My Tips For Travellers Rethink, and what it means for you..

Okinawa JapanOver the ten years that I have blogged, podcasted and posted videos on YouTube I have had a very respectful and engaged follower base. I have experienced very little “internet trolling” (other than the occasional “faggot” or similar comment on YouTube). Even these have quickly been closed down by readers or viewers on my behalf. I have had relatively limited feedback on the content, but as had seen consistent and growing numbers I took this to mean that travellers largely enjoyed what I was doing. However, feedback is important and so I ran surveys and went out to ask people to let me know what they like and do not like.

I have been very grateful over the last few weeks to have received a number of consistent comments, which are going to lead to me to adjusting what I am doing on my blog, podcasts and video. The feedback came at a perfect time as I was already thinking I needed to return more to my roots – and the way I used to generate and produce content.

In my drive to become more “professional” I had spent time over the last two or three years on trying to make more edited and slick videos, scripted my podcasts so they were more fluid and had less ramblings and have been on more paid-for and press trips which I think may have clouded my independent thought and coverage without even realising it. Over the last three months whilst on my private three-month trip, I reassessed where I was in content creation and I decided that I was losing some of my distinctiveness, uniqueness and voice.

It was, therefore, helpful to get emails and feedback during this period from a number of people that they were missing my more “amateur” style which had more personal comments, perspectives and touch. It was clear that people seem to prefer more commentary, strong points of view and a more personal approach over the more slick and commercial-feeling edits that they could get from brands themselves.

So you will see a return to the origins of Tips For Travellers and a more personal and opinionated approach. I will still try to bring a more slick and professional quality to what I do (better writing, editing, production values etc) but it will have more of my personality, personal activities and perspective (and probably more of me appearing in the videos and photographs if you can face that…….)

Any thoughts, comments or requests from you as I return back to the future…….? Leave a comment or email me

Gary Bembridge

I grew up in Zimbabwe, but I have been based in London since 1987. My travel life spans more than three decades and that includes more than 95 cruises. In 2005, I launched Tips for Travellers to make it easy and fun for people to discover, plan and enjoy incredible cruise vacations. And the rest, as they say, is history. I have the largest cruise vlogger channel currently on YouTube, with more than 3 million video views per month.

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