Archive for January, 2010

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Nancy Todd’s Scoop on Spain

January 29, 2010

Are you heading to Spain?

Nancy Todd dishes the inside scoop on all things Spanish from music events to hotel reviews.

Nancy Todd is a knowledgeable expert on Spain

Nancy and her partner in crime, Regina Winkle-Bryan, travel around Spain finding unique restaurants and off-the-beaten-path attractions to share with their readers.

“Our blog offers fun, expert travel advice on Spain that you won’ find in the guidebooks,” Nancy says.

“We dish the delicious and the diverse with sass and give the nuances on sunny Spain!”

A couple of my favourite posts include the list of 15 budget gifts to buy in Spain and a collection of the tastiest tapas in Bilbao.

Even if you’re not on your way to Europe, you can always dream and follow along with them as they galavant through Spain

Chris Richardson is: The Aussie Nomad

January 28, 2010

Chris Richardson started his travel blog after he left his IT job and started traveling around the world.

Chris Richardson's a well travelled Aussie

Chris Richardson's a well travelled Aussie

For everyone thinking about making the same move, his mission is to help you do just that.

“I hope to document all the steps I took in making the decision to leave my job and look at working overseas so that it may help others looking to follow in similar footsteps,” he says.

He’ll be starting his journey in London, and he plans to take advantage of wwoofing and the friendliness of couchsurfing while he’s there.

“I want to show others that even though the world may be struggling financially, it is still possible to get out there and see the world, work as you go and experience a lifestyle that cannot be beaten,” Chris continues. “After all, who wouldn’t like the idea of working from a beach in Thailand one month, and then next month find yourself sitting in France looking out your window watching the snow fall?”

So far, you can follow his journey since its inception to his efforts at getting rid of all his stuff.

His practical writing style keeps readers engaged and his light sense of humour keeps them entertained as well.

Keep reading and find out how the rest of his trip goes, this guy is definitely going somewhere.

Travel Blog Rankings for January 27, 2010

January 27, 2010

The Travel Blog Ranking score — updated weekly — is the average of the Alexa and Compete.com rankings for each travel blog.

If you would like your independent travel blog to be included in our weekly list, please read more about this list.

Top 100 Travel Blogs for January 27, 2010:

Rank Site Score
1 Everything Everywhere
The travel blog of Gary Arndt's journey to travel around the world. 		30,451
2 Rick Steves: Blog Gone Europe
 34,322
3 Danny Choo
 37,403
4 Chris Elliott
 42,768
5 Nomadic Matt's Travel Site
 49,525
6 Johnny Jet's Travel Blog
 54,112
7 Peter Greenberg Worldwide
 74,480
8 Upgrade: Travel Better
 76,354
9 Urban Prankster
 82,773
10 Park Ride Fly USA Blog
 84,697
11
+1 		Almost Fearless
 101,630
12
+1 		Off Track Planet
 102,723
13
-2 		The Cranky Flier
 103,424
14 Hole in the Donut
 116,741
15 foXnoMad
 140,470
16 Travel Savvy Mom
 142,567
17
+1 		Go Backpacking
Dave is on an around the world journey starting in November of 2007. 		145,067
18
-1 		Go Green Travel Green
 146,322
19
+2 		Indie Travel Podcast
 150,043
20 Go Visit Hawaii
 152,222
21
-2 		Delicious Baby
 153,384
22
+1 		Hawaii Vacation Blog
 157,435
23
-1 		Travel, Work, Life
 158,472
24 Rick Seaney
 164,356
25
+1 		Travel Rants
 166,107
26
-1 		Traveling Mamas
 169,304
27
+2 		Wandering Educators
 171,015
28
-1 		Uncornered Market
 171,604
29
-1 		Mom's Minivan
 175,641
30 Vagablogging
 184,187
31 Mexicovacationtravels.com
 191,776
32
+1 		Practical Travel Gear
 202,465
33
-1 		Dave's Travel Corner
Offers travel articles and photo galleries from across the globe. 		203,392
34 Homeboyski.com
 206,421
35
+1 		My Melange
 211,412
36
-1 		Europe A La Carte
 214,983
37 Heather on her Travels
 218,446
38
+1 		KY Speaks
 226,669
39
+1 		Mom Most Traveled
 227,532
40
-2 		John's Adventures
 230,066
41
+1 		The Real Banff
 231,357
42
-1 		Calvin's Hub
 234,295
43 Business Travel Guru
 244,582
44 Neil Duckett
 252,828
45
+1 		Things You Should Do
 253,208
46
-1 		Practical Nomad
 254,513
47 The Amateur Traveler
 254,721
48 My Itchy Travel Feet
 260,736
49 Travel Blissful
 266,404
50
+2 		Wild Junket
 299,642
51
-1 		Travel Wonders of the World
 307,297
52
-1 		My Several Worlds
 307,628
53 Soul Travelers 3
A family of three from Santa Cruz, California. Two 50 something parents and their 5 year old daughter on a multi-year trip around the world. 		312,835
54 Irish Fireside
 320,631
55
+3 		The Vacation Gals
 334,678
56
-1 		World Heritage Site
Personal travel guide to the entries on Unesco's World Heritage List. Links, photos and reviews. 		337,094
57 Notes from Spain
 341,571
58
+1 		A Traveler's Library
 342,797
59
-3 		Location Independent Living
 348,825
60
+2 		A Travel Around the World
 355,128
61
+2 		The Professional Hobo
 357,759
62
-1 		The Carey Adventures
 369,524
63
+5 		Otts World
 376,404
64
+1 		Musings on travel ecommerce
 383,858
65
-1 		Exposed Planet
 385,968
66
+1 		Nerdy Nomad
 387,307
67
-1 		Travelvice
 390,438
68
+2 		Technomadia
 399,999
69 Canada Adventure Couple
 400,921
70
-10 		Notes from the Road
Narrative experiences about science, art, people, places, history and the future in regions across North America. 		418,612
71
+1 		Onearthtravel.com
 427,201
72
-1 		Vagabonding.com
A chronicle of the solo year long journey of Mike Pugh, that started in October, 2002. After leaving Chicago, USA, destinations include Southeast Asia, India, and East Africa. 		431,541
73
+1 		ShipCritic Blog
 433,838
74
-1 		Velvet Escape
 437,863
75 Offbeat Travel
 453,048
76 Gypsy Journal Rv Travel Newspaper
Fulltime RVers Nick and Terry Russell wander the highways and back roads of America and write about the small towns, historic sites, oddball museums, and the people they meet along the way. 		487,462
77
+2 		What a Trip
 492,085
78
+4 		Out to Africa
Ellen and Paul's travelogues, photos and videos of their adventures in Africa. 		500,672
79
-2 		Travellious
 505,324
80
-2 		Mike's Blender – Japan
 505,688
81
-1 		Coolthingsinrandomplaces
 505,908
82
+16 		Stuck at the Airport
 509,769
83
-2 		Briefcase to Backpack
 513,213
84
+2 		Adventure travel tales and tips
A collection of travel tales and tips for world travel 		534,032
85
-2 		Life Cruiser
 551,773
86
-1 		Sharing Travel Experiences
 557,154
87
-3 		Two Backpackers
 561,403
88
-1 		Travels with Children
 564,295
89
+4 		Plan Your Safari
 592,879
90
-2 		Happy Hotelier
 595,764
91
-2 		BudgetGlobetrotting
 600,683
92
-1 		Justwandering.org
 614,788
93
-3 		Backpacker Ben
 615,405
94
-2 		Villa De Ayora
 624,344
95
+2 		Alaska TravelGram
 657,537
96
+11 		Solo Friendly
 658,702
97
+2 		LL World Tour
 665,900
98
-3 		News Views and Analysis
 672,294
99
+1 		New Gay Travel Guide
 679,315
100
+1 		Two Go Round-The-World
 680,177
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Congratulations!

If your blog is on this list, you are entitled to this snazzy badge.

We already know you’re awesome, but let everyone else know by embedding a shiny gold medallion on your site or Facebook page.

Travel Blog Sites - Top 100

Featured on
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Simply copy and paste the following code and add it to your website:

 <div style="text-align:center;">
    <a href="http://www.travelblogsites.com"><img src="http://images.travelpod.com/bin/blog/medallion.gif" alt="Travel Blog Sites - Top 100" width="120" height="145" /></a><br />
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Robin Locker’s mysterious obsession with Europe

January 26, 2010

Robin has always enjoyed travel, but had no burning desire to travel to Europe.

That is, until after she saw the movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun”.

Soon after she took a two-week trip of a lifetime through Italy and fell in love.

Robin Locker writes My Melange

Robin Locker writes My Melange

Robin started her blog, My Melange to share her travel stories, passion for France and Italy, photographs and recipes inspired by her travels.

Robin also enjoys helping others realize their dream of travel, even while on a tight budget.

She firmly believes that you don’t need to spend a fortune to have an authentic experience.

Two of her favorite features are Travel Tip Tuesday and the popular Q&A interviews she does with others travel gurus.

“There is always something new to learn if you just ask the right questions.”

Though the blog started out as a medium to encourage others to travel to Europe, I have now taken it a giant step further and am making travel my career.

I am a freelance travel writer, photographer and also offer custom itineraries and foodie adventures to my beloved France and Italy.

Corbin Fraser backpacks Canada

January 25, 2010

Corbin Fraser became addicted to backpacking after a trip to New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific.

Upon his return home, he found himself obsessing over his travel blog and wishing he was back on the road.

Corbin Fraser travels Canada

Corbin Fraser travels Canada

It’s a common phenomenon, but Corbin dealt with in in a different way.

“During those travels I began to realize how little information there was for backpackers interested in seeing Canada on a budget,” he says.

He created iBackpack.com while working as an “office drone”, later quit his job to pursue his passions of traveling, writing and music.

“I packed the biggest, ugliest van I could find with my possessions, which consisted of one backpack and all of my music gear, and began slowly making my way out East to Nova Scotia. I’m currently living in Halifax, and am writing about my travel experiences through Eastern Canada.”

There are a couple of uniquely Canadian experiences, like making your own poutine, dying at the hands of the elements and the foods that go well with maple syrup.

You can also find great, informative and “to the point” articles sorted by province on the main page. The site should be bookmarked if you’re planning a trip of any kind in Canada.

Great work Corbin.

Swapping homes with Nicole Frank

January 22, 2010

When Nicole Frank wants a vacation, she goes to stay in a stranger’s home.

And she has given copies of her own house keys to dozens of families she never meets so they can use her apartment.

Nicole Frank loves homeswapping

Nicole Frank loves homeswapping

Nicole is a member of RoofSwap.com, a home exchange club. Her posts at www.HomeExchanger.blogspot.com chronicle the dozens of mutual home swaps she has done with families from France to California.

Along the way, Nicole dishes the dirt, telling readers about the time she stayed in the same house featured in the hit movie “New Moon”.

She doesn’t shy away from the possible problems home exchangers might encounter, but she gives lots of tips to help new swappers start off on the right foot.

“I did my first home exchange when I was 8 years old,” she says.

“Now it’s letting me show my children that people live in lots of different ways all over the world.

Every time they go on vacation, she has a separate bedroom for each of her kids, and a kitchen to make a healthy snack. On top of this, she saves thousands of dollars a week, each time she goes away.

Sounds unbelievable? Just read her blog and find out how you can do it too.

Karen Kefauver’s adventure travel blog

January 21, 2010

Karen Kefauver loves endurance sports and adventure travel.

She’s been writing about it since 1996, and she’s been keeping track of her travels on her blog since 2006.

Freelance journalist, Karen Kefauver

Freelance journalist, Karen Kefauver

She also writes a monthly column on bicycling and is a contributor on Away.com.

“I have a passion for bicycling and have mountain biked in Copper Canyon, Mexico, in the Sacred Valley of Peru and the singletrack trails of Colorado,” she says. “I also try new things like ziplining in Costa Rica, parasailing in Puerto Vallarta, paddling in the Everglades and skydiving in Central California.”

Her blog is jam-packed with adventurous and inspiring bicycle excursions. It’s definitely the place to go if you need that extra push to get you out the door and back in the saddle (so to speak).

Aaron Bradford and the Happy Time Blog

January 20, 2010

Aaron Bradford and Georgie Pearson have been traveling the world since April 2008.

Aaron and Georgie

Aaron and Georgie are living life to the fullest

“We sold our house, our car and even our cat so we could go forth and live life to its fullest and experience something new everyday,” Aaron says.

“We blog about our travels, our adventures, our love and our life, then share it all from the road as we go.”

Their blog is a melange of various comings and goings, including a neat video about their latest foray into Barcelona, their story about a motorcycle trip in Laos and all their adventures in Cambodia.

Don’t come to his blog in search of National Geographic-style writing. In the disclosure part of their website, Aaron writes:

“Happytimeblog is never really going to be a useful travel blog. If you’re after quality, feature rich content then your barking up the wrong tree. What I do is write about what I know and where I’ve been, Georgie and I have fun doing the things we love and we share our experience… That’s it!”

So, if you’re up for following vicariously in this duo’s footsteps, check them out, you’ll definitely have fun doing it.

Travel Blog Rankings for January 20, 2010

January 20, 2010

The Travel Blog Ranking score — updated weekly — is the average of the Alexa and Compete.com rankings for each travel blog.

If you would like your independent travel blog to be included in our weekly list, please read more about this list.

Top 100 Travel Blogs for January 20, 2010:

Rank Site Score
1 Everything Everywhere
The travel blog of Gary Arndt's journey to travel around the world. 		30,874
2 Rick Steves: Blog Gone Europe
 35,190
3 Danny Choo
 37,333
4 Chris Elliott
 42,170
5
+1 		Nomadic Matt's Travel Site
 49,609
6
+1 		Johnny Jet's Travel Blog
 54,650
7
+2 		Peter Greenberg Worldwide
 76,265
8 Upgrade: Travel Better
 76,537
9
+1 		Urban Prankster
 83,105
10
+1 		Park Ride Fly USA Blog
 85,332
11
+1 		The Cranky Flier
 101,110
12
+1 		Almost Fearless
 102,968
13
+4 		Off Track Planet
 109,469
14
+2 		Hole in the Donut
 116,977
15
+5 		foXnoMad
 139,770
16
+8 		Travel Savvy Mom
 145,527
17
+4 		Go Green Travel Green
 145,710
18
+4 		Go Backpacking
Dave is on an around the world journey starting in November of 2007. 		146,890
19
+6 		Delicious Baby
 151,128
20
+6 		Go Visit Hawaii
 155,382
21
+6 		Indie Travel Podcast
 156,833
22
+1 		Travel, Work, Life
 156,843
23
+5 		Hawaii Vacation Blog
 158,559
24
+5 		Rick Seaney
 161,226
25
+6 		Traveling Mamas
 163,039
26
+4 		Travel Rants
 164,433
27
+5 		Uncornered Market
 173,564
28
+5 		Mom's Minivan
 175,641
29
+5 		Wandering Educators
 178,510
30
+5 		Vagablogging
 183,505
31
+5 		Mexicovacationtravels.com
 187,583
32
+5 		Dave's Travel Corner
Offers travel articles and photo galleries from across the globe. 		204,763
33
+5 		Practical Travel Gear
 206,034
34
+6 		Homeboyski.com
 207,272
35
+4 		Europe A La Carte
 215,569
36
+5 		My Melange
 217,298
37
+5 		Heather on her Travels
 219,873
38
+6 		John's Adventures
 225,277
39
+4 		KY Speaks
 226,205
40
+5 		Mom Most Traveled
 230,175
41
+5 		Calvin's Hub
 234,890
42
+5 		The Real Banff
 235,150
43
+6 		Business Travel Guru
 251,435
44
+6 		Neil Duckett
 252,812
45
+6 		Practical Nomad
 253,555
46
+10 		Things You Should Do
 253,904
47
+5 		The Amateur Traveler
 260,089
48
+6 		My Itchy Travel Feet
 261,525
49
+4 		Travel Blissful
 265,744
50
+16 		Travel Wonders of the World
 306,284
51
+7 		My Several Worlds
 308,063
52
+7 		Wild Junket
 313,402
53
+8 		Soul Travelers 3
A family of three from Santa Cruz, California. Two 50 something parents and their 5 year old daughter on a multi-year trip around the world. 		316,553
54
+8 		Irish Fireside
 326,914
55
+10 		World Heritage Site
Personal travel guide to the entries on Unesco's World Heritage List. Links, photos and reviews. 		337,989
56
+8 		Location Independent Living
 341,018
57
+6 		Notes from Spain
 342,311
58
+9 		The Vacation Gals
 343,494
59
+9 		A Traveler's Library
 346,303
60 Notes from the Road
Narrative experiences about science, art, people, places, history and the future in regions across North America. 		358,275
61
+8 		The Carey Adventures
 362,373
62
+9 		A Travel Around the World
 363,505
63
+7 		The Professional Hobo
 364,294
64
+10 		Exposed Planet
 385,193
65
+10 		Musings on travel ecommerce
 386,686
66
+6 		Travelvice
 387,190
67
+6 		Nerdy Nomad
 389,134
68
+8 		Otts World
 389,798
69
+8 		Canada Adventure Couple
 403,956
70
+9 		Technomadia
 413,809
71
+9 		Vagabonding.com
A chronicle of the solo year long journey of Mike Pugh, that started in October, 2002. After leaving Chicago, USA, destinations include Southeast Asia, India, and East Africa. 		420,289
72
+6 		Onearthtravel.com
 421,439
73
+9 		Velvet Escape
 441,114
74
+10 		ShipCritic Blog
 453,967
75
+6 		Offbeat Travel
 470,262
76
+7 		Gypsy Journal Rv Travel Newspaper
Fulltime RVers Nick and Terry Russell wander the highways and back roads of America and write about the small towns, historic sites, oddball museums, and the people they meet along the way. 		486,093
77
-22 		Travellious
 502,503
78
+8 		Mike's Blender – Japan
 504,462
79
+8 		What a Trip
 504,491
80
+10 		Coolthingsinrandomplaces
 526,265
81
+7 		Briefcase to Backpack
 529,580
82
+9 		Out to Africa
Ellen and Paul's travelogues, photos and videos of their adventures in Africa. 		531,185
83
+9 		Life Cruiser
 553,454
84
+5 		Two Backpackers
 556,098
85
+9 		Sharing Travel Experiences
 560,771
86
+11 		Adventure travel tales and tips
A collection of travel tales and tips for world travel 		570,170
87
+6 		Travels with Children
 570,516
88
+7 		Happy Hotelier
 591,390
89
+9 		BudgetGlobetrotting
 598,848
90
+6 		Backpacker Ben
 601,166
91
+8 		Justwandering.org
 614,007
92
+8 		Villa De Ayora
 619,505
93
+18 		Plan Your Safari
 640,818
94
+7 		Beat of Hawaii and Beyond
 649,241
95
+8 		News Views and Analysis
 655,738
96
+29 		Snowboarding Skier
 659,963
97
+7 		Alaska TravelGram
 664,612
98
+9 		Stuck at the Airport
 676,917
99
+7 		LL World Tour
 678,512
100
+5 		New Gay Travel Guide
 681,989
Thumbnails powered by Thumbshots

Congratulations!

If your blog is on this list, you are entitled to this snazzy badge.

We already know you’re awesome, but let everyone else know by embedding a shiny gold medallion on your site or Facebook page.

Travel Blog Sites - Top 100

Featured on
Travel Blog Sites.com

Simply copy and paste the following code and add it to your website:

 <div style="text-align:center;">
    <a href="http://www.travelblogsites.com"><img src="http://images.travelpod.com/bin/blog/medallion.gif" alt="Travel Blog Sites - Top 100" width="120" height="145" /></a><br />
    <div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;width:120px;margin:0 auto;">
        Featured on <br /><a href="http://www.travelblogsites.com">Travel Blog Sites</a>.com
    </div>
</div>

You can find ideas on how to use it here.

Running and traveling with Abbie Mood

January 19, 2010

Freelance writer extraordinaire, Abbie Mood writes for many different publications, but she also keeps her own blog, MilesofAbbie.com

Abbie Mood

Abbie Mood combines two passions in one blog

This summer, she participated in the Matador Network’s MatadorU course, and is now an intern at the travel news website and an Orange County local expert for Planet Eye.

“The title of my blog has changed meaning several times, from representing miles in running, to miles in traveling, and I’ve finally settled on Miles of Abbie representing the journey,” Abbie says.

“Whether that journey is traveling, running, or just experiencing life, that’s what Miles of Abbie stands for.”

She explores this interesting theme in her life in her post about traveling to run.

Abbie’s also a fan of volunteering when she travels. You can read about her experiences in Cambodia and Mexico in the volunteering section of her blog.

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