Archive for December, 2009

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Nick Ball now distributes Lanzarote Guidebook in print and online

December 31, 2009

If you’re headed to the island of Lanzarote, read Nick Ball’s Lanzarote Guidebook.

It’s your one-stop-shop for all the travel information you’ll need for visiting the eastern-most Canary Island.

Nick Ball knows Lanzarote

Nick Ball knows Lanzarote

“Eight years ago, when I first arrived on the island there was nothing much in the way of information for English speaking tourists,” Nick says. “At the same time, I had developed a real love for the island – and needed to find a way to express this!”

“Over the last couple of years, the site has really grown apace and we now attract around 75,000 visitors a month.”

He’s just recently expanded his blog into the print format. He freely distributes a tourist guide to the island in PDF form as well as an actual print version.

You can find island news on the homepage too, so if you’re heading over to Lanzarote, make sure you check out what’s up beforehand.

Marianne McPhee and Fillingthepages.com

December 30, 2009

Like many of the bloggers I feature on Site of the Day, Marianne started her blog to keep her friends and family up to date on her travels through Southeast Asia.

Now, it’s her portal to the world, as she pursues her dream of being a full time writer.

Marianne McPhee writes FillingthePages.com

Marianne McPhee writes FillingthePages.com

Marianne is now a member of STA’s Explorer program and a regular contributor for a few other travel websites.

She became one of STA’s ‘£10 Poms’ in November, after she camped out on the streets of London for two days to have the opportunity to fly to Oz for £10.

This allowed her to move to Australia and she is now writing about her new life Down Under, her pursuit of a job in Sydney and her future Australian travels.

Tim and Lisa Bergren hear the world calling

December 29, 2009

If you’ve ever felt the insatiable urge to see the rest of the world, you know what it’s like to be the Bergren family.

They’ve been traveling the world with three kids in tow and loving every minute of it.

Lisa Bergren and the rest of TheWorldIsCalling crew

Lisa Bergren and the rest of TheWorldIsCalling crew

“TheWorldIsCalling.com was created to encourage people, and particularly families, to travel together,” Lisa says.

They believe that something unique and special happens in the midst of exposure to a new culture, people, politics, religion, food, history – a bonding experience that a family can forever remember and build upon as a shared, treasured experience.

The Bergrens are working their way towards taking a year away, homeschooling the kids, and touring Europe and the Middle East.

But for 2010, it’s their plan to see more of Colorado, California, Montana, New York City, Mexico and Israel.

After perusing their blog, you’ll find such engaging gems as “10 Reasons to Travel with Kids“, a list of 10 common excuses people use to avoid traveling with their kids.

I also enjoyed Diana Miller’s guest blog post about spending a weekend in New York City with teenagers.

Jason Demant and Sharon Duckworth quit and create Lifeaftercubes.com

December 28, 2009

It’s something lots of people dream of doing, but never actually accomplish. Saying goodbye to their cubicle job forever.

Jason Demant, and his girlfriend, Sharon Duckworth finally both said goodbye to their “jobs in big companies”, bought a one way ticket to Hong Kong and never looked back.

Sharon and Jason of Lifeaftercubes.com

Sharon and Jason of Lifeaftercubes.com

“Our site chronicles our travels around Asia, as well as our attempts to make money along the way,” Jason says.

Their writing style is uniquely humorous, and I loved Sharon’s blog entry about fashion in Asia and Jason’s tips on eating healthy and working out on the road.

Read the rest for yourself at Lifeaftercubes.com

Andy Hayes is Sharing and Caring

December 24, 2009

Andy Hayes is the creator of SharingTravelExperiences.com. It’s an interesting melange of stories posted by anonymous travelers as well as other travel professionals in the internet travel space.

Andy Hayes of SharingTravelExperiences.com

Andy Hayes of SharingTravelExperiences.com

“We’re a tight-knit community of people passionate about learning more about the world and exploring it, both from our armchairs and up close in person,” says Andy.

“We tell travel tales and we share travel experiences – the good and the bad. Our ethos is the phrase travel more – not just more often, but travelling better.”

It’s not just a blog, there’s also a monthly “super special” travel deal, and a “travel concierge” named Donna, who personally helps readers plan their next adventure. For a fee of course.

The Vacation Gals: Beth Blair, Jennifer Miner and Kara Williams

December 23, 2009

What happens when three traveling moms get together and let loose?

TheVacationGals.com is a fairly new blog by three outgoing women. They write about trips they take on their own, without their kids.

The Vacation Girls in San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Vacation Gals in San Juan, Puerto Rico

They also recommend the best travel gear, cover travel-industry news and share helpful travel tips.

The Gals tend to write about their own vacations — the destinations, cities, resorts and hotels that they’ve experienced firsthand. Typically that means they are writing about North America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

“We truly walk the walk when it comes to travel,” says Kara Williams. “Last year alone we took more than 40 trips for business and pleasure.”

One of their latest trips is a fascinating excursion to Ek Balam Maya Archaeological Site, a park recently opened to the public. It’s an easy day trip from Cancun and has one of the largest populations of pink flamingos in the world.

There’s also a bunch of travel news stories, including this round up of the top 10 wacky travel stories of 2009.

Lillie Marshall: A Year on the Road

December 22, 2009

After 6 years teaching in Boston Public Schools, Lillie Marshall is traveling around the world for a year.

Lillie Marshall vs. a leopard

Lillie Marshall vs. a leopard

She loves writing and traveling, so she’s combining those two things together in her RTW blog.

“A huge purpose of my trip is to provide those at home (especially students!) with a window onto other wonderful parts of our globe,” she says.

“Through these stories and photos, I hope to furnish folk with the sensation of traveling, even if they’re in a cubicle or on their sofa!”

Right now, she finds herself in Thailand, but still doling out advice to a former student.

She’s in love with Ko Lanta at the moment, listing the eight reasons why people should visit the island.

Check out her blog if you plan on getting over to Southeast Asia. I’m sure she’ll be having lots more crazy adventures as the year goes on.

Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll: Cornering the Travel Blog Market

December 21, 2009

Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll quit their jobs and comfortable lifestyle in Prague to take a sabbatical. Three years later, they’re still on that sabbatical, and they have quite a professional-looking blog to prove it.

Audrey and Daniel have been on the road for 3 years

Audrey and Daniel have been traveling for 3 years

“We’ve visited over 30 countries in the last three years and have many more to go in the rest of South America, Africa and the Middle East,” Audrey says.

But it’s not all about checking off the list: “We aim to humanize the places we visit, drawing our readers in through photographs and stories,” she continues, “so they connect with people and places they might otherwise never hear about or actively disregard.”

A couple of posts I found engaging were their list of the most interesting border crossing experiences, their list of the seven best habits a traveler can have and their story on learning about the drug trade in Bolivia.

Theresa Russell: Cruising and Chattering

December 18, 2009

An avid cruiser and writer-extraordinaire, Theresa Russell spouts her honest opinion about the cruises she’s been on in her blog, Cruise Bug Chatter.

“Here, I can add a dash of snark, mix it with a bit of tongue-in-cheek, and top it off with some hopefully useful information,” she says. Her blog is “derived from my many cruises and numerous specialization courses provided by the cruise lines.”

You can have a look at her recent posts on getting stuck in Hurricane Dean and listen to some of her podcasts that feature interviews with various cruising employees and experts.

“Most fun for me is commenting on other posts or articles relating to the cruise experience, especially those written by cruise experts who have taken only one cruise,” she continues.

“I often take an opposing point of view on such things, since I find controversy is more interesting than agreement.”

Vicki Thomas: Bicycle racer traveling the globe

December 17, 2009

Vicki Thomas just recently got wind that she would be competing in the Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic.

So, she did what any other reasonable person would do. She took the opportunity to live and travel in Europe this year.

Vicki Thomas

Vicki Thomas is exploring Europe while training

It’s a lot of fun to follow her along as she wandered around Aarschot, Belgium and adjusting to life in a house with three other Canadian cyclists in Europe.

Victoria’s Island is a web site devoted to my daily living. Currently I’m living in Blauberg, Belgium chasing my cyclo-cross racing dreams. Belgium is the epi-center of cyclo-cross racing. So I’m here to race, train, and travel. My daily posts keep readers up-to-date with my discoveries (including trips to nearby towns, the local dairy, new cafes), my cyclo-cross racing and training, and my thoughts on living the life of bike racer.

“As a kid who grew up in northern Saskatchewan, I never really imagined that I’d be sitting in a house in Belgium discovering life from a different angle,” she says.

Check it out, and root for her when she competes in the big race on the weekend of Jan. 30-31, 2010.

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