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The Friday Five: Awesome Travel Blog Posts: April 29, 2011

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:

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Addressing Racial Segregation at Carnival in Brazil

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that racial segregation is something that happens around the world, particularly with the histories that certain nations like the U.S. have. Heck even traveling in Asia it’s not hard to notice that the political and royal elite almost always have a lighter skin tone than many of the people in their respective countries! Brendan of Brendan’s Adventures encountered racial segregation first hand at Brazil’s famous Carnival, which he describes in this fascinating post.

Does the Government Not Want Us to Travel?

Lately, the U.S. State Department has been considering implementing some drastic new reporting requirements for new passport applicants, which include having to report ridiculous amounts of history, such as your entire employmnet and housing history as well as intimate details about your parents. The kicker is that this requirement only applies to some applicants. Amanda from A Dangerous Business has more on this frightening subject.

Ethics of Tourism: Mines of Potosi Bolivia

Tourism is a double edged sword. On one hand, it brings an area great economic development and perhaps a bit of cultural exchange, but on the other, it can seriously destroy the local culture as tourists begin to demand more and more resources that cater to their liking (Laos’ Vang Vieng, anyone?). As travelers, you encounter the ethics of tourism all the time which require you to make difficult choices, just as Jason and Aracely of 2 Backpackers did when the opportunity to tour a mine in Bolivia came up.

Friendship in the Time of Twitter

I can’t even begin to describe just how Twitter changed my life. There is such a strong travel community and I have met some truly wonderful individuals through there (and can’t wait to meet many more at the TBEX conference in Vancouver this June)! But I’ve still noticed that there’s still a bit of a lingering social stigma about Twitter amongst some of my “real life” friends. Ali from Ali’s Adventures navigates the fascinating world of Tweetups (meetups with folks from Twitter) in this post.

Steve From Seattle Serves Me Starbucks in Patagonia

There’s something about meeting people while traveling, particularly alone that makes folks so incredibly hospitable and friendly. Janice from Solo Traveler had one of those fantastic encounters when she met Steve from Seattle at an abandoned coffee shop at the end of the Earth…Patagonia. Though they couldn’t buy any coffee, Steve, being from Seattle came prepared with Starbucks (of course) and shared a cup of coffee with a complete stranger! What a wonderful experience!

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!

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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

10 replies on “The Friday Five: Awesome Travel Blog Posts: April 29, 2011”

My pleasure Brendan. It’s always refreshing to see travel blog posts that delve into issues that different countries have rather than just talking them up all the time!

Hi Aaron, Thanks so much for including my post about Steve from Seattle. It was such a great moment I just had to share. Now I appreciate you doing the same.

Cheers!
Janice

My pleasure Janice! It’s always nice to hear about the generosity of fellow traveles!

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