My Wish List for All of You Travel Bloggers Out There!

On my last trip to a new location, Bulgaria, I realized just how difficult it was to find out the information that I wanted.  You see, I’m not a take a tour kind of girl, so I have to develop my own list of sights and things to do while I’m in the country.  To this end, I have come up with a pretty good way of finding information. 

 
I regularly hit a few websites that tell me some basic information along with local tourism websites for the area I’m heading to.  For example, my next trip is to Chios and Athens in Greece, so I just look up their tourism websites, which can be a jumping off place for more.  The problem with tourism sights, though, is they are trying to make money and as I like to be a somewhat frugal traveler, not all the information is tailored to my needs.

In saying that, there are plenty of travel blogs, loaded with info, on the web.  Some are well-done and well, some are not.  I have a few travel blog websites that I check to see what people are writing.  I’ve found that an anecdote here or a piece of personal advice there, can really be the golden nugget of information that I’ve been looking for.  The biggest problem using this method, though, is it takes a lot of time, and as we all know, time is a really valuable commodity.

Therefore, I’ve made this list of important information that people should include in their travel blog posts.  I hope you all read this, because it sure would be helpful – at least to me!

What I would like you to include in your blogs:

• A unique sight or personal experience that leads me to that place or a similar one so I, too can enjoy it.  One of the best pieces of advice I found on a travel blog was when I was going to Mongolia.  The blogger had stayed at the UB Guesthouse in Ulan Bator and the proprietor set up his entire trip, tailored to his specific needs.  I used them, loved it, and now make sure I tell/write everyone I know going there to use this particular service. 

• The place you stayed.  Was it nice or was it crap?  If it was listed in one of the many guidebooks, did they do justice to reality?  Biggie:  Would you recommend it and why?  Below I listed a couple of websites I use that have accommodation reviews, but if I’m reading your blog about  Kyoto, Japan, it would be nice if it’s all there in front of me.
• Food!  This is one of the number one reasons that I travel.  I want to know what to try and where did you have a fantastic experience trying it yourself.

We all know that all the worst and best information comes via word-of-mouth.  In this day and age, our mouth communicates with people all over the world via the Internet, so let’s take advantage of it.
Websites I go to every time before I travel:
The Unesco World Heritage List  at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list . If you click on the country, it will take you not only to the list of sites that have been inscribed as cultural or natural treasures, but also will list the sites that the country would next like inscribed.  If you hit some of these, you will be going to some important and fantastic sites. 
The websites I go to looking for accommodation reviews are Trip Advisor and Hostelbookers.  Both have the properties ranked and written reviews.  I have submitted a few to both sites as they will send you an email after your stay asking for your input. I like that!
As far as travel blog websites, there are plenty out there to choose from, but these are my favorites.  I also have some personal websites of travelers I follow, which you can find in the blogroll, but to be honest, not even all of them post great advice as to where to go, places to stay, or things to do.
Travelblog – This is my favorite.  I think I’ve found more useful information on this site than any other.  I like the way you can search for a place as well as follow the one or two travelers that put out good info.
Travelpod- Another great one.  These two websites are the ones I go to every single time before I travel.  The rest I  visit somewhat haphazardly.
Bootsnall
My Trip Journal
Travellerspoint

Tell me what you think of this post.  You may have other specific information that you are looking for when reading blogs.  Let me know what they are.  Thanks, Corinne