as well.
Wrong mindset
Needless to say, I was freezing. And I didn’t do nearly as much as I hoped to do, purely because I was freezing and couldn’t wait to get inside to the relative warm. And what’s worse, when I was in that relative warm, I was so happy to be warm that I wasn’t in the mindset to take notes on bars, restaurants or hotels.
Lesson learned
I didn’t sell many articles on the back of that trip (if I recall it was just one, plus a couple of snippets here and there in round-up articles). That’s not to say I won’t sell any more at some point down the line, but I did learn my lesson.
Suitable clothing for various conditions
I have since invested in suitable clothing for various conditions. I have an enormous coat, a hooded fleece jacket, hats, gloves and comically big socks for cold conditions. I also have zip-off trousers and light cotton clothing for warm conditions, including a lightweight, mosquito-proofed, long-sleeved shirt for jungle terrain.
Comfortable with surroundings
It sounds silly, but it really does help. If you’re feeling comfortable with your surroundings, you are likely to do far more and be in the right mindset for gathering stories.
January 2009
All I need to do is compare and contrast this year’s early January trip. I spent four nights in Munich and Salzburg, and got plenty done during the day even though it got down to minus 14. So far it’s six stories sold, and I think there will be more to come. This can’t all be put down to a scarf, hat and gloves, but there’s certainly something in it.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
#80 – Read the press kit
Or take something in before it goes in the bin.
Half a rainforest
I often say that I hate press kits. This isn’t quite true – what I hate is the amount of them that I am given and expected to carry around with me. On some trips, it will feel like every place I visit is intent on giving me half a rainforest (plus cap, pen, T-shirt and DVD) to fit in my already burgeoning bag.
What is a press kit?
For the uninitiated, an explanation is perhaps in order. A press kit is material given to a journalist by a tourist board/ attraction/ hotel. It is supposedly filled with lots of useful information about said destination/ attraction/ hotel, but they vary dramatically in quality.
Good press kits
The most useful ones are tailored to journalists and cover new angles, openings, potential storylines and lists of interesting information. They’ll also have a map. Some editing will have gone on, and it will be merely a reasonably large pile of paper.
Bad press kits
The least useful ones pack in every glossy brochure that has ever been printed about the destination – all clearly aimed at the tourist rather than the journalist. They feature lots of nice pictures and next to no useful information. Oh, and they also come with gifts such as items of clothing you’ll never wear, bulky local delicacies that will never be allowed through customs and something ridiculously inappropriate like a paperweight.
The hotel bin
At least 90% of these kits, both the good and bad ones, will end up in a hotel bin. Sorry chaps, but there’s no way I’m lugging that lot around with me. If I really want it, I shall ask you to e-mail the document over when I get back home. This isn’t to say I don’t read what’s in them, however.
A job for the evening
I always try and make a point of looking through the press kit, usually in the evening before dinner or when I get back in at night. This is partly because I’m a bit weird and find it quite relaxing, and partly it’s because it’s worth it. There are almost always two or three good story angles to be found within them.
Applied skim-reading
I won’t read through every word – it’s very much an exercise in applied skim-reading – but I’ll usually manage to glean enough inspiration for things to go and check out the next day. It’s time well spent – just ditch the t-shirts and paperweights.
Half a rainforest
I often say that I hate press kits. This isn’t quite true – what I hate is the amount of them that I am given and expected to carry around with me. On some trips, it will feel like every place I visit is intent on giving me half a rainforest (plus cap, pen, T-shirt and DVD) to fit in my already burgeoning bag.
What is a press kit?
For the uninitiated, an explanation is perhaps in order. A press kit is material given to a journalist by a tourist board/ attraction/ hotel. It is supposedly filled with lots of useful information about said destination/ attraction/ hotel, but they vary dramatically in quality.
Good press kits
The most useful ones are tailored to journalists and cover new angles, openings, potential storylines and lists of interesting information. They’ll also have a map. Some editing will have gone on, and it will be merely a reasonably large pile of paper.
Bad press kits
The least useful ones pack in every glossy brochure that has ever been printed about the destination – all clearly aimed at the tourist rather than the journalist. They feature lots of nice pictures and next to no useful information. Oh, and they also come with gifts such as items of clothing you’ll never wear, bulky local delicacies that will never be allowed through customs and something ridiculously inappropriate like a paperweight.
The hotel bin
At least 90% of these kits, both the good and bad ones, will end up in a hotel bin. Sorry chaps, but there’s no way I’m lugging that lot around with me. If I really want it, I shall ask you to e-mail the document over when I get back home. This isn’t to say I don’t read what’s in them, however.
A job for the evening
I always try and make a point of looking through the press kit, usually in the evening before dinner or when I get back in at night. This is partly because I’m a bit weird and find it quite relaxing, and partly it’s because it’s worth it. There are almost always two or three good story angles to be found within them.
Applied skim-reading
I won’t read through every word – it’s very much an exercise in applied skim-reading – but I’ll usually manage to glean enough inspiration for things to go and check out the next day. It’s time well spent – just ditch the t-shirts and paperweights.
Friday, 30 January 2009
#79 – How to make money from a travel blog
Or thinking “shop window” rather than “advertising platform”.
Reasons for starting a travel blog
People start up blogs about travel for many different reasons. Some want to share their travel experiences with the world, some blatantly can’t find anyone to pay for their witterings and thus put it online so that it can be read by two men and a particularly bored dog.
Blogs of professional travel writers
Of the professional travel writers that keep a blog, they generally fall into two categories. Some are excellent travel writers that like a space to share their thoughts on things, and aren’t trying to make money from it. An excellent example is that of Lara Dunston’s Cool Travel Guide – she’s a writer I have a huge amount of respect for, and she uses her blog as both a vent and an opportunity to draw attention to things that editors don’t necessarily go for.
Commercial enterprises
Others (such as Traveling Mamas) are clearly commercial enterprises – the purpose is to make money through advertising, affiliates etc.
Monetising a travel blog
I am the wrong person to ask about monetising a blog. This blog makes me a laughably feeble amount of money, and this is the nature of the beast. Regular subscribers to a blog are the ones that are least likely to click on advertising – they come for the read.
Travel planning equals clicking and booking
To make money from a website, it is best to put together a comprehensive travel planning site – the visitors to such a site will be looking for specific information and to book things. They’re far more likely to go to a couple of pages then click through on an advert.
Who is the reader?
A travel blog is highly unlikely to give a significant return in this way. But the key thing is not where the reader goes afterwards, but who the reader is.
Contact from editors
In the last week, I have been contacted by two editors who read this blog. Both have offered me some work (and some rather interesting work at that). I also happen to know that a couple of other editors I have not worked for read it – they have contacted me and told me. Alas, one doesn’t have a freelance budget and the other works in a field that I know nothing about. Even so, it can only be good news.
Shop window rather than advertising revenue
And this is why I have come to realise the real value of having a travel blog. It’s not about getting the traffic or advertising revenue - although that’s certainly a nice bonus if your readers are so inclined – it’s about giving yourself a shop window. And if people like what they see in that shop window, they may just come and ask you what’s for sale.
Reasons for starting a travel blog
People start up blogs about travel for many different reasons. Some want to share their travel experiences with the world, some blatantly can’t find anyone to pay for their witterings and thus put it online so that it can be read by two men and a particularly bored dog.
Blogs of professional travel writers
Of the professional travel writers that keep a blog, they generally fall into two categories. Some are excellent travel writers that like a space to share their thoughts on things, and aren’t trying to make money from it. An excellent example is that of Lara Dunston’s Cool Travel Guide – she’s a writer I have a huge amount of respect for, and she uses her blog as both a vent and an opportunity to draw attention to things that editors don’t necessarily go for.
Commercial enterprises
Others (such as Traveling Mamas) are clearly commercial enterprises – the purpose is to make money through advertising, affiliates etc.
Monetising a travel blog
I am the wrong person to ask about monetising a blog. This blog makes me a laughably feeble amount of money, and this is the nature of the beast. Regular subscribers to a blog are the ones that are least likely to click on advertising – they come for the read.
Travel planning equals clicking and booking
To make money from a website, it is best to put together a comprehensive travel planning site – the visitors to such a site will be looking for specific information and to book things. They’re far more likely to go to a couple of pages then click through on an advert.
Who is the reader?
A travel blog is highly unlikely to give a significant return in this way. But the key thing is not where the reader goes afterwards, but who the reader is.
Contact from editors
In the last week, I have been contacted by two editors who read this blog. Both have offered me some work (and some rather interesting work at that). I also happen to know that a couple of other editors I have not worked for read it – they have contacted me and told me. Alas, one doesn’t have a freelance budget and the other works in a field that I know nothing about. Even so, it can only be good news.
Shop window rather than advertising revenue
And this is why I have come to realise the real value of having a travel blog. It’s not about getting the traffic or advertising revenue - although that’s certainly a nice bonus if your readers are so inclined – it’s about giving yourself a shop window. And if people like what they see in that shop window, they may just come and ask you what’s for sale.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
#76 – How to find anniversaries
Or how to avoid being a history sponge.
Historical information
In my previous tip, I suggested using forthcoming anniversaries as a hook to hang destination stories on. But of course, you’ve got to find those anniversaries. And not everyone has a brain that soaks up historical information like a sponge. I’m not bad for it, but I’ll concede that I don’t know which year the Panama Canal was built in (for example) without looking it up.
Sheep-like travel publications
The first method I would use is to read other travel stories. If Paper X is running a piece on the 100th anniversary of the building of the Incredible Bongo Towers, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve missed the boat. Travel publications can be a bit sheep-like, and once one decides a place is a ‘hot’ destination, others will follow. In this situation, you can always pitch a similar story to Magazine Y or Website Z.
Year searches on Wikipedia
Another useful source is Wikipedia. Simply bung in a year (say 1909 or 1959 for anniversaries this year) and a list of events that happened then comes up.
Date-a-Base
The best resource I have found, however, is the Date-a-Base from Ideas4writers.co.uk. It’s pretty darned comprehensive and while it doesn’t point the story ideas out to you, it’s fairly easy to come up with some after reading through it. It costs GBP4.99, but I’ve found it an extremely worthwhile investment.
Historical information
In my previous tip, I suggested using forthcoming anniversaries as a hook to hang destination stories on. But of course, you’ve got to find those anniversaries. And not everyone has a brain that soaks up historical information like a sponge. I’m not bad for it, but I’ll concede that I don’t know which year the Panama Canal was built in (for example) without looking it up.
Sheep-like travel publications
The first method I would use is to read other travel stories. If Paper X is running a piece on the 100th anniversary of the building of the Incredible Bongo Towers, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve missed the boat. Travel publications can be a bit sheep-like, and once one decides a place is a ‘hot’ destination, others will follow. In this situation, you can always pitch a similar story to Magazine Y or Website Z.
Year searches on Wikipedia
Another useful source is Wikipedia. Simply bung in a year (say 1909 or 1959 for anniversaries this year) and a list of events that happened then comes up.
Date-a-Base
The best resource I have found, however, is the Date-a-Base from Ideas4writers.co.uk. It’s pretty darned comprehensive and while it doesn’t point the story ideas out to you, it’s fairly easy to come up with some after reading through it. It costs GBP4.99, but I’ve found it an extremely worthwhile investment.
Monday, 19 January 2009
#74 – Notebooks vs recorders
Or making record time...
Recording devices
One of this blog’s regular readers, Ms Lucy, makes an interesting point:
“Just wondering, do you ever use a recording device, besides the notepad? Someone suggested this to me recently, and I'm not sure whether I'd feel self-conscious using this...Then again, so many people walk around talking to themselves on their 'blue Tooth'...”
Conducting interviews
My answer is that I do own a recording device, but I rarely use it. When I do, it’s for conducting interviews – it means I’ve got an accurate record of what has been said, and it allows me to listen properly to the interviewee without having to concentrate on scribbling everything they say down.
Listening to recordings
Even then, I’ll rarely listen to the recording afterwards. I’ll generally only require one or two quotes, and I generally recognise what these will be at the time and write them down.
Braying into a mobile phone
But for other circumstances, I think it’s best to just stick to the notepad. Firstly there’s the self-consciousness aspect. Secondly, I’d put someone walking around a museum talking into a Dictaphone in the same category as those arseholes that bray constantly into their mobile phone throughout a train journey.
The process of writing notes
I also find that the process of writing the notes is important. For some reason, writing something down makes it sink into the memory. In a way, I’m writing notes so that I don’t have to read them.
No fast forwards and pauses
Most importantly, using a notepad instead of an electronic recording device can make for massive time savings when it comes to writing the piece up. Why? When it’s recorded, you’re constantly having to fast forward, rewind and pause because we talk faster than we write. You also have to listen through to get all the information and check that it’s the bit you want.
Quicker with the notepad
Compare that to a notepad: it’s all there in front of you, you can flick to the bit you want without having to skip around to guess the right time and everything is spelt out. Do you really want to have to spell foreign word while you’re talking into your mechanical aid? It’s far quicker with the notepad, and far more functional.
Recording devices
One of this blog’s regular readers, Ms Lucy, makes an interesting point:
“Just wondering, do you ever use a recording device, besides the notepad? Someone suggested this to me recently, and I'm not sure whether I'd feel self-conscious using this...Then again, so many people walk around talking to themselves on their 'blue Tooth'...”
Conducting interviews
My answer is that I do own a recording device, but I rarely use it. When I do, it’s for conducting interviews – it means I’ve got an accurate record of what has been said, and it allows me to listen properly to the interviewee without having to concentrate on scribbling everything they say down.
Listening to recordings
Even then, I’ll rarely listen to the recording afterwards. I’ll generally only require one or two quotes, and I generally recognise what these will be at the time and write them down.
Braying into a mobile phone
But for other circumstances, I think it’s best to just stick to the notepad. Firstly there’s the self-consciousness aspect. Secondly, I’d put someone walking around a museum talking into a Dictaphone in the same category as those arseholes that bray constantly into their mobile phone throughout a train journey.
The process of writing notes
I also find that the process of writing the notes is important. For some reason, writing something down makes it sink into the memory. In a way, I’m writing notes so that I don’t have to read them.
No fast forwards and pauses
Most importantly, using a notepad instead of an electronic recording device can make for massive time savings when it comes to writing the piece up. Why? When it’s recorded, you’re constantly having to fast forward, rewind and pause because we talk faster than we write. You also have to listen through to get all the information and check that it’s the bit you want.
Quicker with the notepad
Compare that to a notepad: it’s all there in front of you, you can flick to the bit you want without having to skip around to guess the right time and everything is spelt out. Do you really want to have to spell foreign word while you’re talking into your mechanical aid? It’s far quicker with the notepad, and far more functional.
Friday, 16 January 2009
73 – Read the rest of the guidebook
Or angles from elsewhere.
The bits we read
Most of us will only use the part of a guidebook that covers the place we’re going to. OK, we might read the front section about the history and culture as well, but we’ll generally not bother looking at the areas we’re not going to.
Cover to cover?
Guidebooks are not designed to be read from cover to cover, but for the travel journalist it pays to read the sections that aren’t immediately relevant to you. This for a few reasons:
Comparison point
Firstly, it gives a more rounded view of the country as a whole, perhaps offering a comparison point to the place you are going to. Secondly, you’ll probably find a place that you may wish to go to in future (and could maybe fit into the planned trip).
Round-up stories
Thirdly, and most importantly, you may discover some good angles that can be used for round-up stories down the line. Even better, they may spark ideas for those stories.
Do it in down time
I’m not going to pretend that this is an exciting task, and this is why I do it when I have nothing else to do – sat on a train, waiting for a meal to arrive when I’ve got the traditional table for one, on the plane...
Brilliant story angles
I’ve done a bit of all three today, and have been idly flicking through the Germany Lonely Planet. Amongst the brilliant story angles I’ve uncovered are a theme park at an old nuclear power station, the world’s oldest youth hostel and the German Occupational Health and Safety Museum. There’s a good story each one, and I may try and work them into a trip for another time.
The bits we read
Most of us will only use the part of a guidebook that covers the place we’re going to. OK, we might read the front section about the history and culture as well, but we’ll generally not bother looking at the areas we’re not going to.
Cover to cover?
Guidebooks are not designed to be read from cover to cover, but for the travel journalist it pays to read the sections that aren’t immediately relevant to you. This for a few reasons:
Comparison point
Firstly, it gives a more rounded view of the country as a whole, perhaps offering a comparison point to the place you are going to. Secondly, you’ll probably find a place that you may wish to go to in future (and could maybe fit into the planned trip).
Round-up stories
Thirdly, and most importantly, you may discover some good angles that can be used for round-up stories down the line. Even better, they may spark ideas for those stories.
Do it in down time
I’m not going to pretend that this is an exciting task, and this is why I do it when I have nothing else to do – sat on a train, waiting for a meal to arrive when I’ve got the traditional table for one, on the plane...
Brilliant story angles
I’ve done a bit of all three today, and have been idly flicking through the Germany Lonely Planet. Amongst the brilliant story angles I’ve uncovered are a theme park at an old nuclear power station, the world’s oldest youth hostel and the German Occupational Health and Safety Museum. There’s a good story each one, and I may try and work them into a trip for another time.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
#71 – Keep your notepads
Or trading off an eyesore for information.
Spring clean
This is another one that may seem ridiculously obvious, but I am amazed at the amount of writers that will have a spring clean and throw out their notepads. As far as I’m concerned, a writer should never do this.
Information and memories
The notepads may be an eyesore, they may take up lots of space, but they also store vital information and memories.
Shelf of notepads
At home, I have a shelf that is packed full of little notepads. It looks incredibly untidy and chances are that I will never refer to most of them ever again. But I do know that if I dispose of them, then sod’s law dictates that the information in them will come in handy.
Refreshing memories and names of restaurants
Just the other week I had to dig out a four year old notepad to refresh my memory of a place. On other occasions I’ve had to use an ancient, tatty-looking one to dig out the name of a restaurant or the odd bit of information.
Information to hand
Neither was a dealbreaking situation where I would have lost the job, but I was sure glad to have those notepads to hand. If I lost them, I’d be devastated, and there’s no way they will go in any spring clean.
Spring clean
This is another one that may seem ridiculously obvious, but I am amazed at the amount of writers that will have a spring clean and throw out their notepads. As far as I’m concerned, a writer should never do this.
Information and memories
The notepads may be an eyesore, they may take up lots of space, but they also store vital information and memories.
Shelf of notepads
At home, I have a shelf that is packed full of little notepads. It looks incredibly untidy and chances are that I will never refer to most of them ever again. But I do know that if I dispose of them, then sod’s law dictates that the information in them will come in handy.
Refreshing memories and names of restaurants
Just the other week I had to dig out a four year old notepad to refresh my memory of a place. On other occasions I’ve had to use an ancient, tatty-looking one to dig out the name of a restaurant or the odd bit of information.
Information to hand
Neither was a dealbreaking situation where I would have lost the job, but I was sure glad to have those notepads to hand. If I lost them, I’d be devastated, and there’s no way they will go in any spring clean.
Thursday, 1 January 2009
#68 – Travel Writer Resources: Travmedia
Or getting PR people to do the research for you.
Getting story ideas
One excellent source of story ideas is Travmedia. The premise is quite simple: it collects press releases from tourist boards, hotels, tour companies etc from all over the world and stores them in one place. This means travel writers can have a look through and see if there’s anything that interests them.
Of course, there’s an awful lot of crap in there, but the useless bits of self-promotion are usually easy to spot a mile off and can happily be ignored.
Getting PR people to do the research for you
But the best aspect of Travmedia is the ‘Journalist Alert’ function. This comes in extremely useful when doing research for a feature you might not know too much about. Just type in what you’re after, and it gets sent out to all the tourist boards, PR agencies, tour companies etc that subscribe. And most of them do subscribe.
The PR people will then usually come back a few days later with some ideas that may fit your query.
Sparing use of Journalist Alert
The Journalist Alert should only be used sparingly, however. There are many PRs out there that will leap upon every opportunity to flog and plug their products. And they’ve no compunction about doing so when the subject is completely irrelevant.
Hotel pests
Almost every time I’ve used the Travmedia Journalist Alert, I have been besieged with e-mails. Some are very helpful, but other just make me angry. I’ll have been very specific in the request, to the point of saying: “No shoehorning in irrelevant hotels and tours – they will not be used”. And, unsurprisingly, the hotel pests still send a long missive through.
Getting story ideas
One excellent source of story ideas is Travmedia. The premise is quite simple: it collects press releases from tourist boards, hotels, tour companies etc from all over the world and stores them in one place. This means travel writers can have a look through and see if there’s anything that interests them.
Of course, there’s an awful lot of crap in there, but the useless bits of self-promotion are usually easy to spot a mile off and can happily be ignored.
Getting PR people to do the research for you
But the best aspect of Travmedia is the ‘Journalist Alert’ function. This comes in extremely useful when doing research for a feature you might not know too much about. Just type in what you’re after, and it gets sent out to all the tourist boards, PR agencies, tour companies etc that subscribe. And most of them do subscribe.
The PR people will then usually come back a few days later with some ideas that may fit your query.
Sparing use of Journalist Alert
The Journalist Alert should only be used sparingly, however. There are many PRs out there that will leap upon every opportunity to flog and plug their products. And they’ve no compunction about doing so when the subject is completely irrelevant.
Hotel pests
Almost every time I’ve used the Travmedia Journalist Alert, I have been besieged with e-mails. Some are very helpful, but other just make me angry. I’ll have been very specific in the request, to the point of saying: “No shoehorning in irrelevant hotels and tours – they will not be used”. And, unsurprisingly, the hotel pests still send a long missive through.
Thursday, 6 November 2008
#57 – Resources: Wikipedia
Or the web’s greatest first stop research tool.
Inaccuracy
As proper, serious journalists, we’re not supposed to use Wikipedia. Because it can be edited by anybody, the content can be inaccurate. Sometimes this is a mistake, sometimes this is due to a wag thinking it would be funny to say that Vin Diesel is slated to play Falklands burns victim Simon Weston in a new big budget Hollywood biopic.
Other encyclopedias
Well guess what? Other encyclopedias can be inaccurate too – particularly ones that have been left gathering dust on the shelf for years. And as a resource for writers, Wikipedia is a brilliant starting point.
Brief overview
It may not cover the subject in enough detail, and you do have to be wary of the accuracy, but to get a brief overview of a particular topic, person, place or event, Wikipedia is fantastic. I’ll get frowned upon for saying this, but as long as you double-check any information you glean from it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using it as an information source.
References
In fact, it can be both enlightening and a time-saver, while the references used to support the information are usually useful further steps along the research path.
A cautionary note
One quick story for anyone thinking of taking Wikipedia entries as gospel, however. A while back, I cheated and took a (very minor) factoid straight from Wikipedia, figuring that it was a corner that would be OK to cut.
A few months later, I came back to the same Wikipedia entry and found the very article I wrote quoted as a reference...
Inaccuracy
As proper, serious journalists, we’re not supposed to use Wikipedia. Because it can be edited by anybody, the content can be inaccurate. Sometimes this is a mistake, sometimes this is due to a wag thinking it would be funny to say that Vin Diesel is slated to play Falklands burns victim Simon Weston in a new big budget Hollywood biopic.
Other encyclopedias
Well guess what? Other encyclopedias can be inaccurate too – particularly ones that have been left gathering dust on the shelf for years. And as a resource for writers, Wikipedia is a brilliant starting point.
Brief overview
It may not cover the subject in enough detail, and you do have to be wary of the accuracy, but to get a brief overview of a particular topic, person, place or event, Wikipedia is fantastic. I’ll get frowned upon for saying this, but as long as you double-check any information you glean from it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using it as an information source.
References
In fact, it can be both enlightening and a time-saver, while the references used to support the information are usually useful further steps along the research path.
A cautionary note
One quick story for anyone thinking of taking Wikipedia entries as gospel, however. A while back, I cheated and took a (very minor) factoid straight from Wikipedia, figuring that it was a corner that would be OK to cut.
A few months later, I came back to the same Wikipedia entry and found the very article I wrote quoted as a reference...
Sunday, 2 November 2008
#54 – Finding free wireless internet in airports
Or sneakily hunting for unsecured networks.
Attitudes to internet access
Airports all over the world have remarkably different attitudes towards internet access. Some are great, and provide free wireless access for all. At the other end of the scale, there are Scrooge-like luddites with a couple of violently expensive computer terminals that have to be operated by coin and are disgracefully slow.
Let’s put it this way, if your only option is to pour money into a box operated by Spectrum Interactive, don’t bother.
Expensive wi-fi connection
The mildly unhappy medium at most airports seems to be a couple of paid-for terminals, plus an expensive wi-fi connection that anyone can access, providing that they’re prepared to dig out their credit card. Prices vary wildly, but sometimes this can be outrageously costly.
Security settings
When this is the case, it’s sometimes an idea to get a bit sneaky. Many shops, bars and restaurants within the airport have their own wireless networks. And sometimes they’re stupid enough to not put any security settings on them.
It’s always worth having a look at the list of available networks and checking out if any are unsecured. If one is, trying clicking on it – you may well get free wireless access.
Greetings from Panama
This post, by the way, was written and uploaded courtesy of the lovely chaps at the Lacoste shop in Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport. Very good of them to leave their private network unsecured.
Attitudes to internet access
Airports all over the world have remarkably different attitudes towards internet access. Some are great, and provide free wireless access for all. At the other end of the scale, there are Scrooge-like luddites with a couple of violently expensive computer terminals that have to be operated by coin and are disgracefully slow.
Let’s put it this way, if your only option is to pour money into a box operated by Spectrum Interactive, don’t bother.
Expensive wi-fi connection
The mildly unhappy medium at most airports seems to be a couple of paid-for terminals, plus an expensive wi-fi connection that anyone can access, providing that they’re prepared to dig out their credit card. Prices vary wildly, but sometimes this can be outrageously costly.
Security settings
When this is the case, it’s sometimes an idea to get a bit sneaky. Many shops, bars and restaurants within the airport have their own wireless networks. And sometimes they’re stupid enough to not put any security settings on them.
It’s always worth having a look at the list of available networks and checking out if any are unsecured. If one is, trying clicking on it – you may well get free wireless access.
Greetings from Panama
This post, by the way, was written and uploaded courtesy of the lovely chaps at the Lacoste shop in Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport. Very good of them to leave their private network unsecured.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
#51 – Finding plug sockets in airports
Or the joy of vending machines.
Working on the flight
In Tip 48, I suggested using the time we all spend waiting around in airports to do some writing. Naturally, this sort of waiting around doing nothing time also applies to planes. During the flight – especially a long one – can be a good time to get some work done.
Limited battery power
The only problem with this, of course, is that even the best laptop computers have a limited battery life. And quite frankly, no-one wants to be carrying a laptop AND a spare battery in the their hand luggage.
Airport terminal plug sockets
So how best to preserve the battery life? Well, it’s possible to adjust the settings of your computer so that they’re as low performance as they can go. But it’s far better to find a plug socket in the airport terminal.
The golden seat
A lot of the time, you’re simply not going to find one. But sometimes there is a golden seat near a plug socket. If you think about it, the airport’s cleaners need somewhere to plug in their giant cleaning machines and vacuum cleaners. As long as that socket isn’t hidden away somewhere private, you can utilise it as well.
Look behind vending machines
And the best place to look for that socket is behind vending machines. They have to be plugged in somewhere too, and often sockets come in pairs. If there’s only one vending machine, then chances are that there’s a free socket near or behind it. So why not use it to plug in your computer, and reserve the battery power for the plane journey?
Working on the flight
In Tip 48, I suggested using the time we all spend waiting around in airports to do some writing. Naturally, this sort of waiting around doing nothing time also applies to planes. During the flight – especially a long one – can be a good time to get some work done.
Limited battery power
The only problem with this, of course, is that even the best laptop computers have a limited battery life. And quite frankly, no-one wants to be carrying a laptop AND a spare battery in the their hand luggage.
Airport terminal plug sockets
So how best to preserve the battery life? Well, it’s possible to adjust the settings of your computer so that they’re as low performance as they can go. But it’s far better to find a plug socket in the airport terminal.
The golden seat
A lot of the time, you’re simply not going to find one. But sometimes there is a golden seat near a plug socket. If you think about it, the airport’s cleaners need somewhere to plug in their giant cleaning machines and vacuum cleaners. As long as that socket isn’t hidden away somewhere private, you can utilise it as well.
Look behind vending machines
And the best place to look for that socket is behind vending machines. They have to be plugged in somewhere too, and often sockets come in pairs. If there’s only one vending machine, then chances are that there’s a free socket near or behind it. So why not use it to plug in your computer, and reserve the battery power for the plane journey?
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
#45 – Invest in a small, lightweight laptop
Or getting the elephant off your shoulders.
Computer needs
For the needs of a travel writer, a computer doesn’t have to be all that special. It needs to be able to connect to the internet, and you’ll need a word processing program for accounts purposes. And maybe, at a push, some photo manipulation software.
Any old computer?
For much of this, any old computer will do the job. But I’d advise spending a bit more than you’d perhaps deem necessary in order to get a small, lightweight laptop.
Writing whilst on the road
It’s perfectly possible to function adequately with a big clunky beast of a desktop, but if you’re wanting to write whilst on the road, there are two options: Get a laptop or continuously throw money away in internet cafes inhabited by spotty teenage boys playing war games.
Dead evenings
Not all travel writers write whilst on the road – some just note down everything relevant and write up when they get back. Personally, I find that on a dead evening where I’ve got nothing else to do apart from drink, then I may as well start work on a story or two.
Smaller laptop for sale
For about a year, I was lugging around a fairly hefty laptop. It took up a lot of space in my bag and felt like an elephant was sitting on my shoulders when I had to carry it around. Eventually, I snapped. I saw a much smaller laptop on sale for a good price and bought it.
Extra bag space
I can’t stress enough what an improvement this has been. It’s far easier to carry around, and frees up that little bit extra bag space. On two occasions in the last few months, it has made the difference between having to check luggage in and going carry-on only.
Tax deductable
I could have probably stuck with my original computer, or bought another bigger one for less, but I’m glad I didn’t. And I’d advise anyone in the same situation to do the same. Keep an eye on sales, then jump when a small one (mine has a 12.1 inch screen) goes up for a suitable price. And remember – it’s tax deductable.
Computer needs
For the needs of a travel writer, a computer doesn’t have to be all that special. It needs to be able to connect to the internet, and you’ll need a word processing program for accounts purposes. And maybe, at a push, some photo manipulation software.
Any old computer?
For much of this, any old computer will do the job. But I’d advise spending a bit more than you’d perhaps deem necessary in order to get a small, lightweight laptop.
Writing whilst on the road
It’s perfectly possible to function adequately with a big clunky beast of a desktop, but if you’re wanting to write whilst on the road, there are two options: Get a laptop or continuously throw money away in internet cafes inhabited by spotty teenage boys playing war games.
Dead evenings
Not all travel writers write whilst on the road – some just note down everything relevant and write up when they get back. Personally, I find that on a dead evening where I’ve got nothing else to do apart from drink, then I may as well start work on a story or two.
Smaller laptop for sale
For about a year, I was lugging around a fairly hefty laptop. It took up a lot of space in my bag and felt like an elephant was sitting on my shoulders when I had to carry it around. Eventually, I snapped. I saw a much smaller laptop on sale for a good price and bought it.
Extra bag space
I can’t stress enough what an improvement this has been. It’s far easier to carry around, and frees up that little bit extra bag space. On two occasions in the last few months, it has made the difference between having to check luggage in and going carry-on only.
Tax deductable
I could have probably stuck with my original computer, or bought another bigger one for less, but I’m glad I didn’t. And I’d advise anyone in the same situation to do the same. Keep an eye on sales, then jump when a small one (mine has a 12.1 inch screen) goes up for a suitable price. And remember – it’s tax deductable.
Thursday, 9 October 2008
#36 – Buy the papers
Or while the print version is more helpful than the online version.
This may seem remarkably obvious, but I am consistently stunned by the amount of freelancers that will search for markets in which to place their work, but won’t buy newspapers that may be ideal.
Buy every available newspaper
If starting out, one of the best things you can do is to buy every available newspaper on the day that it includes a travel section (usually Friday, Saturday or Sunday). Get the ones from your area, any national titles that the newsagent may have, and any international papers that may be on sale.
It’ll cost a bit of money of course, but it’s a worthwhile investment.
Instant reference library
Do that for a couple of weeks, and you have an instant reference library. You can get a reasonably good idea about what sort of stories the newspapers like to cover, the editor’s name and contact details are often included, and you can gauge the standard of your competition.
More importantly, you can get an idea of what format the editors like the articles to be in – rough word counts, structure of fact boxes etc.
Travel sections online?
Of course, in this day and age, there will be a natural tendency to skip the papers and just read the travel sections online. Well, it saves money, doesn’t it? I can think of a few reasons why this may be a bad idea.
Distinct online content
First of all, many major newspaper websites now have distinct online content. It’s written specifically for the web, and is the sort of content that may not work all that brilliantly in the print version. Basing your view of the paper’s content by what you see online could be misleading.
The whole package
Another reason is that you don’t see the package. People read differently on the internet – they pick out stories that grab their interest, and search for specifics, rather than reading from back to front and skimming everything on the way. Buy the paper and you can see the whole package – including regular sections or departments that don’t make it to the online version.
Structure and adverts
With the paper’s travel section in front of you, it is possible to analyse the structure: the ratio of short stories to long ones and whether the emphasis is on news and service articles or narratives. It’s also possible to see what sort of adverts run alongside the stories. Don’t underestimate this – it’s a good way of gauging what the section’s target market is. And if you want to sell your work, that’s who you’re going to be writing for.
This may seem remarkably obvious, but I am consistently stunned by the amount of freelancers that will search for markets in which to place their work, but won’t buy newspapers that may be ideal.
Buy every available newspaper
If starting out, one of the best things you can do is to buy every available newspaper on the day that it includes a travel section (usually Friday, Saturday or Sunday). Get the ones from your area, any national titles that the newsagent may have, and any international papers that may be on sale.
It’ll cost a bit of money of course, but it’s a worthwhile investment.
Instant reference library
Do that for a couple of weeks, and you have an instant reference library. You can get a reasonably good idea about what sort of stories the newspapers like to cover, the editor’s name and contact details are often included, and you can gauge the standard of your competition.
More importantly, you can get an idea of what format the editors like the articles to be in – rough word counts, structure of fact boxes etc.
Travel sections online?
Of course, in this day and age, there will be a natural tendency to skip the papers and just read the travel sections online. Well, it saves money, doesn’t it? I can think of a few reasons why this may be a bad idea.
Distinct online content
First of all, many major newspaper websites now have distinct online content. It’s written specifically for the web, and is the sort of content that may not work all that brilliantly in the print version. Basing your view of the paper’s content by what you see online could be misleading.
The whole package
Another reason is that you don’t see the package. People read differently on the internet – they pick out stories that grab their interest, and search for specifics, rather than reading from back to front and skimming everything on the way. Buy the paper and you can see the whole package – including regular sections or departments that don’t make it to the online version.
Structure and adverts
With the paper’s travel section in front of you, it is possible to analyse the structure: the ratio of short stories to long ones and whether the emphasis is on news and service articles or narratives. It’s also possible to see what sort of adverts run alongside the stories. Don’t underestimate this – it’s a good way of gauging what the section’s target market is. And if you want to sell your work, that’s who you’re going to be writing for.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
#29 – Top travel writer resources: Skyscanner
Or where to look first for cheap flights.
Travel writer freebies
As a travel writer, it is often possible to get a lot of freebies – hotel rooms, restaurant meals, excursions, even the odd airport transfer. But one thing that I’ve always found it hard to blag is the air fare.
Flight costs
Take a lot of flights (which, almost inevitably, any full time travel writer will do), and the costs can ramp up massively.And if you’re going to end up paying for all those flights, then you may as well find the cheapest, cutting your costs as much as possible.
Skyscanner
There are various ways to do this, but one that I find consistently good is Skyscanner. In fact, at times in the past, I have been worried that I may be getting slightly addicted to it.The site certainly has its faults – especially since a recent redesign which has seen an irritating amount of complete inaccuracies creep in – but for cheap flights on budget airlines, it’s hard to beat.
Budget airlines missed by most search engines
Skyscanner tends to cover the airlines that most search engines miss – the likes of Ryanair, Easyjet, Tiger and Jazeera Airways – as well as some downright obscure low cost carriers that only fly a few routes.The real beauty is that you don’t have to give it much information. One of the irritating things about other engines is that you usually have to put dates in and say which airport you want to fly from.
Getting the best deal
Personally, I just want the best deal. For me, there are four or five airports which are roughly as easy as each other to get to – I’ll generally fly from whichever is cheapest and has the most sensible flight times.I’m also very flexible on dates – I’m freelance and I don’t have a nine-to-five job to go to. I don’t need to book leave, so I’ll book for whenever the flights are cheapest.
Date and departure options
With Skyscanner, you don’t need to faff around, constantly tweaking the date and departure options in order to get results. If you want to, you can just put the departure airport as ‘United Kingdom’ and leave the rest open. It’ll come up with every country that can be directly flown to from the United Kingdom, listed by the lowest possible price throughout the year.
Booking on a whim
Obviously, you can narrow these options down if you’re wanting to go somewhere specific in a certain month, but part of the beauty is seeing what options are available. In the past, I’ve just booked to go somewhere on a whim through Skyscanner, purely because I’ve never been there before, it’s cheap and I may as well.
Starting point
It’s not a failsafe tool – as I say, they have really messed the redesign and expansion of the site up – but it’s a great starting point if you’re looking for flight options.
Travel writer freebies
As a travel writer, it is often possible to get a lot of freebies – hotel rooms, restaurant meals, excursions, even the odd airport transfer. But one thing that I’ve always found it hard to blag is the air fare.
Flight costs
Take a lot of flights (which, almost inevitably, any full time travel writer will do), and the costs can ramp up massively.And if you’re going to end up paying for all those flights, then you may as well find the cheapest, cutting your costs as much as possible.
Skyscanner
There are various ways to do this, but one that I find consistently good is Skyscanner. In fact, at times in the past, I have been worried that I may be getting slightly addicted to it.The site certainly has its faults – especially since a recent redesign which has seen an irritating amount of complete inaccuracies creep in – but for cheap flights on budget airlines, it’s hard to beat.
Budget airlines missed by most search engines
Skyscanner tends to cover the airlines that most search engines miss – the likes of Ryanair, Easyjet, Tiger and Jazeera Airways – as well as some downright obscure low cost carriers that only fly a few routes.The real beauty is that you don’t have to give it much information. One of the irritating things about other engines is that you usually have to put dates in and say which airport you want to fly from.
Getting the best deal
Personally, I just want the best deal. For me, there are four or five airports which are roughly as easy as each other to get to – I’ll generally fly from whichever is cheapest and has the most sensible flight times.I’m also very flexible on dates – I’m freelance and I don’t have a nine-to-five job to go to. I don’t need to book leave, so I’ll book for whenever the flights are cheapest.
Date and departure options
With Skyscanner, you don’t need to faff around, constantly tweaking the date and departure options in order to get results. If you want to, you can just put the departure airport as ‘United Kingdom’ and leave the rest open. It’ll come up with every country that can be directly flown to from the United Kingdom, listed by the lowest possible price throughout the year.
Booking on a whim
Obviously, you can narrow these options down if you’re wanting to go somewhere specific in a certain month, but part of the beauty is seeing what options are available. In the past, I’ve just booked to go somewhere on a whim through Skyscanner, purely because I’ve never been there before, it’s cheap and I may as well.
Starting point
It’s not a failsafe tool – as I say, they have really messed the redesign and expansion of the site up – but it’s a great starting point if you’re looking for flight options.
Friday, 26 September 2008
#25 – Information in ex-pat bars
Or getting the inside track in an Irish pub.
Something missing in Kiev
Recently, I was in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. I heartily recommend it by the way – it’s a gorgeous city. I was doing a few pieces for various outlets, but by the end of my third day there, I had a nagging doubt that something was missing.
Feel for the city
In essence, although I’d seen a lot of the city and thoroughly enjoyed it, I hadn’t really got a feel for it. Usually I’m pretty good at this; getting a snapshot impression, spotting a few quirks and getting a general gist for the overall atmosphere. But it wasn’t happening with Kiev, and I knew that this would show through in the articles.
The only solution, therefore, was to go to the pub.
Not speaking the language
This isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Part of my problem was that I don’t speak or understand any Ukrainian. It wasn’t as if I could break into conversation with a shopkeeper or a waiter. The same applies for if I went to a local bar.
I could sit, watch and soak up – something that’s usually a great source of material – but I wasn’t going to quite get it.
Ex-pat bars
This is where ex-pat bars and pubs come in. There are some in every major city – the places where the foreigners that have ended up living in the city go for a few drinks. More often than not, they are the Irish pubs.
This sort of pub isn’t exactly my first choice to drink in – I much prefer to find a real local joint that has the character of the city/ country it’s in rather than one that’s been imported – but it is often ideal if you’re after the lowdown.
Listening in
I plucked one out of my guide book, sat myself down with a beer, ordered some food, then kept my ear open for conversation in a language I recognised. As luck would have it, I ended up on a table next to two Englishmen and their Ukrainian work colleague who was fluent in English.
I surreptitiously listen in on them, moaning about the odd aspect of Kiev life, and then when I got the opportunity, I barged in.
“Hi, I couldn’t help noticing...”
Pub crawl
Within a few minutes, I was sat around the table, discussing endemic local corruption, infrastructure problems, relations with Russia, the antagonism of locals towards sex tourists and those coming purely to get an attractive East European wife.
It was fascinating. I got an idea about underlying tensions, work ethics, cultural differences and odd habits.
And, just before we embarked on a pub crawl (“come on, we’ll show you the best places to hang out”), they gave me a run-down of the best places to eat and see.
Sense of place
It was brilliant; the sort of information you can never get from a tourist board or PR person. And it’s not the first time that this has happened. Admittedly I struck gold this time, but on other occasions just listening in has been enough to give me a better sense of place. It won’t always work, but it’s often a good trick for getting that little bit extra.
Something missing in Kiev
Recently, I was in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. I heartily recommend it by the way – it’s a gorgeous city. I was doing a few pieces for various outlets, but by the end of my third day there, I had a nagging doubt that something was missing.
Feel for the city
In essence, although I’d seen a lot of the city and thoroughly enjoyed it, I hadn’t really got a feel for it. Usually I’m pretty good at this; getting a snapshot impression, spotting a few quirks and getting a general gist for the overall atmosphere. But it wasn’t happening with Kiev, and I knew that this would show through in the articles.
The only solution, therefore, was to go to the pub.
Not speaking the language
This isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Part of my problem was that I don’t speak or understand any Ukrainian. It wasn’t as if I could break into conversation with a shopkeeper or a waiter. The same applies for if I went to a local bar.
I could sit, watch and soak up – something that’s usually a great source of material – but I wasn’t going to quite get it.
Ex-pat bars
This is where ex-pat bars and pubs come in. There are some in every major city – the places where the foreigners that have ended up living in the city go for a few drinks. More often than not, they are the Irish pubs.
This sort of pub isn’t exactly my first choice to drink in – I much prefer to find a real local joint that has the character of the city/ country it’s in rather than one that’s been imported – but it is often ideal if you’re after the lowdown.
Listening in
I plucked one out of my guide book, sat myself down with a beer, ordered some food, then kept my ear open for conversation in a language I recognised. As luck would have it, I ended up on a table next to two Englishmen and their Ukrainian work colleague who was fluent in English.
I surreptitiously listen in on them, moaning about the odd aspect of Kiev life, and then when I got the opportunity, I barged in.
“Hi, I couldn’t help noticing...”
Pub crawl
Within a few minutes, I was sat around the table, discussing endemic local corruption, infrastructure problems, relations with Russia, the antagonism of locals towards sex tourists and those coming purely to get an attractive East European wife.
It was fascinating. I got an idea about underlying tensions, work ethics, cultural differences and odd habits.
And, just before we embarked on a pub crawl (“come on, we’ll show you the best places to hang out”), they gave me a run-down of the best places to eat and see.
Sense of place
It was brilliant; the sort of information you can never get from a tourist board or PR person. And it’s not the first time that this has happened. Admittedly I struck gold this time, but on other occasions just listening in has been enough to give me a better sense of place. It won’t always work, but it’s often a good trick for getting that little bit extra.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
#24 - Film-related travel stories
Or taking advantage of the set-jetters.
Filming locations
One excellent source of story ideas is the cinema. If a big movie is slated to come out soon, you can bet your bottom dollar that will be a market for a story on the filming locations used in it.
This is especially true if it’s been filmed somewhere exotic.
James Bond
I’ve now lost count of how many stories I’ve sold that have a tenuous link to James Bond. I once made the decision that I was going to watch all of the films, make notes of what happened in particularly interesting destinations, and then research where those destinations are.
Multiple articles
It was a real bugger of a task – at one point I never wanted to watch a Bond film again – but it paid off. I’ve sold multiple articles based on that research, and the material is timeless. Every two years or so, when a new Bond movie is released, I can re-package it and sell it on again.
It may be as the cities of James Bond, it may be as Bond’s beaches, it may be as the lairs of Bond villains. Either way, most of the work is done.
Quantum of Solace
Quantum of Solace – the latest in the Bond series - is out in November. Which reminds me – I should really start pitching the Bond material out again, especially given that I’m actually in the film*. It’s practically guaranteed that there will be a glut of Bond-related travel articles out there at the time.
I’m already doing two pieces on places featured in the new film (Panama and Siena, Italy), and I’m sure others will be doing more.
Pirates of the Caribbean
It’s not just Bond of course – most big films lead to a bit of a travel boom. There was Pirates of the Caribbean in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Lord of the Rings in New Zealand, and all manner of plodding costume dramas in England.
I’ve ended up trotting out travel articles on Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, The Italian Job, Star Wars, Roman Holiday, Mad Max, The Matrix and probably many more.
Internet Movie Database
But how do you find out about where these locations are and which movies are coming up? Well the Internet Movie Database is a fabulous resource, but can be scant on the details. Otherwise, tourist boards are always keen to promote anything filmed in their area. They’ll almost certainly have a list of films that have visited in the past, and ones that are due to arrive.
Apocalypse Now
Then there’s searching on the internet. Want to find out where the river from Apocalypse Now** is? Just do an internet search. The results may not be accurate, but at least they’re a starting point.
----------------
*I was in Siena while the crew were filming Il Palio, the famous horse race held in the city centre. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to pick myself out in the crowd in a wide shot. And I’m telling everyone that I’m the star until they can prove otherwise.
** It’s the Pagsanjan River in the Philippines, if you must know.
Filming locations
One excellent source of story ideas is the cinema. If a big movie is slated to come out soon, you can bet your bottom dollar that will be a market for a story on the filming locations used in it.
This is especially true if it’s been filmed somewhere exotic.
James Bond
I’ve now lost count of how many stories I’ve sold that have a tenuous link to James Bond. I once made the decision that I was going to watch all of the films, make notes of what happened in particularly interesting destinations, and then research where those destinations are.
Multiple articles
It was a real bugger of a task – at one point I never wanted to watch a Bond film again – but it paid off. I’ve sold multiple articles based on that research, and the material is timeless. Every two years or so, when a new Bond movie is released, I can re-package it and sell it on again.
It may be as the cities of James Bond, it may be as Bond’s beaches, it may be as the lairs of Bond villains. Either way, most of the work is done.
Quantum of Solace
Quantum of Solace – the latest in the Bond series - is out in November. Which reminds me – I should really start pitching the Bond material out again, especially given that I’m actually in the film*. It’s practically guaranteed that there will be a glut of Bond-related travel articles out there at the time.
I’m already doing two pieces on places featured in the new film (Panama and Siena, Italy), and I’m sure others will be doing more.
Pirates of the Caribbean
It’s not just Bond of course – most big films lead to a bit of a travel boom. There was Pirates of the Caribbean in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Lord of the Rings in New Zealand, and all manner of plodding costume dramas in England.
I’ve ended up trotting out travel articles on Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, The Italian Job, Star Wars, Roman Holiday, Mad Max, The Matrix and probably many more.
Internet Movie Database
But how do you find out about where these locations are and which movies are coming up? Well the Internet Movie Database is a fabulous resource, but can be scant on the details. Otherwise, tourist boards are always keen to promote anything filmed in their area. They’ll almost certainly have a list of films that have visited in the past, and ones that are due to arrive.
Apocalypse Now
Then there’s searching on the internet. Want to find out where the river from Apocalypse Now** is? Just do an internet search. The results may not be accurate, but at least they’re a starting point.
----------------
*I was in Siena while the crew were filming Il Palio, the famous horse race held in the city centre. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to pick myself out in the crowd in a wide shot. And I’m telling everyone that I’m the star until they can prove otherwise.
** It’s the Pagsanjan River in the Philippines, if you must know.
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