Trip reports are probably the most valuable thing on this forum and the more the better as it leads to a body of posted experiences on more camps and just as importantly more times of year.

I don't believe anyone can make a post that every single reader is drawn to and benefits from, the key is to know that you may help a few people and that makes it worthwhile. Anyone who feels like the board helped with their plans should assume that sharing their experience can do the same for another traveller so I hope that everyone will do their best to post a trip report be it a huge detailed recount of the trip or a quick summary of facts that you think are of interest, whatever your style. I'll create a cliche and say that the only bad trip report is the one not posted.

You got he idea Dana, well said.

And PB I like your new cliche. And good point about reports don't have to be long and exhaustive. A couple of paragraphs may very well pique interest and start questions.

And FWIW, in less than two months I will have "safaried" and be back home. Writing of any kind, trip reports included, does not come easy for me. It is work. But of course I will do it. So then all you whiners about because of me you no longer want to post reports can take revenge on me

regards - tom

I found the suggestion of the 0.P to be logical, clearly worded, and non judgmental

There are some very sensitive people about!!!.

Almac, I don't consider myself an extremely "sensitive" person and I wasn't saying that I don't understand Tom's message or that what he was suggesting was unreasonable.

What I was trying to get across was my focus has now shifted from having fun and enjoying the experience of journaling and posting a trip report to analyzing it instead and wondering - should I post this or that because it might not have any value to anyone?? I love to write and would still like to post a trip report when I get back.

Carrie

Carrie, I think you're overanalyzing now, and, honestly, missing the point. Noone is suggesting that you should analyze what you should and shouldn't say. Say whatever you want. Just give us a little context. I honestly don't understand what is so difficult about this.

Ah, so now I'm missing the point? Didn't I just say that I understand and don't have an issue with the suggestion at all? I was just trying to say that for me personally - some of the fun and anticipation has been taken away by over-thinking trip reports. Yes, with the last post, you've now completely succeeded in sucking the fun out of this for me. I think I'll maybe stick to just posting the photos in that case... ;-)

Actually, I think from now on I'll just keep my mouth shut (or fingers off the keys as it were) and go back to lurking instead.

I really want you all to know that your trip reports and help with questions have been invaluable to my planning and, as a result, I feel I have an excellent trip ahead of me that I'm really excited about. Thank you all very much.

Carrie

Carrie, there are loads of people who will love to read your trip report no matter how you write it, so please go ahead just as you expected to.

Ditto what ann_nyc said.

I read on this forum since over 2 years by now and I am very happy of it. We do not have similar active forums here in EU like this one which is mostly from US travelers. Nevertheless I consider this forum as my favourite and more detailled source of information, comments and suggestions.
I have very limited safari experience in Africa compared to others by now but I do not feel discouraged at all to write down anyway my trip reports even with lots of grammar mistakes as this is not my primary language.
Writing posts with evaluations and statements on which is the best lodge, camp, restaurant, tour operator, itinerary or whatever is part of the quality world for which we could write thousands of books and we would never come to a common shared conclusion. By reading other's reports on this forum I do like this:

- I try to read as much as I can on my focused area of interest
- I try to tune myself with the posters to figure out whether or not we have the same or at least similar priorities on what I am looking for. For instance, having a fixed X budget, how to split it ?Taking a luxury accomodation trip but shorter time or a less luxury budget accomodation trip but more nights ? Taking this as example I come to the conclusion that even very experienced travelers can give useless evaluations on quality if the priorities of the readers are different !
- I get what I need and skip the rest

In the same way, when I write a trip report I know that my evaluations and comments will be completely ignored by someone but maybe of some interest for others, regardless of my experience.

Different is for the knowledge, coming from the experience of travelers and posters. This is definitely the best precious part of this forum, as it has limited chances to be put in discussions when talking about facts and figures !

Thanks to all of you for being part of this forum !!

fabio

Fabio - I very much admire your command of English. And I very much admire you and everyone here that participate when English is not their native language. I do not have anywhere close to your ability to communicate in another language. And thank you for being part of this forum.

regards - tom

Carrie, please, please, please, do reconsider about posting. I have had tremendous enjoyment reading the reports from other travelers. Indeed, many of us, relieve our trips thru the eyes/writings of others. So, regardless of one's style and amount of detail, there is always something to be gained in reading another traveler's reports. If we are fortunate to be able to return to East Africa, it may not be 'til fall of 2009. Thus, I get my "fix" for the disease "Africanicus returnicus" thru you and other contriutors. I enjoy first timer reports as well as those from seasoned travelers. Dick

Carrie and others who are trip-report-shy:

I like all kinds of reports and read as many as my schedule allows. Even ones from insufferable posters. In fact, I may enjoy those the best.

Please do share your experiences. You never know whom you are helping down the line.

I agree. Please write trip reports. For those of you who think that people aren't interested, well, you are wrong. Many of us are interested. Not just for information, but to be transported back to Africa; all the more fun to be transported back through someone else's eyes.

For information, yes, information on the poster is valuable in order to put his/her recommendations in context. But that does not mean without any context at all, that many of us won't still enjoy the report. It's like being on safari. Many a game drive I've enjoyed even more than if I were alone because I could see/here the excitement in the face/voice of a first timer. That might mean somebody who is on his/her first safari, or it could be somebody like me who's been on safari before but for the first time saw a honey badger or a sitatunga.

Please do not think/worry about a trip report while enjoying your safari. If you happen to include an introductory section with your report (i.e. a little about who you are, what you like), wonderful. If you don't, fine. As I mentioned previously, I didn't (because I never thought to do so), and I still received many wonderful responses to my report.

Tom was only offering a suggestion. In fact, I think he was really asking a question: asking whether people thought this was a good idea. I do agree with Tom, but I did not mean to discourage anybody. Africa is a magical place, and I want to read every word I can about it from every person who visits.

I apparently have less of a command of the English language than Fabio.

Sorry for my typos. I can type faster than I can think, and I am bad about not using the preview function. That should be "hear", not "here". And anything else gramatically incorrect, well chalk it up to not being able to rely on spell check!

Thank you all for your trip-report support! And I have to tell you that I'm so excited about this safari that it would be pretty darn hard not to say anything to you all about the trip! I adore taking photos, my true love, but writing is, by far, the more personal medium IMHO and I do hope that I can share it with you. I can't wait to hear the lions roar and to soar above the Serengeti planes in a hot air balloon!

By the way, I bought a "defense department" Swahili cd on e-bay that I highly recommend...although I won't be using the "put your hands up" or "put your weapon down" part of the program I'm sure ;-) the common phrases are wonderfully pronounced and there are lots to choose from - including colors and numbers (I don't think I'll need that either, but you never know).

Thank you all and I'm really looking forward to the adventure ahead (if I survive the flight of course!).

Carrie

Have a wonderful time Carrie!

tom, I'm adding 'status' to the trip report index for you whenever it's mentioned......

Thanks Lynda.
Although I confess, I'm not sure what it is you're adding?

regards - tom

Tom,
I think she means "status" as a category of safari goer (i.e. 1st timer, repeat visitor, etc.), although I think it was tongue-in-cheek

Lynda,
Did I understand that correctly?

Tom & Dana-

Dana you were right - but no, not tongue-in-cheek, I really am! (see the last trip report I posted this morning....)

Whenever they mention whether they are newbies or old hands at wrangling lions, I will put it in the index, and that way people can see-at-a-glance.

Lynda