Niche’ audiences: Adaptive skiers

Chapter 2 of the text describes special sets of audience segments such as students and seniors who consume travel journalism. Many ski resorts have eyes set on another special group of travelers. According to a report by npr news, ski resorts are reaching out to travelers with disabilities. According to the story, All resorts on Forest Service land must offer adaptive skiing under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Adaptive skiing allows an individual with physical disabilities the ability to ski down the mountain like an able bodied person. The NPR story focuses on a family new to the activity and presents the travel journalist an opportunity to reach out to an eager niche’ audience. Have a look, or listen.


Video and heritage travel in Australia

Chapter 6 explains the intersection between two growing trends. The first discusses travelers who book their trips online while the other is the audience for travel video. Chapter 3 then breaks down topic niches’ for travel journalism stories including the heritage niche’. Lonely Planet posted a video that intersects the growing online travel video trend with the heritage niche’ topic. Their video titled “Melbourne’s artistic underbelly” features a part of Australia’s culture that is often over looked because of it’s lack of mainstream luster: its street art.

The video depicts a growing niche’ topic for travel journalists to explore. The street artists in Melbourne are now taking it upon themselves, much like the advice in the text, to lead groups of tourists as tour guides of Australia’s most overlooked artistic gems. The relatively short video encourages visitors to engage with and participate in these street art tours. The tour guides highlight the fact…

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Digital divide

This digital divide has less to do with socio-economic status and its relation to the inability of poor class people to access information electronically. Instead this division spreads older and younger generations apart in their views toward traveling, according to Corey Breier. Corey Breier an (young) author/contributor for the Matador Network identifies himself as a part of the “Digital Generation.” As a member of the digital generation Breier admits to spending months in front of a digital screen of some sort in contrast to an older generation who may have spent their time say, playing in the mud. This exposure to the digital world according to Breier has somewhat spoiled his traveling experience. Here’s an example of the author’s opinion:

To be fair, it does make life more interesting — I keep expecting cloned dinosaurs to pop out at me in the Hawaiian jungle, and graboids from Tremors to snatch me out of the sands of Anza-Borrego.

Yet…

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Lowering language barrier

The Resources lists gadgets and apps every travel journalist should carry. David Miller of the Matador Network recently wrote about revolutionary technology for the travel journalist. Technology that will completely lower the language barrier between strangers from different cultures. Here’s a bit from Miller’s article,

This technology is still in its nascent form, but as more languages are added and the technology is refined, everyone from business travelers to anthropologists will be able to interact with locals in ways that were previously inaccessible or which necessitated having a 3rd person there.

 


Keep in touch

Chapter 4 encourages the travel journalist to learn cheap, simple, multimedia tools to help cover stories in a home market or on the road. Travel Writers Exchange’s Martina Vyskocova delivers an additional tool in 5 tips on Keeping in Touch With Your Audience While Traveling. Check out one of her tips:

Automatize, it’s the 21st Century!
So, you’ve picked 2 or 3 social media platforms and now wonder how on earth will you manage to keep in touch will all the followers while traveling? There are several tools to make a writer’s life easier.

  • TweetAdder is an automated Twitter management system that thanks people who RT you, auto-responds and brings you more followers. It saves lot of time,…

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Sleep capsules

Resources gives the travel journalist advice on how to travel on a shoestring. Pod hotels are listed as a resource to consider in order to sleep comfortably for a considerably low rate. Taken a step further are the Japanese capsule rooms. The rooms are about 3 ¼ feet wide and 6 ½ feet long – just enough for a bed, a small lcd tv, an alarm clock built into the wall, and free wifi. These tiny rooms go for about $46 a night. Perfect for any backpacker.


More to blogging

Getting published is no longer just about sending letters to magazine and newspaper editors. According to John Jantsch, an author and contributor at ducttapemarketing.com, blogging isn’t enough anymore either. Jantsch offers this advice on how to have an easily accessible optimized blog:

I believe the best approach currently and in the foreseeable future calls for a 2-prong strategy to content development that feeds both readers and spiders. I believe that we must create what I’m calling classes of content that address the growing demand for real-time updates and long-term sustainability. When I talk about classes I’m talking about how we build, display, link to and optimize our content. I believe we need develop content strategies along these two classes: attraction content and foundation content


New media new market

Chapter 6 explains to writers how to use social media to drive audience engagement. In addition to this advice Matthew Barker an author at travel-writers-exchange advises writers to expand their portfolios to access new markets, particularly online avenues. Barker shares,

For an online publisher, your article is only half of your product. They are also looking for writers with extensive social media reach and name authority that can be used to cross-promote their contributions.
You can provide this by:
▪ Choosing a niche and become an authority: post frequently about your subject on your own blog, and in guest posts on other blogs and sites. Aim to become known as “the expert” in your niche, whatever that may be (Peruvian cuisine, SE Asian beaches, French walking holidays, etc).
▪ Building your blog’s traffic & subscribers….

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Lose the translator

Chapter 4 advises travelers on how to seek inexpensive but yet effective translators in foreign locations. What if the traveler gets separated or can no longer afford that translator? Not to worry Budget Travel.com’s Melody Warnick offers a few steps of advice that should be able to get the writer through the day.

A few are: Listen to Pronunciation Before you go. And learn key phrases like, “where’s the bathroom and how much does that cost.”

Trying to become fluent in a language for a week of traveling is illogical and not necessary. Learn a few key phrases, download some apps, and ask your concierge or clerk at the hotel for key phrases and pronunciations then go experience.


A local friend in your pocket

As a travel writer, conducting research on a destination while traveling is a sure way
to miss out on some great opportunities. Inevitably, however, without a local connection the travel writer will come to a point when she wants to explore more than she has researched.

Field Trip, a GoogleApp, might just be the traveler’s solution to this dilemma. As Google describes it,

“Field Trip is like having a local friend with you as you make your way through the city.”

Here’s a bit offered by Field Trip:

“Field Trip is your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you. Field Trip runs in the background on your phone. When you get close to something interesting, it pops up a card with details about the location. No click is required. If you have a headset or bluetooth connected, it can even read the info…

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