Archive for October, 2009

Experience Italy through Madeline Jhawar’s eyes

October 23, 2009

Madeline Jhawar runs an itinerary planning company called Italy Beyond the Obvious. She also operates a very informative blog for anyone who can’t afford her $250/day planning fee.

She’s got great ideas for traveling in Italy with kids, avoiding crowds in Venice and driving like an Italian.

My personal favourite, is her post about the worst Italian souvenir ever.

Madeline is constantly engaged with her readers, asking them for answers to questions in her articles and then updating them afterwards. She’s got a light and entertaining writing style, that is a joy to read.

Madeline Jhawar's writes Italy Beyond the Obvious

Madeline Jhawar's writes Italy Beyond the Obvious

“I’ve lived in Italy five years, working as an expat, a tour guide, and a nanny,” Madeline says. She loves her work and it shows in her down to earth and extremely helpful blog.

The Carey Adventures’ amazing travel photography

October 21, 2009

Peter Carey is yet another travel blogger I met at the Travel Blog Exchange conference in Chicago back in the summer. He drove to the conference in a van with a couple of other bloggers just for fun.

Peter Carey's adventures are chronicled on his blog

Peter Carey's adventures are chronicled on his blog

Like many other travel bloggers, he started his website to keep his friends and family in the loop on his wanderings. About a year ago, he started doing a “photo of the day” and his blog started taking off.

Today, he has some incredibly talented guest photographers like Lynne Daley and Gabe Itaya as well as some great tips for photographers traveling to exotic places like Nepal.

“Over time I’ve worked to make my travelogues not just about my trip, but to find ways to relate the feel and experience of a certain place in a way that stirs the imagination and wanderlust in readers,” Peter says.

“As a professional photographer, sharing my travels through photos has always been a delight for me and I’ve been happy to see the response others get when ‘exploring with me’.”

Peter’s motto is: “Explore-Inspire-Educate” and it shows through in his artistic spirit and devotion to the traveler’s lifestyle.

Candice Broom's the most traveled mom

October 16, 2009

If you’re a parent, there’s no doubt you will find Candice Broom’s site, MomMostTraveled.com adorable. Between videos of her kids singing Beatles tunes and recipes for pizza, there’s not a whole lot of travel content at first glance.

Candice Broom, founder of MomMostTraveled.com

Candice Broom, founder of MomMostTraveled.com

But troll through the blog for a while and you’ll find stuff like “How to survive over 36 hours of airplane travel with a toddler and a preschooler“. You can follow along on a recent visit to the COPE museum in Laos, a place that provides mobility devices for people who have been injured by landmines.

“I want people to know that traveling can open up parts of you that never knew existed, and it can do the same for your children!” Candice says.

“I also hope that people can feel emboldened to travel with little ones, instead of laying travel dreams aside until the kids are in college.”

Her blog not only provides inspiration, but entertainment for parents who need that extra push to get out there and explore the world with their kids… before it’s too late.

iExplore: worldwide adventure travel tours

October 8, 2009

iExplore is one of the web’s most popular spots for booking adventure travel. It’s basically a “one stop shop” for package tour travel that’s exciting and different.

While it’s well known that I’m not a fan of package tours, CEO Todd McClamroch seems to understand my aversion to groups of people being shepherded around like cattle.

Todd McClamroch brings easy adventure travel to people all over the world

Todd McClamroch brings easy adventure travel to people all over the world

“iExplore aims to change the state of mind for each one of our clients with every trip they take,” Todd says on the iExplore blog. “We offer challenges, be they physical, experiential or intellectual that encourage genuine growth on the part of the traveler.”

As you can see, his primary goal is not to deliver you into another destination in complete comfort and stability, but to introduce into the traveler a sense of awe and wonder of the world around them.

“Our greatest success and satisfaction comes when a client returns from an iExplore tour breathless with excitement,” Todd says. “With an unshakable sense their lives have been enriched and almost disbelieving their experience actually happened.”

Kyle and Stacey: Smiling in Orlando

October 2, 2009

Kyle and Stacey are two BFF who were chosen by the Orlando Convention & Visitors Bureau to spend 67 days in Orlando going on all the rides at the amusement parks and exploring the city.

In this video, they introduce themselves and talk about their crazy adventure.

Their blog 67 Days of Smiles, will document all the shenanigans they get up to in their two months plus seeking out every nook and cranny in the home of Disney. Check it out before it’s over. Today is their 36th day of smiling and they visited the University of Central Florida, followed by a Killers concert in the UCF Arena.

They’ve visited art galleries, spas, Sea World, the Kennedy Space Centre and lots more, just to prove that Orlando is more than just Disney World. It’s a fun, light read if you need some inspiration if you’re planning on making the trip to Florida.

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