Magazines

Global Traveler — What a Value!

Yesterday the editorial team put the finishing touches on the July issue of Global Traveler, and art director Tracey Cullen sent the files off to the publishing house. This past month was extra busy, as we also prepared the annual Global City Guidebook to be published and polybagged with the July magazine. For those of you new to GT, the GCGB is chock-full of one-page guides to major cities throughout the world and across the United States, providing the traveler with a convenient overview of each city, its major attractions, hotels and restaurants.

The Guidebook is just one of several supplements which we publish each year. Additionally, our regular subscribers look forward to Class Act, an annual survey of premium-class cabins of international airlines. It provides the most comprehensive, detailed summary of information on first- and business-class cabins available, and our readers always tell us how much they look forward to it and reading the other articles it contains on other services, from spas to lounges to airport rail links, a busy traveler may use.

I always look forward to our Luxury/Indulgence supplement. It’s fun to read about the latest in the finest dining, accomodations, extra-special services and truly extravagant “toys” out there. Though on first look I don’t think I personally might ever experience most of  them, I’ve found that a few of those “indulgences” are actually within my reach and well worth the splurge!

In addition to those annual “books,” each year we offer separate supplements on individual destinations around the world. These present a focused look at countries or regions of particular interest to travelers. Within the past twelve months we’ve delved into Spain, the Pacific Rim and Ireland. Every one provides great information and plenty of incentive to go out and book a trip to that enticing location.

We on the editorial side always breathe a sigh of relief when we’ve finished up a month where we’ve basically produced two magazines in 30 days. The added work and rushed deadlines are always worth it, though. Our subscribers tell us time and again how interesting and helpful these products are to them, and everyone at Global Traveler is proud and pleased to provide such great value to our readers.

– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor 

How Does This Happen?

He’s probably the most despised man in America and the most-wanted terrorist in the world, yet the cover of an internal airline magazine featured a picture of his boarding pass on its cover, with a departure date set for Oct. 26, 2010. Mistakes happen, sure, but did no one recognize that name at any point during the printing process? I’d say this was a joke gone wrong.

LHR News, the internal staff magazine for British Airways, featured a story on mobile boarding passes. In the background was a photo of a man checking in with his mobile boarding pass. Meanwhile, in the foreground, another phone clearly displayed another mobile boarding pass, for passenger Osama bin Laden.

British Airways has admitted the mistake and is investigating how exactly the photo mishap occurred. Now, in no way does this lead me to mistrust BA or its service and security protocols, but it just makes me question how this fell through so many cracks? An art director missed it; an editor missed it; the printer missed it — and that’s at the very least. Unless it was a last-minute change by someone trying to be funny? In which case, I can say I didn’t get the joke. Kudos to BA for investigating further and rectifying the situation.

Jokes aside, I’m positive no airline in the world will let Osama bin Laden on a flight anytime soon, but let’s not unnecessarily scare people!

– Kim Krol, circulation and public relations executive, eFlyer editor

Musings on Deadline

Yesterday afternoon, the Global Traveler editorial staff completed work on the January 2010 issue of the magazine. As usual, it was a fast and furious push to get the final approved files to the printer by deadline. That is not to say that we aren’t well organized, but it is the nature of the business that there may be last-minute changes to the layout due to the purchase of additional ad space and late-breaking news that requires changes to content. Generally, too, the editor’s and publisher’s letters are written close to deadline to allow for timely commentary.

Allow me to draw aside the veil on producing an issue of Global Traveler, from my somewhat limited perspective:

Sometime in early fall, editor in chief Lisa Matte produces the editorial calendar for the coming year. It outlines the proposed major features and destination articles, aiming to provide an interesting mix of subjects from around the world relevant to our readers. Nothing is set in stone, however, to accomodate events which may affect travelers. For example, late in November of 2008 Mumbai suffered attacks by terrorists on sites frequented by foreign visitors. Six weeks later, contributing writer Patrick Adams was in Mumbai, and his article in the February 2009 issue of Global Traveler described the city’s reaction to and recovery from the assault.

While Lisa and associate editor Jan Hecht may receive the raw text for articles well in advance of the deadline for the issue in which they will appear, most of the work on an issue occurs within the four weeks prior to the “files to printer” date. Plying their red pens, they address length and formatting issues, edit for clarity and focus and confirm facts and details. The text then passes on to art director Tracey Cullen, who fits the words and accompanying photos and graphics into the allotted space for each piece. Often, if the writer has not done so,  she must chase down images for obscure places and activities. I don’t pretend to know how she works her magic, but I am always impressed with the results!

Generally, Lisa or Jan look over the first pdf of the proposed article before it is presented to me. I then do my grammar-teacher bit on punctuation, spelling and sentence structure as well as checking for consistency in style and format (bold this, italicize that) and confirming facts, web addresses and the like. I send my list of edits to Tracey, and she then sends back an amended pdf reflecting those changes. We continue that dance until I send a final “No correx” message, and Lisa gives her final seal of approval for release to the printer. 

Most of this occurs via email, as each of us lives in a different city (and I live in an entirely different time zone). Although it may sound quite dry and isolated, we actually have established a very lively communication. While we debate style issues and confer on editorial content, we also share personal anecdotes and the occasional silly photo from our pasts. It makes for a friendly, fun and intellectually interesting working relationship that I very much treasure.

I will enjoy a bit of a lull now (and hopefully my co-workers will, too) before work begins on our February issue. I’ll spend the next week catching up on my Christmas to-do list, but I look forward to reading the next batch of articles coming my way — and yours –  soon!

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader 

GT — in a Lounge Near You

I was quite the celebrity this past week as I traveled to and from and around the West Coast. Bill Noonan, our experience-laden new vice president of the western region, and I flew up to San Francisco (SFO) on Wednesday night on United (one of GT‘s award winners). We were flying out of the United concourse, from gate 75, and I suggested we check out the first-class lounge. As all the international flights were leaving slightly later than us, the lounge was completely empty.

We were able to chat about the industry with UAL Global Services Manager Rebecca Frazier. Rebecca is a warm, wonderful person who welcomed all the lounge guests as if they were entering her home. She also told us how valuable the placement of Global Traveler is to guests who frequently read GT in the lounge or take the lounge copies with them on their trips around the world.

Bill and I settled down with a cocktail and discussed the day’s meetings while working on proposals in the comfort of the lounge prior to our San Francisco-bound flight.

On my return east, I flew Continental Airlines‘ red-eye flight on Friday. I got to the airport at about 8:15 p.m. and passed the time before my departure at the Presidents Club Lounge. There I also had fun talks with the managers on duty, who were thrilled to meet me, as Global Traveler is a must-read for their guests. GT was prominently displayed on their shelves and was the only business-focused publication for lounge guests.

Global Traveler‘s lounge placement is only a fraction of our circulation, but I feel it is important. With placements in Delta Sky Clubs, Continental President Clubs and United Red Carpet Clubs and first-class lounges — as well as a host of others — GT really reaches out to business travelers. I was treated like a real VIP, not because of me but because of the magazine.

Just so you know where you can get your GT fix while traveling, you can always find us in the following lounges: Air France, Alitalia, Asiana, Continental, Delta, EVA, Finnair, Korean Air, KLM, Kuwait Airlines, Lufthansa, Royal Suites, SAS, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Turkish Airlines, United, USAirways and Virgin. Some are placed system-wide, while others are in selected lounges. Enjoy reading GT!

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Display of  Global Traveler in United’s LAX lounge.

– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO