quintessentially velvet

Why the name ‘Velvet Escape’?

I had a lovely Twitter chat with Evelyn Hannon (@Journeywoman) on 27th September 2009 in which she asked me why I chose the name ‘Velvet Escape‘. I’ve included the transcript of that conversation below:

Journeywoman @velvetescape Why your twitter name?

@Journeywoman velvetescape is about getting away from our daily routines & exploring, being adventurous, reflecting & doing it in style.

Journeywoman @velvetescape Why did you choose the word, velvet?

@Journeywoman Because of its texture: soft, plush… some would say sexy U run your hand over it & u know there’s depth/richness to it.

And that is the essence of Velvet Escape!

Interviews, profiles and articles on Velvet Escape

• VE 2010 picks in Canada’s Globe & Mail newspaper (January 2010)
• VE chosen as one of Travel Rants‘ favourite travel blogs (December 2009)
• Photo profile by the Matador Network (November 2009)
• Interview with Travel Trade Gazette, London (November 2009)
• Interview with Travel Blog Camp (October 2009)
• Profile by Journeys Near & Far (October 2009)
• Interview with A Letter from the Netherlands (August 2009)
• Interview with Window Seat blog (July 2009)
• Profile by Brilliant Trips (June 2009)
• Video interview by Solo Traveler (May 2009)
• Interview with Splendia Hotels (April 2009)

Guest posts

• Top of the World (contribution to iwannagothere’s ebook)
• Solo Jaunting as a Teenager (Wild Junket)
• Travel Your Way to Success (Solo Traveler)
• The Grandest Home of Film (Ever the Nomad)
• Memories of Cuba (Cheapflights.com)
• Travel solo to still the anger (Solo Traveler)
• Giving Back, Support Local Art (The Planet D)
• Driving South Africa’s Western Cape (Live the Magic of Africa)
• What’s on the back of your toilet (Two RTW)
• Malaysia through different eyes (Andy Hayes)
• Collecting memories from abroad (La Vie en China)
• Why travel solo (Solo Traveler)
• An inspiring book (A Traveler’s Library)
• Enchanting cemeteries of Chile and Argentina (Wild Junket)
• Five not to be missed annual events in Amsterdam (Blisstree)
• Eat alone & meet new people (on Solo Traveler)

A variety of Velvet Escape articles can also be found on Lonely Planet on the various country pages like Malaysia, Chile, Argentina, Tanzania, Kenya, etc…

I also utilised my expertise in social media to prepare a webinar presentation for Travel Designed by Stephanie titled: “Twitter Talk for Travel Tweets“. To complement this presentation, I compiled an e-book “A Practical Guide to Twitter: A Traveler’s Treasure Trove“ which contains tips and advice on how to utilise Twitter effectively.

Twitter Referrals

Via Twitter

• Journeywoman MY TWITTER HERO is @velvetescape He’s creative, industrious, welcoming, helpful, thoughtful and has just the right touch on Twitter. Bravo K
• airtreks Learn from Twitter’s best!: @velvetescape #TravelTuesday
• santafetraveler @Velvetescape helped me get hang of Twitter when I started & did not have a clue. He knows travel & Social Media #FollowFriday.
• eurapart Special #FollowFriday #travel mention to Keith @velvetescape an excellent blogger and interactive Twitter user.
• CruiseBart #FollowFriday shout out to @velvetescape who is all over the world, showing us unique perspectives and giving A+ reviews from everywhere.
• IsabellesTravel A World Traveler with great stories and tips, follow @velvetescape #TravelTuesday
• TravelDesigned What is the word for when you are taken back to a time or place in your mind: @velvetescape
• quirkytraveller Someone who can be relied on to have a truly world-class view of travel and many other things – follow @velvetescape
• tomtravel2 @velvetescape helped me when I was just a wee newby on Twitter. GillAdventures @tomtravel2 I agree – @velvetescape helped me with info and made me feel welcome when I was just figuring things out on twitter as well.
• Marilyn_Res I follow @velvetescape because he writes about things like ‘The Murals of Valparaiso’.
• tomtravel2 Absolutely follow @velvetescape Keith is one of the nicest guys on Twitter. Helpful, responsive and tweets and blogs of value.
• quirkytraveller If you want to travel with a wise, thoughtful and inspiring tweeter join Keith @velvetescape in his Twitterverse.

Mr. Tweet recommendations

• “He’s a friendly tweep who contributes great travel info to twitterville. by Empire of Three, Texas.
• “He writes about his great travel experiences he had. Tweets and re-tweets interesting travel articles. And is a nice person!” By Isabelle Kenis, Belgium.
• “I recommend @velvetescape because he has good taste in tweets, retweets and offers up pertinent travel advice”. By John Lander, Hayama, Japan.
• “He is a gifted travel writer and hugely helpful to newbie bloggers and Travel Tweeps!”. By Mary Ann, Rochester, MN.
• “He’s cheerful, friendly, and full of amazing travel insights.” By Andy, Edinburgh, Scotland.
• “Inspiring travel stories from unique perspectives”. By Jill Love , Florida.
• “Keith is friendly, loves his travel like I do, and engages with people. His posts are informative as well!” By Anthony, Brisbane, Australia.
• “He has great things to say, just finished traveling the world and I love his blog.” By Dave&Deb Travel Duo, Toronto, Canada.
• “A top-notch travel writer! A must follow!” By Scott Bryant, Portland, Oregon.
• “He is the globe trotter, explorer and culture seeker we all wish to be. His around the world travels inspire all and he is a great person. Cheers!” By Melissa McKinley, 50% International / 50% Texas.
• “He has a lot of miles under his belt and a lovely style of writing that brings places alive for his reader. Besides that, he is a generous friend to other writers.” By Vera Marie Badertsch, Arizona.
• “I recommend him because of his useful Tweets and excellent two way communication. A real person not a Twitterfeed”. By John Williams, Brussels, Belgium.