China 2.0 Tour profile: Sheila Scarborough

The China 2.0 Tour begins in a few days.  I wanted to provide brief profiles of each of the tour participants so that people we meet can know a little more about each of us.

I’m pleased to start with Sheila Scarborough.  Sheila is one of the top travel bloggers in the US and is sponsored by the BootsNAll network, an exceptional independent travel community and blog platform that CN Reviews blogger Min Guo also blogs on.  In my day job hawking hotels and attractions at UpTake, I am a Sheila fanboy and follower.  Here’s my email interview with Sheila:

1.  Please introduce yourself in a few brief sentences.  Who are you, what do you do, and what are you passionate about?  (also include links, and a link to a photo you would like to include)

I’m a full-time freelance writer specializing in travel, NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) automobile drag racing and Web 2.0/social media. In addition to writing, I do some consulting work and teach entry-level Web 2.0 workshops with Every Dot Connects. After many years serving aboard US Navy ships, I find that continuous movement is very normal to me.  I feel strongly that I am an ambassador for my country, and that across the world we have much more in common than we have differences.

• Here’s how to find Sheila’s work online:
• Author Web site
• Twitter: @SheilaS
• I teach social media workshops with Every Dot Connects
• BootsnAll Family Travel Logue
• Perceptive Travel blog
• NHRA drag racing on Fast Machines

2.  Why did you decide to join the China 2.0 Tour?

I like the concept of one-on-one and small group interaction; it may surprise people to learn that I’m really rather introverted. :)  I am not intimidated by being in a very different country, but since I’ve lived in Asia (Japan) I know that with only a short time in China, it will be very helpful to have experienced people guiding my visit who also speak the language.
Such a short tour will mean a lot of information overload and only scratching the surface of understanding the issues and people, but nothing beats “boots on the ground” for a more complete understanding of a country.

3.  What do you hope to learn?  What are the questions you want to ask, or topics you want to discuss?

• Travel –
  • Is there an “average” Chinese traveler?
  • What are four or five favorite/popular destinations both within China and outside?
  • How do the Chinese plan their trips – do they use travel agents, do they research on the Web and if so, on which sites (Baidu? Ctrip?)
  • Are there Chinese hotel chains that are popular but less well known outside China (like Ibis in Europe?)
  • I’d like to learn more about Chinacars as an equivalent to AAA in the U.S. – how the Chinese view the “road trip” and other elements of a car-centric culture.
  • Is there a “community-centric” point of view in China that impacts how travel is conducted (are tour groups popular, is the lone backpacker unusual.)  What is the Chinese equivalent to Lonely Planet and BootsnAll (or is there one?)
• The Web –  I am interested in the different ways that Chinese people use the Web, including small details like how Chinese keyboards work and how ideas are expressed in Chinese. The small details are often very instructive. The broad picture is also interesting (ecommerce, social media development) and I want to know more about mobile applications in China.
• Drag racing –  I know this is an obscure topic for most, but is there any automobile racing, including what we call “street racing” (illegal in the US, that’s how NHRA was started, to get drag racing into a safe, measured environment.) If there is time, I’d like to visit the Formula 1 track in Shanghai.

I observe the little things, because they usually lead me to the big things, culturally. Much of my visit, I’ll simply be paying attention to what I see.

I look forward to traveling with Sheila and getting to know her better.  I already know I will learn a lot from watching how she investigates the local culture to deeper her understanding of China and the World.  Thanks Sheila!!