Monday, April 27, 2009
Current News
-washing your hands
-covering your mouth and/or nose when you sneeze/cough
-staying away from people who sneeze/cough
and a bunch of other tips that would probably throw a germophobe into a tizzy. I'm surprised that I haven't heard as many stories about people delaying their travel plans, or putting off trips to destinations that are affected by the flu.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Where Do We Go From Here?
Most of you may not know that this blog was created for a writing class, although some of you may have gathered that from the odd strictly academic posts here and there. Although the genesis of this blog lies in the, "it was a school assignment" category, I've become more aware of the broad range of topics that writing about travel can entail and even though I may become spotty with updating I'm motivated to keep an eye on travel news and blog about it when I can. I'll continue to blog about the places I'm going ("Oh the places you'll go!"), whether local or far, far, away.
As a heads up for my summer itinerary (when not occupied with job and grad. school hunting), there's an Irish culture and music festival down in Irvine [June 20-21], multiple film releases (HP: HBP anyone?), Gilroy's grand garlic gathering, and Spamalot is coming to the Ahmanson!
Keep in mind, an open mind is the most handy thing to have when traveling anywhere!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Widget Gadget Paper 4
Jared Salter and Tomas Gabor of Joobili Timely Travel, conceived the idea after returning from a trip to Switzerland and learning that they had each experienced vastly different events (tourist spots and Cartier's Polo World Cup) at the same time. With the realization that timing is essential to travel, and knowledge of attractions that are off the beaten path, Joobili was born.
The site aims to match events with travelers according to their interests and travel dates, while connecting users to other travelers via a social network. Users are encouraged to interact with one another and build connections through comments and ratings of events. It's still in the baby beta stage, which means that it suffers from occasional spazfests if you try to navigate the site too quickly, but the creators seem keen to perfect it, and take all manner of feedback as soon as it seems the site isn't working. Joobili is definitely geared to the recreational traveler, possibly the budget oriented college student on their three month pilgrimage to all things arty in Europe, or a retired couple eager to break free from the trite and true sightseeing landmarks.
Here's a breakdown of how it works and the background information behind it: Joobili Prezi
Thursday, April 16, 2009
L.A. Is a Lady
For our final class, we're going to be taking a trip to one of Los Angeles' iconic locations, the Stahl House (or Case Study #22). I can't wait! I've got to remember to pack my camera for that one.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Joobili
That's where Joobili comes in. It's designed to give you a list of events (arts, cultural, sports, food and drinks...yay!, etc.) that match your designated travel dates, giving you a chance to explore the city or country of your choice the way the locals do. I'm keen on trying it out the next time I take a trip to Europe, and I've already got my sights set on a few events. There are things both familiar (depending on your knowledge of them): the Galway Oyester Festival, or Glastonbury, and obscure: The Spirit of Speyside Whiskey Festival and Fragrances of May (a festival devoted to the herbs sage, fennel, and nettle) in Croatia.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
No. 3
There are dozens of independent companies that offer student budget travel packages, and one of the ones my buddy linked me to offered a volunteering one. I haven't quite grasped the concept of paying to volunteer, it's like a reverse of the whole working structure to me, but paying to visit a third world nation (see the world!) to spend time in a developing village or city or some other sort of township seems ludicrus to me.
I finally got around to seeing Slumdog Millianaire, which was very good, but one scene in particular came to mind when I started thinking about the article. The main character, Jamal, dabbles as a tour guide to unsuspecting visitors. On one occasion, he leads an American couple down to the Dehli river while their taxi is stripped clean in a matter of minutes by a highly efficient gang led by his older brother, Salim. When the driver, Jamal, and the couple return to the car, Jamal receives the brunt of the driver's rage for the robbery. The couple steps in to his defense and the man gives him some money. Clearly his situation requires far more than a handful of money, but they are no more than blips in his life. Right before the stripped car is blamed on Jamal, he takes the tourists down to the river where people are washing their clothes in the filthy water.
The tourists don't think twice about the poverty they see before them, and I wondered long after the movie was over, whether or not that was part of what they'd intended to see in India. An assortment of articles deem this "voyeuristic," and dub it "slum tourism." Whether or not it really is, is left to debate. Unless tours of the slums aim to expose the harsh reality of the environment, and bring change via awareness, they aren't doing much but making a mint for groups that lead tourists around. A careful dissection of the argument on both sides of the issue could conclude that the form of slum tourism that exists may be well intentioned but poorly executed.
Spring Break! Is....Over
-visited a couple in Hancock Park who collect art pieces and incorporate them into their home (imagine living in an art museum)
- saw a show at the famous Groundlings' theater on Melrose (the Progressive lady, "Flo" was the star comidienne)
-walked around the Arts district in Downtown (it felt like another city!) and peeked into galleries
-and took an adventurous ride on the Metro from Union Station to Hollywood for Thai food.
Needless to say, it's been a hell of a semester so far. Riding the subway in Los Angeles seems bizarre, especially given our city's "car culture". Still, I'm always amazed by this city and the people who live here. Just when you think the subways are going to be completely desolate and void of activity, along comes a train jam packed with people, AND THEIR BIKES. At rush hour I wouldn't think twice about it, but at ten p.m.? At least crowds are an opportune place to eavesdrop on conversations. Rude? Perhaps, but I think any person who projects their voice so the entire car can hear is aiming to be heard.
I digress. One of the great things about taking this class is learning about the budget friendly (i.e. usually really cheap, or free!) methods of discovering the city. Public transportation may not be up to par with that of cities like Chicago or New York, but I think Angelinos are embracing it, or trying to. It definitely comes in handy when you're traveling around the city's center. I feel motivated to check L.A. Weekly for shows, museum exhibits, plays, and any other assortment of events.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
We'll Be Back After This Short Break
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
What to do, what to do
Topic: Travel
Possible Thesis: Something to do with travel, tourists, and the effect of tourism.
Notes: As applied by the TOPOI.
Contrasts: Visiting tourists create tension when they don't attempt to immerse themselves in, or understand the culture they're visiting.
Values: With the increasing trend of awareness of eco-friendliness, tourists face the ethical or moral conundrum of whether or not to travel to countries with fragile environments or poor economies.
Change: Are we (or can we) work(ing) towards a more economical method of travel, that's both beneficial in terms of our environment and the preservation of remote cultures?
Cause: What effects do tourists have on a local economy? Is it worth it for a country to exploit their natural resources or their one distinctive feature in order for them to generate revenue?
After trying this out, I'm starting to get interested in the we view the rest of the world as Western tourists...possibly exploring how tourism can be both beneficial as well as detrimental to a local environment, or how conflicts can arise when cultures interact...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tour-tastic
Most recently, we've signed up for Pageflakes, which collects various links and allows users to arrange them to their liking on their respective pages. It's almost like a visual version of Diigo and Bloglines combined. Since this blog is about travel, and traveling as a student with a limited budget, you can guess what my Pageflake looks like. It has two columns to house my RSS feeds on the left, and annotated bibliography on the right.
RSS Feeds
In this column I've got a spattering of nifty widgets that keep me up to date on feeds that I usually check out at Bloglines. Only, this is narrowed down to feeds that solely pertain to travel. I've listed my social bookmarking soulmate's (jeanoid on del.ic.ious) bookmarks, as well as my own for reference. The neat thing about these widgets is that they're refreshable, so the content can be updated at any time. I have a feed to my own blog in the left column as well, which is helpful because I spend most of my time looking at the post window (and writing in here) that I forget what my blog looks like from a reader's point of view. I think it makes me pay more attention to certain entries when I view it outside of the editing "room."
Annotated Bibliography
Thanks to MIT and their awesome creation, Citeline, I can create bibliographies without having to hunt for all of the publishing information or do any typing! Actually, I have to include that last bit myself, seeing as this is an annotated bibliography and all. Check out the notes I've left for each of the sources I've found, I've got to spruce them up a bit, and make them a little more coherent, but they'll do for now.
Searching....searching....got it!
On the right hand side of my Pageflakes page, I also have several search windows, two for news and two for blogs. I've tested "travel" and "expat" as search subjects, but nothing that comes up has grabbed my interest yet. I'm still practicing my search tactics! Just above that I have a mini Google search, which I think it pretty nifty. It looks just like the Google web page, but it fits right into the little package of a flake! It's just as helpful (or not, depending on how successful I've deemed it) as the four little search engines below it.
Annotations the Second
Dunn, Kevin C. (2004).
Fear of a Black Planet: Anarchy Anxieties and Postcolonial Travel to Africa.
Third World Quarterly, 25(3), 483--499
This article looks at the way the Western world has constructed an "otherness" when traveling to Africa and in its consumption and connection to it. This postcolonial approach is exemplified in the exotic image that has been thrust onto the continent's countries as a destination that is both "natural" and "native" (somehow implying primitive) The article looks at the way the Western world has historically viewed Africa as a place that needs external "fixing," and how places that don't adhere to this perceived image are seen as a threat to the Western world. Dunn looks at the way the world has changed its perception of Africa in a post 9-11 world, and the possible implications for its future in international relations.
Koenker, Diane P. (2003).
Travel to Work, Travel to Play: On Russian Tourism, Travel, and Leisure.
Slavic Review, 62(4), 657--665
Diane P. Koenker examines the interrelations of travel, tourism, and leisure through Russian tourists and their contrasting definitions of both the tourist and the traveler. She raises the theme of a quest for knowledge and the importance placed on it, the creation of leisure activities, and the issues that arise from tourists and travels wanting to be in control of their own experiences. Koenker explores the ways travel has formed identities, both national and cosmopolitan, and analysizes the consequences of travel, and leisure outside of the home.
Gabriel, Philip (2002).
Back to the Unfamiliar: The Travel Writings of Murakami Haruki.
Japanese Language and Literature, 36(2), 151--169.
In this article, Philip Gabriel looks at the writigs of Haruki Murakami relative to Japanese travel writings. Murakami's writings are imbued with a sense of nostalgia, loss, and reflection of the limits of knowledge. He writes about Murakami's reactions to his own work and how it's received as well as his philosphy about writing. The article functions as a discussion about the works of another writer and his focus on traveling.
Annotations the First
Bond, Marybeth (2003)
A Woman's World: True Life Stories of World Travel.
Travelers' Tales
This series of essays is similar to the tales told in Expat: Women's True Tales of Life Abroad, but the tales in this collection aren't from women who've exclusively lived as expatriates. This mix of contributions comes from novice as well as veteran travelers, as well as writers. One of the chapters, an essay by Jo Broyles Yohay, recounts her time in India and and the change in perspective she experienced once she accepted the cultural differences she encountered. With essays spanning countries on a number of continents, the variety of experiences documented offer advice mingled with entertaining anecdotes about cultural misunderstandings
Thursday, February 19, 2009
the thing about blogging is...
-american expats (us citizens leaving the country to live elsewhere)
-budget accommodations becoming more chic
It's a bit difficult to narrow things down when it comes to traveling, since the blanket topic itself is so broad, but as a student I think it's pretty nifty when the traveling industry shifts to attract a younger or more budget inclined demographic. I'm interested in the various reasons Americans choose to leave their country and settle in another, and why they've chosen their adopted homes.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Surf's Up Dude!
There's a pretty neat site that allows people from different countries to volunteer their couches to other users, or look up people in countries they want to visit. It's presented as a project, with global participants, and I'm curious enough to want to sign up for this!
Monday, February 16, 2009
You and Me, and Me and You
I found this user on Del.icio.us, jeanoid. I was snooping around her entire list of bookmarks on Del.icio.us, which is more helpful than Googling anything related to travel, and I like that she's got loads of sites saved that are related to budget travel and Europe. In fact, I think I saved a good number of sites she had bookmarked...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Blogorama
It seems pretty easy to establish a voice when writing a blog, particularly if you're writing about your travels. Creating a voice that doesn't alienate potential readers is another thing entirely. After all, what is blogging but a means to interact with others and acquire a readership? In this post, I'll be looking at a fellow blogger's posts drawn from her blog as a person torn between her native home, and the one she adopted whilst traveling. I stumbled across Lisa E.'s Homesick Wanderlust whilst hunting for travel blogs that hadn't been abandoned or relegated to self promotional topics, and after a few posts I was hooked (okay, I admit, I liked it as soon as I learned that she's an Anglophile and yearns to return to the UK...a bit of that kindred spirit thing, if you catch my drift).
What I really like about Lisa E.'s Homesick Wanderlust, is that she writes with a confident, yet easygoing tone. I feel like I could see myself getting wrapped up in a conversation with her about all of the things I miss about Europe after reading a few of her posts. With this blog (she has another devoted to her personal every day life), I feel Lisa E.'s passion for the UK as she blends her wistful anecdotes with recountings of other travels and tips. The title of her blog alone conjures the desire to be in two places at once. Ever since I've returned from Ireland, I feel like I'm torn. Half of me wants to be in Galway, and that part never really missed Los Angeles at all. The other half is slowly reacclimating to being at home, and is eager to dig into the heart of this town and really explore it for all its worth. I wonder if it's possible to feel homesick for a place you've only resided in temporarily, which makes me re-evaluate my definition of "home." As for wanderlust, I do think that traveling is addictive. I can't say I appreciate the actual "traveling" part of it, but the feeling of being in a completely different environment (even the ones that seem similar), and exploring the unknown is such an overwhelmingly liberating feeling. It's almost like a high, if that analogy isn't too radical to state. I think it's one that can be universally understood.
One of her more recent posts, dedicated to things she daydreams when nostalgically thinking of London, grabbed my attention. Her descriptions of images, and sounds that pervade the city were so clear that I found myself nodding along in agreement while I was reading. Her recollections of the Underground, or "Tube" as it's fondly referred to, had me thinking of the sounds those two words summon in my own mind. I could visualize the passageways and multitudes of people, jostling to catch their trains.
The soft beep of the Oyster Card reader followed by the forceful clunk of the turnstile doors.Another post, a slightly older one lists signs that you're turning into an anglophile, or simply recognizing that you have been one. It's a lighthearted list of things, from thoughts on British names:
You no longer think names like Hermione and Rufus are just cruel pranks British parents played on their helpless children.to well known British shows (like Top Gear, which is absolutely addictive even if you know zilch about cars):
While watching Jeremy Clarkson’s hysterical review of the Ford F150 pickup truck on “Top Gear”, you don’t even realize it has been modified as a right-side driver until he points it out.to musings on conversions (of money, measurements, etc.):
You find yourself calculating pound to dollar, working out GMT/BST or converting Celsius to Fahrenheit without even really thinking about it.As with her Daydreams post, I found myself nodding in agreement to more than half of the list that Lisa put together, even chuckling when she mentioned Top Gear and British names. Even if I didn't spend a lot of time in England, her enthusiasm for the country and its culture translate so well. She's incredibly straightforward, and I like that her writing is devoid of any extraneous embellishment. Her admissions to hunting for bargains on flights or accommodations make the blog feel relatable, and as a new reader, I feel inclined to continue reading because it doesn't feel like she's preaching about her knowledge as a traveler. No reader wants to feel as if they're getting a lecture each time they check a blog for updates, and the fact that Lisa manages to relay information about airline deals, or accommodation tips as if it were advice passed down from a well traveled buddy makes her blog more appealing to read.
Profile Blog
This week I'm profiling a fellow travel blog by a blogger who has clearly logged more miles than I have. The blog I'm looking at is called Hobo Traveler , and it's written by a man named Andy Graham, who has lived as a homeless traveler for more than ten years. It doesn't seem like he has a clearly defined occupation by trade, aside from his blog, and he defines a hobo as a person who travels in order to work. I suppose he could be termed a professional traveler, having covered around 79 countries or more. Andy posts daily-multiple times daily, less often when his access to the internet is limited. I'm not sure how to determine how popular Andy's blog is, but he has been recognized as a top travel blog by Forbes, About.com, and BudgetTravel.com. The comments on his posts vary by the topic of the entry, and I suspect a large number of readers simply don't comment at all.It's difficult to narrow down which posts are the most interesting from Andy's archive, it's extensive and he posts consistently. However, a couple of Andy's posts that caught my interest. One addressed the issue of airlines charging fees for baggage, which is a topic I could relate to, having been frustrated with the concept of being charged for my luggage. It's something I've taken for granted because US airlines allow two items of baggage at a set weight for free. The other post I found interesting had to do with tipping in other countries, specifically developing ones. My roommates and I had our own issues with whether or not tipping was acceptable while in Europe, and it seemed like we could never agree on it. Andy's perspective on tipping seems logical, and certainly raised a discussion in the comments section of this specific entry.
Like my blog, Andy's focuses on traveling, and interspersed with his current goings on, he utilizes anecdotes from his trips to pass on tips to readers. Unlike mine, however, he actually travels from one country to another and posts about it. Andy Graham has undertaken his blog as a profession, living off of the revenue generated by the ads on his site, and using his profits to continue traveling and writing about his ventures. The detail exhibited in his entries vary from post to post, sometimes accompanied by photographs of the places he's currently in, and sometimes devoid of them. He covers his topics in as much detail as they allow, never shirking important details in any of his "tip" posts. I don't think his blog has a targeted audience aside from anyone who feels the thrill of traveling from one place to another and truly enjoying the experience. He constantly marks the difference from his own blog and vacation blogs that masquerade as travel blogs, only to become dead once the owners' vacation is over.
After looking through Andy's blog, I'm inspired to take advantage of the immediate adventures to be had in my own town because I won't be able to travel too far. The simplicity and straightforward delivery of Andy's blog has made me think about how I'm going to present topics in my own blog, I like the utter lack of pretense that he offers through his entries, and I hope I can find my own way to present that to readers. In the most obvious sense, I won't be going on intercontinental trips while writing this blog (for the near future, anyhow) and I won't try to hand out tips about traveling, since I haven't had too much experience with the most efficient methods of it. However, I will draw from my own trips and through anecdotes and articles I'll try to sort out issues that I had to confront when exploring Europe during my study abroad.
Hi!
I’m an English major with a newfound love for traveling. I’ve just returned from a semester abroad in Ireland, enlightened and more conscious of the world beyond Los Angeles County. I’ve lived a relatively sheltered life in spite of the multicultural upbringing I was exposed to, and only realized how many misconceptions I had about other cultures when I ventured to various countries and interacted with people. I never thought I would want to travel beyond the familiar, much less waste half a day trying to get from one place to another. But my opinion of this all changed when I actually did spend half a day running to catch a bus, a train, a plane to get to whatever destination. There’s a thrill that comes with traveling, a euphoric sense of the unknown, and even the things you think are familiar to an extent, really aren’t. It was a revelation to be in a country that also spoke English but was vastly different from what I knew. While in Europe I learned that travel isn’t exclusively limited to people with an expendable bank account, and that college truly is the best time to take advantage of living outside of the United States for an extended length of time. I’ve also come to realize that travel doesn’t have to mean hopping on a plane and flying half way around the world to experience something culturally satisfying.
As a college student, with a limited budget to devote to jet setting, I want to explore alternative methods of experiencing other countries that aren’t restricted to study abroad programs. I’ve come to learn that luxurious accommodations are pretty much useless if you’re going to be on the run exploring a city, and that backpacking isn’t as sketchy as I had originally assumed it to be. I’m new to traveling, and won’t attest to knowing the tricks of packing efficiently (still working on it), or traveling in the same manner. I have however, done a little bit of research about other travel blogs, and I’m intrigued by the number of trips people take that actually have a purpose that reaches beyond simply sightseeing.
I’ve found one by two brothers who are attempting to walk the world to return home as part of a peace project, and a now defunct one from four Englishmen who traveled from their home country to Australia through a number of means, excluding airplanes (unfortunately,this link no longer works at all). One of the most interesting blogs I’ve come across in looking up other travel blogs is one by a man who’s a self proclaimed homeless traveler. A man named Andy has been traveling from country to country for ten years, never remaining in one country for longer than a month. The one common element I’ve found in all of their blogs is the sheer love of experiencing the unknown, interacting with local cultures, and appreciating the diversity within our world. It sounds hokey, but the best moments while traveling come from immersing oneself in a culture.
While it’s usually expected that a travel blog would cover various expeditions to other countries, I’m tied to my hometown for this semester. Not to say that I can’t take advantage of that, as there are parts of Los Angeles I haven’t visited, and I’m a native! With this blog, I hope to explore more wallet friendly options of travel, the latest (or near to) updates with regards to airlines, accommodations, and everything else related to it. I hope to intersperse entries with posts of my own explorations of this city I live in, with a new insight into the things that makes Los Angeles one of those destinations that people desire to visit. The central aspect of travel that makes it universally enjoyable is that anyone can be a part of it, all it requires is an open mind and a bit of know how. I’ve got a few stamps on my passport, and I’m itching for more!
Bookmark This!
There are a few other pretty interesting sites out there, but the feature that solidified my interest in Digg was the fact that you could highlight and add sticky notes on whatever page you visited. It's like taking a highlighter to the screen and tagging post it notes, without the permanency or the intrusion of little bits of paper everywhere. It has an installable toolbar that has all of the functions that Digg provides. In terms of the services it provides its users, Digg allows them to create groups on the main page.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Let's Get Away From it All
In other news, I opened the paper Sunday morning to find an insert tucked away next to the Travel section advertising this weekend's upcoming Travel and Adventure Show at the Convention center in downtown. Looking through the schedule of speakers which included the Travel Channel's very own Samantha Brown (if Anthony Bourdain were speaking I'd camp out) and Rick Steves, piqued my curiosity, and now I'm considering squeezing it in this weekend.
Okay, I admit that I'm also tempted by the thought of door prizes, which I never win, and the thought of scoping out booths representing different countries. If you're in town this Valentine's weekend, check it out. The Travel and Adventure Show looks promising, and if you get the Sunday Times, there's a coupon for a discount on the entrance fee.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Itty bitty Comment In a Bite.
I love this post! Your descriptions of the Tube, and the sounds of London had me thinking about "mind the gap!" I find myself daydreaming about some of these things too, having just returned from the semester abroad....I find myself missing and constantly thinking about the little details that made Galway (the city I studied in) so fabulous. It's all of the little details like topping up, riding Citylink, or growing used to one litred cartons as the largest size that I think I took for granted whilst abroad, and now that I'm home in Los Angeles, I can't think of anything else.
Since I've returned from Ireland, there have been times I meditate on Galway, and visualize walking around the streets, stopping at favorite haunts and absorbing it in a way I never do when I'm at home. In retrospect, I wish I had taken more advantage of the proximity of locations in Galway to explore. Now that I'm back in a city where it's practically necessary to use a car to get anywhere, I miss being able to walk freely more than anything.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Voice Critique
What I really like about Lisa E.'s Homesick Wanderlust, is that she writes with a confident, yet easygoing tone. I feel like I could see myself getting wrapped up in a conversation with her about all of the things I miss about Europe after reading a few of her posts. With this blog (she has another devoted to her personal every day life), I feel Lisa E.'s passion for the UK and in her wistful retellings of anecdotes blend with recountings of her other travels and tips. The title of her blog alone conjures the desire to be in two places at once. Ever since I've returned from Ireland, I feel like I'm torn. Half of me wants to be in Galway, and that part never really missed Los Angeles at all. The other half is slowly reacclimating to being at home, and is eager to dig into the heart of this town and really explore it for all its worth. I wonder if it's possible to feel homesick for a place you've only resided in temporarily, which makes me re-evaluate my definition of "home." As for wanderlust, I do think that traveling is addictive. I can't say I appreciate the actual "traveling" part of it, but the feeling of being in a completely different environment (even the ones that seem similar), and exploring the unknown is such an overwhelmingly liberating feeling. It's almost like a high, if that analogy isn't too radical to state, and it's one can be universally understood.
One of her more recent posts, dedicated to things she daydreams about when nostalgically thinking of London, grabbed my attention. Her descriptions of images, and sounds that pervade the city where so clear that I found myself nodding along in agreement while I was reading. Her recollections of the Underground, or "Tube" as it's fondly referred to, had me thinking of the sounds those two words summon in my own mind.
The soft beep of the Oyster Card reader followed by the forceful clunk of the turnstile doors.Another post, a slightly older one lists signs that you're turning into an anglophile, or simply recognizing that you have been one. It's a lighthearted list of things, from thoughts on British names:
You no longer think names like Hermione and Rufus are just cruel pranks British parents played on their helpless children.to well known British shows (like Top Gear, which is absolutely addictive even if you know zilch about cars):
While watching Jeremy Clarkson’s hysterical review of the Ford F150 pickup truck on “Top Gear”, you don’t even realize it has been modified as a right-side driver until he points it out.to musings on conversions (of money, measurements, etc.):
You find yourself calculating pound to dollar, working out GMT/BST or converting Celsius to Fahrenheit without even really thinking about it.As with her Daydreams post, I found myself nodding in agreement to more than half of the list that Lisa put together. Even if I didn't spend a lot of time in England, her enthusiasm for the country and its culture translate so well. She's incredibly straightforward, and I like that her writing is devoid of any extraneous embellishment. Her admissions to hunting for bargains on flights or accommodations make the blog feel relatable, and as a new reader, I feel inclined to continue reading because it doesn't feel like she's preaching about her knowledge as a traveler. No reader wants to feel as if they're getting a lecture each time they check a blog for updates, and the fact that Lisa manages to relay information about airline deals, or accommodation tips as if it were advice passed down from a well traveled buddy makes her blog more appealing to read.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Short List
1. Europe A La Carte- This blog looks like it researches cheap travel throughout Europe. I love a bargain, and I love Europe!
2. Homesick Wanderlust- This speaks to me on so many levels. Wanting to be in two places at once, and harboring deep affection for both is essentially what I feel recovering from a semester abroad.
3. This non-American Life- I love the use of pictures to accompany the various posts in this blog.
4. The Travels of Stacey- It's difficult to find bloggers who aren't tracking their vacation. Which narrows down the pool of potential blogs significantly. This one (as well as the one above it) are by American ex-patriots living in another, or several other countries.
5. Runaway Rubber Ducky - Admittedly, this is more of a collaborative project to see where the duck ends up, but the concept of having a small item travel and have its picture taken is neat.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Profile Blog
It's difficult to narrow down which posts are the most interesting from Andy's archive, it's extensive and he posts consistently. However, a couple of Andy's posts that caught my interest. One addressed the issue of airlines charging fees for baggage, which is a topic I could relate to, having been frustrated with the concept of being charged for my luggage. It's something I've taken for granted because US airlines allow two items of baggage at a set weight for free. The other post I found interesting had to do with tipping in other countries, specifically developing ones. My roommates and I had our own issues with whether or not tipping was acceptable while in Europe, and it seemed like we could never agree on it. Andy's perspective on tipping seems logical, and certainly raised an entire discussion in the comments section of this specific entry.
Like my blog, Andy's focuses on traveling and interspersed with his current goings on, he utilizes anecdotes from his trips to pass on tips to readers. Unlike mine, however, he actually travels from one country to another and posts about it. The writer of the blog, Andy Graham, has undertaken his blog as a profession, living off of the revenue generated by the ads on his site, and using his profits to continue traveling and writing about his ventures. The detail exhibited in his entries vary from post to post, sometimes accompanied by photographs of the places he's currently in, and sometimes devoid of them. He covers his topics in as much detail as they allow, never shirking important details in any of his "tip" posts. I don't think his blog has a targeted audience aside from anyone who feels the thrill of traveling from one place to another and truly enjoying the experience. He constantly marks the difference from his own blog and vacation blogs that masquerade as travel blogs, only to become dead once the owners' vacation is over.
After looking through Andy's blog, I'm inspired to take advantage of the immediate adventures to be had in my own town because I won't be able to travel too far. The simplicity and straightforward delivery of Andy's blog has made me think about how I'm going to present topics in my own blog, I like the utter lack of pretense that he offers through his entries, and I hope I can find my own way to present that to readers. In the most obvious sense, I won't be going on intercontinental trips while writing this blog (for the near future, anyhow) and I won't try to hand out tips about traveling, since I haven't had too much experience with the most efficient methods of it. However, I will draw from my own trips and through anecdotes and articles I'll try to sort out issues that I had to confront when exploring Europe during my study abroad.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Hi!
I’m an English major with a newfound love for traveling. I’ve just returned from a semester abroad in Ireland, enlightened and more conscious of the world beyond Los Angeles County. I’ve lived a relatively sheltered life in spite of the multicultural upbringing I was exposed to, and only realized how many misconceptions I had about other cultures when I ventured to various countries and interacted with people. I never thought I would want to travel beyond the familiar, much less waste half a day trying to get from one place to another. But my opinion of this all changed when I actually did spend half a day running to catch a bus, a train, a plane to get to whatever destination. There’s a thrill that comes with traveling, a euphoric sense of the unknown, and even the things you think are familiar to an extent, really aren’t. It was a revelation to be in a country that also spoke English but was vastly different from what I knew. While in Europe I learned that travel isn’t exclusively limited to people with an expendable bank account, and that college truly is the best time to take advantage of living outside of the United States for an extended length of time. I’ve also come to realize that travel doesn’t have to mean hopping on a plane and flying half way around the world to experience something culturally satisfying.
As a college student, with a limited budget to devote to jet setting, I want to explore alternative methods of experiencing other countries that aren’t restricted to study abroad programs. I’ve come to learn that luxurious accommodations are pretty much useless if you’re going to be on the run exploring a city, and that backpacking isn’t as sketchy as I had originally assumed it to be. I’m new to traveling, and won’t attest to knowing the tricks of packing efficiently (still working on it), or traveling in the same manner. I have however, done a little bit of research about other travel blogs, and I’m intrigued by the number of trips people take that actually have a purpose that reaches beyond simply sightseeing.
I’ve found one by two brothers who are attempting to walk the world to return home as part of a peace project (http://worldwalk-peacetour.blogspot.com/), and a now defunct one from four Englishmen who traveled from their home country to Australia through a number of means, excluding airplanes (http://www.geocities.com/fourontour/). One of the most interesting blogs I’ve come across in looking up other travel blogs is one by a man who’s a self proclaimed homeless traveler. A man named Andy has been traveling from country to country for ten years, never remaining in one country for longer than a month (http://www.hobotraveler.com/blogger.html). The one common element I’ve found in all of their blogs is the sheer love of experiencing the unknown. Interacting with local cultures, and appreciating the diversity within our world. It sounds hokey, but the best moments while traveling come from immersing oneself in a culture.
While it’s usually expected that a travel blog would cover various expeditions to other countries, I’m tied to my hometown for this semester. Not to say that I can’t take advantage of that, as there are parts of Los Angeles I haven’t visited, and I’m a native! With this blog, I hope to explore more wallet friendly options of travel, the latest (or near to) updates with regards to airlines, accommodations, and everything else related to it. I hope to intersperse entries with posts of my own explorations of this city I live in, with a new insight into the things that makes Los Angeles one of those destinations that people desire to visit. The central aspect of travel that makes it universally enjoyable is that anyone can be a part of it, all it requires is an open mind and a bit of know how. I’ve got a few stamps on my passport, and I’m itching for more!