Not a bad week at all, just crazy. We had the PGAV/Gettysburg Foundation presentation on Tuesday and I think it went well. All parties seemed happy and I think we, both as a class and as six teams targeting six segments, did a very good job. I loved the fact that we were able to take what we learned and apply it in real life situations, it’s part of why grad school seems so much more real than undergrad. I’d upload the PowerPoint but I don’t even have a copy of our final segments. The one for education didn’t even work properly so I winged (wung?) it. Now just have the marketing plan for GRO to finish for Monday, a final paper for Wednesday and a final exam for the 7th and I’m done…until the 28th anyway

Oh, and I added another “destination” to this summer’s wanderings, though it’s not really new. I was going up to Rochester anyway for Beth’s graduation and was not looking forward to driving ten hours in two days. Had ruled out flying because everything was coming up ridiculous…and then I found a continental flight through Orbitz: $133 into Rochester on Friday night and out of Syracuse on Sunday morning. Yay!

Last weekend the NY Times had an interesting section on budget travel which started with an interesting article on budget airfares.

Where had I just been? Where was I going? I wasn’t really sure anymore — all I knew was that getting there wouldn’t cost much more than my sanity.

Although the author is talking about a week-long trip across Europe on various budget carriers, the same pretty much applied to by trip on the big grey dog across Australia. Most segments were fine but some (Darwin to Alice Springs – ~20 hours on the Stuart Highway; Coober Pedy to Charters Towers – 36 hours via Tenant Creek and Mount Isa on the Stuart and Barkly Highways and then on to Townsville and Cairns) were bewildering to say the least. But I accomplished my goals: to see the country in a way I couldn’t from the air and be able to guarantee I’d be able to finish my trip. I ran into far too many people over the course of my trip who were ‘stuck’ somewhere, having to fly or change course because they couldn’t find a ride–I wanted to be able to get back to Brisbane, and I did–some four months later.

Flylc.com is another wonderful site, second only to kayak, which was where I found my cheap flight last night. I love them both because they eliminate the need to punch your details into umpteen different sites. I was somewhat limited in choosing my flight home from Europe because I was looking to see where easyJet flew, but I hate to think of what other options I’d have considered if I knew about flylc. Oh well, I’ll have several weekends while there and there’s always next time. Plus, I think Switzerland will be wonderful. I haven’t ruled out flying from Prague to Geneva and then taking the train around Switzerland. I do need to make a decision soon though.

I know I’m definitely going to be making good use of the Prague guide. I’m glad I’ll arrive on Friday. I’ll go from wherever I stay on Friday night to the apartments to make sure I know how to get to class on Monday. Will be nice to putter Prague for the weekend. Almost one year back in the US, I’m getting itchy feet again.

Generations of visitors, including writers such as Dickens and Tennyson, have traveled to Tintagel to see the place reputed to be a cornerstone of the Arthurian legend. For today’s visitors, its natural splendor may be just as rewarding.: King Arthur’s legend lives on at Tintagel

Was doing my routine browse of CNN.com this morning to see what’s going on in the world since my news exposure is limited to that and 1010Wins reports on my drive to school and that article caught my attention.

The only physical association I’d ever made with Arthur/Avalon/Camelot was Glastonbury Tor even though Tintagel is said to be perhaps the most familiar. The Tor seems far and away to draw visitors in search of a quest of a more pagan nature whereas the article seems to suggest that Tintagel might

Don’t let it be forgot / That once there was a spot / For one brief shining moment / That was known as Camelot!

I think the spot matters far less than the legend that lives on after it.

For me, I think the only legend questing I’ve ever done is Salem and that’s not so much legend as history gone crazy in fiction. But I have been to the castle in Segovia where a good chunk of the movie was filmed, although I didn’t know it prior to the guide telling us. Does that count?

Google turns up a million + links for travel to Glastonbury, 275,000 for Tintagel and one million + for Camelot. The camelot results show just how diluted the Camelot brand has become.

I wonder how much of a fan you have to be to travel to one or more of those sites…

“…Mr. Schacter is not alone. Many business travelers simply write off the loss and move on. The evidence piles up in lost-and-found closets at hotels, airports and train stations, where everything from phone chargers to wigs, dentures, cosmetics and clothes are left….” NY Times 4.3.07

I can definitely understand that. I’ll never forget going to the lost and found at Namba to try and find my lost teiki and just seeing the racks and racks of lost items. I’m sure it was againt policy, but the staff could have done well to sell the stuff after the claim period had ended. Some things I can understand forgetting, or not being worth going back for, but dentures?

On another note, had a meeting with my group this afternoon re: our presentations for TPD. The work is going well and although I’m looking forward to the three day weekend from work, I have a *ton* of school work to get done. I’m ecstatic though because as a part of a new trend analysis I’m going to be able to re-visit the issue of Glamping, Flashpacking and Jetrosexuals. It will be interesting to see what else the class comes up with.

That’s definitely my favourite class of the semester. There are a lot of similarities with Marketing, but marketing is so heavily hospitality focused that it’s nice to balance it with the tourism focus. Projects to finish out the semester:

• Marketing Plan: Luxury Organic Restaurant
• Research Design Presentation: Options for a backpacker ‘enclave’ in NYC
• Product Development: PGAV/Gettysburg and the Trend Analysis.

Yeah, it’s going to be a busy April!

3 more here

I took advantage of the time to finish my Marketing midterm and am now working on the Lit Review for my paper. I love the subject and the idea of the research is wonderful. I love reading the articles but when it comes to putting it in an organized format…That’s just not my thing.

I also mostly (well as close as I’m going to get) finished Lincoln at Gettysburg. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not enjoying this book as much as I thought I’d might, however there were some interesting points made by Wills.

“It would have been hard to predict that Gettysburg, out of all this muddle, these missed chances, all the senseless deaths, would become a symbol of national purpose, pride, and ideals.”

I think this definitely speaks to exactly why Gettysburg must be remembered. It’s something that the The Gettysburg Foundation can use to keep the visitors coming. Remind them of why they need to go, need to have an understanding of the significance of Gettysburg in our nation’s history. Not just the battle, but what it became a symbol of.

It has been said (Wills 37) that the goal of Lincoln’s speak was to “disinfect the air of Gettysburg” and I think he went far above and beyond that, to which the enduring meaning of his Address is testament. No one could have expected or predicted that this Address, given 140+ years ago would be cited over and over in the wake of another battle that America faced following 9.11.01.

Even if the traveller is not a historian, I think history can and should be a reason behind the choice to visit a destination. So much more can be learned via a hands-on approach than through reading about it. Destinations can have programs that appeal to visitors of all ages, especially allowing children to learn more about the place they’re visiting.

And I have no idea where birds go when it snows, especically with late season storms like this one.

Unfortunately I’m not enjoying Lincoln at Gettysburg too much. There are a few interesting aspects, which I’ll note when the book is not in the car, but it’s not what I’d hoped it would be. I got a clearer picture of Lincoln’s words and their impact from speaking with the various guides while at Gettysburg. I suppose this book could serve as a primer though, or someone who wants to deeply analyze the drafts and the various parties.I picked up They Met at Gettysburg, and I have higher hopes for that.

Literature and history are often entwined, as we saw with CitA when the author had the chance to meet with Shelby Foote. The idea of having the opportunity to meet an author while on site (Foote in this case is clearly not an option) might be a way to entice visitors.  It would allow them to put a face with the history of the place and bring it a bit more to life. This could be a way to bring those visitors classed as “somewhat likely” to come because it could be a deciding factor. I’d love the chance to meet an author and see what drew their interest in a subject. Hmmm.

Well at least I’m starting off by sticking with the same region!
I think the thing I’ve enjoyed most about resurrecting this blog is that it’s forced me to spend some time reading articles that I might normally pass up.

For Luxury Traveler’s, India’a Past isn’t Past

guided walking tours that invite a visitor to “savour the nostalgia of the Raj Era.” As if to drive home the point, horseback riding, lawn croquet and archery are also on offer — all without a trace of irony.

OK, I know I’m not luxury, but maybe I’m crazy? If I wanted horseback riding, lawn croquet and archery, India is not where I’d head. There is something to be said for experiencing a destination as it once was, but to me that would apply to a place as it was. Not as a colonial power made it. At least these luxury hotels admit they’re offering a fable, but even with that acknowledgement, it feels as if they’re doing something that cheapens the experience. I suppose, however, that there’s a market for this, or they wouldn’t be offering it.

Only India, I suppose, can absorb foreign occupation, feudalism and a host of other anachronisms and turn it into a memory worth savoring — and splurging on.

I do agree with the author’s perception of the uniqueness of India in this situation. I cannot imagine a comparable situation in any other country.

As Political Unrest Eases, Travel Picks Up

What surprised me the most here, apart from the fact that a walking group is lumped in with adventure tourism, is that people are willing to gamble on ~four months peace following ten years of unrest. Putting aside my personal feelings, I can’t imagine, as a company, investing the time and effort into re-launching a program only to risk the country returning to instability. This fear is echoed by a warning on the Australian government’s website which state:

“While considerable progress has been made in negotiating a formal end to the decade-long Maoist insurgency,” the report states, “the longer-term security situation in Nepal remains unpredictable and could deteriorate.”

While I understand that there is money to be made in travel to the region, one must weigh the costs against the potential profit, no?

Turning to another kind of Civil War, both of the following articles seem interesting from an economic perspective:

Turning Points in the U. S. Civil War: Views from the Grayback Market and Turning Points in the U. S. Civil War: Views from the Grayback Market.

Despite my trips to the various battlefields, my interests in the Civil War remain economic or slightly anthropologic. Now I just need to find some articles that point me in the right direction for class!

Gettysburg was wonderful, and I’ve uploaded a few photos. I’ll upload more as I have the time.

I really need to digest the trip before I share my thoughts. I think I have about 20 pages of notes, with an equal amount of great ideas. It was a very different trip to my last romp of Civil War Battlefields: Antietam, Manassas, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg etc. in August. The trip definitely reminded me that I need to finish Confederates in the Attic. Tonight maybe.

I think what struck me the most was the visual representation. One of the guides mentioned that they use visuals to tell the story, but I don’t think that hit me until I was looking out from Little Round Top across parts of the Battlefield. I really want to read this article if I can get my hands on it.

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I’m not a huge Civil War buff, but I’m looking forward to this. I’ll have to see how many of Tony Horwitz’ sentiments I agree with.