Best Tumblr Travel Blogs to Follow

by Elizabeth Seward on

Everything changed for me when I discovered Tumblr. It was a little over a year ago. I found myself perusing blog after blog, following them, and finding myself fascinated with my own little dashboard each day. Like a mix between Twitter and Google Reader, I’d found my favorite place to hole up on the internet and it was customized specifically for me. In no time, I found myself inspired enough by the Tumblr community to hurl myself into a project for 2010–a project that involved me releasing 52 songs throughout the year; one per week.

Now that the obsessive project has come to an end… I still love Tumblr. And of all Tumblr blogs I look forward to checking in with each time I get a chance, including those featuring brooding vintage fashion models, the Tumblr Travel blogs are conclusively my favorite. If you’re into travel, namely brilliant travel photos and engaging travel stories, you’ll addict yourself to Tumblr. My favorite travel blogs are always changing–it’s easy to discover new sources of inspiration on Tumblr. But here’s my current top 5 (in the order they come to mind).

1. Landscape, Lifescape
Best for: jaw-dropping photos that’ll make you want to go everywhere and see everything.

2. Three Guys Heading West
Best for: from-the-road pictures brought to you by, you guessed it, three guys heading west.

3. Wiseash
Best for: NYC moments captured as they happen.

4. Tiny World
Best for: Cool videos highlighting cities across the globe.

5. The World We Live In
Best for: Beautiful and emotionally-charged photos from all over.

[photo by Elizabeth Seward]

Gadling t-shirts go on adventure travel around the world

by Sean McLachlan on


One of the best things about blogging for Gadling is seeing where my coworkers are off to next. Like me, they’re sure to pack that essential item for every adventure traveler’s kit: the Gadling t-shirt.

We’ve collected photos of Gadlingers flying their colors in some of the most remote parts of the world, and some places that are not so remote but equally rugged, such as the waiting area at JFK airport. Above we see Mike Barish in Rotorua, New Zealand , with his new girlfriend an ostrich who looks very jealous of Mike’s stylish choice in adventure apparel. Check out the gallery for a photo of him getting up close and personal with a lizard on the Tiwi Islands, Australia.

Mike says, “Something about my Gadling shirt seems to attract wildlife (sadly, that has also included mosquitoes). These two critters behaved themselves while I posed with them, but neither seemed particularly thrilled to share the spotlight with me. “

Also in the gallery you’ll see Annie Scott on the Zambezi River, Zambia, and at JFK; Jeremy Kressmann at Kuang Si waterfall near Luang Prabang, Laos; Sean McLachlan in Somaliland and the Jesse James Farm, Missouri; and Tom Johansmeyer heading to the airport.

We’re all busy planning our trips for 2011, so if you have any place you’d like us to write up, drop us a line. Our dance cards aren’t full yet and we’re a pretty flexible bunch. At least that’s what the ostrich says about Mike.

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Travel photographs: which reality would you rather see?

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I got a good chuckle out of a story on Business Insider yesterday, “Here’s Why You Should Never Trust the Photos Hotels Post Online.” The accompanying slide show offers shots of a dozen hotels side by side, so you can see what’s marketing hype and what is severe reality. In a way, it’s shocking, but cynics out there are likely to concede that they aren’t surprised by the stark contrast in the photos.

So, this creates a real problem for travel bloggers. We go out with the goal of producing solid content, and that includes making it visually appealing. On the other hand, not all of us (me, specifically) are terribly handy with a camera. The result is a tough choice: do I go with the beautiful and give a property the chance to put its best foot forward, or do I expose them to the horrible risk associated with my caffeine- and nicotine-induced shakes? I guess a third option is to mix in both and identify clearly who’s responsible for what, but that could look awkward, too.

I’m genuinely curious: what do you think? Do you value the aesthetically pleasing, knowing that it’s designed to be exactly that? Or, do you prefer the harsh truth, even if that truth is colored by a gap in photographic skills? Leave a comment below to let us know. Thanks!

[photo by e53 via Flickr]

Successful travel blogger offers extensive course in making your own blog profitable

by Catherine Bodry on

About to take a trip and hope to make a little cashola off your travel blog? Head over to Travel Blog Success (being launched today!), a website offering in-depth instruction on how to make your blog profitable.

Travel Blog Success was created by David Lee, the founder of GoBackpacking.com. In advance of a 20-month, 22-country round-the-world trip, Lee started and maintained GoBackpacking, which was successful enough to now warrant roughly ten employees.

And now Lee has created Travel Blog Success, a website that intends to help writers “build a better travel blog.”

The extremely thorough site not only offers podcasts, a forum, and its own blog, but also a 12-lesson course covering every aspect of travel blogging. Lessons range from design, content, and SEO to photography, video blogging, and both beginning and advanced methods for making money. There’s even one lesson on the realities of blogging on the road.

The service isn’t free, but for anyone who is new to blogging and serious about making money from it, the fees are probably a decent investment. A one-time $75 payment gets you immediate access to everything, or you can choose to pay $29/month for three months.

Nominate Gadling for best Travel Blog!

by Grant Martin on

Nominations for the tenth annual bloggies opened up late last week, the annual who’s-who of blogs out on the interwebs. Readers savvy in the blog community are encouraged to drop off their favorite nominations until February 12th, with categories ranging from Best African Blog to Best Photography Blog to most important of all: Best Travel Blog.

We’d love if you could stop by and drop off a vote of confidence for Gadling — it’s not even necessary to fill out a nomination for each category, you just have to nominate a minimum of three blogs.

Once nominations are filed then it’s off to the races on January 21st, when five of the top contenders in each section are revealed for public voting. Everything comes to a head at this year’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas this March, where winners will be announced.

We promise to thank every single one of you if we reach the podium. Until then, you can nominate us by clicking here.