Five Ways To Get More From Travel In 2010
In the past year, I’ve grown as a travel blogger. I’ve also taken a heck of a lot of trips to various far flung locations. In 2010, I want to do the same and to do it even better. Here are some ways that I plan to get more from travel in the coming year.
Take More Photos
I was talking to some friends a while ago when I realized that I don’t have a single photo of my year in Nimes – not one. I have some photos of the places I visited near there, but nothing to mark the time in the actual town where I lived. These days, there’s no excuse for letting that happen. Even if you don’t have a decent camera with you, most phones take pictures. In the coming year, I will use this technology to get more great photos of the places I visit.
Keep A Diary
It’s a strange thing for a writer to admit, but I don’t always write everything down. If I’m taking a business trip, I am often so focused on the work I’m there to do that I don’t keep track of those fleeting moments of inspiration for travel posts. I’ll do better. I almost always have a pen and paper with me, so I’ll get them out of my bag – or I’ll use the notes function and voice recorder on my phone to keep track of things I want to remember.
Extend My Stay
Except for one of my business trips in the past year, I arrived on the day things were due to start and left when they ended – sometimes even before. In 2010, I will try to arrive early and leave late so I can see much more of the places I visit. Business trips planned for the coming year include Las Vegas and Chicago, while my holiday plans might include either New Jersey or Florida – or maybe even both.
Meet More People
In 2009, I met a lot of travel bloggers on Twitter, whom I’ve listed in a couple of previous posts. In 2010, I’d like to meet even more, both online and offline. There are a few people on those lists whom I’d look up if I ever got to their neck of the woods. I’d also love to attend a travel blog conference some time. I don’t know if it will happen in 2010, but it’s definitely on the cards.
Write More Posts
This is where I throw my hat in the ring to say that I’d love to write a guest post for your blog, or answer interview questions. I love writing about my travel experiences, and have guest posted on Sharing Travel Experiences and the Location Independent blog, among others. Just let me know if you want me to write for you.
So, those are my five to-dos for 2010 – what are yours?
(Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoftheref/3181643054/)
Tags: travel, Travel Tips
January 5th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Great list! I’m terrible about keeping notes too, but I’m somewhat OCD and I write all of my planned activities on my Outlook calendar as they are booked. When I need to recall something, I just go back to the calendar. Also, I save all of my receipts, so no matter what I am able to envision where I was and what I did.
I plan to:
1) take an international trip…stat!
2) attend the TBEX 2010 show in NYC.
3) take more travel videos and begin posting to youtube. I’ve upgraded from my mini-dv tapes to a smaller camcorder with an SD card…so I’m very excited.
4) meet and interact with other travel bloggers. I’m three months in to this, so I have a long way to go in order to get my name out there.
5) become a better writer in general, I may not have much traffic now, but I’d like to keep my focus on writing great content because I believe it will serve me well in the end.
January 5th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Great resolutions, Renee. Where are you planning on going?
January 5th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Hi Sharon,
My dream is either the Irish countryside or the Cotswolds. I’m a big fan of cottage gardens, this would definitely be on my bucket list. Ideally, I’d love to do both. If that’s not possible, somewhere is South America…probably Argentina.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
The Cotswolds certainly are lovely, Renee. I’ve got a couple of South American destinations on my list as well, such as Peru.
January 14th, 2010 at 6:50 am
[...] is going to be a great year for travel for me. After visiting Mexico, Chicago, and Bahrain last year for business, and racking up [...]
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Love the take more pictures idea. With the advent of digital cameras and better quality resolution, the old phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” really seems to be coming to fruition. I love technology!
January 25th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Me too, Sealand. I’m a gadget nut!