October 2009 Blog Posts (75)

Real Egypt at Last?

(From my previous trip to Egypt, May 2009)

I think we may have finally busted free of tourist hell, at least for a little bit. We've tried to stroll around the towns as much as possible to seek out restaurants and shops the toursits don't frequent, but its been very hard. I think we have finally acheived that. I'm sitting in an internet cafe called "Spider Net" just across the street from the koshari joint we just ate at. Koshari is a very common food in Egypt, but I'm pretty sure,… Continue

Added by Karl Johnson on October 13, 2009 at 12:13am — No Comments

Kedarnath Peak Climbing Expedition

Added by Arun on October 13, 2009 at 12:07am — No Comments

I Ask for Adventure, Cairo Delivers

(From my previous trip to Egypt in May 2009)

We have been in Cairo for three days now. I am sitting in an internet cafe called "interland" in Central Cairo, taking care of a few things before we head back to grab our bags and then take a taxi (supposedly our new friend Wagghie is picking us up from the hotel) to the Giza train station. There we will board our 12 or 13 hour overnight sleeper train to Aswan.

The last couple of days… Continue

Added by Karl Johnson on October 13, 2009 at 12:00am — 1 Comment

The Next Best Thing

I love to read. I have loved reading since I was little and had to go to my mom's bookstore after school and wait for her to finish working. There was a big, old ceramic heater that spanned the entire front window of this bookstore and I used to sit there and read my little heart out until Mom was ready to close up shop for the night. I have not been the same since. Boyfriends over the years have elected to get me books or gift certificates to buy them instead of some ole' stand-by flowers.… Continue

Added by Claire Gibson on October 12, 2009 at 10:00pm — 2 Comments

Budget for Your Vacation--Pt. 4 (Lodging-Bed&Breakfasts)

In my last post, I talked about hostels as a viable form of lodging. In this post, I will be discussing my favorite form of lodging, bed & breakfasts.

The reason that I love bed and breakfasts so much is that I feel that I am part of the community that I am learning about rather than just an outsider visiting. I like the idea of walking into a home rather than a hotel lobby. I enjoy sitting down to breakfast with other people and hearing their thoughts about the places they've… Continue

Added by Monica Gonzalez on October 12, 2009 at 9:36pm — No Comments

Hello

I'm excited to be here!

Can't wait to meet all you fellow travel bloggers. I've officially decided that travel bloggers are some of the coolest people walking this earth. :)

Here's my blog: http://www.nancythegnomette.com. I blog about travel advice and inspiration. I believe travel is an art form and one to approach with creativity, humor, and consciousness.

I also started a social network establishing global connection… Continue

Added by Nancy Harder on October 12, 2009 at 9:08pm — 1 Comment

Travel Blogging vs Travel Writing

The impetus for this post came from an off hand comment made by Jen Leo before one of our podcasts a few weeks ago. I mentioned that I was going to a trip sponsored by Princess Cruise Lines in November. Jen is an experienced travel writer who has worked in the publishing industry and currently works for the LA Times. She commented that I can’t take those trips if I want to write for the New York Times or the LA Times, because they don’t allow writers to take comped tours. What struck me about… Continue

Added by Gary Arndt on October 12, 2009 at 8:36pm — 2 Comments

Best Hikes around the World! Let's GO!

Episode 29

If it's a 45 minute jaunt you are after or a 6 day trek, check out these top hikes around the world. We even throw beautiful views in the Western US's national parks, Australia's Blue Mountains and even the most dangerous hike of all in Huayin, China!

Watch more travel videos at…

Continue

Added by Kelley on October 12, 2009 at 1:21pm — No Comments

The Empty Lexus

In 1998 I was visiting my husband, then my fiancé, very often in Los Angeles when he was interning at the VA for a year. At the time, I had just finished my graduate studies a year prior and was working full-time. I did a lot of on-calls at my work to accumulate extra off days. So much so that I had a nick name, or at least I thought I did, “the on-call queen.” Our agreement was that I visit him in LA instead of him returning to Texas. We traveled all over California, including Baja, Mexico. As… Continue

Added by Got Passport on October 12, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Family-friendly vacation in Oslo - on a budget

Oslo may be the world's most expensive city, but it's still possible to see this beautiful Scandinavian capital without breaking the bank - have a look at NileGuide's Family-Friendly Oslo - on a budget

Oslo Opera… Continue

Added by Anne-Sophie Redisch on October 12, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Travel Experts Reveal More Dirt From The Road

When most travelers confessed to me, one topic seemed to come up quite a bit and that was “I have never been to…”. Below are some places that these vagabonds have yet to mark off on their “to see” list.

Johnny Jet, a man you would think has touched every inch of this planet, has yet to make his presence felt at the Grand Canyon.

Nomadic Matt is another globe-trotting individual that has also seen most of the… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 11, 2009 at 5:51pm — 1 Comment

End Of The Line For This Guilt Trip

The conclusion of travel confessions.

The About.com Budget Travel Guide Mark Kahler stunned me when he said, “Some people are surprised that I will stay on occasion in a luxury hotel or review a five-star property. People with more money still want value!”

It is not what Chief researcher at National Geographic Traveler Magazine Marilyn Terrell does on her ventures that shocked me, it’s what she doesn’t do.… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 11, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Sinful Travelers Confess Their Deepest, Darkest, & Downright Bizarre Secrets

First up in the confession booth is Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor and “Travel Guru” at Travelzoo.com, who revealed to me that, “When it comes to hotels, I always check-out with 2 things: amenities and stationary. Amenities are something hotels identify with, and even advertise, especially the upscale hotels. So this started years ago, when my traveling really began to pick up and I found myself forgetting where I’d stayed. Those… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 11, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

New Routes Coming Soon To An Airport Near You (10 U.S. airlines listed)

Some people get all worked up over the new fall season of television shows premiering, certain individuals get excited about a new motion picture hitting the silver screen, while others might get overstimulated by the combination of baseball playoffs and the return of the NFL football. But yours truly could care less about all of those distractions. Why? Because the announcement of new airline routes tops them all. While my wife (and a few of you) may think I am a loon for caring so much about… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 11, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Monkeys With Suitcases: The Biological Imperative To Tavel

It is in our genes, in our genetic code, to be explorers, adventurers and travellers. As life has evolved from the primordial ooze to the wide diversity that exists on our little blue-green rock today, at every step the beings that eventual evolved into us where the ones that got out there, took the chance and made a move. We are chance-takers by genetic necessity. If we weren’t, we would have died out, or evolved into something very different, like rhesus monkeys, sheep or catfish. Overall in… Continue

Added by Greg Wesson on October 11, 2009 at 8:14am — No Comments

Existential Migration: Feeling At Home As the Foreigner

Last year, I picked up and moved to London. I quit a decent job in Canada, where I had a bunch of friends and family, and moved to a country where I had no job, no friends and no where to live. When people I knew asked me "why are you moving?", I couldn't really come up with a decent answer, other than "it feels like it is what I have to do." Despite struggling to define myself in my new country, to find a job and make some new friends, I am much happier now.

Does this sound… Continue

Added by Greg Wesson on October 11, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Tell Someone: How to Get over the Fear of Travel.

If you ever read the travel forums I do, you’ll have come across the question many times. “I want to go travelling, but I am scared. I don’t know that I can do it? How will I know if I will be okay? How can I quit my job? How can I tell my friends, my family and my significant other?”

Sometimes, I need a little push to take that step and make the big change. In those cases, nothing quite ensures that I will take the steps than a little external pressure from those who know me. Tell… Continue

Added by Greg Wesson on October 11, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

TRAVEL INDUSTRY: The PhoCusWright Conference Online Ticket Now Available!!

In an industry mired in a "sea of same," PhoCusWright stands alone and apart. The upcoming PhoCusWright Conference will change your mind about how conferences could and should be. The Travel Industry Event of the Year—The PhoCusWright Conference—is as close as your desktop. Experience the immense value of PhoCusWright's new Online Ticket.

The Online Ticket offers the opportunity to join the savviest and most innovative groups of executives focused on travel, tourism and… Continue

Added by Patricia on October 10, 2009 at 8:09pm — No Comments

New Site (s)

Have splashed out on themes from studiopress and launched a new travel site, which will be the first of many if things pan out OK.

The site is a Australia Travel Deals site and while content based it is monetised to capture affiliate revenue from flights and hotels. The way I do this is to make pages effectively… Continue

Added by Rob on October 10, 2009 at 2:42pm — No Comments

Great tips from NYT Travel: 100 hotels in Europe under 150 dollars

I just stepped in this article featured on New York Times’ Travel pages and wanted to share it. Indeed, finding budget hotels in the main European cities can be a hard task and if one lacks of reliable sources what appeared to be a great bargain might result in bad surprises.

I filed this… Continue

Added by Simon on October 10, 2009 at 11:13am — No Comments