Around The World Flight or Clipper Around The World Ocean Race? Registration For 09/10 Now Open

If you like your travel a little more extreme than an around the world flight with Quantas, why not sign up for the Clipper Ocean Race 09/10? It's the trip and challenge of a lifetime. And because this is the only around the world boat race that allows novices to enter, hairdressers, piano teachers or students have as much chance as the next of getting accepted onto a Clipper team. Full training is provided.

The options
Race for a week, individual legs or complete a circumnavigation

The route
Setting off from the Humber, UK on 13th September 2009 and visiting 14 worldwide port stopovers over the 10 months voyage, this really supersedes the stock itineraries that high street travel agenst put together everyday. You'll round the Cape of Good Hope, race to Australia and sail the Panama Canal. There's more to brave than the backpacker hostels of Bangkok as you take on the icy of the North Pacific and then the heat of the tropics.

The latest stopover to be announced is California, following the leg from China.

Clipper Crews are been recruited now for 2009/10
Click here if you're up to a travel challenge (plus a low-carbon one at that) Read more!

Sustainable Travel & Tourism - can travel change its ways before it's too late?

Today's travel industry, media and consumers have some serious issues to get their heads around
Firstly, the majority of travellers are pondering the affordability of travel full-stop. Can we really afford to dream, escape, explore as much as we'd like or are used too?

Facing up to the reality of that question, the industry has had to become even more savvy, focusing on low-cost alternatives to their more indulgent travel experiences. They're also having to take 'baby steps,' as a representative of a well-known car rental company put it, to maximise dwindling PR and Marketing budgets via social networking sites, blogs and web 2.0 applications. Rather than splash out on glossy print ads, they're having to investigate how to up their brand's presence for free, online.

So we are faced by the reality of smaller travel companies and independents that are fighting for their financial life and clinging on by their fingertips to stay connected to the changing online world.

They have to face these issue right now, and that's before we even touch on the immediate need to start saving Planet Earth.

Let's park web 2.0 for a sec to focus on facing the long-overdue strategic solutions needed to enable sustainable tourism across the board
Again, the industry is dragging its heels on this. Nearly 30 years ago, I remember receiving a Friends of the Earth hardback annual from an environmentally-aware Santa. Acid rain, global warming and the threat of extinction have haunted me ever since. The areas of the travel industry that I've worked in haven't been operational enough to take a management stance over providing low-impact accommodation or initiatives in the local community, where the focus now needs to be. But I must have some peers who are decision makers, hoteliers, local government planning officials and construction companies. Don't they see that building golf courses on the edge of Marrakech or seabed dredging in Dubai isn't healthy or sustainable in the slightest? What are they doing to ensure that travel and tourism doesn't continue to contribute to the destruction of natural and local life?

I can't fathom how 30 years have slipped by and the message of eco-awareness is still having to be hammered home? And why the travel industry had a World Responsible Tourism Day this week, in 2008? Better late than never, of course.

I'd put this to all decision makers in the travel industry
You think the Credit Crunch is a problem? Are alarm bells ringing because you don't have a blog? Why not squeeze one more thing, beyond these concerns, into your business plan for the next ten years. Make it a genuine, measurable and committed plan for Sustainable Tourism. Take everything that you heard at World Travel Market's World Responsible Tourism Day on board: today, this year, not in another 30 years.

Here's three reasons to celebrate World Responsible Tourism Day
- The pleasure and pain of Mark Edwards' environmental call to action Hard Rain
- The BBC's Stephen Sackur's understandable confusion with Minaz Abji's linguistics, when he described the sustainable tourism agenda in regards the hotel business as a Tsunami. Minaz, - Executive Vice President, Host Hotels & Resorts, a company that partners with Marriott®, Ritz-Carlton®, Westin®, Sheraton®, The Luxury Collection®, Hyatt®, Fairmont®, Four Seasons®, Hilton®, and Swissôtel® - we were all left wondering this: why the negative connotation?
- Sri Lanka tourism's pledge to be carbon neutral by 2018

Hard Rain pulled at the industry's heart strings, while WTM chairman Fiona Jeffery took on the travel industry's purse strings, commenting,

“Businesses suffer from the misconception that responsible tourism strategies can mean taking a hit on profits."

“If responsible tourism activity is integrated with a well orchestrated business plan, it can have a positive impact on overall performance and has resulted in some highly successful businesses reaping the benefits of responsible tourism."

“A clear signal has now gone out to the world that responsible tourism must be at the top of the agenda, but this definitely does not mean the industry has to forgo profits.”

“Businesses suffer from the misconception that responsible tourism strategies can mean taking a hit on profits." Read more!

Travel Blogcamp, London 2008 - pints and pondering

What a perfectly timed event this was, following a heavy day at World Travel Market 2008 that began with endless queues at Canning Town and ended with an annoyingly dead mobile phone. Blogcamp 08, superbly arranged by Darren of Travel Rants fame, was the day's highlight. With views across the Thames from the Blackfriars pub, coupled with chat over a pint and far more fascinating bloggers than I'd expected to find, being a British travel blogger suddenly became very enjoyable.

Who came to play?
Darren of Travel Rants played host and chair
Guest speakers
Alex Bainbridge – Musings on travel ecommerce
Karen Bryan – Europe a la Carte
Molly Flatt – STA Travel Buzz
Kevin May – Travolution

Also, PR and Marketing representatives from the travel industry including Lastminute.com; Mr & Mrs Smith, TUI, Holiday Autos and Lonely Planet. Freelance writers and SEO providers including Jeremy Head and Mark Hodson, other bloggers and social networking success stories such as Marco van de Kamp of travelersfortravelers


My take on events
All four speakers gave great overviews of their personal take on blogging and I thank them for that. But because I strongly believe that there are few hard and fast rules to this wonderfully liberating publishing medium, and because bloggers by their nature do not passively consume content, I'd say that the most interesting moments arose as the audience began to engage vocally with the themes being presented to them.

Standout themes
Multiple-authors. Rehashing stories. Where does writing stop, blogging begin, journalism end and PR stick its nose in on the action? Blogging as a marketting tool for travel companies. Aggrigated content.

Ponderings
Maybe the difference between Sandwagon and these speakers is that my blog exists purely for expression's sake and to share my love and expertise of travel, the industry and travel publishing. At the moment, I cherish the editorial freedom that monetising my blog may compromise. Plus I'll never be comfortable using so soulless a term as 'content' to describe what I produce online. I'm a traveller, a collaborative member of a community that shares information and a writer with a professional editorial background; at this point in time, not a blogger looking for pay per click bucks.

Feelings on the train journey home
The blogger v journalist v PR debate depressed me somewhat. Why the need to pigeonhole ourselves and in fight? We are all bloggers first and foremost because of the medium that we use. The shades of differences between all of our blogs are based on our individual experiences, personal and professional. We should respect the qualities, experience and causes that individuls bring to the table.

My one big hope for all those involved in Blogcamp is that we don't allow an elite to be created and that commercially successful blogs are elevated above all of those who just love to write and share about an industry they know and love very well. Because if we do that, we're no better than the newspapers, publishers and industry leaders whose editorial constraints we sought solace from by migrating our musing online.

What's next?
For Blogcamp - because I've always envied the collaborative approach of the web development world; their online conferences, their sharing of new applications and know-how, I really do hope that we can organise Blogcamp 2. Darren, I'm sure that Lonely Planet would be more than happy to sponsor it (!) and that we'd all be happy to regroup again.

For Sandwagon - I'll continue to write about travel from a travel writer and editor's perspective. Coming away from World Responsible Tourism Day, I'm more inclined to use my blog to celebrate those in the industry who are working to protect a world in danger, rather than pushing to make lots of cash. Although, I wouldn't turn down enough to buy another pint of Staropramen.

Read the ongoing buzz about Blogcamp at the following links:

Reflections on travel Blogcamp at travel-rants.com

Hoorah for heated debate at STA Travelbuzz

Travel Blog Camp, London at Roaming Tales

Busy week at WTM08 at Travel Musings on ecommence

Travel Blogcamp at Mr & Mrs Smith

At Travel Blogcamp at Heatheronhertravels

Travel Blog Camp at Happyhotelier.com

Travel Blog Camp Write up at Trailbeater Read more!

World Travel Market 2008 - first thoughts from the fair extraordinaire

If you have never visited World Travel Market before or are completely and utterly new to the internal workings of the travel industry, don't worry. Once I've unpacked, re-grouped and deciphered my notes, I'll be sharing a full run down of what this beast WTM actually is and what it means to the thousands of travel industry delegates who travelled to London's Excel from all corners of the world.

Notes from the press conferences and seminars will also follow.

So.....this feels as good a time as any to put my Sandwagon thoughts and opinions into context. I love to travel but I'm no epic adventurer. Rather than pack up my life and hit the road at 18, I studied and spent - as so many students do - a summer of inter-railing abandon in Western Europe. That experience of the infinite glee that independent travel gives a person of any age made me commit to a life in the travel industry. I'd never be rich. I couldn't face being a lawyer, a banker, another graduate management scheme wanna be. After travelling for just one month, making money seemed so soulless in comparison to sharing the joy of travel and enabling ordinary folk like me to travel, any damn which way they chose and could afford.

So I worked as a Specialist Sales Consultant for a long haul tailor made travel company (nope, not the student-centric one), before working as a travel agent for a small specialist business. Next, I fulfilled my dream of combining my love of travel love and increasing expertise with my love of words, confirmed by an English Degree. I became a Creative Copywriter, then an Editor, then a Managing Editor for one of the top two travel companies in the UK. 50/50 chance of guessing which; they both begin with Th...

I'm telling you this because, firstly, giving context to the voice behind a blog is important. And secondly, I have nothing to fear. I would never slate the travel industry or any of my former employers. The travel industry, just like travel publishing, can be hugely demanding for its employees. (I'm no sniper-type Blogger. I just want to share understanding and the latest news.) Margins are minimal, expectation is maxed but the passion common to each and everybody present at WTM makes working in and for the industry a given. Once your in, you're hooked. Some days it's even (heaven forbid) enjoyable.

World Travel Market is a wonderful coming together of the most passionate people there are. It's a chance to do business, face the big issues that challenge the industry and its consumers, network, buy ex-colleagues a beer and basically share the love.

That done, here are my first objective and editorially sound observations of WTM:

Transport Trouble ruined my well-researched plans for Tuesday. Out of action sections of the Dockland's Light Railway, coupled with lots of pushing and shoving onto London buses took the edge off my first morning's joy.

Press Lounges that were kindly sponsored by the Greek Tourist Board. A free cuppa, a cloakroom with smiley attendants, lots of desk space and mobile phone chargers. All very well received

Informative, Inspiring Press Confereneces and Seminars Press and business delegates alike came away with notes, ideas to pursue and fresh motivation with which to face these troubled times.

Blogcamp organised by the award-winning Travel Rants blog, proved that bloggers can face the real world and speak to a crowd in person, rather than through the internet. I felt a huge sense of pride for all UK bloggers in attendance. About 80 people chatted and debated the ins and outs of this blogging adventure that we're all on. Even some big names in travel sent out their PR and Marketing bods to learn a trick or two. Are the speakers experts? I'm not convinced that there are any best practice blog rules. This is the internet; do as you please, in any way you please. But don't do and be damned.

Simon Calder taking the stand to inspire would-be podcasters, before flying off to Salamanca.

Orissa Discovering more about the Indian state described as Scenic.Serene.Sublime

Opulent Exhibition Stands Kazakhstan, I loved your tented up-top meeting room. Taiwan, I filmed your puppet show for posterity!

World Responsible Tourism Day Debates especially Stephen Sackur giving hoteliers a roasting on behalf of the planet. 'The Great Towel debate' rumbled on and on.

Hard Rain by Mark Edwards A sound and vision portrayal of the ills we do our planet. Did everyone in the audience take a call to action from it? Sandwagon definitely did.

Much, much more to follow over the coming days.

Tell me, which bits of WTM 2008 stood out for you? Read more!

Sandwagon's Latest Travel/Travel Writing Twitterings - NEW on the site

It's worth keeping an eye on my page for the constantly updating Twitterings. Twit Bits from the travel world as my barefeet pad up to them, curiosity-giddy. If you're a Twitterer yourself (and why the hell aren't you, if not?!) follow me and I'll follow you. We've all got a take on travel and I want to hear everyone, not just the big name bloggers (does that constitute a contradiction in terms?) Sandwagon Twitter link Read more!

Today at World Travel Market 2008

The show began at London's Excel yesterday and Sandwagon entered the fray today. Having made it through 1 hour 30 minutes worth of London's best transport action; packed tubes all the way from Kings Cross, confusion at Bank (even though we all knew in advance that the Dockland's Light Railway wasn't running from there, due to engineering work)and, once we arrived at Canning Town, the longest bus queue I've ever had the pleasure of jostling through, the wonders of the world, via the wonders of the travel industry were final spread out before me.

It's 15.38 and so far I haven't even stepped onto the exhibition level! I've attended a press conference held by PATWA, learnt how to create Podcast and discovered that Lonely Planet are launching a NEW open development platform for the guide book world.

Headlines from WTM will be reported via my Twitter feed for the rest of the day. And here is the rest of it. Read more!

A new Cultural Venue for a Midland's city - Curve, Leicester, UK

Leicester's eagerly anticipated performance venue, threw open its doors yesterday to give locals a sneak preview behind its signature curved glass facade.

Pensioners and parents with young children alike braved a cold, grey November Saturday afternoon to inspect the £65-million Curve venue that replaces the much-loved Haymarket Theatre.

Supporting Curve’s theatre-for-all-ethos, the day’s events were completely free and 25 people at a time took turns to tour behind the scenes of architect Rafael Viñoly’s state-of the-art venue. Those waiting patiently in queues that stretched along the curved glass-panelled window were entertained by a steel band and stilt-walking courtesans. Purple branded balloons and paper flags were also handed out to create the ‘family gala’ atmosphere that organisers had hoped for.

Groups were led through the Studio Theatre and then headed up to an airy mezzanine level that one middle-aged Leicester man described as feeling just like a modern football stadium. The mezzanine overlooks Orton Square, which was inaugurated earlier that day. Next, young and old threaded a path along backstage corridors, not yet full-fitted and decorated, below stage and into the orchestra pit. A full stage-sized rehearsal room and a two-storey high dance studio later, and each tour grouped came to the main auditorium to sit down in brand-new seats for a question and answer session.

Fireworks closed the day, before visitors ebbed away from what is the centre-piece of Leicester’s new Cultural Quarter in the Rutland Street area of the city. A local dance teacher commented that, “the facilities are amazing, but I hope that studio hire rates aren’t too expensive for dance schools to afford.” Others craned their necks to look up again at the great glass wall before heading into the city centre. Curve’s first show, Lift off, opens on 11th November. Read more!

Worldwide Weddings - Globetrotting Brides wanted

Visit Written Road for details of how to share your knowledge of weddings around the world. Be honest girls, don't we all commit to memory every whitewashed, sun-drenched church by the sea or on a tranquil lake that we come across? Or is that just me..?

Just for future reference.... this is St Mary's Church, Lake Bled
Pic © Thomson Lakes

Read more!

Too spooked to stay in the hotel that inspired Steven King's The Shining?

Wheeeere's Johnny? At The Fairmont Algonquin, New Brunswick, Canada.

If you like your bed to go bump in the night and prefer to get your exercise ghostbusting around hotel libraries, this press release from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts might be of interest. Click here for “Spooktacular” Tales and Travel Getaways to Celebrate Halloween. Read more!

World Travel Market - did 2007's Travel Trends Come True?

Predicting travel trends must be a fun occupation. So, Lord of the Rings is being filmed in New Zealand...that's definitely going to encourage visitors to by-pass Oz or push the boat out on a Downunder twin-centre holiday.

Or, now that everyone is a budding Jamie Oliver in the kitchen, surely we'll all want to take as authentic a cookery class as possible; demand for pizza masterclasses in Naples and curry courses in Kerala must be through the roof?

2007 was going to be the year that pets would see more of the world and Halal tourism would really take off. This press release, introducing a session on travel trends that's taking place at the forthcoming World Travel Market, makes really interesting reading. Click here to see if travel predictions made in 2007 have been lived out in the year's travelling antics. Read more!