Open letter to Laureen Ong, President of Travel Channel

Dear Laureen,

Can I call you Laureen? Perhaps that’s a bit too familiar, but I have to tell you that I’m a fan of your work. Well, I’m a fan of Samantha Brown. So, I’d like to help you out a bit.

You need to pick up the broadcasting rights to the Tour de France. Oh, I know that Discovery Channel gave it a try and it didn’t work out, but that was all about poor execution. I know you can do it better.

I have to admit that I know next to nothing about bicycle racing. Sure, I ride a bike all the time but sorting through all the riders, the teams and the race tactics is as foreign to me as the languages the riders speak. Even sitting near the finish line of the Tour de France for Stage 3 in Arenberg, all I could do was cheer, clap and try to time my camera trigger finger to capture guys moving at 40 miles an hour.

And yet, I watch. Constantly. Which brings me to my point – there is an opportunity to pull in people who aren’t currently watching by taking advantage of all of the event’s other compelling qualities: travel, food, drama, human interest and competition.

For anyone interested in travel, especially to France, showing the Tour is an unbelievable chance to showcase the country. I watch it on television every year, but the viewing experience just doesn’t cut it right now unless you’re a hardcore racing fan (which is a pretty tight niche in the US).

Currently, the Tour is shown on Vs. – also known as the home of Ultimate Fighting, Bull Riding and 1000 Ways to Die. So, there’s a huge disconnect when you tune in to see overhead views of lush green valleys, stunning mountain passes and skinny guys in spandex. Sure, cycling is as full of testosterone as those other shows, but it’s artificially injected so it barely counts.

Because of how it’s covered, most people tune in to watch the race, but I gotta be honest, there are long stretches of time in which not much happens other than riders pedaling for an hour. It’s a made-for-Tivo event, which can’t make the advertisers happy.

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

If the world worked the way I want, you’d be able to catch cycling’s biggest event on the Travel Channel. Here’s why:

It’s visually captivating

Each day, riders travel through new areas of French countryside (and sometimes Belgium, Spain and Italy as they careen down mountains and across borders). Most are places that tourists don’t often visit, but they host some of the most amazing natural beauty on the planet.

Plus, the camera work for Le Tour is spectacular. In addition to death-defying maneuvers by cameramen on motorbikes, you have regular shots from overhead helicopters capturing  the action, stunning scenery and local flavor.

Smaller locations deserve more air time:

France is a beautiful country. As much as I love all the places you cover on your programming, there’s much more to it than the “15 Disgusting Foods to Try in Paris with Anthony Bourdain.”

Lille, France was virtually unknown to me, but I visited to watch a stage of the Tour and when I got there, I was overwhelmed by the sights, the cafes, the architecture – all of them are top notch, without the overwhelming nature of Paris’s tourist scene.

Every region of France has similar discoveries.

Image: wikipedia creative commons

The coverage on Versus includes a brief overview of the route and the locale, but imagine how much better it could be with a correspondent who spends a day in each location learning about local cuisine, the history and stories about the people and culture?

Each town on the route turns the event into its own street festival, including parade. Even a blip on a map that passes by before a rider can shift gears plays to the cameras – creating oversized works of art by lining up campers, hay bales or whatever other tools they have at their disposal.

The Tour website already gives you a headstart, but I know you can do better with the experience and skill of your writers.

There’s over 100 years of race history to share

And not boring history, either.

There are whole libraries of books written about the Tour’s colorful past so I won’t even attempt to rehash that here, but think about it – for over a century, riders have been crazy enough to race thousands of miles over mountains. How could there NOT be great stories there? Cheating scandals (involving a train ride), crashes and the wildest spectators on the planet. In most sports, running onto the field will get you arrested. Here, runners dart into the middle of the road every day to encourage the participants.

Hard to believe that one of the most challenging events ever envisioned started in an attempt to sell newspapers!

Competition makes compelling viewing

Sure, most of your viewers don’t understand the sport. People who aren’t soccer fans see a bit of it and think “they just kick the ball around for an hour and sometimes it goes into a goal.” Cycle racing is no different. So, give viewers a primer of what the strategies are, how drafting works, how teams support a leader and the differences between sprinters, climbers and the domestiques. No need to beat it into people’s heads, but a bit of time explaining the basics will engage newer viewers.

The beauty of the Tour is that it’s not just about the overall winner – there are other competitions along the way: daily stage winners, King of the Mountains, Sprinters, Most aggressive and Best Young Rider.

It’s multi-cultural

This is on your website:

Through the engaging storytelling and unique perspectives of its on-air personalities, the Travel Channel creates travel content that inspires, entertains and taps into the human desire to experience new things, explore new places and engage with interesting people and cultures.

That statement describes every participant in the Tour, who come from dozens of nations and each have their own culture, background and perspective.

True human drama is better than so-called reality shows

Rider drama is rampant each year. Everyone knows Lance Armstrong’s story and how he overcame cancer to win 7 times. But there are almost 200 other riders each year who have dramatic and compelling stories to tell. Give viewers a horse to root for, even if it’s a fresh-faced rookie or a sprinter like Mark Cavendish, who won’t win the overall but broke down in tears after winning Stage 5.

Interpersonal conflict is inevitable. Racers have egos the size of the Tourmalet, so there are inevitably feuds and sniping along the way. Armstrong vs. Contador; Armstrong vs. Ullrich; Armstrong vs. LeMond; Armstrong vs. France. Okay, so Lance’s (second) retirement removes some of that, but someone will take his place.

Only a couple days ago a “bitch slap” fight broke out between Rui Costa and Carlos Barredo: see?

Add all of that together and you’ve now got a full month of live programming waiting for you each year – and unlike the way it’s currently shown, adding human stories and travelog to the broadcast makes it open to future re-broadcast and re-packaging (which doesn’t happen much at the moment).

In case you haven’t seen enough of the Tour to understand why it’s so amazing, here are some recommendations to get into it:

• Stage 17 – July 22^nd: The Tourmalet is one of the most famed climbs on the Tour, and is included most years, even though the route always changes. This year, it’s especially compelling as the finish line is at the top, which will mean a grueling final push to win the stage. In all likelihood, this stage will determine the final victor of the Tour.
• Stage 19 – July 24^th: The last “real” day of the tour (the final stage in Paris is normally ceremonial in nature and doesn’t allow much opportunity for riders to change their standings). As a time trial, this is very different from most of the race stages. It’s mano a mano as each racer rides the same course solo one at a time, a final test of individual effort rather than team tactics.

And Laureen? If you like this idea and can get the rights away from Versus, give me a ring. I’m available to consult (especially if Samantha Brown hosts).

Come on – who would have thought anyone would watch poker on TV? The Travel Channel made that work for several years – give this one a shot.

In honor of the US premiere of Doctor Who this week, I wanted to share a few travel tips I got from watching the series.

Don’t let the fact that this post is based on the British Sci Fi series scare you off. First airing in 1963, Doctor Who is the longest running travel show on television. It’s not much different from watching Samantha Brown, only with time travel, talking cats and evil trash cans. It is the kind of show that can appeal to people of all ages from children who like playing with action figures to adults who enjoy a game at poker.de. It will make you laugh, get excited and sometimes even cry. If you’re interested in a primer, here’s some info.

Here are a few things I’ve learned from The Doctor.

Hard to believe the show pre-dates hippies.

Set out to have fun

The Doctor travels for no reason other than the joy of it. Though he may get side-tracked into saving aliens, worlds or even the universe, at the core it’s about having fun – exploring things you haven’t yet seen and meeting people you don’t know. How much purer a motive can you have?

Spin the dial and see where you end up
It wouldn’t be an adventure if it’s all planned. The unpredictable nature of the TARDIS can take you anywhere in time and space, but the best times can be when you leave your destination up to the universe.

Help people

Even if you’re in a strange place, you’ll have chances to lend a hand. You don’t have to save a planet by frying a Dalek’s circuitry with your sonic screwdriver. You can simply help an old lady cross the street. Or even a young lady.

pssst! Freema, call me!

Discover companions along the way

Don’t let a love of solo travel keep you from joining up with people to share in some of your adventures. Whether you meet in a hostel, hotel bar or a hospital that’s been transported to the moon by the Shadow Proclamation, it’s fun to pick up travel mates for a while.

London is the center of the universe

Okay, I’m not sold on this one, but marauding aliens certainly seem to end up there a lot. I always figured the center of the universe was the place ice cream was invented (China, in case you’re curious).

You don’t need to pack a lot of clothes

The beauty of always meeting new people is there’s no one to notice that you wore that same shirt yesterday. And the day before. And apparently every day.

Don’t judge people by your own standards

The Doctor may have a strong moral compass, but he understands that everyone is entitled to their own culture and traditions, no matter how strange they may seem to us. The fact that the Ood hold their brains in their hands is still kinda creepy, though.

Be a bit of a show-off

You’re going places most will only dream of, so whether it’s through photos, stories, recipes or helping Shakespeare write the Tempest, share the uniqueness of the journey with others.

There’s no time like now

Even if you can travel through it, wasting time sucks. You can’t regenerate into a new body when you die, so don’t blow it sitting around and staring into the time vortex.

I’m always working to convert the uninitiated. If you’d like to know more about The Doctor, the latest incarnation airs Saturday nights on BBC America starting on Saturday April 17, 2010. To catch up on old episodes, I’d recommend downloading from iTunes: Blink, The Christmas Invasion, The Waters of Mars, The Girl in the Fireplace. Those are all from recent seasons. I’d definitely suggest diving into those long before you look at the classic series.

This post is sponsored, in part, by poker.de

This is part 2 of a four part series, in which I chastise myself for past experiences and give advice on fixing myself for future travels. Yes, I can give myself advice without being crazy. If you’d like to catch up, you can read Part 1: Eat Stuff.

Lesson #2 for cultural idiots: Don’t just take photos, take inspiration.

I’m setting up a contest on the site called “Identify This Photo.” Because I need serious help with about 7,000 photos that are a total mystery to me. Seriously, I don’t even think I took most of them. My working theory is that they just came with the camera like that generic family in a new picture frame. You may not know them, but damn, they sure look pretty.

Do you know where this is? Me neither.

The stories behind the sights are always fascinating when they’re narrated by Sam Brown or Rick Steves, but when I’m actually traveling I never stop to investigate what things are. When you’re new to travel, the singular focus is to “check off the box” rather than actually experiencing why you’re there.

But, here’s the thing. The world has more to offer than just a lot of pretty pictures. I can appreciate looking at Gaudi architecture, but it’s far more interesting to also know the history of what he designed and why. What were his inspirations and influences? Is it true that La Sagrada Familia isn’t going to be finished until 2026? Can’t they import cheap labor and shitty working conditions from all those out of work people in Dubai? But I digress.

Whether it’s a piece of art, a local square, a festival, a statue or just a scenic vista while riding through the countryside, I snapped off shots first and figured I’d ask questions later. Unfortunately, I never ended up asking questions more meaningful than “Can I get another beer?”

Some building in Barcelona

Five steps to take for future trips:

1. Keep notes! My ego is so gigantic, I believe I’ll remember everything at the end of a trip. The irony is that I always seem to forget that I never remember stuff. Whether it’s paper and pencil or geotagged photos, keep track of what you’re seeing so you can remember it and share it.
2. Do some research. I know, studying seems like the most boring thing possible when you’re on the road. You want excitement, not READING. But the strength of the memories afterward yield some serious payback. Read the historical notes on monuments, look places up online, read local newspapers to find out exactly what those French people were protesting (believe me, you’ll see people protesting something if you visit France).
3. Talk to the people, ask them about their town, about what they do, appeal to their sense of local and personal pride to strike up conversation. It may be tough to understand that Italian man’s tale of his glory days on the town’s middle school football team, but it beats watching a Michael Bay movie in your room.
4. Join organized tours – this doesn’t mean you have to pay to hop on a bus with a bunch of Midwesterners wearing black socks and sandals. One of the most interesting parts of my bike trip through the Pyrennees was joining a free tour of a family owned cheesery. (is cheesery a word?) I didn’t pay enough attention at the time, but it was one of the most unique opportunities to learn about the people and the culture of the region.
5. Slow down – instead of running from room to room to see 4,000 works of art in the Louvre, stop at 20 pieces you really like and then learn everything you can about them. Contrary to popular belief, there is no prize at the end of the Louvre scavenger hunt.

Travel is thrilling and exciting, but after it’s over it should still be inspirational and enlightening. Quiz your family on which they would rather see: 20 slides and the stories behind them (with a sample of a regional recipe) or 1000 photos you took from your seat on the tour bus. There’s a reason travel shows don’t just put up random pictures for 30 minutes.