What a wonderful opportunity... I'm delighted that your traveling expertise has been acknowledged! We look forward to many more reports of how this industry operates.
“Why should people travel?” I say "Because if you can...you must. As you are a part of this World...be an active part. To travel is to broaden your horisons...bringing the World closer together." Thanks for doing your part Shane. Fantastic you had the opportunity and embraced it. And congratulations to Flydubai for including you.
Outstanding opportunity Shane, glad they were wise enough to select you for the trip.Sounds like you learned a great deal on this junket and were treated well. Happy to see your mascots are making new friends and they've kept you well stocked in ice cream. Eager to hear more about your experience and perceptions.
A great experience Thanks Teresa, it was a very interesting experience and I am very grateful to flydubai for the opportunity. The next blog will describe the destination that is Ukraine - which will include those images from photos sessions where I had to excuse myself from meals.
More information I really enjoyed what I read in your blog and am interested in getting more information about blogger conferences. Are any held in North America? can you give some information about the subject please?
keep up your good work.
Travel Blogger Conferences Thanks for reading my blog. I've recently been made aware of TBEX - http://tbexcon.com/. They held a travel blogger conference in Toronto at the end of May with more than 1000 delegates. Their next conference is in Dublin in October, and I'm hoping to attend as a speaker.
respect and passion I agree with the general concept of the blog. When you start travelling everything changes: your mind, your dreams, your own country, your projects and much more. I write several blogs in Spanish on different circumstances and I can see that many people change their own opinions about travelling and being a traveller with responsibility and passion. Great job!!!! You are inspiring me.
Look like this is becoming an annual event. It is great having an international speaker in Travel Blog. Toastmasters would be proud. The power of one is excellent. Wish we could have been there to hear your speech. Bravo.
Food for thought Have also been mulling over specter of criticisms, both in relation to a bloggers depiction of place and how local residents react...flip-sides of the same coin. Tis the reason I am having trouble progressing with my latest blog. Though agree with the apparent conclusion to your discussions on the matter, that each situation is different and needs to be approached as such... It is this difference rather than the search for universal truths, academia has been honing in on this last two-decades.
Re: Food for thought To expand slightly, factors to be considered included the popularity of the blogger, harshness of the claims and the number of bloggers commenting negatively. But as someone pointed out, if numerous bloggers start complaining on the unscrupulous practices of taxi drivers in a town, then it is more likely to be an actual problem rather than any incorrect perception. Thus, efforts should be made to rectify the situation rather than defend the accusation.
Well Done Shane! Sounds amazing. Especially loved this "...the responsibility that accompanies citizen blogging, insofar as not being unfairly critical of a city or country. When making negative criticism, it needs to be moderate, balanced and respectful."
Responsible Blogging This was a widely discussed topic both during the session and afterwards. Another question that arose was how one deals with negative blogs about your city or country, with the short answer being that each situation is different and needs to be approached as such.
Be the raindrop Great blog! I particularly like the thought "... it can take only one raindrop to awaken that wave of change, and that one raindrop can come from you."
I think that applies to so many ways we can help propel change for good.
A raindrop of change Thanks for the comment. Those words came to me whilst lying in bed at 1am on the morning of the first day of the conference. So I arose and started writing. By the time I returned to sleep at 2am that conclusion was close to the final version you read on the blog. Thankfully I was on the conference's second day, so I had barely enough time to practice. The rest of the presentation I rehearsed as points, so was freer with language, but I wanted this conclusion to be word perfect, so I memorised the final 127 words.
Oh to be a fly on the wall "The Internet is a place where to follow someone is to shake hands, to like is to smile, and to retweet is a nod of approval"...The Travel Camel. Iraq for research...throwing aside your hat and khaki...donning a black suit with golden power tie...bringing months of planning together...on the World stage in KL...undoubtedly presented with the conviction of experience...and your sparkling smile. Oh to be a fly on the wall. Thanks Shane for being you.
You were there when this journey was born Remember us discussing this idea during our car ride in Vietnam? I have wanted to visit the Kurdish Region of Iraq since reading Nick Kembel's 2009 blog on his travels through the same region; so why not combine a visit with a presentation relating to my journey? I was going to visit sooner or later, so why not sooner! This whole experience has been unforgettable - both within Iraq and now on the stage - one of the happiest times of my life. I love heading to places less travelled and can see myself doing far more in days to come. Hopefully, these recent conferences will result in more speaking engagements in the future.
Excellent topic and what a great experience. Would be very interested to hear how you gauged changing (or not) perceptions of destinations. Also great advice on your slide for all bloggers or social media users: State something new, show don't tell. Indeed!
Gauging the change An excellent question. My observations were obviously not subjected to empirical review, but I monitored comments received through Facebook, Twitter, Travelblog and in private messages. The longer I stayed in the Kurdish Region of Iraq, the greater the response, with some openly commenting on the misconceptions one can have about a place. As I said during my speech, I could not demonstrate that people's perception had changed from considering the Kurdish Region of Iraq as being dangerous to that of being desired. However, what I could see was a shift, it may not have been as dramatic, but there was a greater warming to the region from people after reading my Facebook posts and blogs. If you asked a random sample of people what they thought about Iraq as a tourist destination, the response would be overwhelmingly negative. However, those reading my stories or listening to my speech gave a strongly positive response - not overwhelming, but strong enough to confirm the power of words (both written and spoken), pictures, and a personal story.
Passionate about travelling and discovering the world, especially destinations that many consider to be dangerous. Based in Nairobi but travelling for lots of the year. Due to this wonderful website that is Travelblog, travel has become my profession, and I express my experiences through writing, photography, social media and public speaking. Have travelled through more than 100 countries.
Current Location: Kenya
Website: thetravelcamel.com
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