There will be no Travel Blog of the Week during December to allow PC2Paper staff to concentrate on the increased volume of mail we receive during December. The regular feature will be back at the beginning of January.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Candy from Strangers: Traveling the World in  Search of Sweets written by Malena. As the name of the blog suggest Malena has set out not only to travel the world but also to track down new and exciting types of candy. One of the more recent posts sees Malena in Switzerland where she takes the chocolate train to visit the chocolate factory naturally. The full tour includes a visit to the Gruyere cheese factory with a description of the cheese making process and some free samples before heading off to what appears to the highlight of the trip, the tasting room at the Cailler chocolate factory. Although the tour of the chocolate factory doesn't actually include a visit to the factory (due to insurance reasons) the main focus of the tour is the tasting room where you can eat as much chocolate as you want. The whole experience gets a fairly good review and Malena comments that the chocolate is very rich and it is hard to eat more than a few pieces. In the name of research she gamely tries a wide variety of flavours, its tough work but someone has to do it.

In contrast the Haribo Museum in Uzes appears to be a rather disappointing experience. According to Malena getting to the museum is not easy with the bus only running once a day. Once there the museum focuses mainly on licorice which judging by the the authors comments are not exactly her favourite type of sweets. Whilst not offering a great selection of free samples unless you like licorice the museum is praised for the information it provides on the history of Haribo and the interesting statistics such as "if all of the Haribo gummy bears made in one year were placed in a line, it would circle the earth three times". Despite this the Haribo Museum does not come recommended. As well as the candy related travel articles this blog also contains various little bite sized posts called random candy where the author posts a picture a and a short description of some random pieces of candy with a short description. Pictured left are some gomitas which according to Malena are "sweet, soft, and flavour gumdrops". Its well worth checking out some of the other posts on this blog but beware it could leave you craving sugar.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Everything Everywhere written by Gary Arndt. Gary set off on a trip around the world in March 2007 after selling his house and putting all his possessions in storage. Since then he has visited over 40 countries to date. His blog is predominantly a photo travel blog with a new picture being posted every day but also includes some short accounts of his travels. Some of my favourite pictures include the entrance to the underground river in Puerto Princess, Palawan in the the Philippines (left) and  these roots growing out of the stone at the Ta Som Temple in Cambodia (right).

One article from Gary's time in Nha Trang Vietnam highlights how local knowledge can often prove more beneficial than a guide book. He tells a story about a European couple who ask for a room at a guesthouse. When told that it will cost $20 a night the couple are surprised and refer to a guidebook which is a year old and quotes a price of $10-15 a night. On querying it with the owner of the guesthouse the couple are told that she has put in internet access and air conditioning since then, hence the higher price. It should really be common sense that whilst guide books can often provide a good overview of any area that prices do frequently change. Gary on the other hand asks a local man if he knows where he can find a room for $20 with internet access. He finds a place in just minutes and is even driven there on the local mans motorbike, all for just a small finders fee. This blog is well worth checking out for the stunning pictures and the informative articles, a well deserved Travel Blog of the Week.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Life of Justin written by Justin Wright. The blog  looks predominately at hiking destinations within the US. One of the most recent articles looks at the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. The article gives a positive view of the caverns which can be viewed for just $6. The review helpfully mentions that there is a lift to take you down to the caverns but does not recommend using it if you can make the walk as it skips some of the best parts of the walk. Despite warnings that the hike is strenuous Justin comments that its a fairly easy hike but does recommend hiking shoes as it can be quite steep. Its all useful information and worth checking out if you are planning a visit to the caverns. The article is also illustrated with several stunning pictures such as the one on the right.

Another post deals with another very different hike. This time its backpacking at the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The interesting thing about this hike is that instead of following the path as you would normally, here you follow posts in the ground looking for the next one on the horizon and then walking towards it. Camping overnight under the stars looks to be a really cool experience and the shots of the stars in the sky are worth checking out. Overall this hike gets a favourable review.

A slightly more conventional day out looks at the Arizona Science Centre in Phoenix. As a family day out the venue gets a rather poor review which is partly down to it being fairly pricey and partly to the number of exhibits that are out of order. The initial thought here is that are too many unsupervised children and that the venue seems more like a zoo than a science center. This is obviously not a day out for people without children. The exhibits, however, are described as very cool but the science center gets a poor review because many of them are broken or have an out of order sign stuck on them. The center is also criticised for not including the special exhibits in the entrance price, if you want to see these they cost an extra $9. Overall as a family day out the costs would amount to around $92 for a family of four, the verdict is that at these prices it is simply not worth the money and you might be better off looking around for something that is a little better value. Its well worth checking out some of the other posts on this blog.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Travelsphere. The blog contains a number of useful articles both destination specific and general travel tips. One article entitled 7 Top Tips to Pack Light and Right looks at how to pack less and so save money on checking in multiple bags. The tips include planning your outfits around your shoes as shoes take up valuable space in your suitcase. It suggests starting with two or three pairs of shoes that you will be taking and then working your outfits around these, rather than packing an extra pair of shoes just because they go well with a particular pair of trousers. The article also suggests packing neutral colours like black, white and cream and adding a few brightly coloured tops and accessories to liven them up, after all there is no point packing a lime green top if it doesn't go with any of the other item in your suitcase, the chances are it will come back unworn. Packing low maintenance fabrics can also save you space, the article suggests choosing fabrics such as nylon that don't wrinkle easily. Not only do they not crease as easily as linen but they can also be rolled up into a ball to save on that much needed space.

Another useful article looks at the Top Ten Way to Travel Cheaply and Stick to a Budget. This post is aimed predominately at first time backpackers. The tips include swapping items with other backpackers if you no longer need them, travelling overnight to save money on accommodation a purchasing discount cards. Other suggestions include opting for shared accommodation such as shared dormitories and where ever possible walking rather than using public transport. Its all great advice and just a taste of what you will find on this blog. Its definitely worth checking out the other articles if you are planning trip abroad.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Slow Europe written by Pauline Kenny and Steve Cohen. The blog as the name suggests looks at travel within Europe and offers a number of interesting articles. The most recent post starts with an open letter to vacation rental agencies and vacation rental owners and asks "Please, Tell us who you are!". The post highlights the fact that many vacation rental websites do not give any information about the owners of the accommodation and often don't include prices and availability meaning you need to email them to find out vital information. The good news, however, is that there are some websites that do this rather well and these are highlighted in the article. The Castle Montalto website is recommended for this reason. It gives a photo of the owners and some background information. You can even see a picture of the person who will meet you when you arrive and the name of the pet dog. The names of the two cats, however, are not mentioned, shame, cats have feelings too. Still, the main thing is that with these recommendations you should be able to plan your perfect holiday before you go instead of leaving things to chance.

Another post looks at how to make your own European style bread. Although she confesses to being an inexperienced baker Pauline appears to have perfected the recipe and gives a step by guide that even the worst cooks amongst us should be able to follow and if the photos are not enough there are videos as well. The important thing appears to be using a mix of whole wheat and white flour. You then to need to make up the dough and let it rest before shaping it into a ball. Unusually no kneading is required the bread is simply left to rise for a couple of hours before baking in a covered pot. It looks great I will certainly be trying this out at home.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is TravelGearBlog. The blog as the name suggests is  concerned with stuff you might need when you are travelling and it contains useful reviews of various travel related products. One of the more recent reviews looks at lightload towels pictured right. These are pocket sized that expand when you get them wet. They come in a dish towel size and a full beach towel size and are super absorbent, quick drying and biodegradable. According to the article they also roll up smaller than a regular towel even after you have used it. They sound like a great space saving idea and at just $6.95 won't break the bank, they get a 10 out 10 rating from TravelGearBlog so its certainly something I will be packing for my next trip.

A product that gets a slightly lower rating scoring only 5 out of 10 is TravelSmith's Disposable Briefs. According to the review the briefs are made out of lightweight cotton and look and feel like regular briefs. The only difference is that they are biodegradable so you can wear and wash them a few times and then simply throw them out with very little environmental impact. The initial reaction of the reviewer is that the product is a little unnecessary but upon further consideration they reach the conclusion that the product could be useful on a backpacking trip when saving space is a concern. They also have the advantage that you can dispose of them before you fly home leaving more space for an extra souvenir. Apparently the same company also makes disposable socks.

Another product that receives a very good review is the SteriPEN Traveler Handheld Water Purifier. This device is a pocket sized travel ready UV powered water purifier. It works by submerging the mini UV flashlight in water for 45 to 60 seconds. Any viruses and bacteria living in the water are then killed, in fact it kills 99.9999% of bacteria. The reviewer points out that the device has the advantage of being quicker and easier the using a pump filter and without the aftertaste of iodine pills. The only drawback seems to be that the device is battery powered but you can purchase a solar charger accessory separately.

These are just a few products highlighted on this blog but it has a wealth of information on a variety of products and is well worth checking out before purchasing any travel gear for your next trip.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Travel Wonders of the World. The blog was created with the aim of bringing together in one place what the author believes are the true wonders of the world. One of the more recent posts which is in two parts looks at Machu Picchu (lost city of the Incas) in Peru. Part Two of the article provides a useful map to help guide you around the site with an in depth description of the various parts of the city and pictures of some of the main features of the Inca city. Part one of the same article gives an overall picture of how the city would have functioned with different areas being set aside for the nobles and leaders and residential areas for the rest of the population. The article also points out that the Incans understood how to build their structures to withstand tremors  and that many of the structures are precisely aligned to the equinoxes. The detailed information combined with a number of pictures makes for a very informative and interesting read.

Another article looks at fall in New England and the stunning array of colours that the season brings (pictured left). The author describes the local past time of leaf peeping where newspapers publish a daily map to help people pin point the best locations to see the vibrant colours and travellers sneak down little known back roads to try and get a better view of the vibrant autumn colours.

A slightly more humorous article looks at Australia's obsession of all things big. The author here, highlights the Big Pineapple, the Big Banana, the Big Potato, The Giant Earthworm and The Big Crab just to name a few. It certainly seems that Australia is the place to go if you want to have your photo taken with something big.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is soultravelers3. The blog follows the travels of a family of three who have sold their home to travel the world. The family have now been travelling for a couple of years and as you can imagine during this time have built up a wealth of useful tips. One post that contains some useful tips for family travel is entitled Top 10 Family Travel Tips. The post recommends using an RV when travelling because its a great way of saving money as you can stay in campgrounds overnight rather than having to find cash for expensive B&B's or hotels. Another recommendation is to combine the use of an RV with some extended stays at a more permanent rental home. The tip here is to try and book off season to cut costs and if possible to choose a village house rather a country house so you are not too isolated and can connect with the local community better. Another tip includes having someone at home that you can use as a snail mail address to handle any parcels that you might need to receive. Of course for letters you can always sign up for a PC2Paper mailbox and we can make these available for you to read online. Other useful posts on the blog include How to Eat Healthy & Cheap Traveling Europe, How to do Extended Travel & Mini retirements and Dentists and Travel.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is matadortravel. The site aims to give travellers detailed information so they can the most out of a tight schedule. It contains a number of useful destination guides written by local experts who have visited and enjoyed the places they write about. One article entitled How to Enjoy Italy on 30E Per Day looks at how to cut costs when visiting Italy. One suggestion for finding cheap lodging is using a network such as Couchsurfing. As the name suggests the network helps connect people looking for accommodation with a place to sleep and vice versa. Whilst the network is not specific to Italy, Rome currently has around 1,400 registered couch surfers so you certainly have a good chance of finding a place to stay. The article offers a few tips for eating out in Italy that could help save a bit of cash. The first is don't feel obliged to tip as the service charge is usually added to the bill. Eating at the bar rather than sitting down can also save you money as it can cost 5 times the amount of an espresso for the privilege of a seat. Other tips include staying away from restaurants close to major monuments, choosing pasta courses that will fill you up and ordering the house wine which is often cheaper than water. This is just one of many useful articles on this website, you might also want to check out How to Enjoy Paris on $100 a Day, The Best of Ireland on a Budget and 10 Things to do in Europe that will make you Smarter.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Cool Travel Guide written by Lara Dunston. The most recent article looks at Dubai on a budget. The article tries to dispel the myth that Dubai is expensive with a look at lots of stuff you can do for free. The author suggests visiting some of Dubai's museums many of which are free or only charge about one dollar. The Heritages and Diving Village also gets a mention. The village is a reconstruction of the first settlement at Shindagha and gives an insight into what Dubai used to be like. It includes barasti pal frond houses, old wooden boats and traditional performances. Another recommendation is to visit Bastakiya where you can visit some traditional Persian merchants' houses that have been restored and now house cafes, hotels and art galleries. There are lots of good ideas here which are sure to help people trying to save their hard earned cash.

Another post also on the Middle East looks at 9 reasons to love Ramadan. Although many tourists avoid visiting the Middle East during Ramadan the author points out that it can be a good time to explore during the day when the streets are usually empty. In contrast you can expect to enjoy lively nights during Ramadan as everyone breaks their fast at sunset and shares a communal meal with their families or at a mosque. Many of the hotels hold lavish Iftar buffets which are great value and are shared by Muslims and non Muslims alike. Its all good advice which should give readers an idea of what to expect when travelling during the holy month. These are just a few posts from a blog that has lots of useful articles on a wide variety of different topics, it is definitely worth adding to your RSS feed.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Nomadic Matt's Travel Site written by a twenty something traveller called Matt. The blog charts Matt's travels around the world starting in Thailand in 2005 to the present day. One fairly recent post deals with the issue of how to avoid looking like a tourist, an important consideration when travelling. Some obvious tips include losing the Bermuda shorts and giant camera, things that are sure to make you an instant target for any unscrupulous locals. Other tips are steering clear of "the wrong way backpack" because it marks you out as a paranoid tourist and shows you don't belong, the advice here is to simply wear it where it belongs on your back, why else is it called a backpack? Likewise "The Fanny Pack" marks you our as an easy tourist as well as putting all of your valuables in one place making them easy pickings for a thief. Other tips include leaving the giant map at home and making an effort to blend in.

Another post looks at how to make the most from your travel photos. The tips here include planning ahead so that you can shoot when the light is good, usually between 11am and 2pm, looking for an interesting perspective and getting close to your subject. The advice here is not to put yourself in imminent danger but to take advantage of the zoom feature on your camera. It also includes tips on how to use selective focus tips for the best effect. Lots of useful information which is sure to make sure you don't come home with lots of poor out of focus snaps.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Gadling. The blog covers a wide variety of travel related issues. One article deals with using the Internet on your phone whilst you are abroad. The author points out that you need to remember to turn off the international data roaming on your phone when abroad because it can be hugely expensive. It cites a few examples where people have managed to run up large charges without realising how much they will be paying. Using a 3G phone like the iPhone can easily run up charges of around $60 a minute according to the article, a very costly mistake just to access a few emails.

Another post looks at travelling with your pets. The article starts with looking at what trips are possible when travelling with pets. The key, it seems is research before you go. The article suggests calling the hotel rather than booking online, that way you can make sure you can organise a pet friendly room. You should ask for a list of restrictions and policies regarding pets and inquire about any perks that may be offered such as dog beds, treats and water bowls. The article also deals with taking your pet abroad and includes tips of what to pack so that it has a comfortable journey. It also suggests booking your pets flight early and calling to confirm that your pet is actually coming a few days before the flight. It also recommends arriving at the airport early in case of any problems. Its all useful stuff and certainly worth a read before taking your pet on vacation.

This weeks Travel blog of the Week is Package Holiday written by Ian Sims. The blog  aims to help people find the best package holiday deals. Whilst the blog is relatively new it already contains some useful articles and reviews on various package holiday destinations. The most recent article looks at package holidays to the Greek islands and more specifically to Kefalonia. It includes links to useful websites that are worth checking out before you go away such as Trip Advisor which offers reviews from real travellers. The article also gives an informative review of the package holiday offered through First Choice Holidays. The hotel called the Nine Muses gets a favourable review for being clean and modern and close to the beach. The author also highlights some nearby attractions in Scala which are worth checking out. The only disappointment appears to be that he was not invited aboard Tom Cruise's yacht which was anchored nearby. 

Other articles on the blog give reviews of travel related websites. One such website that I have not come across before is Sidestep a US based site that Ian recommends for finding flights. Although the site is US based he points out that it offers flights to and from any destination so is just as useful for people who live outside of the states. The website gets a good review for being easy to use. It also gets the thumbs up for useful features that it offers such as email alerts on the best deals for your destination and the fact that it saves your holiday dates for the next time you use the website, so you don't need to input them again. This blog offers more than a simple review of the package holiday itself, it goes beyond that and reviews the whole travel experience from booking and researching the holiday before travelling, to the journey and destination itself. Its certainly a useful resource and it worth checking out further.

At PC2Paper we are always looking for new travel blogs to highlight in our Travel Blog of the Week spot. If you write a travel blog why not submit it here in the comments section for a chance to be featured on this blog. Or perhaps you have come across an interesting travel blog that we have not yet featured. Either way we are looking for your suggestions, we know there are loads of great travel blogs out there, why not help us find them?

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Weird Meat - a food and travel blog. The blog is  an exploration of how different cultures around the world feel about food. The author spends his time searching for strange things to eat and when he finds something odd, eats it and posts pictures and an article about his experience. The most recent post sees him in Taiwan sampling chicken testicles and deer penis wine. The wine (pictured right) comes in a large glass jar which is filled with liquor. In the middle of the jar is a preserved deer penis. The verdict is that it is "brutal strong" and not cheap at $9 USD for a shot. Another interesting culinary experience sees the author at a shop specialising in odd duck parts. Here he purchases some duck heads (pictured left). The heads are cooked and seasoned and then split down the centre so you can scoop out the brains and cartilage. Apparently they are tasty but rather chewy. 

Another article looks at a dish called Shanghai Drunken Shrimp (pictured right). The dish which sounds fairly tame is  actually live shrimps which are served swimming in a bowl of sweet alcohol. The alcohol makes the shrimp a little less feisty but the experience is still made more interesting because the shrimp bite back as you try to eat them. The trick apparently is to leave them in the alcohol for just enough time to get drunk and stupid before digging in. Something with slightly less bite is fried rat (pictured left) which the author tries in Cambodia. This  dish is BBQ'd so that it is well done and tastes like chicken. In all this is a great blog filled with lots of interesting material but is probably best enjoyed on an empty stomach.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Backpacking Travel Blog. The blog concentrates on travel around Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and South America and is predominately a photo travel blog peppered with comments. Whilst it is unusual to choose a photo blog as the PC2Paper Travel Blog of the week, this blog is full of great pictures and is well worth a further look. Here are just a few of the photos.

Above the amazing temple Ta Prohm in Cambodia and the local snack of fried crickets.

Below a tree frog in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and a waterfall in the Canaima National Park

This weeks travel blog of the week is Orbitz Travel Blog written by the Orbitz staff and contributors. The reason I have chosen this blog is because it has a wide variety of articles that look at different aspects of the travel industry. The most recent article looks at family friendly adventures in Edmonton. The article highlights the Edmonton Marriott hotel at the River Cree Resort which is recommended for being particularly child friendly. It also looks at the Valley Zoo with its petting zoo, animal shaped pedal boats and pony rides.

In contrast another article on the blog discusses how to find gay luxury in the Caribbean. Whilst the options initially appear fairly limited the author does have some good recommendations. Puerto Rico gets the thumbs up because the main city of San Juan has a gay beach which is something of a rarity in the Caribbean. The British Virgin Islands also appears to be a good destination to find gay luxury with the Aquamare resort getting a good review. The resort includes three villas on a private beach and has the advantage of being gay owned. It also offers five star treatment and has its own private chef serving up gourmet food and even a professional masseur. It sounds great.

Another post looks at the complexities of group travel. Travelling with a group of people can sometimes be a challenge especially if people within the group have different expectations about the trip. The article recommends asking a few important questions before travelling such as is the trip a vacation or are you expecting to spend time sightseeing. It is also worth considering what sort of budget you have in relation to other members of the group and outlining any "must do" items that members of the group have in mind before you go. Its all good advice and if followed should lead to a happier group holiday with many less arguments.

This week's travel blog of the week is Family on Bikes.

It is the story of a family of four's quest to cycle from Alaska to Argentina using one tandem and two single bikes. The families aim is to break a Guinness World record for the "Youngest Person to Cycle the Pan-American Highway" and a quest to bring the world to young children in classrooms as part of a non-profit organization called Reach the World. Reach the World has been linking travelling educators with classrooms across the globe since 1998.

I have been on a lot of cycling holidays in the past but never one that involved using a tandem with a "bicycle trailer" attached to the back. What I find fascinating is the tandem actually takes three people! Shouldn't it be called a "tridem"?

This weeks travel blog of the week is Traveling Mamas. The blog as its title suggests is written by a a group of mothers and offers tips and advice about places to visit with children. One recent article looks at the San Diego Omni hotel. The hotel gets a good review due to its family friendly approach. On arrival the children were presented with some children's backpacks which contained a various delights such as glow in the dark gummy worms, bracelets, a kaleidoscope and a children's cup which gives them free refills in the hotels restaurant. Cleverly the backpacks give the adults in the group much needed time to settle into the hotel and unpack whilst the children are exploring what is inside them. The hotel also gets the thumbs up for its fantastic kids menu and for the packages it provides such as the Seaworld family package which includes accommodation, breakfast and Seaworld tickets.

This blog doesn't just concentrate on vacations for the whole family it also looks at other types of holidays such as romantic getaways. This article looks at how to survive your wine tasting and suggests the Napa Valley as a great destination to visit. It has a few humorous tips including "Don’t get angry when someone says “that’s a big nose” - they are referring to the aroma of the wine, not you" and "When the pourer suggests you may want to spit, you want to do it in the slop bucket, and not at the other tasters." All very good advice and sure to make your first wine tasting pass without incident.

This weeks Travel Blog follows Jon and Jacky as they travel around for three months on  their honeymoon. Their journey started in May when they visited Vietnam. One of the posts from their time there shows some of the interesting items of sale, such as these snakes and scorpions in a jar (right). They also show some of the more unusual food on offer, such as this elephant ear fish (left) which although ugly is apparently perfectly edible.

Another post finds them in Singapore visiting the Singapore Zoo.  The title of the post "If Carlsberg made zoos" says it all. None of the animals at the zoo are in conventional enclosures giving an altogether more close up experience as you can see by this picture (right) of crocodile feeding time.

The most recent posts find the couple in New Zealand. A few highlights include the ice bar. A bar that is basically an -8 degree room where all the chairs, bar and glasses are made of ice. Another post finds them visiting a glacier and walking around the ice caves and another recent post shows these rather unusual limestone rocks (right).

This week's travel blog of the week is 3 Go Global, yet another blog started by someone who decided to pickup sticks and explore the world with their children in tow so they could say "I did that!"

One interesting article I found was about their trip to Bangkok watching an "horrific" display of a mongoose attacking cobras that were dropped into its glass cage (the snakes were later prized from its jaws). However my favourite part was the visit to the Tiger Temple where tigers sit sprawled out unconcerned by the tourists gauping at these larger than life creatures lazing in the sun.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is Born to Travel written by Sharon and Scott. The blog follows their various travels around the world with the most recent posts finding them in India. One post charts a bus trip to the town of Keylong where the driver negotiates the precarious mountain road whilst holding an animated conversation with the conductor complete with wild hand movements. It all sounds rather scary and they post a picture (right) of what can happen if you go off the edge. Luckily they arrives at their destination in one piece despite feeling the effects of altitude sickness - lethargy, nausea, and headaches. Another post is about another bus trip. On this one, however, the couple decided to get off as the bus in question had no brakes despite being about to negotiate the same precarious mountain roads. Despite this it appears that the local people, perhaps hardened to the conditions of the road and the transport were happy to stay on the bus and continue their journey. A third post shows something that you could surely only find in India a man powered Ferris Wheel (left). You have to see it to believe it. These are just a few highlights from this great blog, but its well worth checking it out yourself for more great posts.

We apologise for missing last month's travel blog of the week, we have all been very busy with upgrades to the PC2Paper website. This week's travel blog of the week is the rather unusually named Hedgehogs Without Borders. The blog covers Jessica and Tim's 18 month "round-the-world adventure" to places such as Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Spain, England, Turkey, Greece, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos....

An article I found interesting was their visit to the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu its usually on top of every adventurers list when visiting Peru. What I liked about their visit was they also decided to scale Wayna Picchu the mountain peak you usually see in the back ground when pictures are taken of Machu Picchu. On top of this peak is an ancient complex of Incan guardhouses which leads to a spectacular view below of the Sacred Valley.

This weeks travel blog of the week is the official blog of the Romow travel directory. The blog has lots of useful tips for travellers. One post entitled how to make the most of your family vacation suggests stocking up at home for some of your vacation needs as its often cheaper. Packing plenty of sunscreen, batteries and first aid supplies will mean you don't need to pay over inflated prices at the airport and in the resort. The post also suggests travelling off season which can save you as much as 50% off high season prices and also enjoy your destination without crowds of other tourists. It also recommends doing your research and comparing prices on car rental and accommodation before booking and looking out for bundle deals which can often offer large discounts.

Another post looks at travel safety and security. It includes advice such as wearing a money belt to protect your paperwork and your travellers checks and also recommends making copies of all of your important documents before you go and storing them separately from the originals. There is plenty of other useful advice on this blog from tips on what to pack to advice on getting the most of your railway journey. Its well worth a look for any traveller.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Less than a Shoestring: Budget Travel Tips for People with no Budget. The blog as the title suggests has a wealth of ideas for people travelling with very little money. One post looks at how to cut costs in London. The author managed to spend five days in London and spent under £100 including flights which is quite impressive. Some tips for keeping costs down include eating only groceries rather than eating out and taking public transport. Other ways to cut costs include visiting things that are free like such as the Tate Modern and the London museums. Another useful post has some tips on how to save for plane tickets, often the biggest expense to consider when you are planning a trip. Tips include selling unwanted items to raise some extra cash and putting aside all your loose change into a flight fund. After a while all those coins can soon can add up.

This week's travel blog of the week is Coomers Family World Adventures. The blog is about a family of three Shawn, Shawn and Jasmine who set about a two year trip around the world. Amongst their destinations are Australia, Belize & Honduras, Canada, Fiji, Guatemala, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and the USA.

One interesting article is entitled "Have We Died and Gone To Hell?" Which explains the families trip through the Australian outback and suffering the severe heat which was so intense they had to cancel a trip and spend most of the time indoors with an air conditioning unit. Shawn mentions that in the brief time they were outside even the animals stayed out of sight in the shade.

This weeks travel blogs of the week is The World Is Not Flat.

Usually when we choose a travel blog we like to make sure it has been updated regularly to ensure its current. On this occasion we have chosen a travel blog that is "frozen in time". The main purpose of The World Is Not Flat was to record the 2 years travels of Lee and Sachi LeFever. At the end of their travels they catalogued their experiences into Favourite Overall Countries, Favourite Experiences, Not So Favourite and Favourite Cities.

The blog is vast and covers travels through places such as Japan, New Zealand, China, Russia, Thailand and Portugal with a wealth of photos and articles of their experiences. From scamming tax drivers to how to deal with street hawkers in India.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Sixintheworld, covering the travels of a family of six's year long trips around the world. The reason they decided to do the trip was to build family relationships and teach their kids that they have the power to make a difference in the world through good deeds along the way.

The site is well laid out featuring items such as the family's Itinery, Non Profit deeds and Photo collections. The family is so famous for their travels they have even been featured in national newspapers. 

This weeks travel blog of the week is The Edmeads Family Adventures. The blogs charts the adventures of a family of four as they travel around the world on a year long trip. The unusual thing about this blog is that the family includes two young children of 4 and 7 years old.

The blog starts off showing the preparations for the journey including the vaccinations before  they set off and all the items they need to pack to take with them. One of the more recent posts sees the family visiting the Similan Islands in Thailand. A protected national park the islands have a wealth of interesting wildlife including turtles. The family slept in a camouflaged tent on the beach for the night (pictured left) and the next day were lucky enough to go swimming with turtles, much to the delight of the children.

This blog has many more interesting posts, illustrated with great pictures and is certainly proof that travelling the world with kids is not only possible but also an enjoyable experience for all.

This weeks travel blog of the week is The Perrin Post written by Wendy Perrin. This blog is particularly useful because it deals with several issues that have been in the news recently, such as what to do when your flight is delayed or when you are stranded at the airport. 

One useful post entitled top ten things to do when you are stranded at an airport has useful advice on how to amuse children if your flight is delayed. It includes suggestions such as using cots and blankets to make a fort and building towers out of packs of Starburst Fruit Chews. Another useful post includes advice on what you are entitled to if you are bumped from your flight and another post has ten ways to keep your children occupied on a plane without toys. It includes games such as "what shape is that cloud" and a "find the city" game which you can play using the air route map, as well as other advice to buy a drink for the other passengers within earshot. Its all very useful and should make travelling with children a little bit easier.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Claire takes on the world, an amusing and feature rich blog of Claire's worldly travels.

What I enjoyed about Claire's blog is that out of the many blogs I have seen Claire had actually been to the Amazon. After 8 months in South America she had finally arranged a 3 day trip to the Amazon where they attempted to cross a river sitting on a wooden raft. While half way through the water Claire yelled to her friend "Jenny, where's your camera?"

Jenny replied "Claire, it's not the time for pictures!" and then suddenly realised when checking her money belt that her camera and mp3 player were covered in water!

When they finally reached the Amazon, of which Claire likens to looking like a forest in Ireland, Jenny referred to the experience as "We're getting to meet the entire cast of A Bugs Life today".

You can read the rest of Claire's adventures here

This weeks travel blog of the week is steveislost.com. The blog is written by Steven Kazuo Nakano and charts his travels over the last couple of years. After selling off all of his stuff including his prized car back in 2005 Steve has already been to Argentina, Chile, Egypt, Israel, Peru and Venezuela, just to name a few places. The most recent entries find him in India where he purchases a motor bike in order to see more of the country. Steve talks about the complexities of dealing with the local police and paperwork issues and the fact that the best way to deal with them is just not to stop at the checkpoints.

One of the more humorous posts from his time in India also mentions what Steve describes as "the number two worst room I stayed in". Whilst this is not surprising, after reading the post you probably like me will be left wondering what the worst room he has stayed in was like, perhaps Steve can enlighten us here? Firstly he says the room was very close to a pig sty which gave it a beautiful spring smell, but the wildlife inside the room was slightly more irritating. One thing is for sure his post will certainly have you scratching as you read about the population of bed bugs he shared the room with. You can see what he calls his first nights catch pictured left. He says of the room and the number of bedbugs:
"I have stayed in places before where I have seen a few, but not a major infestation like this. At the joining of the wall to the ceiling was thousands of little droppings where they pooped. After the first night I finally realized where they were coming from and could see them sticking their heads out of the cracks waiting for me to go to sleep" and he resorts to staying awake most of the night as the bugs come out to feed. It sounds lovely. On a more cheerful note he also posts this cute picture of a family of monkeys . ahhh.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Family Travel. The blog is run by away.com and features  regular authors Steve Jermanok and Christine Loomis and other guest authors.  It aims to offer practical advice and tips for those planning a trip with the family.

One article written by Nathan Borchelt looks at the Copper  Mountain ski resort in Colorado which Nathan says is an ideal resort for the whole family. The reason he says this is that the resort has a large area which is dedicated to beginners but also has more challenging intermediate and expert runs which are situated well away from those who are just learning the ropes. The resort also holds classes for two age groups children aged 3 to 5 and another for children aged 5 and over, as well as having seasonal youth programs also separated by age group. It certainly looks like a great family destination.

Another useful article written by guest blogger Jennifer Michaels and entitled packing tips from the expert  looks at how to organise your packing and still stay within the airlines baggage allowance. Tips include things lie using a board to fold shirts and shorts and rolling bathing suits and underwear into cubes to save much needed space. Other tips include renting large items of baby equipment once you reach your destination and giving each child their own carry on kit for the plane journey with their special toys and some snacks included. This article is definitely worth a read before you travel.

Today's Travel Blog of the week is Boedus Travel, its one of my favourite types of travel blogs - one with a lot of pictures. One of my favourite articles on this blog is that depicting a photo album of Yemen, it has some amazing pictures of this beautiful country and its people.

Another article in a similar vain is Ethiopia Photo Raid an article where the author prefers to show his experience of this African country in photos and like the Yemen article the photos are truly stunning.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week  is The Brel Chronicles written by Brendan and Mel (Brel). The blog charts their travels over a 10 month period and although it is still relatively new with the first post in January of this year, it already contains a number of interesting articles.

I have always loved monkeys so was interested to see their pictures from Costa Rica where they have come across Howler Monkeys, Capuchin Monkeys and Squirrel Monkeys all of which are really really cute. Much of the couples time in Costa Rica was also spent stalking the local bird population with Mel spotting an impressive 75 bird species including toucans, trogons, kingfishers and parrots.

They have also set up a foundation that is designed to try and give something back to the communities they visit. It is called The Brel Drop in the Ocean Foundation and the idea is that they will select a cause in each country that they visit and try offer what help they can, whether it is donating money or some of their time by volunteering on a local project. So far they have helped address the problem of stray cats in Placencia by helping  to reduce the population with a neutering program. They also have plans to contribute to an organisation that provides monkey bridges to help Titi monkeys avoid being electrocuted by electric wires. This blog is certainly off to a promising start despite being only three months old, I am looking forward to reading more of this great content over the coming months.

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week  is Location Independent Living. Ever grown tired of the usual rat race? Working 9 to 5, five days a week to earn a salary to pay off your mortgage and eventually retire on a good enough pension and live the good life? Well this blog was started by people who didn't want to live that sort of life, they wanted to live a good life now and from anywhere in the world.  So they sold all of their worldly possessions to travel the world and set up a location-independent business. This blog is here to help anyone else who wants to live this kind of live, it is also quick to add the caveat "without being a millionaire". To me this ensures people do not mistake this site as a get rich quick scheme but as a new way of living.

An article I found interesting had the rather humorous title "How To Travel The World Working With Your Other Half And Not Split Up (Or Kill Each Other)". It covers the challenges facing couples who choose a Location Independent Lifestyle. One example it gives is the insecurity you might feel not being in your home town or close to friends to talk to instead of having to talk to your partner all the time. One solution it gives is to make new friends and to make use of online social networks to talk with friends.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Honeymoon Around the World written by Steve and Christy. It follows their progress as they take time out from their jobs for an extended honeymoon travelling around the world. Their journey starts in June 2007 with their wedding in Mexico and then heads to Iceland, Europe including Ireland, England and Italy and then onto Africa before heading to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and eventually New Zealand.

There is a lot of interesting content on this blog but for  me a few posts stood out. The first from their time in Thailand is about the interesting food available at the street markets. One vendor was selling an interesting mix of fried bugs including meal worms, grasshoppers, crickets and cockroaches. Steve and Christy were brave enough to sample the fried grasshopper (pictured left) with Steve describing it as a "a fried mass of legs of body".
 

Another post also on the subject of unusual food highlights the options available at a local  market in Laos. Here, Steve finds an appetising selection of fried rats and fried bats. Although Steve was not planning on purchasing anything a fellow tourist offered him a bat. Apparently you do not need to add sauce to enjoy a fried bat (pictured right), you simply eat it as it is. The verdict was that it tasted like chicken. Despite trying the bat Steve stayed away from the other delicacies preferring not to sample the fried rat or surprisingly the coagulated cow blood. I can't imagine why it all sounds very tasty.

This weeks travel blog of the week is China Travel. The blog covers the travels of Tom Carter who has spent 2 years backpacking in China. Focusing more on the the things you probably wouldn't see if you went on a packaged holiday.

One of the most amusing articles on the blog is titled Chinese Youth Hostels. As a veteran backpacker, hostels are essential for Tom. He quite comically recalls an extended stay in a laid back hostel in Chengdu over 7 days. Encountering several Australians, Europeans and Americans who had also got pulled into the laid back life style of the hostel. Tom likens the hostel environment to that of a Reality TV Series 'Backpackers Behaving Badly', his stay is filled with occurrences of dorm mates arriving back drunk passing out in the early hours of the morning after going out partying each night.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Riding the Spine. The blog charts the progress of Jacob, Goat and Sean and their three year trip cycling the Continental Divide. They began their trip in July 2006 and are currently in Nicaragua. One of my favourite articles charts an incident where Sean has a run in with the local police. Whilst looking for a place to camp for the night, he had ended up on private property and venturing out for some groceries Sean came across the landlord who called the police. Three policeman quickly arrived armed with automatic rifles and after searching him they proceeded to ask lots of questions. Sean tried to make the Spanish speaking officer understand that he gone out to get some groceries but feared the worse when they ordered him into the police car. The police then proceeded to drive him to the grocery store before helping him pick out the groceries and even feeling each piece of fruit to check for ripeness. They then drove him back to the campsite.

Another article from their time in Mexico highlights the abundance of scorpions. Jacob describes finding scorpions under his mattress every night before being stung by one. He was left with a painful and numb arm and still had a numb finger several days later. These are just a few articles from this blog but there is a wealth of interesting stories here.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Nate and Shelly's RTW Trip, a married couples blog of their travelling experiences around the world.

The blog covers Nate and Shelly's travels to Argentina, France, Guyana, Italy, Peru and Uruguay and is filled with interesting stories and photo's of their travels. One article I found interesting was their trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina where they visited Recoleta Cemetery which is also the resting place of Eva Peron.

I found Nate's 3 points on "what we throw away" in Argentina quite amusing. He says that garbage is collected every day in the city and can be quite a dangerous excise as bin men run down the street next to the truck throwing rubbish into the truck narrowly avoiding pedestrians. Recycling appears to be done by enterprising locals sifting through the rubbish you put out before the bin men collect it. Avoiding dog mess is another issue when walking through the streets as it is never cleared up and requires one eye constantly focused on the ground.

This weeks Travel Blog of the week is Family Travel - See the World with your Kids. As the name suggests the blog is all about travelling with your children and includes lots of useful tips on places to go and things to do to keep them entertained. One recent article is about children and skiing. The first part of the article discusses the best age to start skiing lessons with children. It also details how to cut down on the expenses involved when taking the family skiing and has useful tips such as renting your ski equipment away from the ski resort to help cut costs.

The second part of the article mentions the growing trend for parent/child skiing lessons which allow the parent not only to learn at the same time but also to spend more time with the children on the vacation. There are also recommendations for ski resorts that include options for family members who do not want to ski and would instead rather spend time in the spa or seeing the local sights. This is certainly a useful resource for anyone who is planning a vacation with their children. Some other sections that are worth a read are the Take the Kids to London section and the Family Travel in New York City section.

This weeks PC2Paper travel blog of the week is Conor's Mildly Thrilling Tales. Its author Conor Grennan travel stories, have been featured in well known travel publications such as Traveler's Tales and  Lonely Planet. He is also the founder of the non-profit organisation Next Generation Nepal, setup to to reunite trafficked and conflict-displaced children with their families. Conor lives in Nepal where he started a home for trafficked children.

Conor's blog focuses a lot on the great work he does helping these children in Nepal. My favourite article was "Searching for families in Nuwakot" a fascinating story on how Conor managed to find the parents of 17 out of 18 children on a trip through the mountains. How he went on the trip on a beaten up bus and was encouraged to try a local fruit which ended up giving him food poisoning. If that wasn't enough he was unable to sleep on the bumpy bus journey, the buses suspension so bad he had to sit on a fleece to protect his hind quarters. At times he and the other passengers had to get out of the bus to help guide it along steep cliff ledges. But in the end it was all worth it when they got to their destination finding the parents of these children. read the full article >>

This weeks Travel Blog of the Week is killing batteries written by Leif Pettersen. Leif is a freelance writer and is a regular contributor for Global Traveler magazine and Lonely Planet author for Romania and Moldova. Leif's blog contains a wealth of interesting article about his travels but what makes this blog special is his humorous style of writing. His most recent post is about a fly fishing trip whilst he was in Chile. The article charts Leif's first attempt at fly fishing and describes how he managed to learn the casting process without injuring either himself or his instructor Ricardo. Despite a disappointing start to the trip and secret thoughts about the trout attacking Ricardo, Leif eventually managed to catch a rather respectable haul of ten fish, not bad for a first attempt.

For me one of the most interesting sections on this blog is Leif's "Don't go There" series. As the name suggests the series is about places he has been and the reasons why he feels they should be avoided. The most recent post in this series is entitled Don't Go to Andorra la Vella talks about his experiences of the city which he sums up as an "ostensibly bottomless ravine of choking, duty-free despair". The article talks about his fruitless search for a grocery store among the towns endless offering of shops selling nothing but watches, cheap jewellery, perfume and other duty free goods. Leif sums this up nicely when he says "It was truly a duty-free nation. You can walk into just about any shop on the street and save a whopping 25% on your indispensable bottle of CK1. On the flip side, you have to ask directions and stalk back alleys to find someone who will sell you a fricking apple." Obviously his first impressions of Andorra La Vella are not great but he goes on to describe the extent of the air pollution in the town caused by exhaust fumes which left him gasping for breath and with burning eyes after only three hours of walking around the town. Other articles is this series include Don't go to Berlin and Don't go to Monaco.

Another interesting and equally humorous section of Leif's blog is entitled "What I've Learned". This section contains a lot of short but often very useful things that Leif has learnt on his travels. They range from little tips such as "Check to make sure that your very expensive digital camera with numerous delicate moving parts is not in your day-bag before you go to the beach" and "Even if you have a co-conspirator, even if you spill some, even if you’re celebrating something really awesome, three bottles of wine on a Tuesday night is too much wine."

This blog has so many good articles that it has been hard to pick just a few things to say about it. Its definitely worth a visit. 

Happy New Year! We apologise for not having a travel blog last week, but the staff at PC2Paper had a well earned break for a week over new year. Our first Travel Blog of the week for 2008 is The Cranky Flier, a blog focused mainly around (you guessed it!) airline travel.

The blogs author goes by the name of Brett and calls himself "an airline dork" who has had and obsession with the airline industry since he was a boy and became a travel agent by the age of 12!

Brett's blog gives anyone interested in particular airlines or airports a good overview of past problems and things to expect, quite useful if you are booking flights in an area you have never been before. A rather useful aspect is if you are booking flights with an airline that might be nearing bankruptcy.

This weeks Travel Blog of the week is Cheapest Destinations written by Tim Leffel who has also written a book with the same title. Tim is a regular columnist for Transitions Abroad magazine and is also editor of the online magazine Perceptive Travel.

His most recent post talks about how the expansion of The Schengen Zone will mean it will now be easier for travellers to move around Europe with just a passport. Basically the agreement means that you can now travel from Tallinn in Estonia to Lisbon in Portugal without any border controls.

Another post highlights six travel gifts that can you purchase for $30 or less, perfect for those last minute Christmas presents. Among the gift ideas are the REI vacuum coffee mug which can keep your coffee hot for several hours and a mini shortwave radio perfect for journeys to remote locations and camping trips.

The blog also contains lots of useful information that should help save you a bit of cash whilst travelling, as well as links to other sites that can help you with planning your trip. In particular this article about Honduras provides a wealth of useful information from sites that have information on local events to links to good hotel guides and dive shops.

Todays travel blog of the week is really a travel journal from Worldnomads.com. One journal entry I found of particular interest was "Through Siberia". Part of three stories on our writers journey through the Russian Federation.

I've always been interested in Russia but sadly have never had the chance to go, the journal entry covers one of the types of trips I've always wanted to take. Traveling through the Russian Federation by train, getting to see parts of the country side and sleeping on the train. Our writer starts off with three friends sharing a "kupe cabin" from Moscow to Listvyanka which is on the south west banks of the biggest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Baikal. He notes quite a few interesting quirks about the locals such as their encounter with the "self named crazy football hooligans" who were told by the lady in the restaurant car not to steal anything. Other things I found amusing was the train being delayed because they had hit a cow on the tracks or how they painstakingly tied up their rubbish in bags while the other passengers on the train just throw it out of the windows!

This weeks travel blog is thebeergeek.com - ramblings of beer travelers. The beergeek.com is written by Chris Nelson and his wife Merideth Canham-Nelson. It focuses on their passion for good beer and charts their visits to numerous breweries, Chris has visited an impressive 300 to date and Merideth is trying her best to catch up and beat his total.

The most recent blog post is about a trip to Chico where they visited the Sierra Nevada brewery. The brewery has the advantage of allowing you to drink beers that are only served there. Among the delights on offer are Kolsch a brewery only version of the world famous pale ale and 20th Street Fresh Hop Ale, a beer that is made with hops grown on the brewery property, although the highlight of the trip for Chris was "brewery fresh Celebration Ale".

Another recent post by Merideth covers Oktoberfest where Merideth was brave enough to wear a dirndle and challenge the elements. Although she did try to warm up by drinking beer, she did unfortunately have to change into something warmer, still full marks for the brave effort. This blog is full of many interesting gems and makes an interesting read for beer lovers everywhere.

Elliott is another one of those blogs that champions the cause of the poorly treated traveller. Seen as one of America's top travel ombudsmen, his blog is full of useful advice and warnings about scams. If you've been unfairly treated by the travel industry and don't know where to turn, Elliott is probably your knight in shining armor.

One post I found of particular interest is about rental car scams, car rental companies are becoming more an more innovative in adding all kinds of hidden fees to their rates. From charging you for a full tank of fuel when the meter isn't exactly on F down to even charging you for the disposal of old tires! Elliott says the best way to avoid these fees is to play the car rental companies at their own game. Read their terms and conditions very carefully, stick to them and argue about any fee that is not disclosed on your rate quote.

This week's travel blog of the week is Old World Wandering London to Shanghai by land. It is written by Claire van den Heever and Iain Manley and follows their journey from London to China through Western Europe, the Middle East, India and South East Asia. The most recent posts follow their progress through India. One recent post describes the not so luxurious journey on a train in third class where although you do get a seat (unlike here in the UK) you do have to sit crossed legged on a luggage rack.

The same post also describes how the local ladies make strong ropes out of coconut fibre by twisting them together before attaching them to a spinning wheel. Another thing that I found really interesting was the way that people get around needing an alcohol license which is apparently a rarity on the island. Beer is served in a teapot to disguise it and if a policeman should come to investigate they are offered an incentive to turn a blind eye.

Another interesting post which is well worth a read describes a ride on the typical Indian bus which the author describes as being "made of metal sheets, generously dented". The bus has no set fare, that must be negotiated with the conductor. It also has no set capacity. This blog contains a wealth of information and stunning pictures. It also includes a useful map that charts their progress so far and shows how far they still have to go.

This weeks Travel Blog of the week is Travel Rants, its editor Darren Cronian was inspired to start this blog after a nightmare booking experience with a high street travel agency. It appears that from then on Travels Rants has grown into a popular destination for travel consumers to rant about their travel experiences and to find advice and guides on traveling.

One article I found particularly interesting was how Travel Agents were responsible for airlines charging such extortionate fees for changing the names on travel tickets.  According to the article Travel Agencies used to buy the tickets cheap when they were first released and hold onto them until near departure when they would greatly increase in value and sell them on at a greater profit.

This week's travel blog of the week is Travel-Junkie.com written by Boris Glumpler. One post that I found interesting is about travelling on a Pelni boat in Indonesia. The experience doesn't sound very pleasant with 50 people sleeping in one room for four days with poor food and smelly toilets and showers. He does, however, point out that travelling on the boat is very cheap and also safe and gives some useful tips on how to survive the experience.

One tip that he gives is to remember to take a large sheet with you that you can use for sleeping and also to wrap yourself in. He also says you should take your own cutlery unless you want to eat with your hands.

Other interesting articles include this picture of a Komodo dragon and a list of his top ten dive spots in South East Asia including what you are likely to see there.

This weeks PC2Paper Travel Blog of the week is City Guide a Community Travel Blog focused on things to see and do worldwide. People are free to promote their own city by submitting articles around several topics such as dining, entertainment, the art, natures and the outdoors...

The thing I like the most about this blog is the diversity and how many of the articles are accompanied by informative videos and images. One of my favourite articles is about the Chobe National Park in Botswana which contains one of the highest concentrations of wild life on the African continent, the article describes the park in depth and also mentions the famous Victoria Falls and large elephant population the park is so famous for.

This weeks PC2Paper travel log of the week is Stuck In Customs a blog filled with some of the most spectacular photo's taken by its author Trey Ratcliff on his various travels, using a photography technique called HDR of which he provides a tutorial.

One of the most amusing photos is as Trey refers to it "The Kwik-E-Mart in the Backstreets of Beijing" featuring a Chinese equivalent of a 7-11 store.

I heartily recommend a visit to this blog just  to browse through the stunning photographs, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. 

This week's travel blog of the week is Corporate American Runaway by Sherry. She has been travelling around the world since the 8th of October 2006 after deciding to quit her job and take some time out. The blog starts with Sherry setting out on her journey bound for Kenya and details all the anxiety that comes before setting off on an adventure. It then charts her travels through Zanzibar, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Greece and Italy, to name just a few of the places she has been to date. The most recent entries are about her time in India but this blog has so much content that it is really worth reading through the older posts if you are new to it.

One of my favourite entries talks about her mission to find some goats in trees in Morocco. Having heard stories of these tree climbing goats Sherry was determined to track some down and get some pictures. After a long taxi ride and much searching she is rewarded by seeing a group of goats that climb into the trees and hop from branch to branch looking for food.

Another interesting article is about her visit to The International Toilet Museum in India. She describes it as "toilet heaven" and finds that rather than being simply a museum full of toilets it is also part of a programme to provide sanitation solutions for India. The work they do includes building public toilets and educating people on the importance of sanitation. It does also have a number of toilets including toilets through history, royal toilets and even toilets disguised as chairs. This is probably one of the most obscure but nevertheless interesting posts I have read recently.

My favourite post on this blog is about driving in India. Sherry has lots of useful tips on driving in India such as "NEVER try to drive yourself in India. it's suicide". She talks about how the system of lanes works. Basically there are three lanes painted on the road but there is enough room on the road for five lanes with an inch of space between vehicles, so it's ok to pretty much drive anywhere you want. She also notices that the horn is very important when driving in India. According to Sherry the steering wheel is the most important equipment in the car, followed by the horn. It is generally used for changing lanes near trucks. The trucks have no side mirrors so it's the responsible of other drivers to honk their horn to signify they are there, otherwise they get hit. Another interesting point about Indian driving is that stop lights are optional. Once again the horn plays an important function here, simply speed through the intersection, ignoring the red light, honking the horn to announce your presence. This article is well worth reading all the way through for its tips on buses and crossing the street, truly brilliant.

This weeks travel blog of the week is The Ecua Traveler, its goal is to provide as much information as possible for tourists travelling to Ecuador by providing information such as hidden costs, things to watch out for, scams, common problems etc...

One of the articles I enjoyed was 30 Surefire Ways to Stretch your Travel Dollar, which covers 30 points to help back packers stretch their travel budgets with tips such as hooking up with other travellers to get group discounts and making friends with the locals who can also give good advice on saving money.

Another article I can relate to to is 5 Tips for Travelling in Large Groups, I have always found travelling in large groups (while safer) can also be cumbersome especially when it comes to making decisions. This article gives you some good tips on how to make it work out.

This week's travel blog is The New Hampshire Bushman in Taiwan. Every so often we come across something really special and this blog is one of those rare gems. It is written by M J Klein and details his adventures in Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Laos, China and Borneo.

This blog is full of interesting articles; one of the more striking photographs is of two Thai men that dressed up as ladyboys or Kratoey. Another really interesting article looks at the Hukou Monday Night Market and details what you can find there. It appears there is something for everyone, from games and rides for the children to clothing stalls and fabrics. There is even a stall that sells illegal DVDs but because they are illegal it is untended and relies on customers to put money in a pink receptacle. M J Klein, quite rightly points out the irony of using an "honour system" to sell illegally copied DVD's.

M J Klein also posts a lot of entries about cooking outside and in particular on grills. One in particular shows Shao-hui's Thai marinade and the various stages of cooking what looks like wonderful food. This picture showing a pair of freshly killed pigeons looks just wonderful.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Rambling Traveler, I've been visiting this blog quite regularly and have finally got around to giving it the worthy mention it deserves. Stacy the blogs author, has a lovely bogging style featuring the various places she has visited and always with such stunning pictures.

The article I enjoyed the most was God's Child Project, the article explains how Stacy and 5 friends joined a task group to help and learn about the poor in Guatemala. The goal of the organisation is to help families out of poverty by helping the children to stay in school instead of them working to help support their families. They use incentives such as school supplies, food, medical care etc. 

This weeks travel blog is My Several Worlds A global mind in Asia. The blog is about the experiences of Carrie Marshall and her fiancé and their experiences in Asia. The couple are currently living and teaching in Taipei in Taiwan. One interesting article is a photo journal of Cambodia. The article shows the inhabitants of a small village and shows a number of pictures of the local children and of fishermen bringing home their catch.

 A slightly more humorous article entitled Vehicles of Burden shows some of the overloaded vehicles they have come across crossing from Cambodia into Thailand. Among the photographs are a man driving a motorcycle overloaded with grass and a picture of a dozen people crammed into the back of a truck. They are currently planning a trip to Tokyo, which should make an interesting read judging by all the things on their itinerary.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Travelling Stories Magazine, made up of those interesting travel stories we hear in between destinations or at rest stops from fellow travellers while on our way to our next destination.

Its a brilliant idea and makes a fascinating and at times hilarious read and for that I thank its editor Michael Warren and the many travellers who have contributed to Travelling Stories Magazine.

One of my favourite articles is Things My Father Told Me to Never Tell My Mother, it's a funny tail about all the escapades a young man and his father got up to while growing up. From fishing trips to drunken brawls in bars and the unspoken bond of silence never to tell his mother what they got up to.

This week's travel blog is travelhappy written by Chris Mitchell a British travel writer based in Bangkok. One of his more entertaining articles is about what he calls "Engrish", for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term; it's the way that the English language can get somewhat mangled in Bangkok.
He points out some humorous signs in "Engrish" as well as some really entertaining T-shirts, some of which are a little rude to mention so we decided to highlight the Arrogant and Bear pencil case instead, pictured below.

 Another really interesting article is a video showing swimming with sharks. The video was shot in South Australia with a Canon IXUS camera, and although the clips are short, it is fascinating to see shots of these amazing creatures so close. The videos feature Great White Sharks. For the safety of the diver the video is shot from within a shark cage. In the first video the shark passes within touching distance to the diver and in the second we see a shark approaching tuna fish bait and the amazing speed at which the shark can strike out of nowhere.

The Cheap Family Vacation Planner is as the name suggests a family orientated blog filled with tips and advice for parents taking their little kids or teens on holiday. As I have experienced when going on holiday with friends who have children, that its a bit akin to mobilising a small army. The blog offers tips on how to keep kids occupied on long car journeys, what to pack, how to be safe and suitable holiday destinations.

The one thing I like about this blog is that it shows that family holidays don't have to just be about amusement parks and sea side resorts but can also be as exotic as ancient Mayan cities.

One of the most amusing articles is Six Unavoidable Items to Pack While We Go, Do You Dare? which lists duct tape of all things as an essential item to pack. However I strongly agree with taking a portable door lock with you especially when staying in a place you have never been before.

This week's travel blog is A Month in Venice by Richard Callaby. As the title suggests the blog charts his trip to Venice and aims to provide useful information for people thinking of visiting Italy. Some useful articles include where to get the best slice of pizza in Venice and some tips about which hotels to stay in.

There is also a useful article about getting internet access in Italy which I find is a necessity when I go away. Richard points out that many hotels in Italy do not have wireless access in the rooms. He does, however, provide some useful information on how to find the nearest free wifi connection.

Another useful article talks about how to set up a portable office. Richard talks about how to set up a free email account, setting up a portable fax service and also using a mail forwarding service such as UPS. One thing he might not be aware of here, is that PC2Paper offer an online mailbox where any letters sent are scanned in and made available to read online. This service is often much faster than mail forwarding. Richard also talks about how to set up a VOIP service, although points out that this does rely on having an internet connection so can be subject to problems in Italy.

This weeks PC2Paper travel blog of the week is "My lifechanging journey", the blog covers the unusual and fascinating journey of Liani and Maria and their two Jack Russell's Katryn and Dante through South Africa from St.Lucia to Cape Town (one of their first journeys).

It's a long journey especially when done by bicycle with baskets fixed to the front for their little Jack Russell's to accompany them.

The thing I found the most fascinating about their journey is how they never encountered any of the dangers you usually associate with South Africa these days. This blog instead exposes the natural beauty and friendliness of South Africa.

There has been a big emphasis in the news recently about reducing your carbon footprint and as we all know, travelling causes a great deal of carbon emissions. This week's travel blog is Great Green Travel. The blog is aimed at the environmentally conscious traveller and concentrates on eco-friendly destinations.

One really interesting way of being green whilst travelling is to spend a week working with the US Forest Service. For only $395 which includes all your meals you can work with them to help improve eroded forest trails by clearing brush to help prevent fires.

Another article looks at volunteer programs where you can spend your time helping important projects such as working with people affected by HIV or teaching English in a school. Other articles concentrate on green accommodation such as hotels that have been awarded the Green Globe award for being environmentally friendly.

This weeks travel blog is Joy Of Camping by Myrtha Chang, the site is a treasure trove of information for camping in the 21st century.

One of my favorite articles is Foil Cooking Recipes, the article explains how to cook a whole list of items using nothing more than the trusty old campfire and aluminum foil. And if you feel like desert after all of that, there's even a video on how to prepare foil-wrapped deserts on the campfire!

Another favorite article is Bee Stings at Camp, it shows you how to avoid being stung and what to do when you are.

If you plan on camping any time soon this site is a must!

This week's travel blog is gobudgettravel.com. This blog is a mine of useful information for backpackers and those travelling on a tight budget. One article I found particularly interesting on this blog was The 5 Fundamentals of Budget Travel in the Developing World.

The article looks at regions such as Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America which are much cheaper to visit than Europe or North America. The downside as this article points out is that there are few guidebooks to help someone who is planning to travel the less chartered countries.

The article has five important tips for travellers planning to visit developing countries. The first tip is that if you book with a local company rather than a tour operator you can not only support local businesses but also pay about half what a tour operator would charge you for the same deal. Other valuable tips include eating the local food which surprisingly can make a real difference to your holiday spend and taking advice from the locals about how best to travel once you are there can also mean you can save you hard earned cash.

Our travel blog this week is Brave New Traveler, launched in 2006 it includes original and entertaining articles written by the authors and contributors. They focus on topics such as green travel, photography, writing, politics and culture instead of the destination style articles popular on travel blogs.

The article I found the most entertaining was "What's The Worst Thing That's Attacked You?" while scorpion bites can be serious (depending on the type of Scorpion that bites you) our writers bite was not that serious although painful and on his honeymoon! Even after being bitten he asked his wife to take a picture of the culprit for this article!

I've been in some pretty bad places myself when traveling and one of the things I can never get used to is spiders and scorpions. As long as they stay out of my tent, sleeping bag or bungalow I'm happy!

If you are worried about scorpion stings take a look at this informative article on Wikipedia, remember not all scorpions are poisonous but you should seek advice as soon as possible if you are stung.

This weeks PC2Paper Travel Blog Of the week is Food and City and was referred to us by one of our users. As soon as I entered this site I immediately liked it, Food and City is about food and unique experiences the first article I saw on the blog was precisely that!

The article Real Men Eat Tartar Steak was a concept I had a hard time getting used to. For those not in the know, Tartar Stake is effectively raw steak and if that wasn't enough for you it's topped with a raw egg! The article goes on to explain the fascinating history behind this dish and where it originated from and how honored the author was to be served this delicacy. There are also some tips if you are looking forward to trying it yourself, such as only going for the best quality meat to avoid bacteria.

This blog is sure to provide years of interesting culinary experiences from around the world, leaving you eagerly awaiting what other unusual experiences will be blogged about next.

This weeks travel blog of the week is Nomad4Ever. There are certain sites out there that immediately give you the impression that they've been around for a while and are a constant source of good reading to many readers. Nomad4Ever is one of these sites. Its author, who quit his job as Director of a company decided to follow a nomadic life style backpacking in Asia. His moto "Life is what you make of it!" and "What are you waiting for?" sums it up nicely.

One of his blog entries I found interesting was Is a Nomadic Lifestyle for you?  It goes over all the luxury and digital assets you would usually have to give up when taking on this life style. Funny enough one of the things even nomads can't seem to do without is the good old trusty laptop. Mine's battered and covered in stickers from my past travels, I use it usually to reply and compose emails to friends and family and then send them when I am next able to get a WiFi connection or use GPRS.

This article made me reminisce on how when you're out and about back packing you don't really worry about fashion and gadgets, its all about taking what you need, trying to travel light and having a good time enjoying life's natural beauty.

One of the articles on his site I found of particular interest was Avoiding the Shower Menace: Tips For Travelers not Inmates, the article talks about a particular travel menace I am only too familiar with ELECTRICS! Yes out of all the dangers in the travel books this one is not given the attention it deserves, too many times have I stopped at some out of the way hostel or local low cost hotel and almost suffered serious injury from the rather dodgy wiring on the so called power shower! Nathan offers some good advice here, I in particular don't go near any electrical's that don't look safe and try to avoid places like this. In my earlier years back packing I didn't have that option and many of us sometimes don't when we find ourselves in a new city in the middle of the night.

Many of our readers (primarily the backpackers among you) may have heard of Nathan before in travel magazines such as BudgetTravelOnline, Travelmag and BackPackers.com.