Social Media, Technology and Transparency

My friend Everett Potter asked for a few predictions for 2010. Have a look at his post and what other industry folks think is ahead.

Kathy’s Travel Industry Predictions for 2010

Customer-centric: the customer will become the sales force, product developers, service centers and resolution managers for companies. Those companies who offer creative tools to enable this will see success. This will occur both online and offline.

Social Media: will be a game changer. Tour providers will invest in developing and implementing social media strategies. Those who embrace, interact, listen and share will see significant changes in customer retention, referral bookings, and resolution/customer satisfaction. Facebook will lead the consumer interaction, twitter will lead the pr, mobile devices will lead content sharing. Get Satisfaction and Trip Advsior will continue to navigate reviews and resolution.

Curators will Rule: too much noise, too much information, and too many people talking become increasingly overwhelming. In order to make decisions people will rely on people/sites they trust in the travel space (and in all decision making). Blogs, travel bloggers, twitter leaders and niche vertical sites will gain exposure and influence as they turn down the volume.

Technology will Enable: Live content, original, interesting, authentic content, interactive maps, new mobile apps, and rich media will be king.

The Sandbox will be broken: new technology and innovation will break the old sandbox where companies that do business in a certain way are thought of as leaders. Authentic, agile, innovative individuals will trump large companies and years in business.

Specialization vs Expansion: Niche Tour Operators will gain exposure and success. Consumers will be looking and able to find smaller companies who offer exactly what they are looking for.

Distribution: Niche Tour providers will increasingly distributed their products and content across new platforms and to new sites. The egocentric silos of personal websites and brochures will become only part of the real-estate content and data live on. There will be a consistent data structure and understanding of API and data feeds.

Collaboration vs Exclusivity: success will come through working together between multiple entities travelers, tour operators, destination management companies, tourism boards.

Transparency vs Selective Sharing: Information, links and reviews of hotels, routes, guides, restaurants will all be open. Consumers will know who is actually operating tours and what levels/values are involved. The line between incoming tour operators and outgoing will continue to blur.

Experiences will Drive Itineraries: Travelers will continue to search out authentic experience, unique/boutique accommodations, passionate personalities and cutting-edge destinations for new stories they can re-tell  for a lifetime.  Destinations will blur, people and community will become more memorable as we search out quality off-line engagement.

There were two milestones that shifted my understanding of time.  The first occurred when I was in 3rd grade and I realized that summers were actually not half of the year and that school actually was longer than summer.  I still remember not fully comprehending this revelation.  This adjustment of perceived time vs actual time might have been valuable.  I doubt it.

taking a full weekend

The second milestone occurred my first summer leading bicycle tours in Vermont.  I realized that weekends were, in fact, one day events.  As I sit in a friends cabin 3 hours from my home in Boulder, on a Sunday morning, I’m reminded that I may have it within my own power to bring back Sunday.

How I learned this lesson

Guiding bicycle tours through the quaint villages of New England still rates as one of my favs in my long list of careers. The company offered both week and weekend tours. The weekend tours particularly taught me a lot about the expectations “normal” people (non service industry folks like myself) put on these not so rare recurring parts of the week.

To set the scene for you, myself along with a partner guide would arrive at remote B&B in a hideous yellow van with a large cow face (with sunglasses-trademark) decal on the side…  24 bikes precariously balanced on the homemade roof racks.  The drive from our barn/office or our last tour were long and on back roads as in Vermont “you can’t get there from here” hold true.

Upon arrival we would literally jump out of the van and get to work unpacking the bikes, safety checking each one, going over the names, dietary restrictions, room and bike assignments in hopes that we could complete our tasks prior to the first guests arriving.  We never were successful.

Our guests….would pull up in black Mercedes or clean 4wd with NY or NJs license plates.  Sometimes in  weekend rental cars out of the city or at the closest airport with infrequent flights on prop planes.  They were generally stressed, had high expectations of what they wanted to accomplish for the weekend (we never knew what these were prior to arrival but they tended to range from meeting a future spouse to starting their training for the tour-DE-France.  On the weekends there were more singles than couples, mostly type A. If they brought their own bike it was expensive and saw little use, if they rented it would take 3-4 “fittings” before they trusted that we actually had their best interest in mind and hadn’t hijacked the front brakes.

The plan was to arrive before dinner and after dinner have a welcome meeting and presentation of the weekend. Invariably they arrived late, missed the dinner or meeting or both.

On Saturday morning we were up well before dawn filling water bottles, preparing snacks, checking the route notes and   dealing with all of the guests who had arrived to late to be fit or listen.  We were incredibly patient…maybe I used up all my patience those years.

For those who have never been on a bike tour there were generally 3 options for  rides on both days…allowing everyone to be able to have a sense of completion and success.  One of us would ride along with guests (forward and back..starting with the stronger riders and falling back with the slower group. The other would be in the van, fixing any flats, filling water and offering snacks and support, giving rides if needed.

The interesting thing about weekend tours and city goers was that they weren’t interested in our options or suggestions. In general they were weekend worriers wanting to take full advantage of the money they had paid and the valuable time. They wanted to ride the 70 mile option…oh, and if I get tired pick me up at 50 or 57 or 63…be there exactly when I am tired, and shuttle me back to the inn (like a private jet request).

Sat nights were a different vibe. Everyone was tired and their walls were down. They had sweat, laughed, complained and explored together.  Invariably wine and talk flowed freely on Sat and we saw a glimpse of who these people were, and we liked it.

Sunday could have been another Saturday…three ride options and a full day of the weekend. But it wasn’t.  Sunday morning people were  sore from the day before, maybe a bit hung over, maybe they just didn’t want to get too comfortable for fear they would stay in Vermont and become a bike tour guide.  They decided to do the short ride to get an early start back to the city to avoid the traffic…often they even forgave the ride and left directly.  Their “weekend”…by explanation three full nights and two days, clasped into one day of escape, and the remainder of the time entering or exiting this elusive states.

My friend Greg Berry at nuance intelligence asked that I comment on his recent post:  Ethical Travel I’m not sure I offered anything towards the solution of our massive travel footprint but it allowed me a venue to post some thoughts. Thanks Greg.

Meeting new friends in Jordan

Across the globe there are countless initiatives being discussed to address travel, air travel specifically, and climate change. Recent numbers I have read are that tourism trade accounts for 5% of the World’s CO2 Emissions.  If you allow for a second lens, tourism employees 10% of the worlds economy. Tourism infuses money into poor economies. Travel encourages protection of natural environments and finally, travel leads to understanding.

The reality is most travelers fall into two distinct categories. Those traveling for “vacation”-pleasure, education, adventure, experiences etc (we will include travelers taking part in National Geographic Tours private Jet Tours (!?) and those traveling for work.  Both groups are less likely to be focused on this discussion that we “conscious” readers are.

Challenges:
Consumers traveling for vacation purposes are not interested in feeling guilty about their travels. They’re on holiday! They want to enjoy their experience which includes using plush towels and wonderful bath products. It is a luxury they often don’t have at home.  Many argue correctly that the “towel” issues is much more about how the the hotels wash their linens than about how guests use them.  That’s followed by airline and hotel recycling programs etc etc. Good overview of what is all really means here.

Business Travelers are far more interested in convenience. For all of us who travel for a living I think it is safe to say that airline travel has lost any mystery and excitement it may once have had. The very thought of an airport is now worse than the fear of visiting the dentist.  Anything that makes this journey to our destination easier and less unpleasant will be used. Business travelers are focused on getting in and out with as little personal headaches as possible. Public transportation to/from airports is neither convenient nor well communicated.  Trying to negotiate rail and bus options is complicated enough for the budget traveler and even cities such as NY and Chicago have done a poor job.

Positive Steps:
Vacations: Tour Providers/Companies who have taken the initiatives (offsetting the carbon footprint of the ground portion of the tour) take the first step in educating and encouraging travelers to offset their flights.  Many “tour providers” carefully choose locally owned properties and restaurants and hire regional guides, all of which encourage an overall understanding and connection with the destination. I believe that future political and ethical decisions a traveler makes when NOT traveling will be based on these experiences.  Post travel we tend to read, shop, listen to and engage in topics that touch on a destination we have been to very differently than when we merely read about an issue in a far off destination. The Middle East and Africa are good examples.

Corporations who initiate green travel policies and wield enough status to encourage “green” rental fleets and “green” hotels partners are a start.  It will be interesting to see if this can translate into preferred carriers such as Virgin America’s who’s young fleet of planes are arguably very efficient in both fuel consumption and emissions. Cities focused on ease of public transportation are improving their methods of communication via tools and applications which live on handheld devices.  Yes, booking connecting bus or rail connections when our planes land, knowing when the next local bus is due to arrive and various “share a ride” applications will become increasingly popular and used…once they touch interfaces, specifically mobile phones, and work.

Bottom Line: Meeting and collaborating using technology is effective up to a point in many but not all circumstances.  Face, real face, to face meetings, discussions and SHARED EXPERIENCES are invaluable to many of us.

Beyond reducing your carbon footprint: How about increasing the value of your footprint?

What if we started to think how the travels that we must or choose to make could have a more positive impact? I believe that conference, meeting, corporate travel planners AND individual travelers have a responsibility to make travel worthwhile.  “Offsetting” travel, even an entire conference, is not enough.  I’ve attended far too many conferences held at the Ohare and Orlando airports. I contribute little to nothing to the local economy and leave with little to no understanding of the destination I have just “stepped on”.  Green Conferences are becoming big business for destinations. Moving conferences to smaller venues which represent a destination (like the Chicago Cultural Center at which the GoodandGreen.biz conference is held) Being informed and encouraged to sleep, eat and shop local as well as incorporating these features into the conference venue, and making these choices easier, affordable, and demanded will increase adoption.  Eating room service in front of our computer or the TV is far too common for most business travelers, especially women who may be less inclined to venture out on their own for a meal or a morning run without the information and support of the concierge or hotel staff. Recommending and featuring hotels that embrace local/natural/organic within their walls and even encouraging taking an extra day to experience the destination may not reduce our carbon footprint but may offer some level of a positive exchange. Understanding a destination and the people who make up these communities has the potential for global value.

Would love to hear your thoughts on how to increase the value of our global footprint.

Still traveling, Kathy

We all love Common Craft Videos….Simple Explanations in Plain English (made using wonderful stick figures).  Here is their explanation of Social Media.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE&hl=en&fs=1]

I’m dreaming of the mountains and thought I would share one of my adventures.

My friend Leslie Ross, founder of Babes in the Backcountry, traveled to Peru with me on The Dragon’s Path Women’s Inca Trail Trek last fall. This winter she invited me to join her on a women’s hut trip to Francie’s Cabin, located in the Crystal Lakes Basin, 4 miles south of Breckenridge, CO. Francie’s was the second cabin built in the Summit Huts System. The other two huts are Janet’s Cabin, near Copper Mt. and the Section House, located on top of Boreas Pass Road. Amenities at Francie’s Cabin include a wood stove for heat, solar powered lights, indoor composting toilet, completely furnished kitchen with pots, pans and dishes, a wood burning sauna (clothing optional) and twin size sleeping pads and pillows.

I was a bit hesitant as I had never “skinned” up or “tele” skied down a snow covered trail, being an avid alpine skier. I agreed to join as long as I could resort to snow shoes if needed. I met my fellow ski babes for Backcountry Skills Day, a well planned out introduction to backcountry travel including a slide show on avalanche awareness, beacon & probe uses, and an assortment of new techie things that I love. Our afternoon was spent outside covering travel techniques including a skills tour/skinning, hiking, route finding along with “find the beacon in the snow” games.

Our departure the following morning was under one of those cloudless blue skies that only those who live in mountain communities above 9000 ft can understand. My pack was full of gear (I’m a gear fanatic, did I tell you this?) and to my delight we were able to test all the new Patagonia gal pieces (layers, fabrics and colors…oh my!).

Add to that: Sturdy overnight backpack · Sleeping bag · Head Lamp · Backcountry skis with metal edges or sturdy snowshoes · Heavy-duty boots (i.e. telemark, alpine touring boots or sturdy waterproof hiking boots with gaiters) · Climbing skins, split board or snowshoes · Adjustable poles, ski poles or touring poles · Warm outdoor clothes (layers)-parka and ski pants · 2 pair of ski socks (no cotton) · 2 pair of thermals (no cotton) · Ski hat and baseball type of hat · Goggles and sunglasses · Heavy gloves and light weight gloves · Hut slippers (or shoes for the hut) · Comfortable clothes for the hut · Towel for the sauna (clothing optional) · Water for the trail (water bottle and water hydration system) · Favorite snacks and favorite evening beverages · Sunscreen, Personal items, Repair kit/first aid kit · Avalanche transceiver, Shovel, Probe pole, Slope meter, Compass

and my pack was full…OH WAIT, the FOOD! No worries as all the food (and vino!) was brought in by snowmobile and sleds and all catered by a wonderful chef Nancy Hallett of A Chef’s Touch.com. Also incorporated into the weekend were introductions to Acupuncture, Naturopathic Medicine, Massage Therapy, and Integrative Kinesiology all facilitated by practitioners from Sacred Tree an institute for the healing arts in Breckenridge.

Back to the skiing, the “Skins” (they are sticky sort of rugs that go on the bottom of the skis to enable you to climb uphill) worked great, we arrived at the hut in no time, well, in time for lunch! The afternoon ski allowed us to test out some telemark (tele) turns on very gradual slopes so we felt like Rock Stars(well, not exactly). Pre dinner was spent enjoying the wood burning Sauna, reading, chopping wood (for those with too much energy) and napping (I choose the latter). After a fantastic happy hour and dinner we enjoyed a full moon ski before heading to our comfortable bunks oh, and the girls especially appreciated the indoor bathrooms. Day 2 was more of the same, skiing, eating, and relaxing on the sun filled deck before heading back to Breckenridge for mid-afternoon departure to reality. It was the perfect learning/fun/girl escape.

I loved the experience thanks Leslie!

TravelDragon

Just off the mountain one week ago and my toes are still a bit numb. The trek went well and the Rangai route was very quiet and beautiful

In a few hours I’ll arrive in Buenos Aires, hopefully in time for a short tango class before going out with a friend to his tango club.

I’ll have a few days in BA before heading off to Calafate on a small boat around Lago Argentina and then on to Torres Del Paine with 14 friends.

Can’t wait to get back! Kathy