Top 10 Smart Travel Blogs
One definition of travel is going someplace you don't live, and by that definition you're not going to know as much about your destination as you should. These blogs keep you on track in your travels--or off the beaten track if you'd prefer.
This blog supplies you with your own blog for documenting your travels, then collates what you send back from the road with everyone else's. The result is tremendous amount of information, whether you're headed to Filadelfia, Paraguay or just over to Philadelphia, Pa.
Intrepid types review travel agents and their offers to see what's a deal and what isn't Eclectic taste in hotels and destinations--but if you're looking for a place to stay in Kenya where a giraffe may lean in the window to see what's on for breakfast, http://travelclever.net/hotels/remarkable-hotels-the-giraffe-manor-371#more-371 these are your guys.
Combines inspiration and practicality, where features inspire and a Money Saving Travel section emphasizes good--and frequently last-minute--travel deals. How-to's deal with urgent topics such as getting a passport fast, emergency and bereavement airfares, and how to travel safely with food allergies.
National Geographic Intelligent Travel
Voluminously updated travel site that mixes familiar travel destinations (Madrid, Rome, Copenhagen) with others that are a bit more off the beaten path (the Egyptian Red Sea, a 12-mile-long railway at an Indian hill station near Mumbai, Budapest's four-month-long Winter Festival). There's more inspiration than practical tips but NGIT inspires you to get going.
Invites you to tell your travel stories and become part of a global network of people who help each other with "local" tips about their localities. Some features skew slightly young ("Trip Ideas: 5 Destinations for the Tattooed Traveler") but others are practical ("10 Japanese Customs You Must Know Before a Trip to Japan," "10 Multi-Use Items You Should Consider Packing") and aspirational ("How to Become a Wildlife Biologist" and Matador U, which teaches you how to be a better travel writer).
Travel good! Travel's carbon footprint, not so good--which is why GGTG is here to help you lessen your impact in other ways: Take bikes where you can, use mass transit, use green-friendly travel agents, reduce-reuse-recycle, and even purchase carbon offsets.
Darren Cronian kicks the tires on all manner of travel difficulties so you don't have to. Lack of adequate WiFi, rising air-travel taxes, annoying air travelers, must-miss vacation destinations, and less-than-inspiring travel agents all march across his desk, usually with helpful hints about solutions and input from readers.
Not as bent out of shape as its name implies, this site collates news that affects air travelers and reviews airlines' new services and aircraft configurations. Its lowdown on amenities, upgrades, mergers, baggage, on-time performance and more make it nearly a must-read for frequent fliers.
This site also focuses on air travel with the theme, "Living the first class life ... at coach prices." Keeps its ear to the ground for travel news with particular attention to how airlines, hotels and the government structure fares, fees and taxes in a never-ending financial shell game. An excellent advocate for passengers trying to get good deals and control costs.
"Socially conscious travel with a bit of snark" that, refreshingly, is sometimes directed against other travel writers when they get a bit too self-absorbed. Practical tips too, including a vegan guide to Portland, Oregon, where to stay in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and reviews of hotels, books, movies and other blogs.
Comments