Advertisers During Recessions Do Better After
In the Omni hotel, I’m packing up and getting ready to take the train to the plane. At the final session of Travelcom, I learned some interesting things about how successful companies can do better in recessions. We heard from Kevin Kowalski, a VP at Intercontinental Hotels, owners of the […]
The Whale Sharks Are Almost As Big as Vegas’ Debt
I wrapped up my day of Travelcom at an awards dinner held by Travelzoo, giving out 23 awards in all sorts of travel categories. It was held at the Georgia Aquarium, and that gave me a chance first to see white Beluga whales gliding by, bumping their noses on the […]
Rob Torres: It All Comes Down to Text Ads
Rob Torres is a man who easily wears a smile. As head of Google’s travel advertising sector, he handles the lion’s share of the world’s search marketing funds and yet to him it’s still simply text ads, not algorithms and gobbletigook. We spoke about the business and his background at […]
Southwest’s Kelleher: Value Added is Better than "It Ain’t Free Anymore"
Herb Kelleher is the beloved chairman of Southwest Airlines. He has as many fans here at Travelcom as his great airline does. He accepted an award named for aviation pioneer Steve Fosset, but gave more credit to his people than he took for himself. His talk was preceded by a […]
MARTA Wisked Me from Airport to Downtown
Last night I took the MARTA subway/light rail all the way from Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport to my hotel at CNN Center downtown. The total cost was just $2.25. We passed by factories and graffiti-scared warehouses, and nearly everyone on the train was black. I wondered though, why the hosts of […]
Roger Dow: Obama Sees the Importance of Travel
I am finally in my hotel at the Omni Hotel, high above CNN’s world headquarters in Atlanta. I walked a few blocks to a party sponsored by Google and quickly fell into a fascinating conversation with an industry big wig. Roger Dow, President of the U.S. Travel Association, chief lobbyist […]
The Myine Wi-Fi Internet Radio Is Real Entertainment
Last night I came home late and plugged in a new gadget that we’re testing out in the GoNOMAD labs. It’s called the Myine Wi-Fi Internet radio, by Ira, and it’s a blast. I have been a big fan of streaming music on sites like Pandora and Last.fm, so I […]
A Paying Market: What A Concept!
It’s big news in the publishing world when somebody changes their rules and offers to pay money for travel articles. Sadly, content in our arena has become a commodity of plenty, so many outlets like Bootsnall never have paid writers for stories. But today on Matador, a big headline, Paid […]
The Dam Cafe Will Open Soon in Holyoke
We drove down to the Flea Market on Rte 5 in Holyoke today. What a depressing scene. The reason it depresses me is that so many of the vendors seem downtrodden, and they look like life has gotten the better of them. We passed by one booth and a guy […]
Podcamp Gave Us a Taste of the Future…and It Was Good!
I sent out emails to my friends the editors at the Daily Hampshire Gazette. I thought that they would want to know about the Podcamp, and either send a reporter or join us. To me, this event and the vibrant group of people who showed up, are the future of […]
Joining My Fellow Podcampers at Open Square
I’ve joined a group of local people who want to learn more about using the tools of the web. It couldn’t take place in a more logical place–Holyoke’s Open Square. The high ceilings, polished wood floors and huge space is a perfect venue for this confab. I began by hosting […]
Taking the Piedibus to School Gives Life Lessons
During my day of airport delays on the way home from Alabama, I got a chance to read a NY Times story datelined Lecco, Italy. It was about a new kind of bus called a Piedibus. That’s a fancy way of describing walking to and from school, with the assistance […]
Once Again the Dolphin Sighting Guarantee Comes Through
As we set out on a cruise on Alabama’s Intracoastal waterway, captain Ritchie Russell began the patter that marks every voyage. He joked about his first-mate Alan, and how he’d have to don a dolphin suit if no dolphins showed up. He talked about how his wife says he eats […]
Model Trains and Sweet Pie in Foley Alabama
Foley has an attraction that fascinated me during our visit this week. It’s a complex and detailed array of O gauge model trains that is located inside a former train station downtown. The set up is a model train lover’s fantasy–sixty feet long, twenty-two feet wide, multilayered and full of […]
Foley Alabama Brings their Heritage On the Road
The town of Foley Alabama is truly a little engine that could. Kathy Danielson joined us on our bus and introduced us to this vibrant and creative town about 30 miles south of Mobile. She runs the visitor’s bureau for the town of about 10,000 and talked about some of […]
Roll Tide or War Eagle…In Alabama You’ve Gotta Make Your Choice
In Alabama you’ve got to make your choice at a very early age. Unless you’re bound by your family tradition, it’s never too early to decide whether you love Auburn or The University of Alabama. Here, there is no doubt about which camp anyone is in. It’s refreshingly unambiguous. I […]
On Mobile Bay, Hurricanes Are a Regular Visitor
It looks like rain for the next three days. That’s always a bummer on a press trip to a beach community that likes to brag about the great weather. Oh well. Tonight we’ll stay at some condos in Gulf Shores, the beach community where you can walk down the beach […]
Hurry Down to the Beach–it’s a Jubilee!
We drove south toward the Gulf of Mexico and on the bus we met Alex Robinson, the pretty and young chamber of commerce representative from the town of Fairport, population 16,000. She said that when she was young she used to come to Fairport to visit her grandparents, now she […]