How do you quantify the value derived from exchanging unsold travel & tourism inventory for media exposure?
The concept of converting unsold inventory into marketing assets is equally relevant when applied to hosting travel writers (or any media specialist, for that matter).
Unsold bed-nights or packaged tour itinerary tickets, empty seats in restaurants, on tour coaches, and on airlines are very much like perishable products in the FMCG sector – if they're not sold by the due date, they’re gone forever.
Historical data, however, should provide an indication of average unsold inventory. In the accommodation sector, for example, global average occupancy rates for hotels can range anywhere between 60% to 80%. In South Africa, the occupancy rate of hotels and similar establishments in 2021 amounted to just 23%. (Statista, Nov 8, 2022).
In financial terms, this means that hospitality establishments are losing between 20% to 80% of their inventory. Inventory that could easily be con...
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At this week's meetup in Melbourne we met a student who writes a travel journal on his own Discord server, and shares it with a small group of close friends.
If you're not familiar with Discord, it's an instant messaging service similar to Slack, where you can host your own "server" to chat with your group or community. Discord is primarily used by gamers and live-streamers, but people are using it for other forms of communication, including travel blogging!
Do you write a travel journal? And if so, what platforms or apps do you use?
I tried journaling but it didn't stick, so now I mostly write down observations in my phone notes app. Though the romantisism of journaling does cross my mind every now and then, especially when looking at pretty notebooks :)
I have written thousands of pages in my travel journals and I work exclusively in hard copy. It feels more satisfying - in terms of both creativity and tactile sensation - to compose my thoughts and record my observations by putting pen to paper rather than typing on a device. Plus this platform is free from the bonds of electricity and connectivity. In this moment where so many people feel an urge to share everything with everyone, analog writing for an audience of one is an act of rebellion.
When I want to share my adventures and insights from my travels, I have a wealth of raw material from which to draw in composing my magazine articles, blog posts, and social media content. For my expeditions in the arctic my platform is Rite In The Rain journals paired with the Fisher Space Pen. I have never run out of batteries and never had to rely on an internet connection. It's a delightfully pure connection between thought and word, transmitting from the mind to the physical world.
I'm using the Day One app for general purpose journalling, and have made it a pretty solid habit for at least 3 months now. Prior to using the app I was using pen and paper which is also very enjoyable. The main thing I like about using an app is that I can attach a photo to each entry.
For travel journalling, I'd be using the blogging platform on my own website Travellerspoint, though in the past I've never been particularly good at keeping the habit. Now that I've developed a daily journalling habit though, I think it will be a breeze next time around.
My main aim with journalling is to have a record to look back on later.
I have played at the thought of using Discord for travel blogging, but never did get around to attempting it. However, I'm a huge fan of Polarsteps - I'm an early adopter of the app. I simple create my trip, let it track where I go, and then come back later to add photos and my thoughts. Everything appears on a beautiful map, and I get to go back and retrace my steps on each trip, which I actually do pretty often!
I do have a blog website too (which I have revamped under a new domain name), but I'm a little slow to update that one because of the care with words and design.
1) For myself: I use just a normal paper notebook I take everywhere with me – only writing there when it's something more significant, not all the time.
2) For friends and family: I also post on social media some travel updates every now and then and I include my impressions. I also have a family group chat where I share more instant impressions and photos.
3) For everyone else: And travel blog for more structured way of sharing information / travel experiences.
I write mostly on my own website, PubClub.com, and freelance for a couple of others (Men Who Blog, Cruise West Coast). I also write for Medium, which is a very big blogging network.
I love hearing about this! I journal via my blog posts on my website (like the old days, before we knew about SEO, when we visited each other's websites daily). I'm convinced all will gravitate back to websites for these things. =)
I couldn't find a great visual travel journal so I started OnRoute (www.theonrouteapp.com). I use it to keep track of where I've gone on my trips and often find myself reaching for it to show people when they ask where I've been or what I've done :)
I’m kinda old school. I journal by hand when I can. It’s a great way to slow down and collect your thoughts.