Hey-o, Let's GO!
Let's get this (Bachelor) party started.
Hello there! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Blane Bachelor, and I’m an Amsterdam-based, Florida-born journalist. Today is my birthday, and I’ve been saying forever that I want to launch a newsletter. So why not give myself the gift of finally doing this thing???
And speaking of gifts, this fantastic lamp is Miffy (in Dutch, she’s Nijntje), a gift from my husband and son. Isn’t she adorable? I’ve been a Miffy fan since I was about 4 years old, when my family was living in London and Father Christmas gave me one of her books. But only later in life did I discover she’s actually from the Netherlands. You can read more about Miffy here (and yes, I will for sure be writing a story about her one of these days. And the meantime, if you want to give me a gift of your own, hit that subscribe button below!)
But I digress!
Here’s what The Bachelor (Note)Pad is all about: connecting with fellow creatives and media types about travel topics, musings about life abroad, and stories I’m working on. You can also count on a random travel tip and/or a cornball joke or two (and on occasion a mention of something offbeat, weird, or spooky that catches my eye — I’m a textbook Scorpio, after all!).
I’ll probably be tweaking things as I find my rhythm, so things may look and feel a bit different over the next few postings. I’m open to feedback, of course! (And for now, I won’t be taking paid subscriptions, and there will always be a free version.)
And with that, I’ll share …
A few recent stories!
My first piece in AFAR about the status of JetBlue’s flights out of Schiphol (following a lot of flip-flopping from the Dutch government). I’m a longtime fan of AFAR, which is a highly respected travel magazine based in San Francisco. Thrilled to finally have the byline (AND as I was writing this, my second piece for AFAR went live. This one is about how you can keep the seat next to you empty, for an affordable price, on some airlines).
An itch-inducing story about bedbugs for CNN Travel about the recent bedbug insanity in Paris. Pro tip: always, always, always check the mattress seams in hotels, which are a good sign of whether the little buggers are present.
A piece on Fodor’s, an outlet I’m glad to be writing for again, that reviews the new routes on JetBlue between Amsterdam and Boston and New York JFK. The tl/dr version: these flights are fantastic.
An explainer on what counts as a personal item on flights for Conde Nast Traveler.
And, one of my favorites from over the summer about must-do things around 30A, Florida, one of my favorite places in the world, for Garden & Gun. If you’re not familiar with G&G, I highly recommend checking it out: It’s a beautiful magazine that celebrates the South.
What’s on deck (including a media opportunity):
A story about a couple who renovated a 16th-century Tuscan farmhouse into a luxury villa; some hotel reviews; and a piece that combines two of my favorite things: travel and Taylor Swift. (When I told my seven-year-old son, an up-and-coming Swiftie, about this last one, he said, “Wow, Mama. I bet she’ll love that. Maybe she’ll ask you to be one of her backup dancers!” Oh, my heart.)
On that note, here’s my first media opportunity: Do you have any clients who can comment on how Taylor Swift is transforming the travel industry?
This one is a very tight deadline, which is the norm for this major outlet (will share via email). If you have a travel advisor, hotel, or DMO, or other client who is a good fit, please reach out ASAP with details: blanebachelor(at)gmail(dot)com
Random Travel Tip O’ the Week
Always zip up your suitcase with the zipper at the top, near the handle. That way, if you need to cram in something small, like an extra pair of socks, during that mad-dash scramble to leave the house after you’ve already zipped the suitcase up, you can just stuff it in without having to fumble for the zipper in a weird spot and/or open the suitcase up again. (Trust me on this one.)
And that’s a wrap!
If you haven’t already, please subscribe, and if you’re so inclined, drop a comment to share what you liked about this post and what you’d like to see for the next one. Until next time, thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!