PassPorter's
Article Tools |
| |
The PassPorter Way: Philosophies and Practices
Cool Tip: Click here to get a FREE PDF version of this article, fully formatted to print and put into your PassPorter Deluxe Binder!
Filed in Articles > U.S. Travel > Planning 
PassPorter guidebooks are independently published by a family-owned and family-run small business. As journalists, we strive to present accurate information with a fair and balanced viewpoint. Our books are "unofficial," meaning we can call it as we see it.
We travel as our readers do. Although we enlist the help of local experts who live and breathe our destinations, we fly or drive long distances from our home base in Michigan, and stay in the hotels, giving us a perspective that no “local” can possess. We make all our own reservations and arrangements, sometimes with the help of a travel agent, but mostly we “shop direct.” We pay our own way, so we’re always looking for the best deal. We buy our own admission, pay for all our excursions, tours, and add-ons. We make our reservations through normal channels—no VIP treatment, no media discounts or freebies. We need to know that our experience will be like yours and hasn’t been enhanced for the sake of a better review. While we may be invited to visit a hotel, restaurant, or attraction as members of the media, we do not use those visits to evaluate matters like quality of service or level of amenities offered, as regular guests may not receive quite the same treatment.
PassPorter guidebooks are truly a community effort. Through our PassPorter.com web site, message board community, PassPorter News weekly e-newsletter, and many face-to-face encounters, we interact with you, our readers, year-round. Whether or not we join a particular discussion, we’re always watching the message boards to see what’s important to you, and we’re thinking of how we can better address those issues in our books. You contribute in so many ways! These pages are filled with your tips and photos, and your suggestions and questions over the years have led to improvements large and small. Your reports on our message board make you our field researchers, witnessing and experiencing far more than we could ever manage on our own. Dozens of you, as Peer Reviewers, pore over each manuscript, and each manages to uncover items to be updated, clarified, or fixed that nobody else has managed to find. Few publishers, in any field, subject their manuscripts to this level of scrutiny. Unlike many travel books, which, once printed, are set aside until it’s time to produce the next edition, we’re immersed in our topic 365 days a year, following the news and rumors, and keeping in constant touch with you.
All of this makes PassPorter a uniquely interactive guidebook. Together, we’ve created what we like to think of as “book 2.0” and we’re proud to be innovators of a new generation of guidebooks that encourage collaboration. Here are some of the special interactive features in this edition:
PassPorter Photos: We truly believe that a picture tells a thousand words, so this edition is enhanced with more than 500 full-color photos! The majority of these photos were contributed by our amazing readers, as we feel a wider range of perspective makes a better guidebook. The photos that appear at the top of pages are “Photo Slices,” because they give you just a slice of Disney—they are intended to convey a general look, a feeling, or an idea. All of the photos were hand-picked from our vast personal collection and the online PassPorter Photo Archive. Want a closer look? If the i symbol and 4- to 5-digit code appears with the photo, go to http://www.passporter.com/i and look it up!
PassPorter Articles: You just can’t fit everything in a guidebook, so when we have more to tell you, we lead you to one of our feature articles and/or photo collections on our web site. Just look in the lower right margin for the i icon accompanied by a keyword, visit http://www.passporter.com/i and enter the keyword (type it exactly as it appears). Note that multiple article keywords are separated by the | symbol.
About the Author: Jennifer and Dave Marx are the founders of PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc. and the authors of dozens of bestselling books. They live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and frequently travel within the U.S. and abroad.
Related Links:
Disney + Disabilities = Magic! - Enjoying Disney World with Disabilities last updated 11/07/2008
Saving Money for Disney - Tips and Tricks last updated 2/25/2011
Baby Steps - Six Sanity Savers For Baby's First Trip to Walt Disney World last updated 3/7/2011
Disney Dreaming - Book Excerpt from PassPorter's Walt Disney World last updated 1/16/2009
Walt Disney World for Veteran Visitors - Finding New Things To Do last updated 1/16/2009
Reader Comments:
I think the input from the readers and these Boards are what makes PassPorter so unique!! Most guide books aren't as open to reader opinion, and that is what makes PassPorter such a great community and guidebook!   View all 1 comments in forum thread
So what do you think? Click here to share your comments, feedback, and experiences on this article and topic!
(Note: You must be a member of our PassPorter Message Board Community to leave comments. Join today for free!)
Updated 11/17/2009 - Article #372
Read additional articles from PassPorter.com
|
Subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter, PassPorter News, published for more than 50,000 opt-in subscribers worldwide.
As an added bonus for subscribing, you will receive a 20% discount coupon for the PassPorter Store -- no catch!
We respect your privacy and never sell or rent our subscriber list. Subscribing will not result
in more spam! We guarantee it.
|
Copyright 1999-2011
by PassPorter Travel Press, an imprint of MediaMarx, Inc.
| | | LEARN MORE |
Learn More With Our Award-Winning Guidebooks
|
RSS General
PassPorter Community - Boards & Forums on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disn...
By car, plane, or train -- share your tips, plans, and experiences with others!
Forum Sponsored by Quicksilver Tours & Transportation
toddler help
by DaisynDonald
8 Feb 2012 at 2:58am
We took my 2 year old grandson to Disney in December, the plane ride was a nightmare!!! Does anyone have any tips to keep their children seated? My...
(click title above to view replies)
American Airlines bankruptcy impact on future travel?
by Arnir
7 Feb 2012 at 11:51pm
With AA filing bankruptcy, should I be wary of booking tickets with them for later this year? They are one of the few realistic choices for getting...
(click title above to view replies)
What would you do? SW vs Air Tran
by nmeeboer
7 Feb 2012 at 11:34am
We have always flown SW and never had any issues. The flight times I need in August are not ideal- 6:10 am to Orlando and 7:45 am departing. Air...
(click title above to view replies)
Is 1 hour and 45 minutes enough?
by Luv2laff
7 Feb 2012 at 9:46am
So our flight leaves super early (6 am) out of Boston. We are taking a 2:30 am bus out of Dover , NH to get there. (This is the earliest one). The...
(click title above to view replies)
:mad: Does Delta EVER have 25K award seats available???
by LizCatMom
6 Feb 2012 at 4:42pm
:mad: I guess this is more of a Delta issue than a Disney issue, but last year we were able to book DH's and my flights using Skymiles and got it at...
(click title above to view replies)
Total Visits: 1291
|
