tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102991782011-11-30T17:24:28.580ZOff-topic ramblings of an online travel editorAlastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.comBlogger4311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-72147232469441824412011-11-02T08:30:00.002Z2011-11-02T08:48:35.630Z

... and the Vatican. Now there is something I truthfully never ever expected to hear come from my lips! But they get it. They understand the two TOTALLY CRUCIAL changes that have to be made to our financial system in order to avoid another full-scale global financial meltdown and all that might come with it (including conflict, which is why I expect they are so concerned). At least I think

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-65043345786355973392011-08-13T16:30:00.001Z2011-08-13T16:33:05.491Z

Sharing the news in Addis Ababa (Photo:  Terje S. Skjerdal) I did something last week I haven't done for two or three years - I bought a newspaper. It was the Sunday Times. These days, with Murdoch's asinine firewall in place, I don't even see The Times or Sunday Times.  I really rather enjoyed it. I went to the pub and enjoyed a pint and a read. It reminded me that years ago, I and

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-13957856193443092212011-06-12T10:33:00.000Z2011-06-12T10:33:57.297Z

[I'll soon be moving to a new blog in my new Travel-Lists website. Rather than simply close this blog, I'm intending to change the title and use it for occasional off-topic posts. Consider this as the first of those.] I started watching the new drama series Camelot last night. It looked quite promising. Then, 15 mins in came an ad break, and I gave up on it. Pity. It's not that I don't watch

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-31242985011248410022011-06-06T10:08:00.000Z2011-06-06T10:08:06.052Z

The Istana's swimming pool Well there's something I've not seen before - a real estate press release, distributed to travel journos. You can sort of see the thinking though. The Istana is a luxurious villa in Bali, available for holiday lets and has apparantly been regularly featured in the likes of Conde Naste Traveller and the New York Times... and it's up for sale. What does the spec say?

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-278811303617727802011-06-02T14:28:00.000Z2011-06-02T14:28:01.785Z

This is a bit startling. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is launching a campaign to try and convince British nationals (they estimate there are 12m of them) who might be planning to visit friends and family abroad - what we used to call "the VFR market" (Visiting Friend and Relatives) in the old days - to take travel insurance with them as well as teabags. They've been doing some

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-59439588846388042872011-05-20T11:00:00.000Z2011-05-20T11:00:01.127Z

 (Photo: flickr/geoftheref) RunawayJuno has written an excellent post today about a child's excitement on their first flight. She asks the question "do you remember your first time?" I don't, but it reminded me of a couple of other travelling firsts. I remember both having a huge impact on me. My first time in America. It was Boston and I remember walking out of the hotel and seeing a police

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-8016913594770767952011-05-16T08:36:00.000Z2011-05-16T08:36:41.905Z

How many new windows can you open? Ok you programmers & developers out there, what's the latest thinking on this? Site wide external links should open in a new tab/window (target="_blank") or the current tab? The purists always used to say 'current', but that's not the way I like to work so I've always made my links open in new tabs.  That's because when I'm browsing I ALWAYS open links in new

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-47902087702824504582011-05-10T13:28:00.005Z2011-05-10T13:42:50.116Z

I was talking to Yoshimi Ogura from ANA - All Nippon Airways, last night at the APRO (Airline Public Relations Organisation) event.We were discussing the Boeing 737 Dreamliner, for which ANA is the launch customer.As you probably know the Dreamliner has had a less than perfect development with endless delays. Since 2007 the delivery date (originally scheduled for May 2008) has been postponed at

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-28721056127148457732011-05-10T12:41:00.007Z2011-05-10T13:04:26.511Z

(Oops! Long gap since last post. I've been a bit buried recently, working on a new home for Travel-Lists and for this blog. Watch this space)I had an interesting time at the APRO (Airline Public Relations Organisation) evening last night - sponsored by Qatar Airways (thank you, guys) who are, not just the *'Best Airline in the World', but are also expanding like crazy at the moment.Last year

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-24751851960376280132011-04-18T09:23:00.008Z2011-04-18T10:41:58.767Z

It's been an interesting few days here in the Asturias region of northern Spain. It's not my first visit to the region, but the last time was very brief. On this trip I've been travelling with a group of blogger friends through an incredible range of landscapes from sandy beach resorts on the coast to remote pastures high in the mountains, en route I've learned how unique shellfish are harvested,

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-5199683819621658892011-04-11T10:48:00.009Z2011-05-20T08:26:47.809Z

I have a prediction for you. Nothing very momentous. In around five years you are going to be sitting on a long haul flight. At some point en route you'll turn to your companion and say something like "That's the third or fourth person I've seen stick their hand up and wave it. Why don't they use their button to attract the cabin attendents? ... Who, I notice, are ignoring them anyway!" "Re-cogs

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-52497551367186255102011-03-31T09:21:00.009Z2011-03-31T10:45:15.428Z

What a shame.These things are always subjective, and I don't want to be overly critical because this is not at all a bad attempt to list the most influential online journalists & bloggers, but there are just too many of the former and not enough of the latter.On Tuesday, Sunshine published its list of the "Top 50 Travel Journalists and Bloggers to follow on Twitter" on its blog. Their declared

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-73605487273421170652011-03-24T21:29:00.005Z2011-03-24T22:06:38.456Z

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Virgin Atlantic for winning Travel Brand of the Decade... and to all the other winners this evening...including Flagship Consulting (photo).For travel consumers and travel journalists/bloggers the marketing awards given by the Chartered Institute of Marketing - Travel Industry Group (CIMTIG) may seem boring and irrelevent, but this is important/influential stuff.Only

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-45196420015720928402011-03-19T09:56:00.004Z2011-03-19T10:09:49.787Z

Hmmm, let's see...Tickets from £20 to £2,000Long queuesOfficious securityA ban on liquids over 100mlNo items that could be used as an offensive weapon eg umbrella, tripod Where shall I go next summer? The Olympics or the airport?Well clearly I'll be made to feel welcome at neither, but, according to The Independent, the airport is looking the more attractive option.At least at the airport I'll be

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-88633672161314047242011-03-16T17:29:00.003Z2011-03-16T17:37:48.608Z

I had a chance to talk to John Penrose, the Minister for Tourism & Heritage this morning on the way to the Best of Britain & Ireland show at the NEC, Birmingham.This is what he had to say.

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-62062578789832968102011-03-15T15:22:00.007Z2011-05-20T09:25:09.089Z

So... I'm a bit worried what I might do the first time this crops up in an interview I'm conducting, because it has become my absolute pet hate just recently. I've been lucky so* far, but there has been a noticeably sudden and alarming rise in the number of times I hear this, and what worries me is that it has become a fashionable affectation that we're going to hear more and more.... and

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-70367171342017557442011-03-10T18:39:00.004Z2011-03-10T18:56:23.859Z

I was struck today by a post in PR Week on the buoyant or otherwise, mood of PR & Marketing folk facing an economic downturn.Unfortunately for the author, and (so far, only) comment-poster, their frame of reference is a little thin. They are judging the effects of a downturn based on the ups & downs of the last decade.Should they be fearing a proper grown-up downturn?Duh,yeah!If you work in the

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-24684999884368862522011-03-06T16:28:00.016Z2011-03-07T09:14:37.180Z

I've been looking through some of my old Delicious bookmarks (Hands up if you didn't know Delicious is under threat) and realised I could easily mess with your day by creating a list of 20 compulsive websites that will definitely prevent a consciencious travel blogger/journalist, PR or travel professional from doing the work they should be doing. Deadline, you are so busted! MuhahahahaRock, Paper

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-84133120558588929702011-03-06T15:41:00.006Z2011-03-07T07:27:27.323Z

Back in December, Yahoo announced they were restructuring (downsizing) some of their services, including the popular bookmarking tool Delicious.com (I'm sure it used to be del.icio.us when it first launched, didn't it?), which they plan to either sell or close down. So there's a good chance somebody may take it over if they can see a way of 'monetising' (I hate that word so much) it. This is what

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-10072457731382349392011-03-04T09:30:00.004Z2011-03-04T09:54:26.686Z

Is it just me, or does anybody else get this problem?Skype - a brilliant tool for communication, but it takes two!How many times do I agree with somebody to meet up or keep in touch on skype, exchange usernames, find them in the skype directory and send them an invitation... only to be met with silence?It happens all the time.Do people not understand the skype invitation? It's not an invitation

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-39541736654433906332011-03-04T08:20:00.007Z2011-03-04T09:24:54.018Z

I'm becoming an evangelist for Poken.com (maybe I should ask for a commission or something!). I'd really like to see the travel industry press and PRs using Poken regularly at press events, product launches and other travel trade gatherings. In fact, I'd go further than that: I think every day Pokens (not sure what the plural is) are not 'part of the furniture' at travel industry gatherings

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-54153706096117399522011-02-21T11:15:00.004Z2011-02-21T11:25:28.266Z

I'm way too old for this, but I've always thought it looked fun! So I'll pass the info on...LAST CALL FOR SUMMER CAMP USAFinal round of nationwide interview sessions in MarchBUNAC, the provider of summer camp adventures and gap year experiences, is holding a final round of interview days throughout March in major cities around the UK for candidates interested in working with children on Summer

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-72826775351470044772011-01-24T19:06:00.004Z2011-01-25T02:53:12.116Z

Some background detail about the #bgtw2oman tag.Every year the British Guild of Travel Writers (approx 275 members) holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in a, supposedly(!), alternating destination either in the UK or abroad. Recent AGMs for example have been held in Tenerife, York, Malta, Aviemore, Cyprus, Cyprus,etc.The event is hosted by the destinations (who year on year tell us they get an

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-33165000441542904292010-12-14T13:28:00.005Z2010-12-14T14:09:04.160Z

bmi have made me smile over the years as they doggedly hung on to their lowercase corporate identity - a bit of a fashion faux pas from the last century - while the rest of the world moved on.It's quaint in a sort of 'mullets will make a comeback, you'll see!' kind of way.So I'm delighted to see that bmi have still not quite let go of their beloved mullet lowercase in today's revelation of their

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-63761238509551451152010-11-18T21:25:00.003Z2010-11-18T21:36:44.878Z

People are still puzzled by Net Neutrality and why it is so crucially important to everyone, so here's my quick summary...The way I remember it, or at least the first time I remember reading about it (and geek historians please step in here because I'm on the stratospheric edge of my techie understanding), it all started a few years back when there was some scratching of heads in the boardrooms

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-54825228638534880552010-11-18T19:08:00.010Z2010-11-18T22:26:22.650Z

All that careful makeover work to re-brand the Conservatives as 'NOT the Nasty Party' was a bit of a waste. Whenever the Tories get into power they always start selling off anything that 'we' own or cherish and isn't nailed down, to their chums. This time is no different. They've already made a start on our forests and woodlands. Now it's our Internet.I wasn't surprised that Culture (that's a

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-799555464968040962010-11-11T12:10:00.005Z2010-11-11T12:48:04.603Z

I'm a bit behind the vanguard on this, but it is a good point, made here in the Social Media ROI blog back in April, which in turn referred to the second half of this video post by Loic Lemeur.We need to look out for and challenge on sight any references to social media "emerging". SM is not "emerging media". It is simply "media".It may be evolving and expanding, but not emerging - it did that

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-71014730422334701372010-11-06T16:58:00.003Z2010-11-06T17:35:54.064Z

Everyone seems to have breathed a sigh of relief after last week's printer cartridge bomb alert because it appears to be an air freight issue, not an air passenger issue.As nightmarish as the scale of the security problem is for the air cargo industry, to the undoubted relief of the chairmen of Ryanair & British Airways, not to mention squillions of travellers, nobody seems to be talking about

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-25003200054411935592010-10-01T18:49:00.004Z2010-10-01T18:58:27.287Z

You know, flying is a miserable experience these days.I think Cebu Pacific Airlines and Virgin Atlantic should be applauded for injecting a little joy back into the aviation world this week.Thanks guys :)

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-21783942246903073362010-10-01T08:34:00.005Z2010-10-01T09:51:40.860Z

A little fact-checking is always a good thing. On Weds, the China Daily News reported that the new Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed train had, the day before, set a new world speed record with a run peaking at 416.6 kph (258.8 mph).Later that day, Popular Science magazine ran the story - which is where I picked it up - but acknowledged their source, International Business Times.As I started writing

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-40348000512625932972010-09-20T15:20:00.004Z2010-09-20T16:45:03.720Z

How does this bloody work then?!It has fascinated me in a macabre sort of way for as long as I can remember...The way a piece of text can change as it switches medium or goes 'live'.We all know this. We have all done it. You work diligently, carefully, comprehensively on a document on your word processor. When it is finished you hit the print button and wander over to the printer to collect it.

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-67741105026784072282010-09-17T12:51:00.006Z2010-09-17T14:07:41.033Z

I've just caught up with this bit of news, which I think did the rounds earlier this week - a new database of troublesome guests notified by subscribing hotels, B&Bs, campsite and other accommodation owners, who, in turn can quickly check for potential trouble-makers before taking a booking.It's interesting because this is the first time I've seen this sort of blacklist out in the open.The first

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-74383188604570686432010-09-15T11:50:00.006Z2010-09-15T13:04:38.607Z

A colleague from the Guild, Jane Anderson who runs the excellent 101Honeymoons website, tweeted excitedly this morning: "We've made it to the Good Web Guide".'Congratulations!' I was thinking (and was about to tweet in reply) as I checked their entry and then began to nose around the GoodWebGuide to see who else was on it and what the criteria are for being accepted.It turns out of course, cash

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-47348137347758962132010-09-15T11:49:00.000Z2010-09-15T11:50:23.222Z

OMG! I knew I was long overdue for a new blog post, but I had no idea how overdue! Sorry! Normal service resuming soon.

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-58548701648677531812010-08-07T13:01:00.003Z2010-08-07T14:59:10.003Z

If you plan to host a travel bloggers fam trip, here are some guidelines. Background Firstly the disclaimer: this guide is based on my experience of only ONE (sorry!) blogger trip, BUT... somewhere approaching a hundred traditional media press trips since I started as a travel journalist in 1988. In June 2010 a "crack Spanish social media team brought together by Land of Valencia's Joan

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-4753391937108840832010-08-05T18:38:00.000Z2010-08-05T17:39:07.597Z

You know that thing where you run your finger around the lip of a thin wine glass and set up a harmonic tone... thereby according to popular folklore, killing a sailor somewhere in the world...?I've just done a terrible thing and I feel so guilty. I've killed off a peasant. Well... maybe not killed him exactly, but killed off his livelihood and thrown him and his miserable family out of their

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-90094859625373044222010-08-04T16:32:00.011Z2010-08-04T17:43:02.394Z

That was an interesting/fun day yesterday. I was invited down to Cowes (Isle of Wight) by Oman Sail to watch their boats racing. Being Cowes Week, I was expecting to see their Extreme 40 catamarans out with the other classes racing around the Solent (I was even trying to explain to a non-sailor on the way there, how sailing courses are laid out in 'sausages' & 'triangles'), but no. Extreme

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-12369207603126050492010-07-13T10:13:00.004Z2010-07-13T11:02:36.316Z

There's an interesting 'trade' news item today - Blue Air have appointed Flights Directors.For those who don't know them, Flight Directors have been around for a long time. They are a specialist sales & representation company for foreign airlines. Basically, they provide point of presence (POP) services for small airlines in the UK; handling reservations, marketing, promotion and liaison with

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-50184532015315582252010-07-05T10:20:00.004Z2010-07-05T10:43:27.898Z

Aw, what a shame!Last week we were all enjoying little train symbols running around the live tube map and now we're looking at a dead page.The problem is, the live tube map and dozens of other applications that have sprung up since Transport for London (TfL) started giving app developers free access to their live train data in the middle of last month, have been so popular TfL's servers have been

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-63980867724683248482010-07-04T17:18:00.006Z2010-07-04T17:55:57.825Z

Benidorm may not seem the obvious location for a 5-star spa hotel but discreetly perched up in the hills on the outskirts of the resort (technically on the outskirts of its neighbouring resort, Albir), is the newly opened Sha Wellness Clinic - an architecturally stunning 33-room hotel/spa/clinic where guests can relax, recuperate and restore their health with a program of macrobiotic diets and

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-19584558411189626772010-07-03T08:41:00.008Z2010-07-03T12:41:18.044Z

I was sure I had written about this before - but I can't find the post.I make a point of registering with photo libraries - specifically, tourist office picture libraries - so that I can find images to go with news stories and blog posts.For me, photo libraries have to have two crucial things...1) Photos (!) Good ones hopefully.2) Speed. They have to be quick & easy to use.Why?Because the

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-69018068824151987492010-07-02T13:29:00.002Z2010-07-02T13:32:29.840Z

This all feels strangely familiar!It's only been a few days since Valencia, and I'm watching Mark Weber again!

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-31314020717047566692010-06-22T18:27:00.004Z2010-06-22T18:39:14.832Z

This is going to be an interesting trip. I'm packing my bag for a 4-night trip to Spain's Valencia region. Not a Press Trip. This one is a Bloggers Trip. (Though for my part, I'm going to be mostly Tweeting, Audiobooing and maybe some Youtubing... oh, and gathering material for one of a new series of Travel-Lists articles.)The Spanish tourist peeps are quite keen on developing social media (SM)

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-86585453214822414992010-06-05T12:52:00.005Z2010-06-05T14:01:37.501Z

I see Vince Cable has quite rightly pointed out that President Obama is, deliberately or unintentionally, ratcheting up anti-British sentiment by continuously referring to the Gulf oil-spill 'bad boys' as "British Petroleum" when they are no longer British, having changed their name a decade ago to simply "BP", in order to reflect their multi-national status.But who can blame Obama for missing

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-17206926487165332392010-05-28T10:04:00.005Z2010-05-28T11:36:10.584Z

I've just had a 'genius' idea, so I'm going to smugly jot it down here, in order that everyone can see how 'genius' it is and how I got there first... unless someone else already has.I've just been out on a fruitless shopping expedition, looking for a birthday present for my ancient mum.It can't be a gadget because, not only has she never been good with technical things (the grandmotherly joys

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-87057413972064852892010-05-20T15:10:00.007Z2010-05-20T20:53:18.750Z

I was doing some research yesterday about Maine, which got diverted for a while into covered bridges. Then, by coincidence today, KBC PR sent me some stuff about one of their clients, Atlantic Canada, which also had some stuff on covered bridges.I've always been aware that there are covered bridges, mostly in North America. That they are...well, bridges, and they are covered(!).... they must be

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-65622393840672879142010-05-19T16:38:00.006Z2010-05-19T17:01:57.548Z

On Monday (17 May) I tweeted that this up-n-coming news story was guaranteed to become a tabloid newspaper feeding frenzy.Not hard to see why it works. V pretty, young (22 ffs!), blonde + easy to understand story + big f**k-off mountain (scene of former Brit glory) + heroic achievement = wet dream for tabloid newspaper editors....but I underestimated.Not only have the temperate Guardian & BBC

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-18736305190777260432010-04-24T13:58:00.010Z2010-04-24T15:35:16.447Z

UN-ELECTABLE: Tony McNulty (Lab, Harrow East). This man voted for the Digital Economy Bill / Act. Bye bye #deact #debill #ge2010 #ukelection Pse RTI started posting tweets like the one above the day after the Digital Economy Bill was rushed through its 2nd reading during the "wash up" in a Labour + Tory stitch-up. I've been posting them in drips & drabs in quiet moments and should be finished in

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-91196364785472557482010-04-07T17:24:00.008Z2010-04-07T20:25:31.106Z

I've been tweeting quite a lot recently, not about travel, but about politics and in particular, the Digital Economy Bill (#DEbill)... or as I prefer to think of it, the Internet Control, Surveillance and Punishment Bill. A couple of people have queried me about it, so here's where I'm coming from. I don't have a problem with much of #DEbill. Most of the provisions on regional news, DAB

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-64793421118783782792010-04-07T16:53:00.003Z2010-04-07T17:24:15.260Z

It would be wrong to leave the recent posts about Virgin Media's atrocious Technical Support without acknowledging one redeeming feature.Virgin have always been good at social media, and I've seen first hand at their Vjam brainstorming sessions at Nesta how much thought they put into their social media policies.So no surprise then that @virginmedia spotted the tweets and blog posts, and responded

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-91705786898661380192010-04-02T00:57:00.005Z2010-04-02T13:55:57.823Z

Well, well, well...What a surprise! At around 22.00BST my broadband connection is miraculously restored.So, let's summarise...12 hours ago I was working normally and suddenly my Virginmedia broadband connection went.No biggie - it's pretty reliable (in fact, hat's off to them for keeping a really complex network so stable) but it goes sometimes.I phoned up a couple of hours later to see how long

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-17654301788985969432010-04-01T15:34:00.007Z2010-04-01T18:39:06.939Z

Having one of those grisly nightmare times with Virginmedia.For those of you who've been trying to connect with me... my broadband dropped out at lunchtime. I wasn't too bothered because it did that earlier this week but came back after 30 mins. Then I decided to phone and just see if they knew what the problem was and how long they thought it might take to be sorted out.1) The techie took all my

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-45290234012919272812010-03-01T10:21:00.005Z2010-03-01T11:03:12.396Z

One of the key things that the growth of social media has highlighted, is the importance of personality in marketing. These days you can stamp a personality on your organisation/operation online and reach huge numbers doing so, but it's still important to get out and see people face-to-face.In pointing that out, my underlying assumption - and probably yours - is that all encounters are positive.

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-28489033056916244292010-02-22T12:48:00.006Z2010-02-22T13:15:13.467Z

This is either a blinding 'flash of light' moment, or a real 'duh' moment cos all you guys saw it coming already and I'm the last to join the cluetrain.Like most people, I've been fascinated by the advances made by Burt Rutan & Richard Branson's space programme - though at the same time deeply irritated by its constant appearance in travel publications just because it is being marketed like

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-18941857522137786722010-02-22T10:13:00.006Z2010-02-22T10:39:28.415Z

Interesting anecdotal evidence from the car hire people, Holiday Autos, about advanced booking trends for Easter. Their top destinations for the Easter period (customers booking online, vehicles to be picked up w/c 21 & 28 March 2010) are... SpainFranceUnited StatesPortugalSwitzerlandItalyUKCanary Islands and BalearicsAustraliaSouth Africa The changes in popularity of Easter break

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-24272334292055472962010-02-14T11:16:00.004Z2010-02-14T12:05:38.209Z

I'm feeling vindicated this morning as I read a Press Association article based on some research that Best Western have conducted:Laptop-loving teenage boys are proving the driving force when it comes to deciding on destinations and activities for family holidays, a poll has revealed.OH REALLY! What a suprise! (not) I've been saying exactly this, over & over for ages. Most recently in November

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-58833998783109080732010-02-11T11:33:00.008Z2010-02-11T13:09:57.759Z

This is not my idea. This is Steve Keenan's idea, but I was the catalyst.Steve saw my tweet yesterday about the video for a new single (EP) being released on 1st March. (which is great BTW, I luv it!)It's called "Home" by a guy called Colin McLeod aka The Boy Who Trapped The Sun and it was shot on the Isle of Lewis (his home).I was suggesting that perhaps VisitScotland should consider getting

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-5156806143500868952010-02-08T14:42:00.002Z2010-02-08T15:00:54.219Z

I'd love to post a photo here, but these are just not mine to publish, so a link will have to do.It's a collection of photos on Flickr - hat tip to shanairpic - of the new Kulula livery on their Boeing 737. It's totally brilliant and no words will describe it...you have to go view it for yourself. I'll just say I love the "Captain, my captain" label.If Kulula.com is new to you. It's an online

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-57940369273573414712010-01-10T18:25:00.005Z2010-01-11T10:23:50.973Z

I like this article in the Montreal Gazette about what baby-boomers want from travel. Older people remain loyal to the same brand for life; when they travel, they shuffle about and cluster together on tour groups; they dislike venturing off the beaten path; they fear and loathe technology; they like slow-paced activities; and they're all retired.Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.It's not

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-26072302358661045002010-01-05T13:07:00.004Z2010-01-05T13:53:16.140Z

It used to be treated with a certain amount of derision by many people in aviation circles because they all remember the apocryphal tale from the first time it appeared, in the Sixties.Back then, hijacking airliners was a new phenomenon, but by the end of that decade it was all the rage! Cubans and revolutionary types from Latin America were hi-jacking American airliners on an almost weekly basis

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-44001888145069839042009-12-28T15:10:00.007Z2009-12-28T16:34:39.692Z

I've just deleted the entry for De Vere hotels on the BGTW contact book database. Why? Well not because I wanted to. It's just that The Massey Partnership (PR company) have told me that De Vere are no longer a client and, on a Bank Holiday Monday (so not much point in phoning), I can't find a press contact for them. I've tried all the obvious routes, including Google, their website, and searching

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-62078884733715991192009-12-28T10:49:00.005Z2009-12-28T11:26:51.218Z

I'm struck by this item from the British Airways press office.80 YEARS AND STILL FLYING HIGHBritish Airways this week (December 30) celebrates 80 years of flying to Delhi. The maiden flight in 1929. took nearly seven days to complete and cost £130 (one way) – the equivalent of £6,190 in today’s money.The 80-year anniversary underlines British Airways’ position as the longest standing European

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-58463169085289017162009-12-18T10:44:00.014Z2009-12-18T11:47:33.851Z

I've not had a chance till now to collect my thoughts on the maiden flight for Boeing's new generation "plastic" airliner, the B787.Tuesday's first flight (click 'webcast' to see the vid) in some truly dreary weather (!), was hailed as a triumph by aviation workers and enthusiasts...mostly in the U.S. obviously, but also around the world. Triumph? Well, yes and no.The flight appeared to go like

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-41791986484394549522009-12-16T15:08:00.003Z2009-12-16T15:36:38.857Z

...to that end, they have installed the world's largest sprig of mistletoe in Terminal 5 (or at least, the world's largest model of a sprig of mistletoe)The ten foot by eight foot structure, which took designers and engineers three weeks to construct, weighs 43kg and includes more than 50 feet of steel tubing and 25 stainless steel balls, is suspended 3 metres over the entrance to Terminal 5. (

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-21700228425791767582009-12-15T09:43:00.006Z2009-12-15T10:47:47.129Z

ebookers.com have just posted their Top Ten Best Sellers (Flight + Hotel) for 2010.There's a noticeable - and perhaps suprising, given the recession - swing from short haul destinations to long-haul. Short-haul accounted for 7/10 top destinations in Dec 2008 and only 3/10 now.That said, most of the Top Ten for 2010 (* also 2009) are fairly predictable...Rome *VeniceIstanbul *New York * Well, I

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-61053526297707774402009-12-12T11:40:00.014Z2009-12-12T13:56:12.244Z

There's an interesting conversation over on Jeremy Head's blog at the moment about travel providers turning to travel bloggers for editorial coverage. Jeremy invited a guest, Tom Power from Pura Adventura, to post his thoughts on the subject and it has provoked a large number of comments.One of the issues raised is the old controversy about editorial independence. The debate is always

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-71028002713876231592009-11-16T18:09:00.002Z2009-11-16T18:57:16.170Z

Lots of RIP Edward Woodward tweets today, so here is my anecdote.My career started in the theatre. In the late eighties when I'd moved into radio, I used to use my Equity membership to do 'walk-on' work on TV and movie shoots in the west country on an almost weekly basis. This one time, my friend (presenter on local tv) & I, with around 50 other extras, were taken by coach early in the morning to

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-51658966368797326112009-11-11T18:02:00.004Z2009-11-12T00:53:01.718Z

It was an interesting session at last night's TravelBlogCamp. I picked up a few nuggets and came away feeling rather pleased that I've stuck with 'pre-moderation' on blog comments - even though I generally get very few comments on this blog and like to fool myself that the main reason for that is they're pre-moderated and not that I'm a crap blogger!I've had some self-indulgent 'esprit

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-42480780123771802422009-11-01T16:08:00.008Z2009-11-01T16:41:03.894Z

I've started noticing (probably years after the event!) a new concept creeping into the travel pages of the local press in the USA - the 'one tank (of gas) trip'.I haven't found a definition yet - Are we talking one tank there & back? What's the average mileage of an American car these days, and the average petrol tank capacity? - but the concept seems pretty straight-forward: travel features and

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-60904660950538822872009-10-22T10:19:00.004Z2009-10-22T10:46:25.962Z

I was a bit horrid to @carolmarlow last night on Twitter. I quoted her latest tweet and added "#twitterusefail" as a hash tag.In Twitter-speak that means "Lame tweet". In truth, it was. But my reaction was more out of disappointment than irritation.Carol (who I've met once) is an extremely capable MD of a huge cruise company, which is probably why she doesn't have much time to tweet more than

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-20233220339076645922009-10-01T09:08:00.004Z2009-10-01T09:25:21.247Z

Hmm, puzzled by this one...Visitors to SE1 were welcomed by the sight of snow yesterday as Potters Field Park was transformed into a wintery scene. The surprise snowfall was down to Aer Lingus who were celebrating the launch of their new winter flights from Gatwick by engaging 130 people in a mammoth snowball fight.The 130 descended on the snow to take part in the fight which lasted an impressive

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-87155343435392934382009-09-28T10:50:00.005Z2009-09-28T11:02:45.506Z

You know that long-anticipated transfer of 'world dominant power' status from the USA to China? Well, if not militarily, or economically or in space, here's another small example of where that could be happening - the adventure park industry, where the big names, until now, have all been American: Universal Studios, Six Flags, and of course the daddy of them all, Disney. It seems we may be adding

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-88978599046633700042009-09-17T12:45:00.007Z2009-09-17T13:49:36.870Z

"The proposed $10 penalty for entering the United States is being sold as a 'tourist promotion' measure, but only in Alice in Wonderland could a penalty be seen as promoting the activity on which it is imposed" - Ambassador John Bruton, Head of EU Delegation to the USA, 9 Sept 09I think that says it all really.A week ago, the United States Senate passed the Travel Promotion Act 2009 "to

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-35388899051834918092009-09-14T10:07:00.007Z2009-09-14T15:39:58.784Z

I was talking this morning with Mark Hodson (@101holidays) about Andy Perrin and how, as Mark put it, he is one of the nicest guys in travel. It got me thinking: this industry (travel) is full of nice people.It would be invidious to name them, but I know loads and loads of really nice people running travel companies. In fact, other than a few slightly hard-nosed individuals that I never

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-52525584600760749702009-09-09T08:14:00.004Z2009-09-09T09:00:18.284Z

Hehe. I just went to post something on Twitter and got a 503 error - No available server. After a couple more tries I noticed the time.Duh! Of course!It has just passed "the moment" 09:09:09 on 09/09/09I'm just guessing here, but where would thousands of people who wanted to mark, celebrate, comment on "the moment" go to do just that? Twitter! I bet it was swamped.But it highlights an

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-5351270215066067302009-09-07T13:22:00.009Z2009-09-07T16:44:48.503Z

Somebody* suggested, in a kind of Dr Samuel Johnson moment, the "-cations" should be collected and recorded for posterity. If you think that's a good idea, it was mine. If you think it's a very BAD idea... it was * @alexbainbridge ! It all started with @neilmac 's tweet: Greycationers?!? Please no. Enough. http://bit.ly/1RI7rH Definition Culprit Yaaycationer Exuberant holidaymaker @

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-90539090862428340732009-09-01T20:27:00.008Z2009-09-01T20:56:06.031Z

I'm good at heights... well, I was.In 'former lives' I was always the one who went to the top of big yacht masts at sea, armed with a spanner. Or happily walked around on theatre fly-tower grids, hundreds of feet above the stage. Or jumped out of aeroplanes (with parachute), or stayed in flimsy ones (microlight - without parachute), or was happy to be parascended (again, with parachute) behind

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-17431206635740717092009-08-19T15:45:00.005Z2009-08-19T16:33:32.992Z

All parents know this. In fact, all adults know this scenario.Your toddler does something or says something really funny that cracks everybody up. Then they go on repeating it, or variations of it, in the hope they can get the same response again.Subtlety is just something that comes with experience. But even adults don't fully understand the importance of subtlety and freshness. A joke is NEVER

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-89407091576484017162009-08-18T07:49:00.004Z2009-08-18T08:16:43.625Z

I'll admit I did check the dateline at the top of this story to ensure it wasn't April 1st.This is a new online service from Canada, which was being promoted yesterday at the Tourism Futures conference on the Gold Coast, Australia, according to The Age.The zerobaggage idea is to build a community of users and suppliers in cities worldwide. Then users can travel to those cities with no luggage,

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-18663033803568903172009-08-17T13:29:00.003Z2009-08-17T13:45:02.236Z

Go to the Oxford Airport website and you'll see they have just re-badged themselves as a London airport!Purleeze!It has taken many years for me to sometimes refer to Luton as "London Luton" and I only finally did so because I realised it is a few miles nearer London than Stansted, which I have always considered to be a London airport, largely because it was only there in the middle of the

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-77678721481973099652009-08-17T09:33:00.004Z2009-08-17T10:18:32.608Z

Janet Street Porter - The Independent, 16 AugInterestingly, teenagers have already sussed Twitter is crap and aren't taking it up. According to a Nielsen survey, only 16 per cent of the people twittering are under 25, while a whopping 64 per cent are between 25 and 54. The largest group of users are aged 35 to 49 – and that's enough to deter the young. The use of social networking is already

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-4980175063277046282009-08-13T15:05:00.004Z2009-08-19T08:30:07.240Z

I started some notes a while back for a blog post on The Ten Daftest Names in Travel, but that pesky Guillaume Thevenot has beaten me to it! Curses, Mutley!!!!!So, here are the seven I had so far.(And let's just get the disclaimer out of the way first. I'm not in any way suggesting these are bad companies or bad products. Far from it. I just don't think they've done themselves any favours in

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-47331513825468106642009-08-11T16:32:00.003Z2009-08-11T17:03:21.207Z

I posted a comment today on Brand Republic's article about the Rupert Murdoch proposal to charge for news articles, in which I suggested a business model that might make it viable, but I was really thinking aloud, so I'm gonna re-write it and refine it a little here...Like most people, I've been pretty sure that charging for online news is a non-runner. The pay-for-news concept is fundamentally

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-53681477736739919112009-08-10T09:24:00.004Z2009-08-10T10:00:03.466Z

The Italian newspaper La Stampa reports that last week's high profile hotel thefts on Sardinia involved the removal of room safes that were only held in place by polyfilla.In the raids, both at hotels in the Iti Hotels chain, a Saudi princess is reported to have lost jewelry and cash worth 11 million euros and a Moroccan businessman lost 150,000 euros. A third raid in Portofino on the Italian

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-35807809796764240612009-08-09T12:57:00.011Z2009-08-10T07:31:51.064Z

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post outlining an un-exploited travel market segment, which I called Virtual Friendships (VF). If you are an agency with MICE experience, or an operator with escorted group experience - especially groups assembled from multiple departure points - this might be a sector you should look at. Start first by reading my post about Virtual Friendships, which, in

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-9169111336436760122009-08-07T16:02:00.004Z2009-08-07T16:27:52.850Z

Somebody at Nikon had an inspired 'flash-of-genius' moment...No more friends & rellies (Let's talk strine!) crowding around you to glimpse the photo you just took on a tiny screen that will switch off in a few secs to preserve the precious batteries. Instead, you click a switch and project it onto the nearest wall! Brilliant! (...though the batteries may not be all that pleased!)The latest camera

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-79059003520835049882009-08-04T11:44:00.008Z2009-08-19T17:33:15.280Z

A short news item about a hotel package including a tour of one of the crab boats in the Discovery Channel series: The Deadliest Catch, drew my eye to the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle."Wait a minute! I know that name!"Mispent teen years spent listening to Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, especially their famous live gig at the Fillmore East, ensured that for me and thousands of others, the

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-66702554267798345352009-07-21T09:55:00.004Z2009-07-21T10:23:23.918Z

Yesterday I had an approach from onvisible, which is the online PR division of Brahm PR in Leeds. They were pushing the launch of a 1000 x £10 hotel room night promo for Visit Leeds, and were helpful sorting out some photos for me.This morning I get a release from Resonate, which is part of Bell Pottinger, promoting Leeds as a short break destination and their client, National Express' various

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-43998481265915416132009-07-20T12:44:00.005Z2009-07-20T13:56:41.125Z

There's no compelling reason for this post... other than, it gives me a thinly-veiled excuse to post this photo of a truly beautiful car - the Bugatti Veyron - parked outside the Bugatti family home.Starting last week, and running through to 20 Sept the town of Molsheim is celebrating 100 years of iconic car manufacturing.In 1909, the Italian born Ettore Bugatti chose Molsheim in Alsace as the

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-60464582228382841512009-07-17T17:14:00.008Z2009-07-19T15:05:05.449Z

They certainly don't feel important right now. Self-esteem is very low as they are attacked from all sides. Their fees have been slashed and burned by publishers who by & large treat them like shit and demand all rights in perpetuity... plus free photos too.And they get no support from anyone else, just derision and contempt poured down on a pack of 'miserable whinging freeloaders'. But I was

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-46708898430053119942009-07-15T11:49:00.008Z2009-07-15T23:14:15.892Z

US authorities recommend Americans keep their RFID passports in alloy sleevesOh the delicious irony!Probably...Somewhere in the Pentagon there's a General thinking: "The trouble with insurgencies is that you can't tell who the bad guys are. Wouldn't it be great if our clever scientists could come up with a foolproof gadget to identify the terrorist in a street full of civilians and blow him up

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-26662424821257647372009-07-10T11:43:00.007Z2009-07-10T13:57:46.593Z

OK, I am pretty much the last person in travel media to post this, and plenty has been said about it already by the likes of Neville & Shel and Alex Bainbridge and Nathan Midgeley etc ...But it is a great (and self-explanatory) video (and the truth is, while I was aware of it before, I've only just got around to watching it!).....enjoy!Apparently a 'grown-up' at United who knows what social

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-83693768461370987182009-07-09T11:47:00.003Z2009-07-09T12:42:43.792Z

I saw the Guardian's story about News of the World phone hacking breaking on the Internet late last night, and I've been watching it go into high gear this morning.It's a story I've been morbidly keeping an eye on because I used to know someone at NotW who I suspect might get caught up in it. As usual Twitter is the index to any new stories/angles but I've been surprised that the 'conversation'

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-26358557311563685222009-07-08T10:40:00.003Z2009-07-08T10:49:03.076Z

I'm not really sure what to make of this.It's a promo survey for Park Resorts, but unlike many such marketing releases it has ok credentials (ICM Omnibus survey of 2038 UK adults conducted between 19th – 21st June 2009), so I have to take it seriously.Once a ‘must have’ item, the research has revealed that 2.5 million UK adults will not renew their passports when they expire, as they state that

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-29281262721566695202009-07-07T12:57:00.004Z2009-07-07T13:31:59.871Z

On a Friday evening back in April, my 13-yr-old son & I caught the bus from outside our door to St Pancras where we climbed on board a Eurostar to Paris Nord. Then, while we went and ate some supper, our bags were taken round to the Snow Train for our overnight journey in a sleeper compartment down to the French Alps, arriving in Moutiers at 8.00am.I was quite surprised. I had fully expected the

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-80300698156339108302009-06-29T11:17:00.009Z2009-06-29T11:46:59.417Z

Got an ethics question for you...How many times does this happen to you, and what do you do about it?You could take a stab at guessing the web address of a brand, but you use your favourite search engine to find it (for 80+% of us, that means Google). You are now presented with a choice. Click on the organic link or click on their text ad, in which case they will pay whatever they bid for their

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-16270178969439431412009-06-23T13:17:00.006Z2009-06-23T14:34:52.363Z

There was much chatter about the role of the media embargo in a faster moving Web 2.0 world at the start of the year. It started with the Techcrunch announcement that they would no longer honour embargoes, and occupied 'the conversation' for a while (here are a couple of blogs on the subject: Shel Holz, In Media ). The general view seemed to be that embargoes are a relic from the age of print,

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-31065107621715485902009-06-18T14:06:00.007Z2009-06-18T15:12:48.477Z

There was an important travel moment on Sunday, but looking through travel blogs and mainstream news sites, virtually nobody noticed.Funny though.* They all noticed today's news about South Eastern's 140mph high-speed commuter train... and missed the completion of Belgium's high speed network, which means Brussels and Paris are now directly connected to Cologne and into Germany's high speed rail

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-8556916056335761662009-06-08T15:49:00.003Z2009-06-08T16:07:34.064Z

My guidebook-writing chums in the BGTW are furious about the reported deal between Penguin Books and WH Smith that will lock out other guidebook publishers from WH Smith transport outlets.The Bookseller broke the story and I have been one of those who have left comments at the bottom of the original article.On the face of it, the issue seems to be a straightforward assault on consumer

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10299178.post-24541350638887447742009-05-26T10:06:00.003Z2009-05-26T10:18:48.058Z

Hmmm, let's see.....On Friday British Airways announce record losses for their financial year, ended 31 March 2009.Today, one bank holiday weekend later, Virgin Atlantic announce a doubling of profits for their financial year....which ended a month earlier...Anybody else struck by the timing of these announcements?

Alastair McKenziehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10902040076973941233noreply@blogger.com0