Thanks for Your Contributions To The Travel Industry
Done with TedxUPV, Diwali and trips to Puerto Rico and Scottsdale; it's time for Thanksgiving and TEDxMSU
Today may not seem the optimal time to send a newsletter being that many of you have already logged out & are getting ready for your turkey meals, but in case you have a moment, I’ll keep this short & sweet...
When I was growing up in India, I never had access to a travel magazine or watched a tv show on travel. I guess I am dating myself, but in the 80’s travel was simply not a media subject in a developing country. Therefore, a career in travel media or food & travel journalism did not really exist. It was not even a thing I could have dreamt of, let alone pursued.
Fast forward to today, I work full time as a successful food & travel writer. I am blessed to have the best job in the world, not only for the privilege of being able to see this beautiful world, staying at amazing properties & eating the best of cuisines, but also constantly learning about other cultures & continuously expanding my mindset. Today, I have traveled to over 100 countries across 7 continents - something no one from my family could have ever imagined.
I shared my personal story at my recent TedX talk at the University of Philippines earlier this month (the video will be on TED website in a few weeks).
But how does this concern you?
We know that travel has long been a luxury for those who can afford the time & the resources, but only in my short lifespan, this is changing.
Thanks to people like you!
People like yourself who represent the travel industry in PR, DMO, hotels, airlines, cruises, publications, etc. are making an effort to make travel more accessible, diverse & inclusive, which is something I am grateful for today.
If it wasn’t for YOU, a BIPOC immigrant like myself wouldn’t have had the opportunities to explore new places & have this life. Thank you for trusting to work with me, allowing travel writers like myself to express our unique viewpoints, and enabling us to inspire others to see the world.
While you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family or friends this weekend, keep that with you. You are making a huge difference in the world & impacting a series of people, even generations, probably without realizing it!
Looking for a keynote speaker for your next event? I have inspired audiences at the United Nations, 3 Ted events, PRSA & travel conferences, university graduations & book festivals all over the world. Click here to see my speaking portfolio and please reach out at any time.
How to work with diverse writers?
Here are 3 things you can do to next week when you get back in the office.
For a full list of strategies and examples of how destinations and brands have worked with diverse voices, see my SATW workshop.
Offer them a unique perspective - Tailor your pitches and press releases to the person you are contacting. If you have a new hotel, event or attraction, try to sell it to call on the identity or interest of the writer. A great example of this is how on my recent visit to Scottsdale, the team connected me to Zoya, the owner of Arizona Wine Collective - a tasting room in Old Town Scottsdale. While many people are interested in learning about Arizona wines (including myself), Zoya and I shared a mutual past of growing up in India, defying social norms of following traditional professions, and starting South Asian female immigrant owned businesses in the US. The added connections help me relate to and tell her story in a more personal way.
Invite them on individual trips - Group press trips often force all the journalists, no matter what their interest or background, to experience the destination in the same way. I find individual trips allow me to fully immerse and find my own self in relation to the space, leading to new relationships that otherwise may not have been on the agenda. I have also discovered that people are more open to sharing personal details when you speak to them one on one. For example, The Four Seasons Resort in Mauritius hosted me at their property (which is spectacular), but the stories I ended up featuring them in were about the island’s connection to Indian migrants who moved to the African island 200 years ago, tying in my conversations with the resort’s chef and driver. Here’s the story.
Expand your reach beyond who you know - When I look around at conferences or read mainstream travel publications, I see only a handful of names repeating. I am sure there are more diverse travel writers who have a powerful story to share but may not have had the opportunity to do so yet. I urge you to ask for recommendations for other upcoming writers who you could work with, perhaps recruit from journalism programs or follow social channels that don’t have millions of followers as yet. I remember when I first started out, my mentor in Atlanta recommended me for a small job - to cover the filming of a food competition, for a local magazine. It was such an honor and an opportunity I am grateful for till this day.
A Genuine Friend
In this section, I identify an exceptional PR person or company I worked with to create multiple unique stories.
You know when you see 200 emails in your inbox, but you first open that one from a familiar friendly face?
Brad Packer is Austin-based Senior Director Of Public Relations & Communications - Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora & Four Seasons Hotel Houston. I first worked with Brad during the pandemic to feature the New Orleans property in a TIME Magazine best destinations feature. We did not meet in person until a Travel Classics conference in 2022, where he sought me out to have dinner and drinks. But this wasn’t another business meeting that I had had with hundreds of other PR folks. Brad was super friendly, and we talked about our spouses and pets (and he still remembers their names), our favorite vacations spots and travel experiences. I don’t even remember talking work at all!
We did work together, showcasing all of his clients in my stories through the years (see a few below), but it has always felt like a friendship more than a transaction. He never asked me for “a confirmed assignment” but trusted that I will deliver. And I always had his hotels top of my mind when working on stories that would be a suitable fit. When visiting on press trips, Brad personally organized unique experiences and made sure the staff attended to every details. During my recent visit in Scottsdale, Brad even made time to see me before I headed to the airport.
Brad Packer is a great example of someone who established relationship first and becomes a trusted friend, before a colleague. I find that in our fast-paced environment of keeping up with latest trends, stories and deadlines, we don’t always take the time out to get to know each other on a deeper level, which is refreshing. According to my former employer, Gallup, data shows that having a best friend at work is strongly linked to business outcomes, including improvements in profitability, safety, inventory control, and employee retention.
Read this interesting article about the Power of Work Friends by Harvard Business Review.
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Did you know that the day after Thanksgiving is The National Day of Listening?
This day was established in 2008 as an alternate way to connect with loved ones and create meaningful memories. It is a reminder to pause and make an extra effort to do a little less talking and a little more listening.
Traveling in Silence is the topic of my 3rd TedX talk this year! Drawing on experiences of my travels from Japan, Australia, Tahiti and Rwanda, I will be sharing my BIG IDEA of speaking less, listening more and engaging in meaningful connections when you travel.
If you are in the Montana area and would like to come attend the live event on Tuesday, click here for more information and tickets.
Please Share This Newsletter With Your Colleagues
I’m looking to grow and develop my network of travel and food publicists and friends. If you find my newsletter helpful, or if you know someone who might, please share it with them. Thanks!