Photo Credit: Maria Reyes-McDavis
Welcome to this week’s installment of The Friday Five, featuring five of my favorite travel blog posts for you to check out! Think of it as a great way to introduce you to some awesome new bloggers who are having some truly incredible adventures! Here are my picks for this week:
The China Challenge: Sally Versus The Middle Kingdom
Remember last week I feautred a post from Sally over at Unbrave Girl about how she was just in love with her first impressions of China, where she just moved for an ESL teaching position? Well, week 2 and she’s done a total 180! And in Sally’s usual excpetional writting style, this is a fantastic follow up post to her previous one, A Love Letter to China: 5 Reasons I have a Crush on My New Home.
How Travel Helps Us Keep Life in Perspective
There’s no doubt that travel can have a profound effect on people’s lives. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone write about that effect as well as Jodi from Legal Nomads, who recounts an incredible story about fighting a fire in a small Burmese town, relating it to how travel keeps her life perspective. Seriously, a fantastic read!
The Origin of Budget Travel: Was Gemelli Careri the Original Backpacker?
Where did backpacking originate? With the Hippie Trail of the 1960’s & 70’s, right? Well…maybe not! Jason from DigiDrift reveals that the very first backpacker may have been this Italian fellow named Gemelli Careri, who set off on a 5 year extensive trip in 1693! Who knew?
5 Things I Learnt About Lao People While in Laos
I love Laos. It is undoubtedly my favorite country in Southeast Asia and one that I long to go back to (a third time…). Sofia and Nathan from As We Travel just wrapped up some time in Laos and have made some wonderful observations about the Lao people!
If I Were a Funny Travel Writer
One of the beautiful things about bloggers, like any writers, is that each has their own unique writing style. Some posts are humorous, others serious and others with a sense of witt. In this funny (yes, funny!) post, Amanda from A Dangerous Business laments her lack of humor in her writing (I happen to disagree, but hey!) in quite a charming fashion!
If you’re a fellow travel blogger and would like to bring one of your posts to my attention, please let me know in the comments below!
11 replies on “The Friday Five: March 11, 2011”
Thanks for the kind words Aaron. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I was reticent to publish it – more personal than the usual! – but I’m glad that I did as the response and the thoughtful comments have really been rewarding. Have a great weekend!
I totally get being hesitatnt to publish a personal post, but those personal moments do make for excellent reads! Really wonderful work!
Thanks for including me again, Aaron. Even though it’s been tough going through this rough patch with China (we still haven’t exactly made up), writing it all down really did help me get through the hard times (if not cure me of the Plague!). 🙂
My pleasure Sally! This post was quite the contrast to your joyous one last week, which is a large part of why I found it to be so brilliant! Hope things start looking up and that you’re feeling better (trust me, having ended up in a Chinese ER, it’s not an experience I’d recommend…).
Hey Aaron, thanks for including my post in this list. Glad you liked it, and it seems that I’m starting to get a bit of discussion going on Marco Polo actually being the original backpacker.
I’m sticking with Gemelli Carerie, but I’m no history buff so I will stand corrected anytime. Also enjoyed Jodi’s post on how travel keeps our lives in perspective.
Thanks Aaron
Wait, so now Marco Polo might have been the original backpacker? I mean, he’s the exlorer guy that we all know from that game you play in a swimming pool as kids…
Hey Aaron! Thanks so much for featuring my post here! I’m really glad you liked it (and even more flattered that you think I’m funny!!).
Haha I definitely got a chuckle out of your post Amanda! You definitely write with a sense of humor! 🙂
Wait, so now Marco Polo might have been the original backpacker? I mean, he’s the exlorer guy that we all know from that game you play in a swimming pool as kids…
BTW, thanks so much for including me in last week’s Friday Five. you rock!!!
My pleasure Charu! Loved your writeup on our experience at the NY Times Travel Show!