I get pitches all the time. Sometimes they’re a home run. Sometimes they’re a foul. And sometimes they strike out. I’m the editor of Global Traveler, a travel magazine with a highly prized reader demographic, so public relations and marketing people do their best to catch my attention. That’s their job. And I couldn’t do mine without them.

As I recently told GT publisher Fran Gallagher, when I started out in journalism as a beat reporter for a suburban Boston daily newspaper, readers would sometimes be hesitant to contact me with story ideas (even though my office telephone number was published in each issue). I found that surprising because, as I told anyone who called, I can’t be everywhere and know everything.

So back to the pitches. They come every day in the form of emailed press releases, telephone calls and even special delivery packages designed to catch my attention. (Note to marketing and public relations people: Glitter and confetti do not enhance the attraction of your announcement. I work from a home office. When the glitter spills all over my floor, I have to vaccuum it up myself - and that does not make me more receptive to your pitch.)

Last week, I received a promo package which I opened with the same sense of curiosity mixed with trepidation I do any delivery with a marketing or public relations address on the return label. This particular package contained a DVD titled Last Stop for Paul. According to the press release that accompanied the DVD, I was to “Prepare myself for what is simply the greatest travel-themed feature film ever made.”

Yeah. Right.

But then along came Friday night with nothing of great intereat on television. So, I popped the DVD in to take a look. And I discovered a great buddy movie - easily on par with and, in my opinion, surpassing 2004’s California wine country road-trip flick, Sideways.

Last Stop for Paul, shot entirely on location in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, Santiago, Germany, Moscow, Greece, Tokyo and Vietnam - and culminating with the Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan, Thailand, chronicles the truth-based adventures of two friends who travel the world to scatter the ashes of another friend.

I don’t proclaim myself a movie critic, but I got a kick out of this one. Anyone who’s traveled internationally will love its many “I can’t believe this is happening” scenes. This movie is a fun trip worth every minute of its hour-and-half run time.

 - Lisa Matte, Editor-in-chief

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 4th, 2007 at 8:27 pm and is filed under Lisa's Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.