Taking off Travel blog

Twitter

Back in April I told you about six travel bloggers you should follow on Twitter. Since then, I’ve interacted with a few more travel bloggers, so I’d like to expand the list. Here are seven more travel bloggers you should follow on Twitter:

GoPlanit

@goplanit is linked to the social travel planning site of the same name which we reviewed some time ago. The site shares some great travel articles through the Twitter account. Recently @goplanit has tweeted about an interesting travel photo competition.

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This has been an interesting month. I’ve spent a lot of it visiting first Florida and now New Jersey, but today my travel will be virtual, as I look at some of the posts that caught my eye during the month of September.

First, a recent post by Darren Cronian where he says it is Time to take a stand against school holiday price hikes. I couldn’t agree more, as this is an issue that’s annoyed me for years. He adds:

come on, increasing the price every school holiday to increase the price by £400 is just outrageous.

It will be interesting to see if anyone weighs in with a practical solution for this long-running problem.

Thanks to World Hum, I found this gallery of travel trick shots - optical illusions that boggle the mind. I particularly liked this shot of the cannon.

Vagabondish discusses the hyperforeign traveler. Omri Ceren says:

Your 10 day post-graduation Amsterdam hostel stay didn’t open your eyes to “how much more laid back Europeans are about sex.”

Quite right.

Still on Vagabondish, Turner Wright posts on why it’s easier to stay fat, stupid and untraveled,  outlining four trends that lead to sloth:

With technology and the mindset of the general population slowly changing to accommodate the sloth, the world is essentially becoming the antithesis of what vagabonds desire: conveniences to eventually strip away the need for any physical activity, and the propagation of information designed to inhibit growth, not encourage greater understanding.

Two Go Round The World gives some good tips on getting a safe night’s sleep when traveling, asking:

are hostels safe? The answer is “yes—and no”. For the simple fact that safety is not quantifiable in a hostel, there will be some dangers. However, most of them are avoidable. Bottom line—if you know the risks before you check in, you can be prepared for any situation.

The rest of their traveling safely series is also worth a read.

Nomadic Matt takes a trip through the Paris sewers, pointing out that some of the best sights in Paris are underground. Although he does concede that they are “a little bit stinky”, Matt does a great job of reviewing an unusual tour.

There’s always something worth reading on Jaunted. Three that caught my eye were posts about the forthcoming Harry Potter attraction in Orlando, how mathematics might solve airport delays and a list of the top five counterfeit shopping districts in the world.

On Elliott.org, I enjoyed My Ticket Price Fell, How About A Refund. It’s a good case study in how to get your money back under those circumstances.

I think the only reason airlines feel they have to offer these refunds is because they play price games, offering a rock-bottom ticket price one minute and quadrupling the price the next.

Maybe if they stopped that nonsense, you wouldn’t feel ripped off when the price of your airline ticket fell.

Finally, for those who are not ready for international travel, here’s an interesting post on Seeing The World Without A Passport on the Matador Trips blog. It highlights American “one-of-a-kind sights might just tide you over till your bank account starts cooperating.”

Enjoy!

I can’t believe I missed my one year anniversary. I’ve been blogging here on the Taking Off Travel Blog since September 2008, so I’m now officially into my second year. I’ve really enjoyed blogging about travel and getting to know other travel bloggers – it’s just about perfect for a digital nomad. Here are some of the highlights of the year.

Since ParkRideFlyUSA is an offsite airport parking company, I started out by looking at some of the destinations where we have off airport parking facilities. These posts are not just about the facilities but about what you can do in those towns. I kicked off the series with Layover In LAX, and have followed it by posts looking at activities near Chicago Midway, Boston Logan, JFK, Indianapolis and others. Over the course of the year, in response to reader feedback, I’ve changed the series a bit to give more information on airport facilities. The posts on Hobby Airport and Chicago O’Hare are good examples. Read more »

Running your business from anywhere is no longer a pipe dream - that’s the premise that underlies the Location Independent site. Site founders Lea and Jonathan Woodward explain: “Being location independent is a concept, a lifestyle and a mindset. It’s a lifestyle based on freedom, choice and flexibility.”

They should know. They have been traveling the world for the last couple of years and have used their site and blog to share the lessons they have learned. With more and more people experiencing the delights of teleworking, there couldn’t be a better time to explore this site. Read more »

It’s been a couple of months since I last did a roundup of interesting travel blog posts. There have been some great posts around since then. To kick off this month’s roundup, a post on Vagabondish reminds us that traveling is not just about leaving places but about returning to your old home. How to Embrace Reverse Culture Shock (Sunny Side Up) says:

“many travelers return home to find themselves at odds with their native culture — that their view of normal has shifted. Although sometimes frustrating, these unique first moments after arrival — the moments of culture shock — can be incredibly valuable.”

Traveling The Blogosphere - August 2009

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