Travel Section - let's talk about where we have been and what we have seen

stevegwmonkseaton suggested a travel section.  I think this is such a good idea.  Unfortunately, I have visited so many places in nothern Italy that I love, and have such strong opinions about, I might monopolise this subject.  Sorry.

No, off you go Julianna, I'm sure others will jump in... Afraid it takes us all the time to go around our garden, let alone to the shops. But we did visit a few places before we became stuck in our ways.... So will look to add to this as soon as possible...   

It is a good idea and it may help others.
P.S. It would be better to have a special section for these posts. They will be "lost" in the general section.

I totally agree (TOTALLY !).

Without doubt, the general tab is a generic place to go, but it is quite probable that a lot of stuff is getting 'lost'.

I am not suggesting a wholesale restructure, but after 4 months or so is a tweak  or two worth some consideration ?

One of minor issues for me is that on the general tab, only the most recent post is highlighted at the front, if two or three posts had been made since I last looked, I may (and will have !) missed them as they are 'hidden' behind the most recent one.

It might always be just me !!

V

Wouldn't it be sensible to use the regional boards, which is what I've been doing. It's already divided, so easy to navigate.

Your solution s the easiest to implement, as it is already available Perhaps, a sub-section to be called Travel Advice (or similar) for each of the regional boards may be helpful.

I don't think having a subheading in each regional board will generate more discussion and postings than we have now.

TRAVEL is a subject in itself.  Someone's enthusiasm for an afternoon spent in the hills above Florence may remind someone else of that time when they visited the Cinque Terre and walked one of the footpaths. A meal by the sea watching the sun go down in Ortiga, Sicily, may prompt someone to describe their wonderful evening in Capri and name the restaurant they were in at the time.

TRAVEL means meeting people and seeing different lifestyles. People watching and enjoying their interactions.

Personally, I find the regional boards mainly refer to local events and give recommendations for shops and services.  This is fine and just what we need when looking for a local surveyor or builder.

TRAVEL is what I do when I drive to my holiday home; often making deviations on the way to explore a new area or visit an out of the way village I have read about.  Once on holiday in my apartment, I don't stay put.  I use it as a base to get out and have an adventure - using public transport as well as my car. Sometimes I TRAVEL a good distance and have to stay in an hotel overnight.  A recommendation on the forum may well send me to a small church up a mountain road where they have some interesting frescos.  I may get talking to one of the locals who will tell me tales that are in no guide book.

The TRAVEL section will be for those of us who always want to know what is around the next bend in the road.
I

JulianaAlice, I fully understand your position. We also travel by car, twice a year, all the way from Spain and through different routes to have more variety. The trips, in themselves, are part of our travel experience. We also visit a different Italian region every time we go. Generally, we stay for 7-10 days in each region, visiting the area, not to count the numerous day trips that we do from Bagni di Lucca. On the other hand, what you are suggesting may be more suitable for a blog format than a forum and I would encourage you to start one... if you have the time and patience to do it. I could never do it, although I am a consistent follower of quite a few travel blogs, such as Bagni di Lucca and Beyond, by Debra Kolkka, which would be the perfect example. A Forum mainly requires interaction and has a different format. And yes, I agree, Travel is a topic in itself; however, we should think a way through which information will be easy to access to those wishing to gather some information about a specific region without getting lost in a maze of travel experiences.

Sorry to disagree.  I am not suggesting a travel blog. I too have followed many of those and they are about one person's experiences.

Helpful information can go into the regional boards.

A TRAVEL board will be a discussion of places visited and suggestions of itineraries for holidays and locations to stay as well as suggestions for days out.  You can't keep that within borders.

Information won't be lost because the search engine should bring up useful postings if the headings are descriptive enough.

There is not a lot going on on the forum at the moment and current postings aren't generating much interest except with the same people time and again.

I agree with Julianna that a travel section would be the ideal. However I also realise Admin might just be a tad busy what with moving and all. So it might be better to sit tight for now. I'm sure these general posts can be moved....  

Well, perhaps we are having some problems with "definitions". The Italy Forum is already the board, a discussion board against the concept of a blog, that you rightly define. What you would like to see is a new section for Travel alone and yes, it could be a good idea. On the other hand, to use the existing Regional Section will also have its merits, particularly at this stage, when - as you also rightly point out - there is not much activity. In any case, we should also consider that our Forum has not reached 100 members, at least not as yet, and only a small portion of those members are really "active". Is the addition of more sections going to help to recruit more participating members? That is the question...
In any case, this is still a very young Forum and Rome was not built in a day 

stevegwmonkseaton wrote:I agree with Julianna that a travel section would be the ideal. However I also realise Admin might just be a tad busy what with moving and all. So it might be better to sit tight for now. I'm sure these general posts can be moved....  

I agree, Steve, let's give Admin a bit of space...

L'uomodellaluna wrote:Wouldn't it be sensible to use the regional boards, which is what I've been doing. It's already divided, so easy to navigate.

Yes your posting entitled Liguria Ponente was in the right place for those with an immediate interest in Liguria.  I did not read it the first time around as it was under Liguria and I presumed (wrongly) that it was another local item requesting information or suggesting something or another directed at Ligurians.

In fact, it was a very interesting story of your journey with recommendations along the way.

Had this been under TRAVEL, I would have clicked, lapped it up, and undertaken some research for myself, and complimented you on an interesting posting. How many other people missed it because they live at the other end of Italy?