Did you Declare your Porn?

What?! As an American living in Australia I have flown in an out of Australian almost more times than I can count. That means filling out countless declaration forms and going through immigration. I must really NOT be reading the forms because apparently it asks you to declare any pornography you may or may not be bringing into the country. Don't tell Customs, but I was once told unless you are carrying an excessive amount of raw food, it's best to just tick NO to everything.

So that is what I do. But I can also honestly say I've never brought home any pornography on any of my trips. This article was very interesting, and quite enlightening. Evidently the Australian Sex Party has stood up for the rights of its members and petitioned to have the claim forms amended to read 'illegal pornography' instead of simply pornography. This act was meant to save innocent couples from revealing their romantic holiday photos.

Yet, even with the amendment, there are no provision stated as to what constitutes illegal porn versus allowed porn. Hmm...a very interesting article for the travel section I have to say, and I am a bit surprised to see it in the travel section. I don't even really know if this should count as news to be honest. Maybe it should just be press release on the Sex Parties website, not a top article in the Sydney Morning Herald Travel section. What a joke.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/porn-laws-confuse-travellers-20101018-16qn6.html

Google Triumphs Again

As a marketer, Google has stuck me with a double edged sword. In order to reach my consumer I have to jump through 100 flaming hoops in my website creation and content management. And just when I think I've got it figured out, Google changes the rules to push me back in search rankings.

But as a consumer I love Google. It helps me find everything I need quickly and easily. At least I think so- maybe the best companies struggle like me to figure the SEO game out, and only the slimy ones get through the search results.

I guess it's a risk we all have to take. But that aside- Google is set to come out with something truly fantastic, a Travel aggregator! According to this article I found on the Sydney Morning Herald, Google is in the process of developing a new search function with a soon to be acquired travel software company to help consumers troll the mess of travel websites for the very best deals.

As it stands currently, even though there are countless flight search sites, I still find I must check at least 5 to 10 websites to find the very best deal. And even then, the prices are changing so frequently I must check them all again everyday. I consider myself an expert in finding the best travel deals, with all the jet-setting I do, and have felt the lack of a suitable product in the market for finding deals.

This article is not only extremely exciting for travel enthusiasts and the thrifty traveller, but anyone really who finds online booking a bit of a challenge. This new development is a consumers dream, and a commercial nightmare. It will force travel agents, travel companies, and airlines to be more transparent with their pricing, and I am hoping it will push prices down in order to foster more competition.

As far as the article itself goes, I enjoyed it as it is suited for the travel section, it's well written, and well researched. It provides good insights from the right sources, but my only critique is I'm really not sure where the end paragraph about Expedia fits into the overall article. It's a bit off topic if you ask me. It would be great if they were able to provide additional links, or potentially a time frame to look forward to. I guess we will just have to keep checking back!


http://www.smh.com.au/travel/traveller-tips/google-travel-search-revolution-a-giant-leap-20101007-169cv.html

Airline seats even smaller?!

They're charging us for check on luggage, charging us for carry on luggage, charging us for exit row seats. Airlines all over the world post global financial crisis have been doing everything they can to stay afloat. Just when we thought the limited space between rows in the cattle section couldn't get any worse an aviation company in Italy has pushed the boundaries even further.

In an article on smh.com.au, they reveal the world's smallest airline seat, resembling the seats from a 15 second roller-coaster ride. It seems at a recent Airline Expo in California many airlines revealed future plans of radical ways to cut costs and pack more passengers on every flight. One such strategy European budget airlines Ryanair uncovered was the idea of creating a series of 'standing' rows in the back of the plane. 
I find it really hard to believe the lengths airlines are going to make our journeys that much more PAINFUL. The flights aren't getting any cheaper, if anything they are becoming more expensive and more uncomfortable. They should really be investigating ways to save money that don't involve negative repercussions on the consumer.

Airlines like V Australia and Richard Branson's suite of airlines have it right. They offer great service, reasonable food, reasonable seating, and great prices. If they can figure it out why can't these other airlines?! This is a great travel article because it's letting the consumer know what we are in for before it happens and we become more involved in the behind the scenes workings of the travel industry. Unless the cost of the ticket was 50% less than it is now there is no way I would be caught sitting on the roller-coaster seat!




http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/saddle-up-worlds-smallest-airline-seat-unveiled-20100914-15ad6.html

Tired of Hotels? Try a Homestay!

Ever thought of visiting India? Interested in getting a truly unique cultural experience? It seems there are more and more local options to get a new travel experience. According to this article Homestays, namely in India, are becoming more and more popular as a lodging option.

This article in The Guardian.co.uk stuck out to me. I've only ever heard of Homestays through Study abroad programs or student travel sites. At first glance it's a pretty straightforward and informative article, but a bit stiff for me. The author gives us a very simple intro into the growing popularity of Homestays, but with no evidence of this 'trend.' They then launch into a list of possible Homestays options in India with some background on the property, location, area, and what's included.

Nelpura homestay, Alappuzha, Kerala" width="460" height="276">
What I think would be great would be an accompanying article that gives a few peoples personal experiences on one of these homestays and possibly some ratings. As the article sits now, it seems to be a marketing push by a Homestay agency that represents the different properties. If you look closely you can notice that under each 'Homestay' option is a link to a lot of the same websites. My keen (some may say skeptical) sales and marketing eye makes me think the site may have paid some sort of advertising fee to be featured in this article. But on further inspection it seems possibly the author was given an 'assignment' to find out some Homestay options and he/she simply googled the topic and this is what they found. The author doesn't really have any heart or any real investigative information about these places. So on that front it's a rather weak article because they author hasn't done any reporting.

While I like the premise of the article, picking a new and different way to stay while traveling, the article was not executed well. The author could have added so many other dimensions to the story and provided more useful and practical information for potential travellers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/sep/07/india-homestays-top-10

Think you know London? Think again!

I've been to London a handful of times, but every time it's been in transit between European romps, and only for a very short time. I've stayed in a couple different suburbs, but never had enough time to really explore. Sadly, I think this is a picture of London the large proportion of masses get as it's seen as a hub to the prettier, and better weathered countries of Europe. However, it seems there truly are some gems 'off the beaten path' as close as East London.


This is the kind of travel article I have been craving and I'm so happy that I found it. It combines all the things I think a great travel article should have: A new discovery, sensory experiences, setting a scene the reader can become immersed in, and an objective surveying of what the location has to offer. I was instantly drawn in by the authors tone and style, she made me want to hop on a plane to London and bicycle to East London tomorrow.

One of my favourite descriptions in the article was "On a recent visit, I was browsing the shelves of house-made jams with the cookbook author Anissa Helou, who sometimes holds cooking classes in her nearby loft, and after we stepped outside, a perfectly silent electric car whipped around the corner. The driver and Ms. Helou knew each other, and as they said their hellos under a bank of trees four stories tall, I felt that I was looking into the future, to a time when cities are gentle and everybody is friendly."

Her descriptions of the artsy and eclectic neighbourhoods of easygoing cafe culture was a stark juxtaposition of the mad streets of Central London. Perhaps the fact that most of the areas in East London are not properly served by the underground service helps the area keep its quaintness. No matter the cause, it's refreshing to discover through the authors article that there are hidden gems in London, and even sources of culinary prowess outside of some overly greasy fish and chips in a dingy pub.

Not only did it draw me in with her colourful anecdotes, but also it gave a widespread appraisal of several nearby areas and hot spots to hit depending on your personal interests. In addition to that, the article concludes with an easy to understand list of places to visit if you decide to go. I've listed these suggestions below. More articles like this please!!

IF YOU GO

Boundary (2-4 Boundary Street; 44-20-7729-1051; theboundary.co.uk). Doubles from £200, or $302 at $1.52 to the pound.

Broadway Market (broadwaymarket.co.uk). Open Saturdays.

Caravan (3 Redchurch Street; 44-20-7033-3532; caravanstyle.com).

Columbia Road Flower Market (columbiaroad.info). Open Sundays.

Fin and Flounder (71 Broadway Market; 44-783-801-8395; www.finandflounder.com).

Hostem (41-43 Redchurch Street; 44-20-7739 9733; hostem.co.uk).

Leila’s Shop (17 Calvert Avenue; 44-20-7729-9789).

Rochelle Canteen (Rochelle School, Arnold Circus; 44-20-7729-5677; arnoldandhenderson.com).

Shoreditch House (Ebor Street; 44-20-7739-5040; shoreditchhouse.com) Double rooms from £75.

Towpath (Regent’s Canal by Whitmore Bridge).

Violet (47 Wilton Way; violetcakes.com).

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/travel/05nextstop.html?ref=travel

Uncovering Travel Secrets

I recently found this article on the SMH website and was drawn to it. Typically when reading travel articles on mainstream websites we only get the hot spots. You know the places I'm talking about- New York, London, India, Thailand...the list goes one. Essentially it's the places we've already heard about 100 times...and they authors are scraping for new things to say about them.

But this place, Da Nang, Vietnam, is somewhere I've never heard of. Vietnam has been on my hit list of places to visit for a while, but I've never looked too closer into my options of places to go outside of Hanoi. Sure, if you've been you may have come across it. But as the article leads us to believe it's never been a tourist destination, but a hidden gem that tourist happen to stumble upon on the way from one hot spot to the next. Yet it seems people are now starting to notice what travel surprises it has to offer from culinary to cultural respite.

One of my favourite excerpts from the article is "Da Nang was like the middle child between two over-achieving siblings, who was largely left to do its own thing."


I enjoyed this article not only because it's offering something different and new, but also because it's written in such a way that the reader is able to find themselves at the table with the author. We get to enjoy the powerful flavours of the clam dish, and feel our guts full of tasty treats while staring out at the beautiful sea. A large number of travellers only like to stick to the beaten track.

However, for those of us who like to step off the trail and discover something new, this article is great for that. It's not a cut and dry travel sales article where a tour company is suggested- it's an experiential viewpoint. My few gripes are that if you read the bottom of the article you find out the author was a guest of a specific accommodation & specific travel company. I would rather see authors who have made their own way and formed an objective view of several places to give their own suggestion.

I would have liked several accommodation suggestions, and maybe some pros and cons about the place instead of all pros. But overall I enjoyed the style of writing as well as offering up a new destination.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/look-whos-coming-out-of-the-shell-20100902-14qc5.html

Paris: City of Romance or Raunch?

As part of a 'Paris' special series of articles, including a photo tour, tips on getting there, how to get around when you are there and cheap trip options, I chose the 'Paris for Beginners' article.
Having travelled to Paris a few times in my backpacking career, I could have used a bit of real world advice that may have saved me some pain and suffering. I headed to Paris after high school, full of romantic dreams ready to use my French and eat baguettes. When I arrived I realized the French were stereotyped rude because they actually were rude. Horribly rude. No one would listen to my 'French' or help me at all when I was completely lost and could not find my hostel, walking over 10kms with a 25kg backpack...that it just a small snapshot.



In this article, the author gives a rather brief overview of how to get around and some pros and a few cons. It's a pretty fluffy article if you ask me and I'm not convinced it really gives any concrete tips for first time visitors to Paris. I think the fact that the audience is American the author really should have highlighted the 'right' when to act when you arrive- say you are Canadian! The French HATE Americans among others.

Paris is a beautiful city, I would not discount that. There are so many great things to do, but I think it's important for travellers to be realistic on their first visit. If you have stacks of money to spend and can afford luxury then Paris will be a breeze for you. But for the rest of us we need to know where to go where people might be helpful, what French to know, and how to pretend to have a French accent!

One thing I definitely agreed with the author on was the fact that one might be able to overlook hitting up the Louvre. Unless you are an art fanatic it's best to avoid a huge headache. I personally didn't go in- it was overpriced (i was a starving backpacker) and the lines were insane. Everyone I spoke to said they could have not gone in-you couldn't even see the Mona Lisa because in real life it was tiny, had a massive protective cover over it, and the crowd around it was about 10 deep in every direction.

So this article in my opinion could have offered much better 'first time' insight.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-paris-20100822,0,3185666.story