The other day Penn State's Roxanne Shiels posted an interesting query to the Minary-L alumni education listserv, which read in part:
I was wondering if anyone had any good examples of day-by-day travel dispatches or blogs for any of your travel programs. The editor of our alumni magazine is traveling to France and is willing to do this for us but wanted to get some sample formats and content.
There was also the question of privacy, and whether to include travelers' full names:
I always worry that including full names will say "Hey, all you burglars out there, Jane Smith from Florida will be in France for another 8 days. Come and clean her out!" Yet, if we don't include last names, it loses some of its credibility. Thoughts?
Rob Fure of Washington & Lee University commented that
writing is the workshop of perception and a well-written account of a journey brings it back vividly and lastingly for travelers and writers alike. I only wish only that more of our colleagues in this field would risk it.
And Nathan Stazewski of Swarthmore contributed this info:
Our Publications director went on our Vietnam trip and did the following blog, http://www.swarthmore.edu/alumni/vietnam/index.html
So one question is - why aren't more alumni travel directors encouraging or experimenting with this format? Seems like it would add depth and a new dynamic to the trips, while reaching the up-and-coming audience for these very programs...even without mentioning full names and home towns...