Where in the World Are the Travel Bloggers?
by Pam

Photo from Lunaryuna's photostream.

Lucky for us, Travel Bloggers more than happy to tell us where they are. Here are a few new-to-me travel blogs that beg to be shared.

Via Backpackers, here's Anna's Adventures Abroad.Anna last blogged from the Margaret River wine country in Australia. Looks like she's going to stay put for a bit as she's landed a job and rented a room in a shared house.If you've always fantasized about packing it in and moving Down Unda, you might enjoy reading her blog - she's living the dream.

In order for me to get around Margaret River I have bought myself a mean machine bike - complete with 10-year old boy style helmet with a skull on the top of it! I managed to pick it up for 20 dollars - a bargin! I certainly am getting some stares as I ride around town - although I do seem to know most of the people here already it seems!

Via Fly Away, I found Wal-Marting Across America. Lara and Jim are taking advantage of Wal-Mart's policy of letting RVers stay overnight for free in their parking lots - and blogging their adventures. They're writing about Wal-Mart staffers and shoppers too. Oh, and Wally 1 is the name of their RV. I'll admit to anti Wal-Mart politics, but their focus on the retail giant makes for interesting travelblogging.

A little after midnight Wally 1 exited I-540 for a laundry stop and Internet connection. Within minutes of stopping we heard a knock at the door and opened it to find Pamela Hansel from Denton, Texas and her sister, Debbie from Oregon. The sisters are en route to their mother’s home in Bentonville, Arkansas. Intrigued by Wally’s outside message (see the Winslow, Arizona page – Wally 1 Grazing with the Herd), Pamela stopped by to share her Sam Walton story. In the 1970s her father, Kyle Craig, introduced her to Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. She remembers Sam fondly because of his down home nature and obvious caring about the people around him. An impromptu stop for Wally 1, another story told.

Up in Alaska, Northern Girl has been covering some turf. As a camper with an - I think - rational fear of bears, her photos of grizzlies in Denali made my heart skip a beat.

No sooner had we did so when a mother and two cubs came lumbering by. Anxious I began to ask everyone if I could roll down my window for a picture. Only to be met with echoes of “no” permeating from the car. Pfth on them. Finally I couldn’t stand it anymore and had to roll down the window and lean out. And in doing so I was awarded with a photo of one of the cubs digging up roots nearly a few feet away from my car. I only should have rolled down the window sooner.

Finally, though her trip has come to an end, her blog is new to me. I'm crusing through Jessica's South American Wonders to read about a continent that's on my list of places to go. Here's an excerpt from her post about attending carnival back in February.

Equally baffling was the fact that woman of all ages took part in the tantallizing tease. This included little girls of no more than 3 sporting barely-there outfits attempting to mimic the movements of a lap dancer. I looked on in disbelief, perplexed that parents would let their young girls be oggled by hundreds of men like that. After the shock wore off, I became an observer in awe of a tradition full of life that seemed to embrace women and their bodies. I went back for the next two nights to take in more of the sights and sounds, butts and all.

Where's your travel blog going these days?

Pam blogs about travel and other adventures at Nerd's Eye VIew.

Submitted by Pam (view blog) on Thu, 10/05/2006 - 9:07pm
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Comments

 

Visiting U.S. Cities -- Sharing Tips Based on
Experience

My travel blog -- just 5-6 weeks old -- takes women to some terrific U.S. cities and shares my experiences in them, that my female readers can use for their own girlfriend getaways. How to get there, how to negotiate transportation options there, costs of shuttle, cabs, hotel, plus shopping, sightseeing and accommodation tips that worked -- or didn't work. I try to tell both sides of the story. I'm a budget-conscious traveler and plan reasonably inexpensive girlfriend getaway trips -- 2-3 days usually.
tish

Travels with Tish -- Girlfriends' Getaway Guide

E-mail tish at girlfriends-getaway@midwestairlines.com
girlfriendsgetaway.wordpress.com

Submitted by tish on Fri, 10/06/2006 - 07:00
 

The Itchy Foot Cares Not if You're Broke

Now that I've moved from Florida to Texas and bought my first house (requiring the constant purchase of dull things like shower heads and bags of fertilizer,) I'm forced to think even more cheaply than usual about family travel.

The problem with living in Central Texas is that it takes about 5 hours to even get over the border & exit the state, so you really start looking at in-state travel opportunities. I'd like to take the kids all over Austin, then to San Antonio, the Blue Bell ice creamery, Dallas, cowboy country around Bandera, historic Fort Davis in West Texas and some beach time in Corpus Christi. Rafting in Big Bend country would be good, too.

The big prize would be a road trip up to Chicago next summer for BlogHer 2007!

Sheila Scarborough
Family Travel: See The World With Your Kids

Submitted by Seafarer on Fri, 10/06/2006 - 17:59
 

Best Subject Line Ever

The Itchy Foot Cares Not if You're Broke=Best Subject Line Ever. Certainly, it's true. But we both know that the fact that we have to recarpet the stairs is NOT going to get in the way of next winter's trip to - where? No matter. We will be sure the carpet doesn't break us.

Nerd's Eye View

Submitted by Pam on Sat, 10/07/2006 - 06:47
 

Old Chicks in the Jungle

Last year I took a really adventurous trip--500 kilometers up the Amazon River to the village of Xixua-Xiparina. I was there to see if there was still a small enclave of Cablocos employing solar power. It was, indeed, still there. It was a punishing experience, as food was scarce and the bugs were awesomely powerful. I had pure DDT, which leaked and ate a hole in my suitcase but failed to protect me from biting flies. I ate pretty much nothing but piranha for 21 days.

Now, I'm heading for Costa Rica. I'm hoping to do a zip line canopy jump. Anybody have any good experiences in this field. I'll be just outside of San Jose.

Arriba!

Submitted by radiogrrrl on Mon, 10/09/2006 - 17:36
 

Old Chicks in the Jungle

That's a helluva adventure. You're my hero! At least YOU were the one doing the eating, not the other way around.

We had an amazing time in Costa Rica, amazing, but make sure you know about the road up to Monteverde before you head up there in the middle of the night driven by a total stranger during a windstorm.

You know how good travel teaches you something about yourself? I was pleased to learn that when faced with a situation in which it looked like I was going to die, either by hurling over a precipice in a strangers or by less accidental means, that I'd think, "Well, I had a good run."

We really should have read up on it before we headed down there.

Nerd's Eye View

Submitted by Pam on Mon, 10/09/2006 - 21:54
 

Wal-Marting Across America is actually a
corporate blog

Just read this tonight on Bloggers Blog and Business Blogwire that the "Wal-Marting Across America" blog was actually set up and sponsored by Wal-Mart's PR firm, Edelman. I have no problem with a corporate blog as long as it clearly identifies itself as such. This won't do much for Wal-Mart's rep in the blogosphere. :)

Sheila Scarborough
Family Travel: See The World With Your Kids

Submitted by Seafarer on Mon, 10/16/2006 - 19:42
 

I just found that yesterday...

...disappointing that they didn't disclose from the get go. Because as travel blogs go, the approach was good and the voice very likeable.

Thanks for the links.

Nerd's Eye View

Submitted by Pam on Mon, 10/16/2006 - 20:45