Friday Fix – 24 Oct

Posted on in Announcements by Sarah Rodrigues

Happy Friday, everyone …

Thank goodness the clocks go back this weekend! These dark mornings are such a struggle for me (never a morning person at the best of times …throw in the cold weather and I am not a happy camper)

Hope you’ve all had a productive October and are looking forward to a great weekend.

All the best,

Sarah

PS – I’m sure nobody cares, but I’m having trouble with the usual **** between paragraphs today, so you’re stuck with some off-kilter and aesthetically displeasing lines.

A message from Chair, Chris Coe

Our annual Gala Dinner and Awards evening is a huge undertaking with the planning starting at least 6 months in advance. It is also very costly, especially since COVID, and more so on a Monday evening. I’d like to say a huge thank you Renate, Dan and Mary Anne for all their work on delivering this and bringing in £100k to cover all these costs. That is a huge achievement in today’s economic climate. We hope you will be there to congratulate them along with all the award winners as we celebrate 65 years. Come and join the fun!

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Only 17 BGTW Gala Tickets Remaining / Event Update – 3 November 2025 

Haven’t ordered your BGTW Gala Awards Dinner ticket yet? This is your final call to snap up one of the very last extra-discounted £65 members’ tickets before seating plans are finalised on Monday morning. Order your tickets here (using the password 202565) for what promises to be a glitzy evening with a sparkling networking reception, three-course dinner, free-flowing drinks package, charity raffle, entertainment, launch of the 65th Anthology “Around The World in 65 Years”, and of course, the Members Excellence Awards.

Alongside over 90 of our incredible members who have already purchased their tickets, this year’s attendees include PRs from major agencies and in-house brands, representing luxury hotel groups, ski and tour companies, concierge services, and their diverse clients.

Plus, representatives from all of our brilliant partners, who have helped make the Gala happen (including funding the Members’ Excellence Awards’ cash prizes and supplying the excellent charity raffle prizes, this year for Hope and Homes For Children). These include PURE MICHIGAN, Discover Dominica, EXPLORE Charleston, VISIT USA, MEET BOSTON, Amelia Island, Discover Philadelphia, Gran Canaria, Discover Tunisia, Travel Switzerland, Visit Scotland and TravMedia. 

Other destinations in attendance for networking opportunities include Cyprus, Rotterdam, Northern France, Kotor, Brazil and the Algarve. We’ll also be welcoming the Deputy Minister of Tourism from Sri Lanka

Additionally, there’s a fabulous cohort of our colleagues and editors from magazine groups, including APL/National Geographic, Hearst, Wanderlust, both international and European in-flight and in-room magazines, nationals, guide-book publishers, the BBC… and of course our good friends at TravMedia, ANTOR and a few well-known faces.

But most importantly, the stars of the evening: all of you! If you haven’t yet ordered your ticket, this really is the last chance to do so. If you have, we’ll see you in your black tie, fab dresses, and glam getup – ideally paired with a touch of sapphire to celebrate the Guild’s 65th Birthday – at our phenomenal venue, One Marylebone, for the sparkling networking reception at 18:00.

Here’s to starting WTM week in celebratory style!

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Final Reminder: 30th October Sustainable Journalism Webinar – Free for Members

Sign up using the code oct25bgtw to “purchase” on this link to either attend the live webinar or receive the recording and resources afterwards (This webinar is free for BGTW Members only; please do not forward this email or share the discount code outside the Guild)

Topic: With so many journalists exploring, writing about and specialising in sustainable travel, are we asking the right questions to ensure we can confidently call ourselves sustainable travel writers or journalists with ‘expertise in sustainable travel’? From carbon to culture, what should we be asking of hotels, tour ops and providers? (see the full description here)

Date: Thursday, 30th October at 2pm-3.15pm GMT Live (also recorded)
Moderated by Meera Dattani, BGTW Member, the founder of Travel Writing Webinars, executive editor at Adventure.com, and a freelance travel and culture journalist.
Panellists: Justin Francis OBE, co-founder and executive chair of Responsible Travel; Lebawit ‘Lily’ Girma, multi-award-winning travel journalist and founder of Tourism Lens Media; Mirjam Peternek-McCartney, founder of Lemongrass PR, specialising in meaningful change in travel communications.
                                                                
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Oxford Visit

Last call! Today’s the deadline to RSVP for BGTW’s visit to Oxford this Monday, 27 October, which will last from 3pm to 5.30-6pm, although members may opt to stay on for dinner should they wish. No commission is required.

We’re meeting at 3pm at The Store at 1, 5 Broad St, Oxford OX1 3AG, which is kindly hosting us for coffee, tea and cake in its private dining room after our tour. Anyone wishing to spend the night can enjoy a discounted rate of £150 at the new-ish luxury hotel.

Unfortunately, the blogger The Oxford Sausage is no longer able to join us – however Lucy Rundle, who leads the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides, has arranged a special tour just for us to discover some of the city’s unexpected treasures. If you’d like to go or have any questions, please get in touch with Alicia Sheber at alicia.sheber@bgtw.org

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ANTOR debate: Monday, 24 November

Ever fancied a debate at Speaker’s Corner? Well, save the date, we’ve got the next best thing. The annual ANTOR & BGTW debate is now rescheduled for Monday, 24 November. Members who are up for a spirited discussion about this year’s topic, Overtourism, are invited to email Alicia Sheber at alicia.sheber@bgtw.org to register their interest in joining the event, whether to participate in the debate panel, or to listen, watch and network. 

The specific time and venue will be announced soon – but don’t worry, you won’t be shivering in Hyde Park with a pigeon on each shoulder.

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Christmas Cheer: Newcastle (and more?)

Many thanks to member Stuart Forster who has kindly stepped up to lead a Christmas market gathering in Newcastle city centre on Wednesday, 17 December 3.30-7.30 pm. He’s suggested a dusk stroll to capture photos of the festivities followed by a couple of drinks. Meeting point TBD. Please RSVP to Alicia at alicia.sheber@bgtw.org if you’d like to come along.

If any other members are interested in helping organise and lead regional, pre-Christmas socials to celebrate the season with Guildies in your corners of the UK, please get in touch with Alicia.

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Member achievements

Our talented members Meera Dattani and Shafik Meghji both won awards at the AITO Event on Wednesday night – huge congratulations from all of us! 

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New Member

Please join us in welcoming new member, Phil Thomas. You would have read his bio during the gazetting stage, but by way of re-introduction, please see below. Welcome Phil – we hope you’ll find Guild membership fruitful and enjoyable. 

My name is Phil Thomas, I’m from Cambridge UK. I’m a freelance writer specialising in cultural, outdoors/adventure and LGBTQ+ travel. My work, both articles and photography, has appeared in BBC Travel, The Independent, Travel & Leisure and Food, Wine & Travel amongst others. I also produce content (written and social media) for tourist boards to highlight the lesser known of attractions of a region, with my most recent partnerships including Visit Tucson (US) and Visit Certaldo (Italy).

My blog, where I record my own travel musings and guidance is called Someone Else’s Country (http://www.someoneelsescountry…). I write primarily for busy people who are low on time but high on wanderlust. Features include ‘Go Where Others Don’t’ – practical guidance for traveling independently to hard-to-reach destinations and ‘Second Time In’ – suggested itineraries for return visits to familiar cities that allow you to veer away from the ‘must do’ attractions and focus on lesser known but far more intriguing attractions.

I’m a passionate traveller and have been fortunate to visit 112 countries, which inspired my career change into full-time travel writing. I am applying to the BGTW to learn from the remarkable journalists who contribute to the network and to share my own experiences which I hope will be of value.

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Sarah Rodrigues
By: Sarah Rodrigues Freelance Travel Writer