Writing Travel

Mid-America road trips for wimps, part 2

First of all, dear reader, I want you to know I am home again safely after spending more than two weeks with my extended family in southern Illinois.

I had intended to stay a week or less, just long enough to recover from the solo drive south and make the rounds to see as many cousins as possible.

And yes, I intended to blog from the road, but I'm a wimp. Besides that, real life happened.

The 10-plus things I learned at TBEX '10

Here's my very personal list, in no set order, of the idiosyncratic things I learned at Travel Blog Exchange '10 hosted by Kim Mance and her Galavanting team in New York City this past weekend. (Forgive me, Spud Hilton. This story is about my trip, not my reader's vacation.)

In part, it's a list of "shoulds." Yes, I know all about the evil of should. I've succumbed to it before and certainly will again.

1. I should get out of the house more. Especially if I want to continue calling myself a travel blogger. 

2. I should post more often, for the same reason.

3. I need to converse in person with other intelligent adult humans more often. (See point 1.) I do this best in small groups or one-on-one. I'm happy enough in a large group, but I tend to drift to the perimeter of the crowd to become an observer.

4. Two cocktails in one evening is my absolute limit when indulging in a public venue. Thanks to Sean Keener of @Bootsnall and Pete Meyers of @Eurocheapo for helping me (finally) figure that out. That's not to say I won't have to relearn my lesson.

5. Travel blogging isn't just a young person's sport, but one should recognize one's limits. (See point 4.) One should also stay in training.

6. It's okay to be weird in the company of other travel bloggers.

7. I can live without my laptop and digital SLRs for a weekend, but I can't live without some way to connect to the Internet. 

8. AT&T 3G service in Manhattan isn't as groovy there as it is in other parts of the country. (See point 7.)

9. It is entirely possible to cultivate real human relationships sight unseen via social media and blogs. Proof: the joy of meeting Zach Everson, Meryl Pearlstein, Renee King, Doug Anweiler, Lola Akinmade, Kara Williams, Todd Lucier, Jennifer Miner, Mara Gorman, Craig Martin, Christine Cantera, Jennifer Huber, Robin Locker Lacey, Trisha Miller, and countless others for the first time in the flesh after long acquaintance online.

10. I'm still capable of hero(ine) worship. Cases in point: Pam Mandel (I hope you don't think I'm stalking you on Twitter), Evelyn Hannon (I read and reread your Journeywoman travel tips before every trip to a new place), Gary Arndt (Your travel porn feeds my fantasies, and I have to agree with your camera advice, although I'd much rather travel with the camera I don't yet have).

11. It will take me a bit of time to get used to referring to people by their real names when I know them so well by their Twitter handles. (See point 9. If I didn't call you out by name, it's because I'm still in the process of rebuilding my internal contact database.)

12. Going out on a limb to write in one's naturally quirky voice is good practice for a persnickety grammarian.

13. I received no compensation or sponsorship for this post or for attending TBEX. I have only myself to thank or blame. I would, however, consider help getting to Vancouver next year.

Guest blogger: writer & photographer Sandra Basgall reports from Central Africa

Through the miracle of social networking, I've reconnected with Sandra Basgall, a valued friend of more than 30 years' duration. Once upon a time, as single parents in a university town, Sandra and I and another friend, Anne Kaplan, shared an after-school caregiver for our children, beginning when the kids were in kindergarten. We lost track of each other a good while ago as we pursued our separate adventures. Then, last June, we found each other on Facebook and renewed our friendship.

Sandra has just launched yet another huge adventure. Since December, she has been in Kinshasa in a new position with Catholic Relief Services, where she is based as the Regional Director of Monitoring and Evaluation for Central Africa. With responsibility for nine countries, Sandra will be traveling extensively, expecting to be on the move 30 percent of the time during her assignment.

Not one to miss an opportunity, Sandra asked me for advice on publishing a blog documenting her stay in Africa. Although she's begun posting on a WordPress.com blog, her new duties are taking up much of her time. So I leapt at the opportunity to feature Sandra's weekly posts from Central Africa here on Writing Travel to help her build an audience.

Most popular posts of 2009: a map for travel blogging in 2010

Yes, this blog has been stagnant over the last few weeks. Like its author, it never really decided what it wanted to become when it grew up.

I'm letting my readers help decide where I should take this blog in 2010. How? By reviewing the posts that garnered most attention during the last year.

Here are last year's top ten posts:

1. Navigo like the natives through the Paris Métro: Navigo Découverte pass a must for bargain-seeking travelers
2. To Schmap or not to Schmap, a strategic question for travel photographers
3. Eight places where you can eat for free in Paris
4. Wednesday Window ~ Hotel Baker 1928 stained glass peacock fanlight, St. Charles, IL
5. Wednesday Window ~ View of Union Station from Frist Center, Nashville
   
6. Corpse Bride and Victor Van Dort figures in the window of Album, Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris
   
7. Rare sight in Paris: snow!
8. "Grits is good" and other useful facts about Alabama
9. New Year's Day on the town in Paris and onward: jazz, gravity, and an exposé
10. Photo Friday ~ Find your marbles at Moon Marble Company, Bonner Springs, Kansas

You may notice a good half of these are content driven rather than simply photographs. Perhaps that should serve as a clue for the blog's fresh direction and a hint for ramping up activity on my photography sites, Lanora Mueller Photography and Photographing Travel.

For your viewing pleasure, HipCompass Escapes Fall 2009

I must repeat myself: I'm thrilled to be a contributor to HipCompass Escapes. The Fall 2009 issue, our third, is the best ever, in my opinion, thanks to the far-reaching talents of the production staff and of my fellow contributors.

The far-ranging explorations included in the new issue cover every turn of the globe, from North Africa to the Straits of Taiwan, from Laos to Tahiti, from Maine to Hawaii, from Spain to Argentina to Mexico.

Please take a look and enjoy the depth and breadth of the offerings.