 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello all, I hope this is allowed.
Now that bookings are coming in again I am a bit strapped for time and wondered if anyone could help?
I am looking for a succinct and well written article for our website on driving to the Alps. In return we will credit you and offer a link to your site (as long as it doesn't conflict with our commercial interests too much). Only 500-800 words.
The article must be tunnel based and include rough journey length, return cost of road tolls (no meandering through minor roads and villages) and tips such as leaving chains on top of luggage, take rubber gauntlet gloves in case of chain fitting in bad weather, maybe an other night stop in Reims etc.
Anyone interested?
The article will appear here: https://www.snowfinders.co.uk/self-drive-holidays/
Thanks in advance, Nick.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hmm 500 words... Fear and Loathing on Le Autoroute des Anglais...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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and the fee is ?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Snowfinders, I have done stuff like this for some chalet companies, for a few bottles of red. Can't help here though as there is no tunnel from 'ull to the Continent!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Snowfinders, I could maybe help with this for driving to Austria as I've done it every year for the last 10 and also driven to Denmark, several parts of Germany and France in the summer, but if it is specifically France you are interested in then I've not done it in winter but could offer a compare and contrast on the general stuff which I know pretty well. As above, even a small token is better than a credit for amateur writers like us if you can't afford to pay the going rate for a pro, but given you are offering holidays as a business and seem to have 14 staff I'd hope that you can appreciate that 500-800 words is still at least an hour of someone's time that they can't spend looking for their own holidays...
You might also want to remove the Lorem Ipsum text at the top of your self-drive page - the rest of the site looks good.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Snowfinders, Sadly we all have different views on how to do it. You could get 100's of contradicting essays. However the simple advice is to prepare your vehicle, Addblue, windscreen washers top up, check the tyres have sufficient tread, the headlights can be adjusted to not blind other drivers, etc. Your advice about chains being readily available with something to kneel on and rubber gloves is good. After that just follow the satnav and avoid Paris. It helps to have a good supply of audio books and a passenger to pay the tolls. A website such as Mappy.com will tell you the current toll charges. OH! and breakdown insurance can be really, really useful (there speaks experiance).
There really is much more to it than that.
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@Snowfinders, I'd add that you should get a telepeage doofer which probably gets you down to the French Alps as quickly at the speed limit as it does at 90mph without one if it's really busy.
It also depends on where you're departing from. For us, we take 3.5hrs just to get to the tunnel whereas, e.g. for Londeners, they're down there in just over an hour. This then has a bearing on where you have your stops, if you drive overnight, if you want to ski both Saturdays, etc.
500 words? I wonder if I could get my son to write it and enter the Radio 2 competition next year...?
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| boredsurfin wrote: |
| and the fee is ? |
a link to your website if you have one.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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So I should spend my time writing for your commercial website for a link.
I'm out, I think is the phrase.
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| Snowfinders wrote: |
| boredsurfin wrote: |
| and the fee is ? |
a link to your website if you have one. |
So if, like me, someone doesn't have their own website then there is zero incentive to spend time writing an article for you. I have to say your offer hardly seems attractive....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Could at least make a donation to the upkeep of the forum
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Too many people want free stuff for exposure, like those 'influencer' creatures. Donate to the site or go away. Out of interest did you ask the Mods first?
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| Quote: |
@Snowfinders, I'd add that you should get a telepeage doofer which probably gets you down to the French Alps as quickly at the speed limit as it does at 90mph without one if it's really busy.
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The speed limit is 80mph. It usually takes less than 30 seconds to pay at the toll booth and 10 to collect the ticket.
This is what I mean by the huge differences in peoples advice and thoughts about driving to the Alpes
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You know it makes sense.
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| jd_evans wrote: |
| @Snowfinders, I'd add that you should get a telepeage doofer which probably gets you down to the French Alps as quickly at the speed limit as it does at 90mph without one if it's really busy..... |
Nope, you just need a toll booth biatch in the passenger seat. And a drag start after collecting the ticket is mandatory 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Alastair Pink wrote: |
| Snowfinders wrote: |
| boredsurfin wrote: |
| and the fee is ? |
a link to your website if you have one. |
So if, like me, someone doesn't have their own website then there is zero incentive to spend time writing an article for you. I have to say your offer hardly seems attractive.... |
Advert in paper says "cleaner required in exchange for garden duties" Man calls and says "I don't have a garden so it's hardly an attractive offer".
We get pre-written article submission requests all the time with back links - not that I take them. They normally offer us £50-100 for the back link. It has an SEO value. If someone doesn't think it is worth it fine. I have someone who has agreed to do it on here that messaged me.
Sorry if it offends you 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| ousekjarr wrote: |
@Snowfinders, I could maybe help with this for driving to Austria as I've done it every year for the last 10 and also driven to Denmark, several parts of Germany and France in the summer, but if it is specifically France you are interested in then I've not done it in winter but could offer a compare and contrast on the general stuff which I know pretty well. As above, even a small token is better than a credit for amateur writers like us if you can't afford to pay the going rate for a pro, but given you are offering holidays as a business and seem to have 14 staff I'd hope that you can appreciate that 500-800 words is still at least an hour of someone's time that they can't spend looking for their own holidays...
You might also want to remove the Lorem Ipsum text at the top of your self-drive page - the rest of the site looks good. |
Thanks I'm sorted now. The Lorem Ipsum is there until the piece is written.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Gosh people on this site can occasionally be a miserable bunch. I would love to help but have not driven to the french alps for more than a number of years - partly due to the outrageous tolls on the motorways, which for a sole traveller, make flying a better option and partly because I much prefer to ski in Austria or Dollies these days as they are much more wlecoming and much more enjoyable and reasonable to enjoy a beer or two and a great lunch.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@countryman, I quite agree!
I would have written it too. Small ski businesses need support right now and if you have a talent that can support them and you want to help then it was a perfect opportunity.
Some people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
The speed limit is 80mph.
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Less than 70 if it's raining.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
because I much prefer to ski in Austria or Dollies these days as they are much more wlecoming and much more enjoyable and reasonable to enjoy a beer or two and a great lunch.
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A weird statement
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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why cant people help others out without demanding payment . It was a perfectly civil request from an organisation who i suspect have had a pretty few rough months that will rouse some interest , I hope someone with a more interesting turn of phrase than myself responds and the OP gets some positive responses
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Quite tempted to take a crack actually. Been a while since I wrote anything. Plus I know the missus already has all the cost breakdowns on spreadsheets from our trips. And the packing lists... And itinerary. In fact after all that I will probably only have about 30 words to write.
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Thanks all for your really kind words, it is hugely appreciated. I was starting to question my moral compass.
I appreciate that we are all affected by C19 but it has been an horrendous few months. Snowfinders has successfully been trading for 20 years and we are a small team of 8. Our newest colleague has been with us for 4 years and we are a family. Having lost 5 weeks of a 16 week season has taken its toll but now that I know our business will survive my priority is to avoid any redundancies. Keep smiling.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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With respect, perhaps you could have contacted freelance journalists to write this piece for you in exchange for a fee or some ski related deal which is available to your successful 20-year old company.
Most have been out of work for months too.
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| gwatts10 wrote: |
| why cant people help others out without demanding payment . |
I guess you haven't really grasped the way business works.
Never, ever give away what you do, or as it's got no value you won't be doing it for a living.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Snowfinders, just an observation, but since opening this thread you must have already written several hundred words and spent more time reading responses. You could easily have knocked off 500-800 words.
Thing is, I don't think it can be presented very effectively in so few words. I reckon choice and timing of route alone would be 500-800 words. Then there's vehicle prep and tyres, regulations, stop-overs and best car-friendly destinations (definitely not always France!) They each easily demand 500-800 words.
| johnE wrote: |
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because I much prefer to ski in Austria or Dollies these days as they are much more wlecoming and much more enjoyable and reasonable to enjoy a beer or two and a great lunch.
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A weird statement |
What's weird about that? Austria and Dolomites are more reasonably-priced and Dolomites in my experience has always been the most welcoming. Lunch in the Sella Ronda tops the lot.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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What's weird about that? Austria and Dolomites are more reasonably-priced and Dolomites in my experience has always been the most welcoming. Lunch in the Sella Ronda tops the lot.
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I've always found France more welcoming than Austria. It is rare that I have lunch in the Dolomites so cannot comment upon what it tops. But this is not what this thread is about. @Snowfinders, wants 500 words of advice on how to drive from Calais to his chalet and I think most of us agree that we cannot write an advice article in that few words bearing in mind all the different choices we make on the journey.
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Stuff like how far it is, and how much the tolls are, can be Googled in 12 seconds. The only conceivable point of a short general article is if it's written by someone like @Richard_Sideways who would make it funny. I could write it - but as my principal advice would be that the best way to enjoy the journey is to do it as a lone driver and never on a Saturday it wouldn't be much help to the average reader.
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You know it makes sense.
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The guy has 31 posts and comes on asking for a freebie. Not even a donation to SH or a discount on their site.
I would happily help out one of the long term posters with a commercial interest that have given a lot of help to SH over the years.
All businesses need help now but so do all potential customers as well.
I just thought it was a bit arrogant.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@philwig, what a load of old poo-poo. Have you heard of volunteering? Mentoring? Not everyone does everything to make money, some want to help others out.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We do the work.
You get the cash.
Sounds good.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Gilberts Fridge wrote: |
The guy has 31 posts and comes on asking for a freebie. Not even a donation to SH or a discount on their site.
I would happily help out one of the long term posters with a commercial interest that have given a lot of help to SH over the years.
All businesses need help now but so do all potential customers as well.
I just thought it was a bit arrogant. |
Apologies if it seems that way but we were not asking for a freebie at all. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
| @philwig, what a load of old poo-poo. Have you heard of volunteering? Mentoring? Not everyone does everything to make money, some want to help others out. |
Did you actually read the post?
"Never, ever give away what you do, or as it's got no value you won't be doing it for a living."
I certainly agree that lots of things like that "mentoring" exist, although they're not really relevant to giving away something you're trying to make a living from, are they?
I'm fairly sure you can't sensibly "volunteer" for a living though, that's not what "a living" means, is it?
Of course most people wouldn't volunteer to make a commercial organisation more money - that's not why people volunteer, is it?
I can't help thinking that you maybe need to read a little more carefully before talking "poo poo".
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Gilberts Fridge wrote: |
The guy has 31 posts and comes on asking for a freebie. Not even a donation to SH or a discount on their site.
I would happily help out one of the long term posters with a commercial interest that have given a lot of help to SH over the years.
All businesses need help now but so do all potential customers as well.
I just thought it was a bit arrogant. |
To be fair to @Snowfinders, he/she has posted some useful stuff elsewhere on here, clearly knows a bit about the ski industry (and therefore may be useful in future, rather than being another resident argument-magnet) and offered reciprocal links, which given they would be from a legitimate business, could be valuable for search-optimisation and traffic. So if someone specialising in e.g. snowchain rentals, or autoroute tag rentals, or ski boot fitting etc. had decided they'd like the publicity, it could have been quite powerful. She/he (Xe?!) wasn't asking anyone to give anything away.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Gilberts Fridge
Please don't knock (I guess it's a) him - he has posted input on the subject of Covid cancellations/refunds/claims plus Snowchateaux from the retail agent point of view.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| countryman wrote: |
| Gosh people on this site can occasionally be a miserable bunch. I would love to help but have not driven to the french alps for more than a number of years - partly due to the outrageous tolls on the motorways, which for a sole traveller, make flying a better option and partly because I much prefer to ski in Austria or Dollies these days as they are much more wlecoming and much more enjoyable and reasonable to enjoy a beer or two and a great lunch. |
Have you written an article about is?
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FAQ
