Media Matters

Apart from news and views on media covering tourism, travel, and hospitality, writers, editors, photogs, and bloggers share tips, leads, ideas, news, gripes. PR reps/journos ISO press releases/trips, see also "PR/Marketing." Opinions stated are not necessarily those of Tripatini.

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How to start a travel blog in 2025: ideas and suggestions

AlexBrylov Starting a travel blog this year can be an exciting and rewarding journey, allowing you to share your adventures, inspire others, and even generate income. With evolving digital trends and increasing opportunities in the travel niche, this is the perfect time to launch your blog. Here’s a step-by-step guide, along with content ideas and suggestions to help you succeed. read post

Started by Tripatini

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A tribute to my friend, the late travel media icon Arthur Frommer

The legendary U.S. travel journalist and entrepreneur Arthur Frommer passed away November 18 at the age of 95. Born in Virginia and with an early boyhood in a small town in Missouri, Arthur was a lawyer who became a pioneering and great travel journalist, and who will be remembered as having helped open the joys of travel to the masses. While serving in the U.S. Army in Europe in the 1950s, he got the travel bug, came out with a travel guide for servicemen, and followed up in 1957 with…

Started by David Paul Appell

1 Reply · Reply by José Balido Nov 24, 2024

Free access to Encyclopaedia Britannica for journalists

My editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica has asked me to extend this offer to all my journalist colleagues. You are invited to enjoy free access to all its factchecked resources, and if you do link to a Britannica story in your articles, none of the content linked to will be paywalled. Your readers in turn will have full and free access to Britannica's content. To get your free, personal subscription, just go to britannica.com/journalists and enter the code: EXPERT-CONTENT.

Started by Buzzy Gordon

1 Reply · Reply by Michael Raviv Jul 18, 2024

What do you wear to Seven Magic Mountains?

Seven Magic Mountains is an art installation located in the Nevada desert, and the weather can be quite hot and dry. Therefore, it is recommended to wear comfortable and breathable clothing, such as shorts, t-shirts, and sandals or sneakers. You may also want to bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun. It's also a good idea to bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated. While there is no strict dress code, it's important to dress appropriately for the weather and…

Started by Trip Hippies

1 Reply · Reply by Surendra Singh Aug 7, 2023

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Comments

Lise Tyrrell September 20, 2009 at 7:23pm

Ed, what a great idea. Thank you, that would make a huge difference!
Sue Frause September 20, 2009 at 6:51pm

I still travel globally with my MacBook. No problems at customs/immigration. My stories include both my words and photos, so I need to download my pix .. I don't think you can do that with the notebooks, right? I have a great briefcase (photo here) that I use for my carry-on bag and keep it in there, along with all my reading material, etc. It's heavy, but a good work-out running through airports. I always lose weight after a big trip! I also travel with my Flip Video and Moleskine (red!).
Ed Wetschler September 20, 2009 at 6:50pm

I can't answer your question, Lise, but I can ask another one: Would connecting the Blackberry to one of those one-ounce, fold-up keyboards be of benefit?
Lise Tyrrell September 20, 2009 at 6:44pm

As yet, I haven't travelled out of the country for work but I bought a Blackberry with internet and email capabilities. I'm hoping for domestic trips, I can get by with this. Anyone else use this set up? Granted, it's no good for actual work but I was hoping it would be enough to keep me linked in.
Mary Jo Manzanares September 20, 2009 at 6:04pm

Early this year I bought a netbook specifically for a European trip. Best investment I made. I still have my other laptop for working closer to home, but for traveling light, nothing beats the lightweight netbook. I pack the ac adapter (it's not a big clunky one) and a mouse (I prefer using it over the touchpad), and I'm good to.

Total weight -- under 3 lbs. And while I abhor having to pay for internet access at a hotel, I simply cannot be out of touch for tht long. I try to get hotels to waive or reduce the fee, or just connect every other day, but being totally off grid means triple the catch up time when I get home.
Allan Lynch September 20, 2009 at 6:00pm

Yeah, I have a MacBook Pro which I love, but it doesn't fit in any normal laptop bag. I've been given five bags in the last year and none fit it.

I don't take my laptop out of the country. For one thing, as a Canadian/foreigner, travelling to the U.S. I run the risk of having it confiscated by US customs. A number of travellers have mentioned having their harddrives searched and laptops taken away - sometimes for hours, others for indefinite periods.

And since much of my work involves Europe, I find taking the laptop inconvenient. It's extra weight and extra worry. Plus there's the hassle of different electrical currents and the need for converters. There are plenty of internet cafes where I can dash in and for very little money check emails and empty out the stupid jokes from my inbox. Canadian High Commissions also provide free internet service to travelling Canadians.

I also don't have tight deadlines that require me filing from the road. I keep in constant contact with my editors so they know when I'm home and when I'm away and where and that it may be a while before I can be reached (I do keep a cell phone in London that works all over Europe, so in an emergency they can reach me via it).

On the road I love to take time each day to sit in a cafe or pub and make notes in a moleskin notebook (er, that's a real paper notebook, not a brand of computer). I find my observations and comments are vastly different from the notes I make on a computer screen. I like the "colour" pen and paper contribute.

My other issue with travelling with technology is that it becomes a type of disconnect to the place. If I have my laptop with me, I usually end up emailing the same people I converse with all the time and visit the same websites as opposed to being out on the streets of this foreign destination.

So I travel with my camera, microcassette recorder, pens and paper. It's old fashioned, but practical.
José Balido September 20, 2009 at 5:24pm

I don't have one yet, but I think Netbooks are the way to go for travel writers on the go.... My own laptop has like a 19" screen, which is great for graphics work I do, but it's a PAIN for lugging on the road. I even had to buy a special over-sized bookbag for it!
Ed Wetschler September 20, 2009 at 5:07pm

Joyce, I love the Verizon Fios deal that throws in a free Netbook. Only downside is, you're stuck with Verizon service. Verizon service. Oxymoron.
Joyce Copeland September 20, 2009 at 5:03pm

I just bought a Netbook. Small, light. Incredibly easy to use. I love it!
Ed Wetschler September 20, 2009 at 4:43pm

Mary Alice, I never travel without my laptop because I'm most comfortable doing emails etc. in my room--especially on a rush-rush trip. Many hotels will waive the wi-fi fee for travel writers. In addition, I need the laptop for photography. But if you don't mind putting clothes back on to go downstairs to the business center, if you're not taking a lot of large photos, and/or if you're carrying plenty of memory discs (may I please borrow one for my head?), then certainly, it's much easier on the soul to travel light.