Travel industry rent-a-quotes
By travel industry standards, I am by no means a catch-all rent-a-quote expert. Certainly not when compared to the Independent’s Simon Calder or Travel Supermarket’s Bob Atkinson, by any chalk.
Areas of expertise
But in certain areas, I’m pretty damned good. I know Sheffield well and I know Australia extremely well. I must have written over 1,000 articles about Oz – and it’s at the absurd point where the Sydney Morning Herald has e-mailed me while I’m living in the UK to write about water activities in Sydney. There are also lots of obscure areas where I have a far better knowledge than most simply by virtue of having spent a bit of time there – Samoa or Montserrat for example.
Downside of being an expert
However, there is one major downside to billing yourself as and being perceived as an expert. And that is when you don’t know about something you should know about. Is it just me that gets the cold sweats because I haven’t the faintest idea about something that’s supposedly on my patch?
Sydney hotels
If an editor came to me to write a piece on, for example, Sydney hotels, I’d have to resort to phone and web research plus some desperate bluffing. Yes, I lived in Sydney for five years and have written about it on countless occasions, but I’ve very rarely had cause to stay in a hotel there. The thought of having to do a Sydney hotels piece rather terrifies me.
Weak spots
I’m sure other travel experts – journalists, tour operators and agents – must have the same feelings. Yes, not knowing gives an excellent reason to find out, but what if you’re put on the spot? Are you the Italy expert who has never visited Basilicata? Or the Spain expert who has a blind spot when it comes to Seville’s flamenco scene? And what do you do when you’re asked to share your expertise about the area you’re weak on?
Options for a struggling expert
There are a few options – honestly fessing up to complete ignorance; saying: “I don’t know, but I’ll go and find out,”; leaning on contacts for the right information without getting it first hand; outright bluffing. But none of them feel good. It’s the flip side to having a good reputation.
Australia flight routes
What has brought this sudden attack of anxiety on is my new web project – AustraliaFlightBargains.com. It’s on a subject – flight routes and sales from the UK to Australia – that I know a fair amount about and have researched. But I dread being asked by someone about flight options I’ve not considered.
Australasia trip
And today, that someone asking the awkward questions is me. In April and May, the laws of commissions landing in thoroughly inconvenient places mean that I’ve got to cover Samoa, Tonga, random corners of New Zealand and a number of places in Australia that are rather challenging to get between. In short, working out the itinerary and flights is going to be a ruddy nightmare. And, unfortunately, the first ‘expert’ I should be coming to about it is me. Nuts.
Tags: Australia, travel expert, Travel Writing