World Travel Market 2013.

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Caption:

WORLD TRAVELMARKET: 

A BRIEF LOOK INTO ONE OF LONDON’S MOST EXCLUSIVE GLOBAL TRAVEL EVENTS.

This year saw a variety of international tour operators and travel professionals gather in the confines of the Excel Exhibition Centre for World Travel Market; one of London's most exclusive global travel events. As my first time visiting, it was overwhelming to see its increasing popularity as a place to network with other like-minded experts within the field of leisure and tourism. The open area hosted uniquely stunning exhibits that had been divided up into different continents of the world and a mixture of sit in cafes and restaurants meant universal cuisine was readily available.

A range of educational seminars were held upstairs in a number of different conference rooms; including a lecture regarding the Youth Travel Industry. David Chapman, Director General at the WYSE Travel Confederation, outlined the company's most recent 'New Horizons' survey, that measures the travel profile of young people around the world, comparing the desires of an average "backpacker" to that of the more upmarket "flashpacker." He revealed "what we've seen is a very significant growth in the over 30 age group" whilst continuing to add "this reflects that the youth travel market is getting progressively older." Their findings showed that there was a decline in the original "backpacker" tradition, making way for the rise of the contemporary "flashpacker" as people look to find more value for money when it comes to planning their journey. "We're often asked, what is the difference between a hotel and hostel? And the answer is the 's' which stands for social" said Chapman. The report further states that youth travellers now make up 20% of international tourism*.

Majorca Travel Blog #8

Wednesday 7th August 2013.


Day 7: A Final Day Abroad.

We've pretty much done what everyone else does on their last day abroad, plan to pack everything we haven't had the chance to do into one 12 hour slot. When in reality we just lazed around by the pool (as the seas were too choppy to pedal boat) and had yet another mid afternoon siesta.

You know, the thing I hate most about sand is that it gets everywhere. And after a collection of minuscule bugs choose to crawl up the inside of your leg, drawn to you like a scarab beetle to warm flesh, you just can't shake that subconscious niggling feeling inside your eardrum that sparks whenever you decide to remotely enjoy it.

To make matters worse, there was a topless woman laying in the shade round the corner from us (bit pointless) next to a bird that decided to bury itself in the already bug infested sand. Regardless, I continued to watch a straw hat with a black band bob its way towards the shore as I complained about the everyday problems of living in a house share.

Sweating like a pig from the heat, I decided to take my mind off of the current situation by weaning myself back into working university life and catching up on some law reading. This time last year consisted of a riveting read by Karl Marx and "The Communist Manifesto" (still haven't got around to blogging) which I remember being situated amid the copulas amounts of "50 Shades of Grey."

Majorca Travel Blog #7

Tuesday 6th August 2013.

A day in a doodle.

Majorca Travel Blog #6

Monday 5th August 2013. 


Day 5: Aqualand. 


Now I wouldn't say Aqualand was one of those spontaneous trips you'd take as a family for some quality bonding time, especially at 41 euros a ticket (plus all the additional fees they don't warn you about). It is however, a water park that's certainly suitable for the summer season.

Leaflet Provided at Hotel (With Additional Notes).

Like every year before it, this would be the "big trip" of the holiday (i.e. the most expensive) and for us, it was a toss up between a western themed adventure (which I was keen to do last year but had a bad experience with a ranch), aquatic Marineland (which included a dolphin show) or Aqualand - the bog standard ride orientated theme park. 

As you can probably already tell, I am by no means a regular at theme parks (afraid of heights) and I swore before arriving that I wouldn't go on anything that was even remotely detached from the ground.



2 hours on a perfectly air conditioned coach (no travel sickness) and we were sat like passive zombies recovering from the 7am wake up call requested from reception. 

Entry was pretty speedy despite having to fight our way through the rowdy crowd for a souvenir photo with a scarlet macaw, which we mistakenly took for a parrot after being told about their distinguishing green feathered head's (my brother is studying the rainforest at school). 

We passed a Mr. Bean lookalike dressed in one of those Arabian money suits (think Aladdin's Abu) and despite being a fan, my brother still refused to have a picture taken with him. 

Majorca Travel Blog #5

Sunday 4th August 2013.


Day 4: Sunday Morning Siesta.


It's the renown day of rest back in England, but over in Majorca it's got to that point where I just can't stand the heat. 

So we decided to retreat and have a Sunday morning siesta, basking in the chilling comfort of a prepaid air conditioner. 

Not much happened after that. 

1. I woke up moody after (just about) recovering from the 2 large plates of bacon and pancakes I had eaten for breakfast that morning. Along with a developed bout of sunstroke.

2. Proceeded to check on the already scabbed over mosquito bites, with my leg now having swelled up to twice it's original size (it gets worse before it gets better, right?). 

Majorca Travel Blog #4

Saturday 3rd August 2013.


Day 3: Pirate Sea Adventure.

Only subtract the pirates and add boisterous boys dressed up in complementary skull and bone bandannas with marker pen on their faces, waving around inflatable swords.

Made worse by the fact I get incredibly sea sick, so when the time came to see the pirate caves, what I was actually faced with was a plastic bag full of that morning's breakfast. 

This was one trip that definitely didn't float my boat.

Leaflet for Glass Bottom Cat. From Cala Bona to Pirate Caves (See Blue Line).

A round trip from Cala Bona to Sa Coma to Porto Cristo ("Port of Christ") to the Pirate Caves - said to be one of the many havens for the smugglers back in the day. Despite the water being a little choppy, you can't knock the fact that in Majorca it's easier to just hop on a boat than it is to catch the bus.

Majorca Travel Blog #3

Friday 2nd August 2013.


Day 2: Balancing Bird Bobbing On Boat.

We were sitting by the bay at Cala Bona, watching the boats as they sounded their way through the most minuscule of spaces, whilst accompanied by a colossal strawberry sundae (despite the bog standard holiday tum kicking in).

It was here my mother and I were discussing alliteration (refer to title).

Coaster With Picture of Bay. Collected From Cafe in Cala Bona.

The sun was a scorcher, despite various attempts at cooling myself down (sweating buckets). I spent most of the time poolside, working my way through 3 sunbeds until I settled for a much sturdier chair (I blame the aubergine).

I floated around on an inflatable ring like a backed up ship, with the only possible danger being caught in the crossfire of a splash war. Little did I know as I struggled to get my already incredibly burn't legs free, a massive hole was opening up ready to envelope the water surrounding me.  

Majorca Travel Blog #2

Thursday 1st August 2013. 


Day 1: Deep Fried Aubergine.

Sitting outside the apartment and it smells suspiciously like rotten eggs (got to love the Spanish sewage system, especially in this heat).

It's a terraced area that opens out onto the lively street (if you ignore the coincidentally placed shrubbery), and remember those dodgy tribute acts I referenced in my last entry? Currently strumming their imaginary guitar to knock off country western music.

Still, you can't beat a bit of cheap entertainment.

Majorca Newspaper Picked up From Local Supermarket.

We started the day with a hearty McDonald's breakfast at Gatwick Airport around 5am, after being picked up by a taxi roughly an hour beforehand. Having already set off with a rather devastated and disorientated young boy with fresh cuts and grazes, I on the other hand, was functioning off 3 1/2 hours sleep and was so overtired I felt (and acted) like I'd been on the laughing gas for a week. 

Majorca Travel Blog #1

Wednesday 31st July 2013.

Day 0: The Holiday After The Night Before.

Map of Majorca Provided for Tourists at Hotel.

The Coast of Cala Bona/Cala Millor.

Off to Majorca (Mallorca) tomorrow. 

Cala Bona to be more precise, mere meters from its coastal twin Cala Millor and I already know what to expect.

It's familiar territory for our household as we've taken trips here every summer for the past few years. Same company, same travel agent, same hotel and same location. Always slap bang in the heart of the action.

Every year seems to top the last, only this time it's for real. That's right I've decided to take the plunge, this'll be my last family holiday. Perhaps even my penultimate holiday abroad in a long while considering the student budget doesn't allow for luxuries. 

Majorca (9th August 2011).

A few holiday snaps.

We enjoyed beautiful sea views.

Freshwater Snorkelling.

Relaxing by the pool.

Boat trips.

And much more.

It was nice spending time away with the family before I jet off to University in September. 

Majorca will always be remembered as the holiday where I went freshwater snorkelling for the first time, took a boat trip to the most famous caves in the world and witnessed some actual Spanish flamenco.

They say travelling broadens the mind and I hope to get more of an opportunity to explore new countries, experience new cultures and enhance my understanding of the world around me.

I'm excited, are you?

Eadweard Muybridge @ Tate Britain (8/1/11).

Got lost at Waterloo station. Had my first experience in a London taxi. Took a couple of wrong turns and ended up at Buckingham Palace. Then visited my first ever exhibition at Tate Britain as research for my current photography project. 

Needless to say, my recent trip to London was an eventful one.

'And since, in our passage through this world, painful circumstances occur more frequently than pleasing ones, and since our sense of evil is, I fear, more acute than our sense of good, we become the victims of our feelings, unless in some degree command them.'

- The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe, 1764



As well as Gothic Literature (cue Dickens and Doyle), one of the main influences of my work has been photographer Eadweard Muybridge, with his exploration into the concept of movement by capturing what is impossible to see with the naked eye.

"Sir Frederick Leighton, president of the Royal Academy, told me that when he first saw my pictures they made him laugh, so at variance were they with artists' notions of animal motion. Then he said he studied them and stopped laughing." [Eadweard Muybridge, 1885]

My visit to the exhibition gave me valuable insight into the mind of Muybridge and his interpretation of movement, shooting at different viewpoints and presenting them in a range of compositions. I was even privileged enough to be able to view the original negatives. 

THE FACTS:

• Muybridge emerged as a landscape photographer after the American Civil War (1867).
• First experimented with recording movement in 1877 when he was asked by Leland Stanford (horse trainer and breeder) to study whether a horse had all four feet off the ground during a full gallop. The series was entitled 'The Horse in Motion'.
• Invented the Zoopraxiscope which consisted of two rotating discs that recreated movement.
• Published his work under the name of 'Helios' (meaning "God of the Sun"). He branded his products with the logo of a winged camera and a glowing orb of radiating light.

  
  

To see more on this project, check out my Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_moore/.