Just make a friend who loves planning trips and you'll be golden!
Okay so shout out to my friend Felicia who had to endure what was essentially, the first draft of this newsletter.
There's a writer who I adore who posted about a trip she's running that's based on a book where the main character ends up in Scotland to make swords and oops, the sword maker is a duke!!! (it's a cute book, despite my review). And I'm nosy, so I checked it out, and everything about this trip sent me down a rabbit hole.
First off, the trip is only 5 days, 4 nights, includes a chaplaincy session (which is like not therapy/not religious confession but a weird mixture of the two??), and costs almost $5k for a SHARED ROOM. Let me repeat myself - A SHARED ROOM.
And then this brought me down the rabbit hole because I've seen influencer trips before - so many influencers I follow from the Book Community have started doing trips, but like - they aren't tour guides!!! And it brought me to Trova Trip, which is essentially "go on a trip with an influencer" and these are FASCINATING.
First off, if you're bored, check out the Italy trips for a quick reference. Does every trip look the exact same? You betcha! Because these influencers don't know how to plan trips (I am assuming), so they rely on the company to make the trip for them. Although there's one influencer who did a post about going to London where you can ...check out bookshops! Have quiet reading time! All the things you travel to London for, obviously!!
Second, check out the price! Wow! between $2.5-5k for a 4-5 day trip seems steep!
Third, did I mention this doesn't include airfare??? Or most meals???
I think the one that completely threw me for a loop was one from author Melissa Meyer, of the Lunar Chronicles fame, because if you're being honest, you could easily do a trip to Italy or France, or anywhere she's going for a resonable price for probably longer (I'd have to double check my little budgeting app, but I'm certain my Italy trip was not over 2.5k, including flights?!), but you wouldn't be with her, asking her about writing advice!
These trips are about 10-20 people, and if you're all going for that one influencer, I'm assuming you'd want to spend time with them but, again, you're dealing with an additional 9-19 people! You can't stare into the eyes of your favorite influencer at every meal time, or chat with them during every activity because it would be impossible. Heck, I had a tour guide for the coliseum and only me and this one British Comedian showed up (that's a story for another time), and that was the perfect amount of people in a group. But I had only paid 30 bucks for it!
There's a bunch of articles out there about traveling with influencers being the new hot thing, and if I ignore how angry it makes me, I do get it. Planning a trip is difficult, and the thought of going alone isn't always fun, so to have guaranteed "friends" and "plans" that you don't have to think of is a nice thing. There are a bunch of travel companies that target solo travel, under 30/under 40 travel so you're not trekking through the X of Y along (streets of Japan, ruins of Italy, you get it) all by your lonesome. And while those were also overpriced as hell, they're comparable, but aren't nearly as bad as the length or pricing of these influencer trips.
(Also oh my god, I don't have room to talk about it, but shout out to Dani who, when I asked about her recent trip and told her about what I was writing, sent me along to a NYT article about a writer going on a trip with one of this travel companies! The article is truly hilarious but also insanely eye opening in terms of how "We are on a schedule and you will follow this schedule because remember - you are having fun!" these companies are, which feels haunting!!!)
Is this a long, rambly way to say Brie is trying to do another bout of international travel and is stressed about planning? Maybe! But as someone who did a trip so chaotic that she almost got trapped in Venice, a city that she never planned to go to during transit strikes (again, another story), I understand the appeal of having someone plan a trip for you. (BUT TRAVEL AGENTS EXIST!!!) I also understand the appeal of being able to make friends with similar interests (the influencer) and not traveling on your own. Having someone take photos of you with a beautiful background is always helpful.
...
Actually I don't! Fuck it - if I get run over by a water taxi in Venice in an attempt to take a picture and no one knows, did it even happen? Obviously! I still have the scars! (This did not happen. At least, there's no photo evidence of it, now is there. :P)
Anyway - do I have recs this week??? Let's find out.
There's a writer who I adore who posted about a trip she's running that's based on a book where the main character ends up in Scotland to make swords and oops, the sword maker is a duke!!! (it's a cute book, despite my review). And I'm nosy, so I checked it out, and everything about this trip sent me down a rabbit hole.
First off, the trip is only 5 days, 4 nights, includes a chaplaincy session (which is like not therapy/not religious confession but a weird mixture of the two??), and costs almost $5k for a SHARED ROOM. Let me repeat myself - A SHARED ROOM.
And then this brought me down the rabbit hole because I've seen influencer trips before - so many influencers I follow from the Book Community have started doing trips, but like - they aren't tour guides!!! And it brought me to Trova Trip, which is essentially "go on a trip with an influencer" and these are FASCINATING.
First off, if you're bored, check out the Italy trips for a quick reference. Does every trip look the exact same? You betcha! Because these influencers don't know how to plan trips (I am assuming), so they rely on the company to make the trip for them. Although there's one influencer who did a post about going to London where you can ...check out bookshops! Have quiet reading time! All the things you travel to London for, obviously!!
Second, check out the price! Wow! between $2.5-5k for a 4-5 day trip seems steep!
Third, did I mention this doesn't include airfare??? Or most meals???
I think the one that completely threw me for a loop was one from author Melissa Meyer, of the Lunar Chronicles fame, because if you're being honest, you could easily do a trip to Italy or France, or anywhere she's going for a resonable price for probably longer (I'd have to double check my little budgeting app, but I'm certain my Italy trip was not over 2.5k, including flights?!), but you wouldn't be with her, asking her about writing advice!
These trips are about 10-20 people, and if you're all going for that one influencer, I'm assuming you'd want to spend time with them but, again, you're dealing with an additional 9-19 people! You can't stare into the eyes of your favorite influencer at every meal time, or chat with them during every activity because it would be impossible. Heck, I had a tour guide for the coliseum and only me and this one British Comedian showed up (that's a story for another time), and that was the perfect amount of people in a group. But I had only paid 30 bucks for it!
There's a bunch of articles out there about traveling with influencers being the new hot thing, and if I ignore how angry it makes me, I do get it. Planning a trip is difficult, and the thought of going alone isn't always fun, so to have guaranteed "friends" and "plans" that you don't have to think of is a nice thing. There are a bunch of travel companies that target solo travel, under 30/under 40 travel so you're not trekking through the X of Y along (streets of Japan, ruins of Italy, you get it) all by your lonesome. And while those were also overpriced as hell, they're comparable, but aren't nearly as bad as the length or pricing of these influencer trips.
(Also oh my god, I don't have room to talk about it, but shout out to Dani who, when I asked about her recent trip and told her about what I was writing, sent me along to a NYT article about a writer going on a trip with one of this travel companies! The article is truly hilarious but also insanely eye opening in terms of how "We are on a schedule and you will follow this schedule because remember - you are having fun!" these companies are, which feels haunting!!!)
Is this a long, rambly way to say Brie is trying to do another bout of international travel and is stressed about planning? Maybe! But as someone who did a trip so chaotic that she almost got trapped in Venice, a city that she never planned to go to during transit strikes (again, another story), I understand the appeal of having someone plan a trip for you. (BUT TRAVEL AGENTS EXIST!!!) I also understand the appeal of being able to make friends with similar interests (the influencer) and not traveling on your own. Having someone take photos of you with a beautiful background is always helpful.
...
Actually I don't! Fuck it - if I get run over by a water taxi in Venice in an attempt to take a picture and no one knows, did it even happen? Obviously! I still have the scars! (This did not happen. At least, there's no photo evidence of it, now is there. :P)
Anyway - do I have recs this week??? Let's find out.
- I just found a man on youtube who makes purses from random things like... plastic plates from Ikea! What???
- So did you watch Red, White and Royal Blue? Here's a youtuber I love talking about how much she loves it!!!! While trying to not cry her makeup off about how sweet it is. (She's also just lovely in general so there's that.
- Are you super excited to check out V. E. Schwab's newest book, The Fragile Threads of Power, but realize you had no memory of what happened in the previous trilogy?? You're not alone! There's a lovely recap of the whole series from the author, which made me want to reread it - which is not the point! Unhelpful!! But if you need a recap, it's delightful!
"Brieana, are these all youtub--" hush. I'm tired, this is so long.
Also, wait stop, do you have a few thousand laying around you DON'T want to use for overpriced vacations? Book something to support actors on strike! Like .... Natasha Lyonne helping you with a crossword for over $2k!
Bye!
Also, wait stop, do you have a few thousand laying around you DON'T want to use for overpriced vacations? Book something to support actors on strike! Like .... Natasha Lyonne helping you with a crossword for over $2k!
Bye!
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