Does your itinerary meet the "common sense" criteria?
How much information to include, when to plan meal times and the best formats for sharing itineraries? Consider these tips when designing a kick-ass itinerary that serves everyone's best interest.
Thank you to About DCI for hosting me in North Dakota last week! Prior to this visit, I knew very little about this state. In fact, when I told my friends I was going to ND, they questioned me about what’s there to see? Which got me even more curious to find out for myself.
About DCI representatives Zubaida Bello & Sumerian Palmer did an amazing job in creating an itinerary that included things that would be of interest to me - culinary, human interest, sustainability. I learned about the Norwegian settlers living in Fargo & cooking their specialty dishes, met several young entrepreneurs brewing some of the best beer I have tasted, and stayed at a beautiful boutique hotel paying homage to the first American businesswoman in aviation in Grand Forks. It was wonderful to see bustling small-town American downtowns with no chain or name brands, offering high quality products.
I ate so much kuchen, lefse, lox bagels, chippers (chocolate covered chips), and YES, deep friend Smuckers PB&J sandwiches, that my bathroom weight scale was shocked to see the numbers!
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Over the past 20 years, I have had the good fortune to be invited on hundreds of press trips. So I have seen it all when it comes to itinerary designs ranging from a one-page overview of the trip to 100 pages with directions to each spot. Of course, everyone has their own style of doing things, but a good itinerary is one that is most productive for all parties, and makes practical sense. And many writers, including myself, will fill in the gaps by doing our own research.
However, if you are involved in the itinerary design side of travel media, you may want to use my 10-point common sense test to asses if you are covering all the basics? Depending on how well you are already doing, you can modify your future itineraries and contact me to come speak to your team.
I have also included some REAL examples based on my own firsthand experiences.
Practical Tips For Press Trip Itinerary Planning
Work with the writer to find potentials angles of a story, hopefully that has not been covered before. Focus on a theme or aspect of the destination, rather than showing them everything, which is great for a tourist, but not for a journalist. Shotgun tours often lead to a definite story.
Traveling is an experience that should be enjoyable and reflective. Don’t schedule activities back-to-back. Allow some overrun time for interview, photos, rest so the writer can catch her breath and take a pause to understand the place.
At the same time, be flexible with the schedule. Perhaps a rum distillery is not of interest to someone who does not drink alcohol or write about it. They could do something else instead.
For example, an interview with a cafe owner in Taos Pueblo in New Mexico became so passionate, his family joined in, and I spent 3 hours with them, having to cancel other things on my agenda that day. This beautiful story came out of it.
Schedule meal times at appropriate hours that the writer is use to eating (for example 8am breakfast, 1pm lunch, 7pm dinner, etc). I had a culinary oriented press trip in Israel where we went from one lunch to another, for full meals (not courses).
Another PR person on a recent trip decided to schedule my lunch meeting at 2:45pm & dinner at 6pm - on the same day!
In my previous Substack, I wrote about how many travel writers are refusing to accept press trips because the itineraries are often intense, with very long days, causing fatigue, stress and burnout. How about working with the writer to see what hours they are comfortable with waking up and going to bed, if they prefer to have a break in between? Given the choice, I would rather catch up on sleep or hit the hotel gym in the morning rather than being dragged to a sit-down breakfast spot.
If you are expecting writers to post on social or create content on the fly, then you may want to offer an “internet break.”
The PR person I worked with recently at Cloudland At McLemore Resort wrote in his itinerary “Catch up on work or bide some time in the Library” which was a beautiful lounge space and coffee shop. A cafe voucher for a local spot where one can work and have a little pick me up in the afternoon, is a nice touch too.
Use your common sense when scheduling the sequence of activities. Yes, I have been booked a guided hike right after a massage, a city tour straight out of sea after snorkeling, had no snack or bathroom breaks during a 7-hour road trip, and even an airport drop for a long haul flight after spending an entire day in the dirt. Bottom line - account for personal hygiene!
PDF, WordDoc, Google Docs or Apps - whats the best way to share an itinerary? If you can afford to get a subscription to Travefy would be my no 1 choice (I even use to when designing itineraries for my Go Eat Give clients). The app organizes activities day-by-day, includes links, directions and photos. The best part is you can make changes, see live updates, get automated flight status updates, and even chat.
If you need to make changes on the fly or contact the journalist, use texting or WhatsApp as the preferred means of communication. If you send an email with a change to the itinerary, I may not see it in time. And if you send an attachment, it may go to my junk folder or get lost in the inbox. If you are not using Travefy, use Google Docs with a live link.
How much information to include in an itinerary? I feel, it’s never too much! At the minimum, include a brief description of the place or activity, noting some fun facts or journalistic highlights (for example, this restaurant was featured on a TV show). Specify which meals/ activities are comped by whom. Note the website, social media accounts, address and map, landmarks or directions especially if the place is hard to find. Also, make sure to have a contact person (such as manager, owner or media relations person) so we can reach out if there are any issues and follow up with them directly if we have questions later on.
One of the best itineraries I received was from Tourism Australia. It was very long but comprehensive, with even step by step directions on how to get from my hotel to the ferry dock, exact times on when to leave, where to pick my tickets from, etc.
Where I am Speaking…
Please reach out if you would like to grab a drink or have a one-on-one meeting with me in Atlanta or Las Vegas.
Sept 16: I will be doing the luncheon keynote, followed by a book signing and media panel at the Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference in Atlanta.
Oct 9-10: I will be speaking at 3 sessions - Dining for Social Good, Cultural Tips to Help You Soar, and Stories From the Front Lines at IMEX Las Vegas.
If you are planning a conference, regional meeting or an event where you may find my insights useful, take a look at my speaker profile. As a Keynote Speaker, some of the topics I cover are - cultural etiquettes, how food connects people, marketing to diverse audiences, journalist & media relations, how to plan effortless press trips, trend in multigenerational travel, sustainable travel, solo female travel, and BIPOC stories from the front lines.
I have also spoken on behalf of Destinations at consumer events, such as The New York Times Travel Show, Travel Adventure Show and many others.
Recently Published
10 Best Places To Visit in Australia for AAA The Extra Mile
Cool Kulfi for Khabar Magazine (PRINT)
AmaDara cruise review for Fodor’s Travel
7 of the World’s Finest Hotels With Great Views for AAA The Extra Mile
Milledgeville Burger Week Will Inspire You to Add Global Flavors to Your Grill for Georgia Trend Magazine
Which US Ports Does Royal Caribbean Sail From? for AAA The Extra Mile
This Gorgeous Region in Greece is where the Greeks go on vacation for Travel+Leisure
9 Fabulous Resorts in Asia & the Pacific Worth Saving Your Marriott Bonvoy for Marriott Bonvoy
Fiji - Panoramic Getaway with a Masala Twist for Khabar Magazine (PRINT Cover Story)
Visit Filming Locations of Your Favorite TV Shows and Movies for AAA The Extra Mile
Hawkers Asian Street Food for Georgia Trend Magazine (PRINT)
Best International shopping for Explore Gwinnett (PRINT)
Atlanta’s 57 Best Bars for Atlanta Magazine (PRINT)
Have You Watched My TED Talks?
I did 3 TEDx talks about travel in 2023. Watch them on YouTube by clicking on the links below...
Why you need to travel in silence
Using travel to develop cultural intelligence
Stop dreaming and start living now
Got Kids Who Love To Read About Travel?
My favorite Media Visit is one that combines an individual visit to uncover stories that I am the best person to tell + keynote speech or panel discussion at an event + book signings + interviews on your local TV stations.
If you are interested in organizing a media visit in 2025, please contact me NOW as I am planning ahead.
PITCH REQUESTS
Here is what I am looking for at the moment…
Culinary personalities, cookbooks, products and trends catering to South Asian (Indian) audiences living in the U.S. (USA only, Deadline ongoing)
Atlanta specific food and drink related trends, human interest stories, unique dishes that diners may have not heard of but must try! (Atlanta only, Deadline ongoing)
Chefs, entrepreneurs, culinary products, new restaurants, bars and cafes, food or drink trends, quirky festivals, recipe books, and human interest stories. (GA only, Deadline ongoing)
Gifts that give back. Travel, home, and lifestyle holiday gifts that are great for not only giving, but the companies stand for the betterment of specific causes - communities, environment, education, wildlife, etc. (Must be available to purchase online, Deadline Oct 1)
Products to pack for a scuba diving trip, winter cruise, African safari, gorilla trekking, polar adventure, European carnival. (Will need to provide samples, Deadline ongoing)
Coolest expeditions and adventures in the world. Think someone who has done everything already - what’s on the next bucket list? You may want to research what I have done already. (anywhere in the world, Deadline ongoing)
Specific destinations I am personally interested in traveling to in 2025 (doesn’t mean you cannot pitch other places)…
Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Dominica, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mozambique, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad, Tunisia, Uzbekistan.
Tips for Pitching
If you subscribe to my Substack, you will be the first one to receive my call for pitches! But first, here are some tips to ensure that your pitches have a higher likelihood to be considered.
Make sure to familiarize yourself with my previous work.
Personalize your emails. If I don’t see my name, I will assume you are a bot.
Include a catchy story headline with your pitch, one that grabs my editor’s attention as well.
Make sure the story is not already covered.
Include facts, insider tips, specific quotes, ideas that spark conversation (no generic statements).
Please make clear if the client is willing to host media to experience or send samples without asking for confirmed coverage.
DO NOT include pictures, attachments or large files in your email.
And lastly, no need to follow on pitches unless they have a time sensitive hook or scheduled media trip invite.