Footprint's New Website - a travellers' community, resource & shop

The team at Footprint Guides have siphoned their combined passion, expertise and nouse into a brand new website. Footprinttravelguides.com certainly seems to be up to the challenge of meeting the evolving needs of travellers in the digital age.

Footprint's new Homepage, where Flickr, Twitter and Facebook badges set the scene for social networking, has plenty of attention grabbing content in the form of scrolling images linking to topical travel features, a 'must-see destination' feature and a list of the publisher’s latest releases. A self-explanatory Footprint in the Media link showcases the authors’ On The Road blog published by The Independent and articles published in the travel press. There's also a searchable listings directory of places to eat, sleep and play around the world, which, when fully functional, promises to be a very handy travel resource.

Breadcrumbs (the tabs laid out horizontally along the top) lead through Footprint’s publishing portfolio region by region, with the addition of the Lifestyle & Activities titles. Travellers navigating through the Latin America section and into the Belize pages for example, will find a substantial amount of free information available; including such essentials as Where and When to go, Suggested Itineraries, Getting There and Getting Around. It’s all edited copy lifted from Footprint’s Handbooks.

The site also encourages interaction between travellers via social networking platforms including Footprint’s pre-existing Facebook and Twitter networks, and in a travel forum that is in the offing.

As Marketing Manager, Liz Harper said, “The site will include links to our social networking sites as well as feeds from them. It will also be far more dynamic and interactive than the previous site.”

Footprint's authors can also get involved. Author and traveller forums, feeds to and from authors' own blogs and updates from authors in the field – especially around breaking news stories – will all be possible.

Publisher, Alan Murphy said, “We are hoping that the forum on the site will become not only a great place for travellers to share information and advice, but a platform for authors wishing to share their knowledge and expertise of an area, providing real added value to visitors to the site.”

Naturally, the site is equally focused on the business of selling travel guides and it looks like Footprint's web developers have been just as busy with the shop as they have with the social networking. Each page of travel content has links through to related books, PDF downloads and digital products (Footprint's new iPhone app, available from June 2010). Complementary gizmos sit alongside each product’s bibliographic details. For example, travellers can look inside their chosen guidebook, and hear the virtual paper pages turning, before buying. And if you can’t buy your book on the spot there's the option to Bookmark or Share it as a link in countless social networks (including the obvious; Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and Blogger) - all at the click of a 'social networking’ button. Very nifty.

Footprint confirmed today that their iPhone app and first guides have been submitted to the Apple Store, ready for early June. (The Cape Town guide is included for free - perfect timing if you're heading to the World Cup).

They expect to launch the travellers' forum in July. Read more!

Thomson / Headline partnership brings top-selling authors to the beach

Thomson Gold customers can bypass the airport bookshop this summer and buy signed copies of beach books from top-selling authors in person, at the hotel poolside.

The tour operator's 'Audience With' events, running from May through to September at selected Mediterranean hotels, give holidaymakers the chance to meet high profile authors signed to the publishing house Headline. Following a successful trial event with the award-winning Victoria Hislop in September 2009 at The Sensatori hotel in Crete, the arrangement between tour operator and publisher was expanded to feature six authors at six hotels this summer.

Hislop, author of The Return, a novel set against the backdrop of Granada’s cobbled streets and the events of the Spanish Civil War, met with Thomson's guests once again, on May 15th, at the Hotel Yaramar in Fuengirola on Spain's Costa del Sol.

"The first event was extremely well received. Those that attended had an afternoon that left them with a memory they would never forget. Everyone that came had a wonderful time and commented on the intimacy and personal connection they all felt with Victoria. After the event, everyone bought a book and took even more away as presents for family and friends," said Thomson.

Also visiting the Hotel Yaramar, Fuengirola, is Sheila O’Flanagan, the ultimate holiday-read novelist with 15 titles to her name. Sheila is expected there on June 26th.

Meanwhile, across the water on the Balearic island of Majorca, chick-lit favourite Jill Mansell will tour three hotels in mid-September (Hotel Picafort Park on 14th; Hotel Levante Park on 15th; Grupotel Playa Camp de Mar on 16th). No doubt Jill who writes her books "by hand on the sofa in our living room" watching daytime TV is looking forward to meeting her readers outdoors in the Mediterranean sunshine.

Romantic fiction heavyweight Penny Vincenzi and the historical fiction writer Simon Scarrow will visit guests at the Grand Hotel President in Sorrento, Italy, on June 6th and September 4th respectively.An 'Insight Talk' from Scarrow on Pompeii, Herculaneum and Roman life is planned for September 5th.

Martina Cole, whose novels are set in London's gangland, brings her Hard Girls to the softly padded sun loungers of the Atlantic Golden Beach in Cyprus on July 13th.

As expected during what could be considered an extension of Headline's usual book signing tours, copies of the authors' latest titles will be on sale to hotel guests. In some cases, older titles may also be available.

Ed Sumner, General Manager of Lifestyle Product Development for Thomson, added,
“We are really excited to be giving our Thomson Gold customers the opportunity to meet top-selling authors in this way while on their holiday. It’s a fantastic chance for them to get up close and personal to these novelists, and is yet another example of Thomson offering unique holiday experiences for customers.”

Thomson have not confirmed if the 'Audience With' programme will be extended to any more of its 20 'Gold' hotels or if the arrangement will continue beyond summer 2010.

(Image © Tamlyn Rhodes via SXC) Read more!

Jarvis Cocker, Eurostar Cultural Ambassador

"TV, films and the internet may be great at showing you what something looks like but they're no substitute for seeing works of art with your own eyes." So said Pulp's frontman Jarvis Cocker this morning, in his new role as Eurostar's Cultural Ambassador for the Culture Connect programme.

I agree with you Jarvis. Certainly without the convenience and affordability of no-frills flights from London to European cities, I might still be saving up for the chance to stand in the air locked refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, appreciating the glorious composition, cracked plaster and faded oil-painted vision that is da Vinci's, The Last Supper. And the weekend in Florence, when I ducked into the Academy to check out the bod on Michelangelo's David before touring the Uffizi, could still be a pipe dream if Ryanair didn't fly into nearby Pisa.

It's been a while since I took one of these culturally-focused weekends away, probably due to a mixture of guilt about my carbon footprint and a desire to take longer trips. However, the launch held by Eurostar this morning - enter Jarvis Cocker - at St Pancras station stirred up my cultural urges.

If travellers can pilgrimage to Europe's greatest galleries, chapels and museums by train, all the better. And if the companion that I drag along with me can get free entry, all the better for them.
What is Culture Connect?
It's a new and unique partnership of 15 major museums and galleries in London, Paris and Brussels that highlights the wealth of art within some of the finest museums and galleries in the world (those listed below). It offers Eurostar travellers 2 for 1 entry to all paying exhibitions on their inbound journey at the following institutions:

In London the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum.

In Paris Le Musée du Quai Branly, le Jeu de Paume, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Cité de la Musique, and les Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais.

In Brussels Bozar, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (including the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Modern Art) and the Musical Instrument Museum.

How does it work?
The Culture Connect offer is available for up to five days after a traveller arrives at their destination, and only one person needs to have a Eurostar ticket to qualify for 2 for 1 entry.

What does Jarvis have to do with it all?
In the words of Eurostar’s Director of Communications, Mary Walsh,
“This initiative is designed to encourage people of all ages to visit these iconic museums and galleries. With his passion for music and art, Jarvis makes the perfect Cultural Ambassador. Going back and forth between London and Paris as he does, Jarvis knows better than anyone the enjoyment to be had from getting to know the museums and galleries of another city." Read more!

Volcanic Ash Journeys - how epic was your journey home?

Were you grounded by volcanic ash but able and willing to travel home overland? Why not share your epic tale with Travelex and be in with the chance of winning some prize money.

Julian Neal, Director of Travelex comments,
"There have been some absolutely inspiring stories about ways in which travellers have covered thousands of miles and taken the initiative to make their way home against the odds. Travellers have also clubbed together to get home, even using Twitter and Facebook to find unique methods of transport and locate fellow travellers stranded at the same destination. Travelex wants to reward these tales of creative travel plans and sheer determination."

The foreign exchange provider is spreading the word among travellers, asking them to post their epic journeys on their official Facebook page. The winning ‘volcanic legend’ will receive a Travelex prepaid currency card, Cash Passport, loaded with £1000 to spend on their next holiday. 10 runners-up will also receive £100 loaded onto a Cash Passport.

You've got until 18th May to take part in Travelex’s ‘Volcanic Legends’ competition, then fellow Facebook fans will vote for the winning journey.

Tell your story now and bask in the glory of your adventurousness (rather than whinging about getting your expenses refunded by Ryanair) at http://www.facebook.com/volcaniclegends.

Image (Camel caravan)from m_bartosch http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=681 Read more!

'Luxuriate' no more. Forever 'Escape'.

Next time you flick through a glossy holiday brochure or search for a deal on a travel website, note the frequency with which certain verbs are crammed into the headers, captions and hotel descriptions. 'RELAX and UNWIND', 'BASK' and 'INDULGE', you'll be encouraged. These fluffy verbs may well be overused in travel copywriting, but by tapping into physical factors (stress, warmth, imbibing) they'll probably work their magic and have you heading off to the sun to do just what they suggest.

But can I ask? Am I the only traveller (and travel editor) who can't help but recoil, quickly retracting my credit card, at the sight of that most fiendish of travel-related verbs...LUXURIATE (vb: enjoy as a luxury)? Certainly, we can all 'enjoy as a luxury' a fragrant bubble bath at home on a wet Wednesday evening, or a cheeky glass of champers before catching a train from London St Pancras. But for me, the act of travel deserves more substantive verbs - those that span the breadth of the linguistic spectrum, from the majestic to the downright primal.

Travel for most of us will always be a financial ‘luxury’, but portraying it in bling, diamond encrusted terms alone does a disservice to travel and to the destinations visited. Better to use 'escape' - perhaps a primal verb that rings the truest in even the soapiest of travel copy. Escape from the city, escape from the winter, escape the kids, escape the daily grind, escape the artificially-lit hanger where you work your nine-to-five, or escape the fallout from a very messy break up.

The urge to escape is nothing short of instinctive. Running away often feels like the only available option. Travel is that escape, allowing space to regroup, pick up the pieces and let the infinite opportunities that are available out there, in the big wide world, smack us between the eyes and lift us out of the latest dark, dank pit of despair.

Feeling claustrophobic; incarcerated by your everyday life? Look out for Sandwagon's short and sweet list of classic escapes, picked for those times when getting away is less of a want and more of a need. Coming next.

Image: Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand by Federico Stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Read more!

Frankfurt Book Fair goers drop the cab, buy the app - Q Mapp interactive transit map available for iPhone and iPod Touch

Back in April I was commissioned by the cartographers Communicarta to chase vintage yellow trams around and around in the rain, up and down the hilly streets of Porto - it's all in a day's work when you're helping to update one of their public transport maps. On the same weekend, I also wrote about how my experience of using a Communicarta public transport map to get around the city and out to the Atlantic coast compared to using the local transport resources I gathered at the tourist information office. Read more about that here.

Today I was excited to receive a note from Ken Chui, Communicarta's Business Development Director, announcing that their painstakingly researched and logically drawn maps are now available digitally.

Want to have an interactive version of a city's underground map on your phone and to be able to zoom in and out on the lines you need to take? Want to keep track of your most frequently used stations, or locate the closest station to where you are? Now ...(and you know what's coming)...there's an app for that. The Q Mapp Frankfurt Interactive Transit map is available for the iphone/ipod touch from the iTunes store.

With perfect timing, Ken tells me that this is, "the one and only app of its kind geared towards the Frankfurt Book Fair", which takes place next week (14th-18th October).

He goes on to say that it will give book fair visitors the confidence to go anywhere in Frankfurt using the U/ S- Bahn and will help them make full use of their travel pass rather than spending too many euros on cab fares getting to and from their hotel to Messe and back again. The Frankfurt book fair is the largest international gathering of the publishing industry, so of course this public transport application comes in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

If you're off to Frankfurt on business or pleasure it's well worth spending 59p to have this trustworthy and easy to use travel resource in the palm of your hand, that is unless like me you're more of a Hero Android girl and don't have an iPhone!

The Q Mapps Munich Interactive Transit map is also available from the iTunes store.

Q Mapps Ltd is a subsidiary of Communicarta Ltd.

Read more!

Do travel websites inspire travellers or just the 'geeks'?

There's no denying it and increasingly no escaping it. The travel industry is obsessed with harnessing the infinite possibilities afforded by ever-evolving online technologies.

Just a quick scroll through the last ten minutes' worth of #travel tweets or a brief visit to a trusted travel website (be it traditional media or off-beat blog) would illustrate that point.

Currently everyone is talking about the use of sideWikis in travel sites, and there's a new business to business website (tnooz.com) for us to devour that's dedicated to travel technology news. And I'm sure that tomorrow will send me a link to another 'experience' website that can seemingly read my mind and sell me a holiday as I navigate through their inspiration pages ...no doubt they'll be able to summon up my dream trip via the magic of algorithms and targeted marketing. Thank God for them! Without their site I'd be stranded, incapable of thinking and dreaming up my next adventure for myself.

There's certainly no denying that blogging, tweeting, Google maps mash ups, downloadable content and travel apps for smart phones have delivered a whole new source of relevant, instantly updatable information to techsavy travellers. Something that the travel genre is certainly richer for and something that I hope travel publishers in particular can increasingly invest in (if not monetarily, at least in terms of time and effort).

But my question today is - and I've Tweeted it too - can anyone point me towards uses of travel technology/online development that are truly inspirational for travellers (ie not just another way to increase sales of holidays and/or compete with other travel sites in the geek stakes)? Read more!

What in the world would your first documentary explore?

I hate to admit it, but there has been far too little blogging going on here lately. That said, in between working on freelance projects, travelling and fighting the small yet persistent battles of everyday life, I've still managed to Twitter away uproariously with travellers and the travel community. Off the back of some of these twitterings, Sandwagon's blog is back.

On Monday, inspired by the BBC's Future of Food series, I tweeted the question, 'What would you make your first documentary about?

In episode 2 of Future of Food, George Alagiah hopped from Senegal to India, and Kenya to Kent, investigating the changing nature of the global food chain and pondering the real prospect of demand for meat, fish and corn outstripping what the planet can realistically supply. This is my kind of documentary. The kind that confronts the global issues that the majority of us, struggling to juggle work and personal concerns, will let slip to the back of our minds, even though we are directly involved and implicated in the causes and consequences of that issue.

And there's no getting away from this issue. We all eat. If enough individuals chose to eat less meat and only bought locally grown veg, humans might stand a small chance of one day evening out of the world's edible resources. This documentary made me think about the small part I play in that collective choice, and as a result of it I'll be steering clear of imported fish or vegetables from now on (I've already given up meat and I also grow some of my own veg). What more can a documentary maker hope for?

So back to the question. Assuming that you are a novice too, what would you make your first documentary about?

'Agriculture and politics in Argentina,' replied @argentinatours

@alexbainbridge of TourCMS threw in, 'I would make a documentary about how companies make travel websites - so consumers can see the work required and understand. As young consumers get taught about farms, about engineering etc - but few have experienced inside of an online travel company.'

@Travelrants was thinking along the lines of, 'the life of a consumer travel blogger, but I think people would get bored quickly (my family & friends do when I talk about it) :)'

And me, at the moment it would probably have to be about diving, including the psychology of learning to dive, instructor training courses and the ins and outs of the scuba industry from a novice's perspective.

What do you think of these ideas? What would your first documentary be about?

Also worth checking out are The Future of Food (2004, a film by Deborah Koons Garcia)

8-week Documentary Making Course at the London Academy of Media, Film & TV.


Read more!

Luxor's West Bank - if travellers had all the time in the world

It's the age old travelling frustration. You only had a limited time in a city, town or country. En route to all of the unmissable attractions, that you simply must pack into one or two days, your eyes wandered off to the less tourist-ridden spaces. Perhaps you pressed your camera up against the car window (just like I did for this picture), an attempt to secure enough of a visual prompt to include these places in your plans next time you're here. But often, there isn't a next time.

This happened to me in Luxor. Obviously, I was itching to descend, Lara Croft-style, into ancient tombs in the Valley of the Kings and then stand belittled by the Colossi of Memnon, those stoney faced mega-men. But...if only there was time to stop alongside the sugar cane fields, smell the bright pink flowers (first, finding out what they are) and colourfully painted mud brick houses that the taxi whipped by.

Next time in Luxor I'll be -

Booking a room on the East Bank rather than the West. Perhaps the Marsam Hotel and/or the Beit Sabee.

Hiring a bike and cycling around the sugarcane fields that I only viewed from altitude in a hot air balloon.

Stopping to shop at those fruit and veg stalls that appeared out of nowhere.

Watching the sun set from the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III, rather than from the terrace of the Winter Palace.
The frustration of time constraints do fuel future travel plans and force return visits.

And because things spotted en route leave their mark in your mind, a curious traveller will never be done travelling.
Read more!

View from the Sandwagon - Colossi of Memnon, Luxor

Read more!