E-zine - August 2007
LIVE YOUR LIFE NEWSLETTER
Editor's Note - August 2007:
Coming at you in August we have some rather tasty literary and audio morsels. The very first St Christopher's Podcast is now live which means you can give your eyes a well deserved rest and pump our amazing money saving, party going and competition laden broadcast, directly into your brain via your audio canals.In your more traditionally hip E-zine we have two exciting debut performances from Jen Page in Ethical travel and Kathleen Steeden in Amsterdam. Extensive and pain staking research has brought you the top ten ways to get to Edinburgh for less, good old Harry Potter is whipping up a magical storm next to Time Out in our Top 5 Reads and there are the latest international tunes fighting their way towards your MP3 player from this month's Music Mashup.
Following closely in the footsteps of last month's extract from the Lonely Planet in Paris, we have an excitingly sizable chunk of the Rough Guide to Bruges for our August Travel Book.
The story behind Greenwich Playhouse is blown wide open by an in depth interview with director extraordinaire Alice de Sousa and Beauty Terrorist teams up with James in our ever healthy Backpacker Bites to protect you from the sun this summer.
Our attention and strength this month is also focused on the speedy recovery of St Christopher's Director, Franca Knowles who is recovering from surgery that removed a cancerous tumour. We dedicate the Charity article this month to her bravery and the extra-ordinary efforts of the surgeon who helped her, before moving straight on to help others with a major charity fundraiser.
In other news we're bringing St Christopher's to a city near you in the very near future and for that we need your help. Our motto Where To Next has never been more apt and in our search for the perfect locations we want your recommendations. Just read through this month's Hot Hostel Competition, suggest the next up and coming party central locations and we'll reward the best suggestion with free accommodation at our new Hostel in Hammersmith.
Finally you can look forward to more responsive and media aware travel tips from St Christopher's when our new blogs go live in the next few weeks. To end on a tacky and wizard inspired note - Podcasts and Blogs and E-zines, oh my!
- Rob Savage
Top Features
Charities
St Christopher's CharitiesRead on for a special charity tribute to the surgeon and the hospital who stepped in to save someone very dear to St Christopher's. This is life saving cycling and neurosurgery.
St Christopher's Podcast
Write around the worldCatch up on the latest gigs, the cutting edge travel writers, the top tips on how to backpack on a shoestring, the top events at our hostels, surf school, nightclubs, theatres and much more.
Travel Top 10
St Christopher's Top TenThis month the full force of our top ten budget tips is brought to bear on flights to Edinburgh. We tracked down the top ten deals and saved you more money than you can imagine - en route to the Scottish capital.
Monthly Features
-
Beauty Terrorist
Beat the bad boys at their own game with the top products that always make it through customs.
-
Top 5 Traveller Reads
The best books on the open road brought to you by the top publishers.
-
Interview Time
Find out what drives Alice de Sousa from Greenwich Playhouse. -
Travel Book
Try before you buy with the first 900 words from the Rough Guide to Bruges. -
Write Around the World
Plan that trip to Rome with some insider insight. -
Ethical Travel
Join the fight against Sealing and help us put a full stop to it. -
Backpacker Bites
Keep fit on the road with some top tips from our personal trainer. -
Snap For a Nap
Send in your best photos and win two nights at one of our hostel
Credits:
Editor-in-Chief - Robert Savage
Graphic Design and Layout - Eoin Norton
Feature Writers:
Amsterdam Columnist - Kathleen Steeden
Backpacker Bites - James McDonald
Bruges Columnist - Eva Dam
Ethical Travel - Jen Page
Music Mashup - Michelle Mangal
Write Around The World - Kristin Buzzelli
Thank you to:
Sparkle PR, Neil Kitchen, The National Hospital Development Foundation, Letterbox Records, Alice de Sousa, Greenwich Playhouse, Clare Allen, The English Theatre of Bruges, the Rough Guides, Time Out, Bloomsbury, Penguin Books, Summersdale, Brand Events, Olly Daglish and the Winston Nightclub.
Write around the world: Travel story
Write FOR A NIGHT : Break off the beaten track in Rome
For August Kristin Buzzelli takes us to Rome where she treks to the site of Julius Caesar's assassination, indulges in a spot of cat spotting, breaks away from the well trodden backpacker trail and loses herself in the historical ambience of ancient Italy. This is a quirky tale in a style that we like and that makes it worthy of our prestigious prize - free accommodation.
If you think you deserve a free bed on us and can match this entry then read on and send your own 800 word tale into our Travel Writing Competition.
Try your hand at travel writing, send us your submission and if we publish it you get two free nights in a St. Christopher's hostel. E-mail travelwriters@st-christophers.co.uk
Female Travel : Beauty Terrorist
Sun, Sea, Sand and Skin Cancer
Female TravelIf you thought your tanning technique was fine just the way it is, then you're going to be shocked by what Beauty Terrorist has uncovered this month. We blow the lid on how bad tanning oils really are, point out the upper limits of your skin's natural defences and line up the best creams and after suns. We also do a sneaky bit of flashpacking with a couple of lotions that help combat the effects of aging due to the sun.
Tell us your top beauty tips when you hit the open road. Just send them to us at submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
Travel Charities
Charity Cycling for Cancer Centre
Over the past few months St Christopher's Director, Franca Knowles has been battling cancer and we're throwing our weight behind her speedy recovery. We're also supporting Neil Kitchen, the remarkable surgeon who saved her life, before moving on to help others with a massive charity cycle for the National Hospital Development Foundation. Read on for our account of the battle so far, Neil's valiant efforts and the cause that he's fighting for across mountains, with nothing but a bicycle and a St Christopher's support team.
We're here to listen about the charities that matter to you so send us an email submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
Travel Book Extract
Rough Guides - Bruges
We dangled this delicious morsel in front of you in August's top 5 reads and now we're giving you a whole, sumptuous chunk of the Rough Guide to Bruges. This is pure backpacker delight with advice on the top attractions, a little sprinkling of history, the best times to head out to this St Christopher's outpost and everything worth knowing about this mini metropolis – at a glance.
Recommend your favourite travel books to submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
Top 5 Travel Reads
Reads on the road
The August reviews would be nothing without a little Harry Potter action and the latest installment takes its rightful place at number one this month. After our little tribute to the mighty mighty J.K. Rowling we serve up some wonderful travel treats from Time Out and the Rough Guides, we mix it up with a little bit of poetic dignity from Christina Rosetti and there are a few words about the current climate of Going Green
We've been getting lots of info about what you are wrapping your eyes around so why not share it with your backpacking fellows? submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
St Christopher's Top 10
Saving Money Getting to Edinburgh
If you've always wanted to make that trip to the Scottish capital but haven't because of financial worries, then we're here to make it all better and open a door to Edinburgh. We searched through the best budget airlines to find the top ten, inexpensive flights during August and we found some cracking deals. We also found a few cheeky discrepancies between the prices put forward by different companies, selling the same flights. Why spend more of your hard earned savings when you have St Christopher's looking out for you?
If you've got a great Top 10 fill us in. The world is full of travellers looking for the next big adventure so give them a helping hand. Send your submissions to submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
Ethical Travel
Destroying Deals and Saving Seals
Last month we promised you brand new journalistic talent and here she is. Jen Page makes her debut in the Live Your Life E-zine with a shocking account of the economically unviable sealing trade. This isn't for the faint hearted but it is a cause that travellers can combat as they cross the planet. The article will most definitely make you think twice about what Canadian tax dollars are really being poured into.
If you have an ethical topic that you want us to investigate then send it into submissions@st-christophers.co.uk
Snap for a Nap
Open our eyes with your Travel Photos
Send your happiest photographic memories into the crew at St Christopher’s for your chance to win two free nights of accommodation, for you and a friend at any of our hostels. We want to see your history in the making and if your snaps put others to shame, then you’ll get our vote.
Got a health related question, comment or smart remark? We're here to listen, so send us an email. submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
Backpacker Bites
Join the anti-Sunbed Revolution
In the August E-zine our regular health expert James takes you on a guided tour of your skin. Read on to find out how you can tan responsibly, avoid skin cancer, boycott sun beds and get a tan without the risk. We have the low down on Ultra Violet Radiation, the long term damage caused by sun burn and some top tips on how you can still have fun in the sun. Complimenting this article in the August publication is Beauty Terrorist. Our guide to skincare recommends the most protective products, the anti-agers and it takes care of everything in between.
Got a health related question, comment or smart remark? We're here to listen, so send us an email. submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
The Interview
Alice de Sousa - Greenwich Playhouse
This month we serve up Alice de Sousa from the Galleon Theatre Company and Greenwich Playhouse. She shares her beginnings, the most powerful performances of her career so far and what she plans to do with the future of film. Expect the account behind her adoption of our hostel attic in Greenwich, it's conversion into a playhouse and just what happens at the playboy parties in Cannes.
Got a health related question, comment or smart remark? We're here to listen, so send us an email. submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
ST Christopher's Online Store
Something to remember us by
When it comes to sweet backpacking mementoes, photos can only do so much. That’s why you need to grab a St Christopher’s T-Shirt. This way so you can wear your good times, day in and day out. They’re bright and affordable just like the stars of St Christopher’s. You can also crack open your beer bottles, lie on a sun drenched beach and keep your coffee hot, with the help of St Christopher’s Inns. Check out our Online Store for some bargain basement deals.
Remember your time with the St Christopher's crew with some top quality merchandise. Just let us know what you want to buy. submissions@st-christophers.co.uk.
