MEDIA KIT
ALLISON FOAT (nickname Diva)> I’m a former ballerina turned travel journalist and lifestyle and theatre publicist. I’m based in Cape Town, South Africa.
I’ve been into travel since a little girl. Road trips around the country were a thing in our family and then, I did my first overseas foray at age 14, as a young ballet dancer in training. Chaperoned by my astoundingly forward-thinking ballet teacher, the late Mignon Furman, I was tutored by some of the world’s finest teachers in Monaco, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Lausanne, Nice, Cannes, Paris and London, in 1979/80 and 1980/91, simultaneously experiencing the best in travel education that anyone could wish for. Years later, dance continued to open travel doors. As a professional ballerina, I worked with a New York based ballet company that toured in the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, and back in South Africa I worked in Cape Town and Pretoria with CAPAB and PACT Ballet Co’s respectively. I now find myself, fortuitously, with a dynamic dual career as a travel and lifestyle writer and a social media PR, occasionally doing PR work in the theatre space. I have a passion for telling stories that will inspire others to get out there and embrace an exploring life. And I leg hoist, a lot, for no apparent reason and often on demand 😄.
MY BLOG: CAPETOWNDIVA.COM
My blog shares my discoveries, both in travel and lifestyle and attracts women between the ages of 35 and 70, LSM 8-10, who travel frequently, and are stylish, curious and eco smart. I started my blog in 2013 as an online journal of my travel and life experiences at home and abroad, and as a way to discover my writer’s voice, so to speak. My writing mentor at the outset was Pieter-Dirk Uys who encouraged me to put my adventures down in print. All my published work can be found on the blog under ‘In The Press’.
TRAVEL WRITING, JOURNALISM & PHOTOGRAPHY
I began solo travelling in earnest in 2008 with a goal to explore at least two new destinations a year and to date I’ve visited 75 cities on several continents. I’m particularly passionate about ethical and responsible travel, love discovering different cultures and prefer venturing off the typical tourist track to uncover the personality and authenticity of a place. I take my photography seriously, shooting on a Canon DSLR and the latest iPhone. My images have been published alongside my editorials in the magazines, newspapers and online platforms to which I contribute.
EDITORIAL INTERESTS
Travel (local, Africa, international); design (creatives fashion, art, décor, architecture); hospitality (chefs, restaurants, hotels, wine, interiors); sustainability/eco (nature, vegan/vegetarian, social responsibility, community upliftment, upcycling and recycling, green initiatives) – all top notch and all exceptional.
I prefer to interview people in person when writing features, so engaging one-on-one with individuals is key to the accuracy, success and integrity of my editorials.
PUBLISHED WORK (South Africa) SAFREA Member No: SAF02436
Encouraged by my writing mentor Pieter-Dirk Uys (who remains my theatre PR client after more than a decade) I’ve been submitting travel stories and talking travel across several platforms- newspapers, magazines, online platforms and radio shows- since 2008.
Newspapers – I regularly contribute to the Sunday Times (Travel, Food, Lifestyle) and the Cape Times (news/conservation news). I’ve also written for the Sunday Independent (now closed), Weekend Argus, City Press Sunday Argus, Cape Argus.
On Television, I’ve been featured and interviewed on SABC3’s Expresso Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50uHYDMH628 on SABC3 Expresso:
SABC3 Expresso Show, Avios points travel spend recommendations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czGrr7eMxbg
Top Billing Facebook blogger master class: Top Billing blogger master class
On Radio, I’ve talked about my travels including responsible tourism and trends, on stations such as Capetalk and 702 where I am a regular contributor to Pippa Hudson’s Travel Tuesday segment, and to Radio Helderberg and I have been interviewed on Fine music Radio.
Magazines to which I’ve contributed include Getaway, Graffiti Art Mag (Paris), House & Leisure, Khuluma inflight, SLOW (British Airways exclusive lounges), Indwe, Sail+Leisure, Skyways.
Online placement includes The Daily Maverick, Bizcommunity, Travelupdates, iAfrica.com
ACCOLADES
Winner of the #helloweekend Blogathon in 2016 (What to do in Cape Town in 48 hours)
Winner of 2 return air tickets in Air France SA’s #letmebefrench 2014 Twitter photographic competition
Winner of Bedycasa (France) international homestay cultural competition 2018
BRAND ASSOCIATIONS & CAMPAIGNS
I enjoy working with reputable travel and lifestyle brands and PR agents that stand for sustainability and promote exceptional travel experiences. PR agencies I have worked with include Visit Britain (UK), France Tourism (SA), Manley Communications, Lloyd Orr PR, Lesley Simpson Communications, Hot Oven Marketing, Le Boat, Sunsail, The Moorings, Phangan Bicycle Tours, Mossel Bay Tourism, Air France ZA, Cheapflights, Edelweiss Air, Karin Duncker PR, Franchhoek Tourism, Off the Marque PR, Atout France, Maldives Tourism Board, Seychelles Tourism Board, Reunion Tourism Board, Cape Town Tourism.
Please click on the ‘CONTACT’ tab to get in touch about guest blogs and dynamic social media campaigns and content curation across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
SOCIAL MEDIA STATS (as of July 2021)
Twitter 7323 | Instagram 5239 | Facebook CT DIVA: 2230k | Facebook AF: 4,981 | Steller: 3720
Photo by Claire Gunn