Stranger Trips

Post scam emails to warn other rental owners, or if you are not sure if an enquiry is genuine, put it up here and see what others think.
Jonathan
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:17 am
Location: Warwickshire
Contact:

Stranger Trips

Post by Jonathan »

We have just been contacted by a couple who are looking for free accommodation in exchange for their writing us up on social media. See the exchange below.

Jonathan

________________________________________



Our minimum stay is two nights, so we would normally charge £200 for the two nights, so in terms of your offer, we would be prepared to let you have Puddle Cottage for a 25% discount, so £150.

Jonathan

On 19/09/2019 21:16, Stranger Trips wrote:
>
> Do you have something in mind?
>
>
> Usually, in this kind of collaboration, we have a stay free of charge (or with a discount) in exchange for the creation of promotion contents for the accomodation.
>
> Giovanni & Rosaria
> @stranger_trips
>
> Il giorno 19 set 2019, alle ore 18:00, tredingtonmill <> ha scritto:
>
>> So what's the deal?
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
>>
>> -------- Original message --------
>> From: Stranger Trips <stranger.trips.insta@gmail.com>
>> Date: 19/09/2019 16:13 (GMT+00:00)
>> To: Sally & Jonathan Ward <>
>> Subject: Re: Family Travel Blogger Collaboration
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>>
>> Thanks for reply.
>>
>> Our idea is to promote your accomodation through video and phots that we can share on our instagram page or that we can send you to use on your social medias. our project is focused on trips with baby so your self-catering accomodation looks perfect for this purpose.
>>
>>
>> Tell us what do you think about.
>>
>>
>> Ser you soon,
>>
>> Giovanni & Rosaria
>> @stranger_trips
>>
>> Il giorno 19 set 2019, alle ore 16:51, Sally & Jonathan Ward <> ha scritto:
>>
>>> We are not running an hotel but self-catering accommodation. I am very unsure what you are offering and what your charges are. Please could you explain further.
>>>
>>> Regards
>>>
>>> Jonathan Ward
>>> --
>>> _____________________________________

>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Our names are Giovanni and Rosaria and we run the Instagram account @stranger_trips [https://www.instagram.com/stranger_trips/].
>>>>
>>>> Our account focuses on travel photographies, based on our trips around the world. We currently have 10.980 followers, and an about 16,61% engagement rate on our posts, and an average of 1560 likes and 250 comments per post.
>>>>
>>>> The people who follow us (average age 25-40 years) tend to be interested to see our travel photographies and to know our trip tips.
>>>>
>>>> For our next road trip in the south of Great Britain we will start a new project focused on the trips with baby. We would like to describe through pictures, posts, and video, the historic and cultural heritage of city visited, and the possibility to admire that for a family with little baby. Moreover, we will focus on the review of family-friendly hotels/apartments.
>>>>
>>>> In our opinion, your accommodation seems have a good match with our project and for the audience that your brand targets.
>>>>
>>>> In the past, we've had successful partnerships with some brand about travel contents. We are wondering if you'd be interested in working together during our upcoming trip to Costwolds.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> We are able to provide travel video, social media posts and instagram stories during and after our trip. We want offer a service focused on promotion of the hotel through video-stories (that we will highlight in our bio) and pictures of the hotel. Moreover we want to tag the hotel in the post' caption regarding the place visited.
>>>>
>>>> In attachment you can find our media kit.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> We’ll visit Costwolds for 1 days, from 10 to 11 October 2019.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for taking the time to read this email and we look forward to your response!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Talk soon,
>>>>
>>>> Giovanni & Rosaria
>>>> @stranger_trips
Last edited by Jonathan on Fri Sep 20, 2019 3:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
AndrewH
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Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:17 pm
Location: Kefalonia, Greece
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Stranger Trips

Post by AndrewH »

I looked up 'Stranger Trips' on Instagram and they do seem to have quite a big and appreciative following, from reading some of the many comments there. Their mass of photos from numerous destinations are interesting too and professionally taken. However there was nothing I could see there which remotely resembled someone's holiday property let alone any write-up about it. Maybe they will have something new in mind when they come to the Cotswolds. It seems to me that this Italian couple are roaming the world finding material for their blog. If they can blag some free accommodation in the process, it's a great help to them.

If you did take them up on their proposal, I feel you are quite right to make a proper letting contract of it with start and end dates. Discount it as deeply as you like, but make sure they pay you something for their stay. To me "free" equates to easy come easy go and the thought that they don't need to move out on the set day, if it doesn't suit them.
Jonathan
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:17 am
Location: Warwickshire
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Re: Stranger Trips

Post by Jonathan »

AndrewH wrote:I looked up 'Stranger Trips' on Instagram and they do seem to have quite a big and appreciative following, from reading some of the many comments there. Their mass of photos from numerous destinations are interesting too and professionally taken. However there was nothing I could see there which remotely resembled someone's holiday property let alone any write-up about it. Maybe they will have something new in mind when they come to the Cotswolds. It seems to me that this Italian couple are roaming the world finding material for their blog. If they can blag some free accommodation in the process, it's a great help to them.

If you did take them up on their proposal, I feel you are quite right to make a proper letting contract of it with start and end dates. Discount it as deeply as you like, but make sure they pay you something for their stay. To me "free" equates to easy come easy go and the thought that they don't need to move out on the set day, if it doesn't suit them.
I couldn't agree more. I have offered them a price which they don't seem too happy about. It is a 25% discount. I don't know anything about Instagram.

Jonathan
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CSE
Posts: 4414
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:34 pm
Location: Galicia

Post by CSE »

Read this:
https://onemileatatime.com/hotel-influe ... ntroversy/
and this:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/6582919 ... ree-stays/
I don't think these influencers read this sort of advice:
https://sidewalkerdaily.com/how-to-get- ... otel-stay/
if they want free accommodation maybe point them to a house sitting website or couchsurfing or workway. Sorry the work part my frighten those who think they get something for free for posting on social media.
Edit. Looking at the page of photos I cannot see any for any of the accommodation they must have stayed at.
Side note to Jonathan , maybe you should edit your post to remove your email adders as it could be gathered by on line harvesters.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
AndrewH
Posts: 1499
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:17 pm
Location: Kefalonia, Greece
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Post by AndrewH »

Having just read the links on CSE's enlightening post, a new word has entered my vocabulary: "Influencer"! Very interesting how influencers go about their business. Some years ago I was approached by a couple seeking a free stay at our rental in return for some photography they could do and publish to their social media followers and for me to use on our website. They thought it would enhance our business no end.

I realize now that they were "influencers". It came to nothing because, when I looked at their stock of photos, so many of them were pictures of her (she was certainly not unsightly) taken against evocative backdrops of Mediterranean villa pools, tropical beaches etc. etc. I don't know how they would have gone down if put on our website, but certainly more interesting than the picture of the cloakroom :lol:
LotBoy47
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 12:40 pm
Location: SW France

Post by LotBoy47 »

Influencers, eh?

If they had 10 million subscribers, it might be worth giving them a free weekend.

Otherwise, no.
Jonathan
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:17 am
Location: Warwickshire
Contact:

Post by Jonathan »

CSE wrote:Read this:
https://onemileatatime.com/hotel-influe ... ntroversy/
and this:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/6582919 ... ree-stays/
I don't think these influencers read this sort of advice:
https://sidewalkerdaily.com/how-to-get- ... otel-stay/
if they want free accommodation maybe point them to a house sitting website or couchsurfing or workway. Sorry the work part my frighten those who think they get something for free for posting on social media.
Edit. Looking at the page of photos I cannot see any for any of the accommodation they must have stayed at.
Side note to Jonathan , maybe you should edit your post to remove your email adders as it could be gathered by on line harvesters.
Thanks have done so. Jonathan.
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