Change of name
From now on Hoi An Photo Walks is called Photo Voyager. Why?
So I do photography tours in Hoi An. In 2013 I decided that the name would be Hoi An Photo Walks. A couple of years later I started wondering. A tour with the name of a city in it implies that the tours are only there, in this case Hoi An. This sets boundaries. Although Hoi An is the starting point, some tours are already in the areas surrounding Hoi An. And as I will not stay in Hoi An forever it might be wise to change the name on time. It would feel a bit odd if a tour in Danang or Zimbabwe is called Hoi An Photo Walks. So a new name was required. But which one?
The word “Voyager” came to mind quickly. I have a connection with it. The definition of voyager is “someone who goes on a long trip”. We are all on long trips. Trips could be life itself or one to an other country. Learning a skill (such as photography) is a voyage. So combining all this would make perfect sense.
To relate the name to photography I simply added the word “photo” to it, to not make any misunderstanding what it is about. The voyager part works several ways. You are on a voyage and I take you on a voyage, physically, emotionally, culturally and photographically.
Voyager is a word that relates to me. In the past decades I was a voyager. Many times I traveled to other countries. I had the urge to go out there and explore. Several times the name Voyager crossed my path. First in 1977 when Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched. Being a Star Trek fan it caught my attention immediately. Their original mission was to study the planetary systems of Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 continued on to Uranus and Neptune. The Voyagers now explore the outer boundary of the heliosphere in interstellar space; their mission has been extended three times and they continue to transmit useful scientific data. (Source: Wikipedia).
About Star Trek, at one point the series were called Star Trek: Voyager.
And then there was this song Voyager by the band Gamma . Released in 1980 and still on my playlist. Check it out, you may like it.
So therefore, Photo Voyager.
The next steps were getting a website and designing a logo.
After registering the domain name I started thinking about a logo. I took a piece of paper and a pencil and started drawing. When I had something I was pleased with I recreated it in the computer. And that was it.
The whole process took a while, as I had to work too. Several times I postponed the launch date. There is still work to be done, but at least the start is there and hopefully people will start finding the new website directly, rather than being re-directed via Hoi An Photo Walks.
So there you are. Photo Voyager for your Hoi An photo tour.