Going Local Travel

Following on from my recent post about travel buzzwords, I wanted to share a link to an amusing piece about five new types of travel. ‘Bungee climbing’ and ‘cramping’ get a mention, but my favourite has to be the proposed ESL tour. It’s inspired by the success of Eat Pray Love-themed tours. “Based on Lynn [...]

This week marks the 2nd anniversary of Going Local Travel. Back in August 2008, I hesitated before I wrote my first post. Would I keep it up? Two years later, my dashboard here is showing 165 posts + 410 comments. I’m quite shocked it has lasted this long, and I can’t see myself packing it [...]

“No, I’m not a tourist, I’m a traveller.” We’ve all covered this debate before. Many times. So much so that people could be moving on and looking for the next trump card… How long before people start calling themselves ‘un-travellers’? This seems to be the new trend in alternative tourism. We have One Fine Stay [...]

Buenos Aires – overhyped and annoying? So says the New York Post in this recent article, What’s the deal with Buenos Aires? It’s an interesting take. The author, like many residents, has a love-hate relationship with the city, which is not something that often makes it into the travel press. So, are we ‘over’ Buenos [...]

Write a local travel story, win US$500. That doesn’t sound like a bad deal, does it? LeapLocal.org is running a travel-writing competition – with a ‘local travel’ edge and some great cash prizes. I’m looking forward to being on judging panel for this and a separate competition where participants are being asked to nominate their favourite local guide.

Does PR sponsorship undermine the honesty of a travel piece? Ah yes, that old chestnut. The subject of whether professional travel journalists should accept press trips or complimentary hotel stays has been debated endlessly. (To save me covering old ground, see this piece from the Matador Network.) What’s interesting is the role bloggers have played in [...]

Photo: Papillion’s prison in French Guiana. Copyright: Vicky Baker. In 2008, I celebrated Haitian Fête du Drapeau (flag day) on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I wasn’t on the country’s own shore but in French Guiana, a magnet for Haitian immigrants, most of whom arrive ‘sans papiers’ (without papers). Unlike Haiti, French Guiana never got its [...]

Thinking about going to Peru? How’s this for advice? The water? Is poisonous. The food? Gives you diarrhea. The country? Is ugly. The pollution in Lima makes you choke. And everyone, and I mean everyone — taxi drivers, hotel owners,tour operators, souvenir vendors — tries to rob you. It makes you paranoid. I went to [...]

Photo by Sh@wn~c0mbs on Flickr Here’s a dilemma for all you travel writers out there… What do you do when a hotel specifically tells you they do not want to be included within your article/book/website? This situation arose recently for a colleague of mine. (Those on Twitter may remember I mentioned it briefly.) I won’t [...]

I’ve been thinking a lot about guidebooks recently. When I say a lot, I mean all day, every day, for the past four months. Ok, I’m exaggerating slightly (but not much). The reason for this apparent obsession is a job of putting together a 400-page guidebook to Argentina and Uruguay. It’s going to be a [...]