The Journey Of Creating a Travel Blog

So I noticed that there are many travel blogs out there.  Not only are they are a great source of information and a great read, they also help pay for the blogger to travel more around the world.  Wouldn't that be great to travel the world, telling everyone your stories and getting paid to do it?

This has turned into a diary more than a real travel blog, like the really good top bloggers have.  So I think I'm to do some real research and get another blog set up, whilst keeping this as a kind of journal of how I'm going.

I've just looked at some amazing blogs.  They look pretty.  They look very pretty indeed.  The first thing that struck me was the menu "destination", I'm not sure this is something that blogger.com can offer, so perhaps I need to look at other bloggin options.

The other thing I noticed was some of the amazing pictures.  I need to be adding more full screen sized pictures.  More pictures, more pictures, more pictures.

There we go - there's a picture from my recent trip to Amalfi coast.  Which oddly enough I haven't yet blogged about.  I feel I'm already behind and I should be talking about previous trips.  Maybe I should start with now and when I have time work backwards.

What would I say about my recent trip.  It was a tour, so maybe I can't talk about all the restaurant options in a location, as we just went with the recommended.  However talking about a tour is probably unique to the normal travel bloggers, as they do very independent trips.  I don't do as many of those for a few reasons, mostly because I like the idea of "guaranteed companions".  When I went to Thailand by myself the thing I learnt most was I got lonely when spending a lot of time by myself.  Don't get me wrong I met people, and made friends.  Just not as many as I normally do.  Having been to Kenya alone, and I didn't spend much time alone and that time alone I cherished and enjoyed.

It's a strange balance.

Anyway I'm moving off topic here... I should create a new travel blog.  The solo traveller who does guided tours and give the other side of the story from truly independent travel.  My next trip will be either with Exodus or G adventures when I can make my mind up which trip I will do.  That will be good to compare against the 3 Intrepid trips I've done.

OK theme of blog decided.  Next find a platform to do my blogging and then I'll tell my story of sailing around Amalfi coast.

How to Find a Cheaper Holiday

This is a question I've asked the internet many times.  Although I'm yet to find a real answer to my question.  So of course budget is the main concern when travelling.  Cheap flights and cheap accommodation are much easier to find today than they have ever been.  With the help of sites like booking.com, airbnb.co.uk and skyscanner.com.  Of course if you dig a little deeper you can sometimes find cheaper options to these sites.  Did you know they don't show all flights and all hotels?

Not many sites can keep up to date with all the flights in the world, but I've found http://flightmapper.net/ helpful, and then I've been able to go direct to the airline's website.  Another way of tracking down a cheaper flight is to look at your arrival and departure airports, as they sometimes list the destinations and airlines they go to.

Tripadvisor.com is a great site, and probably most people's goto site to check out how good a hotel is going to be.  Although of late they seem to just highlight those where they can sell you a room.  By changing some settings you should be able to see all hotels.  I was able to find a great guest house when I went to Puerto Rico, which at the time was not available through booking.com (http://www.dreamcatcherpr.com/) and I booked direct.  Sometimes (although not always) you might find the price is cheaper on booking.com anyway.

Time is also a crucial factor, I've read that hotels are at their best price around 6-4 weeks before, and flights can vary by airline.  Booking early does not necessarily mean a good price, neither does booking last minute.  Most flights shoot up in price a week or so before hand, and hotels may sell out.  Timing is everything.  There is an app on android called hopper that help you identify when flights are going to be at their best price.

Although one thing people over look is the package holiday.  Booking separately is cheaper isn't it?  Would you believe not always?  Last year, I ran away to Madeira for a break and a week in the sun, I found the hotel I wanted to stay in, and after some research I found that booking through thomson.co.uk actually made the trip quite a lot cheaper.

It's just worth doing your research and checking things out.  Personally I love spending time looking for holidays and making travel plans.

Another thing is to simply just ask.  Yes ask for a discount.  If you phone up and book somewhere, ask the question "if I book now, what discount can you give me?".  Or "I saw you were running a promotion, does that still apply?"  They may say no, but sometimes they will offer you something.

Occassionally people fall lucky and get an amazing deal.  That is just luck of being in the right place at the right time.  Also, don't feel that you're not as good at finding a deal as your friends because some people lie about how much a holiday cost.  They don't want to brag about how much they are spending on a holiday, so they just play down the cost.

For a more indepth look at how to find a cheaper holiday see these blogs:

• How to Find Cheap Flights – 19 Tips and Best Websites
• The Best Time to Book a Holiday
• How to Find a Cheap Flight
• The Best Ways to Book Cheaper Hotel Rates.html

Bragging

What does it mean to travel the world today?

Are we just crossing countries off a list and whoever has been to the most countries has won?  Sometimes that's how it feels.  Recently I read that place dropping is worse than name dropping.  I'm starting to think that whoever said that might have a valid point.

On a plane home after visiting the Amalfi Coast, Italy (there I go again with the place dropping) I was talking to a couple about where they'd been and where I had.  I almost found myself in a competition as it didn't feel like sharing knowledge, more about how had been to the most places in the States.  After them mentioning they'd been to New York, Chicago and LA, they seemed almost smug with themselves.  "Have you done route 66?", I enquired.  You can see already I've gone into competitor mode.  They told me they'd been on route 66 in Chicago and again in LA.  I said "Oh you'd love it", trying my hardest to get out of the one upmanship loop.  But as they seemed to think they'd "done route 66",  I then somehow seemed the need to set them straight, and tell them all about my experience there.

I had an amazing time sailing around the Amalfi Coast, although it was never on my todo list and I don't feel like it was a destination to cross off my list.  This trip became more about the people I met than the things I saw.   Yet as soon as I came home all the photos were quickly posted on facebook, so all my friends could see what an amazing holiday I had.  Did I really need to do that?  Do I really need to brag about where I've been?  I'm considering putting my photos on flickr in future, so as not to rub people's noses in the fact I'm luckily enough to be able travel and then close friends who are interested enough can still see them.

Any of my friends know to steer any conversation away from Kenya.  I adored that holiday, so much so that I think it may be impossible to ever have a trip better than that one.  And because of that I can talk about my experience at length, and that never feels like I'm bragging, I'm just telling a story of an amazing moment in my life.

Recently I noticed on facebook that a friend of mine had done a trip on the trans siberian railway, which is a trip I had been hoping to do this year but had to postpone.  I had mixed emotions about seeing the pictures.  I want to visit somewhere that none of my friends had, and mongolia was a great candidate for that.  Is that to help me gain more "travel points"?  Partly, but I think it's more I just want to experience somewhere that I have no preconception of.  

I'd like to get out of this competition and just go where I want to go.  I love finding new things out about the world.  I enjoy experiencing a new culture and a different outlook from my own.  I adore finding more out about me.

So for my next trip, I'm going to somewhere that I've longed to go for so long, but will seem so dull to so many.  I'm not going to mention it on facebook, and no pictures will be posted.  We'll see if I stick to that....

Oh to travel the world!

How amazing would that be?

And I'm daydreaming and trying to work out how to make that a reality.  Every little piece of the world I see makes me want to see and experience more.

For now I'm going to reminisce over some of my favourite places....

The beach at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

This was the first time I'd laid eyes on such a beautiful beach, where the turquoise blue of the sea clashed with the colour of the sky....

The mirage in Cape Verde

I couldn't capture it on camera but off in the distance we could see a pool of water, even though we'd just driven that way and knew it was just dry land.  

I love Cape Verde, it's like no where I'd been or imagined.  Just an island covered in sand dunes, with this wind that doesn't stop and the history and culture of African and Portuguese.

The Maasai Mara in Kenya

I could talk for days about the beauty and wonder of Kenya.  A place that will always remain in my heart.  I am also quite sure that I will never have a better holiday than this one.

The snow in Springfield, Massachusetts

 

Staying with my friends family, it was nice to see normal standard living in the states.

Everything in Istanbul, Turkey

There's something quite special and unique about this once-capital-city and it's one of my favourite cities I've seen so far.  

You stand there looking at a map and a local will say "You don't need a map, I can show you " and they will even walk you to your destination.  Lovely beautiful city, lovely beautiful people.  Also amazing roof top bars.

The beach at Ko Lanta, Thailand

My favourite island in Thailand.... it just had such a nice vibe.  Perhaps not as pretty as Ko Muk or West Railay beach but had much more to offer.

Sailing in the British Virgin Islands

Just beautiful... truly amazing experience.

Watching my sister singing at an open mic in New York

Subject heading says it all.  Proud of my sister :)

Travelling from Chicago to Santa Monica all along Route 66

Amazing to see the changing landscape whilst travelling from east of the country to the west.  Hearing the different accents, the different words people use and seeing a nice little slice of the USA.

The painted houses in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Just one of the most interesting cities in the world I've been to, with such beautiful beaches.  My only regret with San Juan is that I didn't stay for longer, 3 nights was not long enough!  

Kenya....

So this is the tale I told a friend of mine and this is what has prompted this blog.....


It was Kenya last July. I booked a week all inclusive at a hotel on the beach for just me, and planned to do an over night Safari and book it when I was there. I heard the wilderbeast migration was likely to be in the Masi Mara, so I was keen to try and get over there.

It was looking so unluckily I was going to get to the Masi Mara, and bless the Kenyan rep, he phoned around all his contacts and managed to get me a flight and night at a camp site. While it was looking unlikely I ended up booking another safari to Tsavo East and West. So ended up on Sarari for 5 days!! (Whilst looking at the sky and thanking my grandma, as it was with my inheritance from her that I paid for it - she loved travelling so it was in her memory as she'd never been to Africa and she went with me in my heart).

Anyway as you can tell I've not even started on this story... 

I was never alone and met so many people. I always thought I was independent and the one thing it showed me, was I'm so reliant on other people, in a good way. I spent a lot of time talking to the Kenya Safari driver/travel guide. I learnt a lot about his life. He took me back to the hotel via the scenic route and showed me what real Kenya villages and communities were like, the road was rough and he apologised and I said "it's OK, I trust you", he replied by taking a pause and saying "I trust you too." I made a new friend. 

Then the next day I flew on a small aircraft, not sure if I slept or fainted on the flight over there! Then as driving to the camp site I saw the wilderbeast migration, I so wanted to see it, and hoped it would be in the masai mara when I was there, and it turned out the heards were grazing right outside the camp site I was staying!!



I got to my "tent" and burst into tears. I just couldn't believe how lucky I'd been, to have the 3 previous days at Tsavo East/West. To seeing one of the modern wonders of the world, then to get to the beautiful setting of my tent (4 poster bed and on-suite bathroom btw!). (I also cried the next day when I was lucky enough to see a 4 day old giraffe!)

Some of the hotel staff were wary of me, and you can understand why from a culture where they are always in groups, always with their community. Surely there must be something wrong with someone alone, never mind a woman travelling alone. Most of the staff were lovely and wanted to stop and talk to you. On my first day, after walking past one member of staff saying hello, as I was continuing to walk they would say "how are you?", and I would say "good, you?" Then after a couple of times of doing this, I wondered what I was doing, why didn't I stop and chat? What was I in such a rush for? So every time a member of staff spoke to me, I stopped and chatted. 


On my last evening at the hotel, I was determined to have a meal by myself as I never had due to all the friends I'd met. At the end of the meal an American woman, about the same age as me came over to my table to say "I see you're by yourself too, and was wondering if I could have some company." This woman turned out to be one of the most fascinating people I have met in my entire life. She is a missionary working in South Sudan, working as a midwife, and she told me so many stories and gave me such a good insight into a world we don't see, know or truly understand. 

I could go on and on and on!!!!

So I came back and vowed to go contracting, so I could earn more money, so I can take big breaks and see some more of this world, to try and understand and become a better person through it all. Hopefully along these travels I'll come up with a plan of how I can help and add some kind of benefit to this planet, somehow, some way!

And that's me.... the annoying thing is, I get caught up in this rat race and get distracted by a new pair of shoes or something. Then I regain focus, remember why I'm working hard, remember to save the money to see some more of this world.

Introduction

A few months ago I was emailing an old friend of mine that I'd just got back in touch with, and he asked me the interesting question of: "There must be loads of cool things you haven't told me about. Start me off with an interesting thing that has helped you become who you are now?"


I told him he may regret asking me that question and proceeded to tell him about my holiday in Kenya.  He was impressed by story, and thought I had a unique way of seeing the world and suggested keeping a journal... being the geek girl that I am that of course means blogging.


So here we begin on a place to recount and remember all my little holiday that have meant and taught me so much......