Blog Reviews by Bloggeries » Travel

Everything Everywhere Travel Blog Review

chrissie — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:19:32 +0000

We all have an inkling to travel somewhere within us, even if it just means we want to simply getaway from the everyday if only for a few minutes, hours, days, weeks, what have you. The blog we are looking at today is going to allow you to live your travel dreams vicariously through the blog. The blog is called the Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. For those that love to travel for the sheer enjoyment of seeing places all around the world, this blogger is living the dream. The blogger is Gary Arndt and has been traveling, and blogging around the world since March 2007. In his journeys, as you will see on the header, Gary has traveled for 12 months, visited 34 countries, traveled 92,000 kilometers, and is currently blogging out of Australia. As you read the blog, you will find out more interesting information about Gary, such as, how many times he’s crossed the International Date line, or how many times his travels have taken him across the equator. If you would like to live vicariously through this dream travel blog, have a look at any of Gary’s recent bloggeries: Daily Travel Photo – Puerto Princessa, Palawan, Phillippines; Tasmania: Australian for Cold; Daily Travel Photo – Tokyo, Japan; Off to Tas!; Daily Travel Photo – Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia; Mungo National Park; Daily Travel Photo – Savai’I, Samoa; and My Walk up the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

The blog is very cleanly laid out which makes it very easy to navigate. The blog is divided into window box menus that separate the blog items from each other in a clean organized manner. When you load the blog before the boxes appear, you will be greeted with a lovely background of a mountain and rainbow scene. Bloggeries are left marginalized and the blog has a right-sided navigation bar. Bloggeries are in white text on black background, and links are highlighted in a bright blue. In the right navigation bar you will find a ‘Follow Me’ subscription button that is followed by different places online that you can find the blogger (like Flickr, facebook, etc.) You will then find here a Pages Menu with links for the About page, Airport Codes, FAQ, Contact info, Travel Blog Directory, Travel Gear, and Travel Map. Also in the right navigation bar is a travel scorecard, Upcoming Locations, Blog Calendar, Recent Comments Menu, Archives Menu, and widgets where you can join this bloggers online communities at MyBlogLog.

Overall I give this blog a 5/5, as it is excellently presented on all blog scoring criteria. The blog appearance is clean and organized with relevant pictures associated with each bloggery. This makes the blog very easy to navigate as well. The blog has well written content in a reader friendly tone that gives the blogger’s travel memoirs a lovely personal voice that takes you into the heart of each location he visits. The blog is also updated very frequently on a daily basis which is keeping this blogger’s readership nice and healthy. If you love to travel, or just want to, this blog overall is an excellent read and would be appreciated by everyone from the novice to seasoned traveler.

-Chrissie

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Asia Travel Blog – Review

chrissie — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:16:59 +0000

If you are at all looking to travel the Eastern Hemisphere then you should take a moment to check out a professional looking Asia travel blog. The blog is a blog that operates under the business of Asiahotels.com which is a leading Asian accommodations reservations site. As a reservations network from Asia, you will find it very comprehensive as it offers blogging with a personal voice, yet access to destination guides, travelers tales and guest reviews. Have a look at any of the recent bloggeries to see what I am referring to: Beautiful Sceneries in Japan, Pho King Strange Shirts, Top Noosa Holiday Accommodation, Typical Asian Photo Poses, How to Take Photos in Beijing China, Environmentally Friendly 5 Star Hotel in Beijing, How to Overcome Con Artists in Asia, The Three Most Luxurious Airlines, Best Beaches in Asia, and Ten Things to Do if you are Trapped on an Island.

Navigation on the blog is very easy, and very straightforward. The blog has a well-organized template and a clean layout and design. Bloggeries are black text on white background and the blog has yellow bordering with yellow accents on the menu titles. Bloggeries are centralized and there is both a left and right navigation bar. In the left navigation bar you will find the categories menu, recent posts menu, and the About page. In the Right navigation bar, you will find Hotel Club Blog information, and ‘On the Go’ menu, and an ‘Accom Blog’ menu. The categories menu also is very comprehensive, and for the Asian traveler contains all of the vital information – Airlines, Asia, Australia, Beaches, Japan, Things to Do, Vietnam, and much more. Most of the bloggeries also contain relevant pictures which adds to the overall design and aesthetic appeal of the blog. I took some time to visit a few travel guides and found the guide to Taj Mahal very informative.

This blog is definitely raising the bar for other travel blogs in terms of almost all other criteria we score on here. For this reason I am giving it a 4.5/5. The blog scores perfectly on almost all accounts – Navigation, Appearance, Uniqueness, and Content. The blog is designed with a very professional appeal, and this gives it much credibility to its readers which are obviously the travelers demographic. This lends well to the success of the blog given that travelers looking for information are always looking for credible sources. The pictures and the professional but good personal voice in the blog serve this purpose well for Asia Hotels. The only thing I would suggest is more frequent activity and this is the only section where Asia Hotels lost points. Currently bloggeries are coming in every other day, but I am seeing periods where the posts lapse with a couple of weeks in between. The blog would definitely get more traffic with daily updating and thus, be an even bigger success than it clearly already is. Otherwise however, I am taking a mental note of this one should I ever see the opportunity to Go East.

-Chrissie

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Trendy Palermo Viejo – Blog Review

chrissie — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:23:55 +0000

If you like reading international blogs, then you will really find this one unique in its own right. The blog is called Trendy Palermo Viejo. The author of the blog is Nancy, previously known as Dalila, and she lives and works in Palermo, Buernos Aires, Argentina. The blog is unique in its own right in that it is the first trilingual blog about shops, restaurants, hotels, places, and events of Palermo Viejo which happens to be the trendiest neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argetina. She writes the Trendy Palermo Viejo blog because well, trends happen too fast for print so she brings it all to you in three beautiful languages. You can check out any of her recent posts to get a true taste for this trilingual niche: Casa FOA 2007, Today is the World Lymphoma Awareness Day, New Business by Celebrities in PV, Photos by Nancy Kulfas Sept. 11, Jewish Music and Tradition in Palermo, More changes in the neighborhood, Photos from a Neighbor in Buenos Aires Argentina.

The blog is very easy to navigate. Posts are right marginalized and are black text on neutral background with faint pastel polka dots adding just the right amount of color to the background. A few posts have relevant pictures or videos attached, and all posts are written in three distinct languages. I am NOT trilingual so I am not 100% certain what the other two, besides English are, so to prevent errors I will not venture to guess. You will just have to check it out yourself! In the left navigation bar you will find the about page; archives menu going back to 2006; advertising; flickr album; menus for shopping, eating, walking, lodging; map of argentina; blogroll, recent readers widget; and a scrolling menu for recent news in the area. Each post does have labels attached to it, but there is no current categories menu despite the fact that there is space in the navigation system dedicated to a categories section.

I give this one a 4/5 overall, and I think that the activity is hurting the mark the most. Currently the blog is updated every few days to a week at times and the blog would probably score better if there was daily content. I also think the lack of a categories section in a blog of this niche is affecting the mark a little bit. With so many elements to this blog – dining, shopping, etc, this blog would do very well with a categories menu to aid in navigation. The content scores are very good as this blog offers a trilingual approach in absolutely every element to the blog which must be very challenging at times. I find this trilingual effect adds to the uniqueness of both the blog and its niche as well. The readership clearly enjoys this blog which is evidenced by its regular comments and active email feed of 89 readers. I don’t think it would hurt the blogger to add some AdSense or other advertising to the blog to take advantage of this healthy readership and monetize the blog a little more. Overall however, this was a very pleasant and interesting read and I recommend it to anyone that has an interest in international affairs.

-Chrissie

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Vacationing with Kids Blog – Review

chrissie — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:12:16 +0000

Well even though summer is over, it is never too late to start planning that next vacation, particularly when you add a brew of children to the mix. If you have ever wondered how to plan that perfect family vacation, you may want to check out the Vacationing with Kids blog. Here you will meet Joanne, the author of this blog, who loves to travel with her family but notes that traveling with children presents its own set of challenges. The blog discusses affordable family vacation spots, how to deal with it when one of the brew gets ill, vacation safety, and much more. The blog also has a very personal tone to it so you will get to know Joanne and her family a little bit more, even when they are not in vacation mode. To get some new vacation ideas, check out any of Joanne’s recent bloggeries: Pot Luck, School, Wild Girls, Slumber Party Time, Busy Times, Summer’s Almost Over Bash, My Feet!, Our Pool, Fun Inexpenseive Outings, Almost School Time, and Going to School.

The blog is very easy to navigate, bloggeries are right marginalized and there is a very handy left navigation system. Posts are black text on grayish blue background and links are highlighted in orange. In the left navigation system you will find the about page, family blog link, subscription links, archives going back to November 2006, links menu, business links menu, recommended reading and an extensive categories menu. The categories menu contains all sorts of great vacation ideas such as Affordable Vacations, Disney Planning, Family Vacation Ideas, Food for Vacation, Horseback Riding Fun, MUST HAVE TIPS, Sick Kids on Vacation, Ski Vacation Fun, and Vacation Safety. I don’t see any pictures associated with the bloggeries, and it would be my first recommendation. Otherwise however you will find navigation extremely simple with this blog.

I will go with a 3/5 for this blog. I think the blog needs some ‘oomph’ when it comes to appearance issues. For a vacation blog I think pictures would really appeal to the readership and give more voice to the places Joanne writes about. I also think the AdSense should be incorporated a little differently as seeing it in the middle of some posts is extremely distracting. The blog scores well on content however, the true personal voice to the writing style is definitely appealing in this kind of blog. I also think the niche is unique enough to appeal to a wide demographic – parents! Activity scores are a little low with posts coming in every few days to a week in between, and this blog may fare a little better if it had some new content on a regular basis.

-Chrissie

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Blogging Away in Sosualand aka FANTASYLand – Review

chrissie — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:44:38 +0000

Bloggeries is going to now review a personal blog that is called Blogging Away in Sosualand (FANTASYLand). The author of this blog is known as Escott, and you can find his blog at . Blogger Escott is retired from the real estate business in the United States and is currently enjoying his retirement by the beach on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic in Sosua. His blog discusses real estate, investing, culture, adjusting to it, travel, and women. In his spare time during his retirement, he opened a restaurant and bar. The description of his blog is that of “wild times of an American living, investing, and playing a third world country where the electric sometimes works, the women are hot, and there is money to be made!”. You can get to know Escott and the Dominican a little bit better through any of his recent bloggeries: Herbert and my favorite sister in Cabrera, My favorite Sister, Cleaning up my computer, Where the River meets the Ocean, Dominican Style Sunday at the River with the sisters and family, and My New Digs and My New Neighbors.

You will find navigation on Escott’s blog very simple. Bloggeries are right marginalized with posts being blue text on a gray background on one of the blogspot themes. There is a left navigation system that contains some AdSense, an “Areas of the DR that I Love” menu, archives menu with recent posts containing direct links, and links to other aread that Escott is involved with. Each post also contains a myriad of relevant pictures that add to the element of the personal voice in the blog. The blog is very obviously a personal one, and the blogger connects with his readers by adding pictoral representations of every aspect of his life. The reader also has the opportunity to get to know the blogger well through the diverse topic range included in the blog. I don’t see a categories menu in the blog, and given the wide range of topics it includes, it may benefit from one.

I will go with a 3.3/5 on this blog. The blog scores average marks on just about every count. There is nothing wrong with the blog per se, but a few tweaks here and there may make the difference between an average and a great personal blog. The first suggestion would be that the AdSense at the top of the left navigation system be moved a little farther down as the advertising tends to distract from the meat of the blog. Appearance scores are average and the blog does well in the uniqueness category. Activity could use some work as currently the blogging is not very frequent and right now ranges from every couple of days to a week or two in between postings. I also think the content is well done and offers and excellent personal voice to the blog, but there seems to be an excessive use of exclamation points. Overall however, I think this is a fun personal blog that if nothing else, made me want to take a vacation!

- Chrissie

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Almost Urban: Canadian Student Living in South Korea

chrissie — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:26:52 +0000

Today we are going to look at a personal blog that chronicles the life of a Canadian student studying in South Korea. Have a look at Almost Urban: Canadian Student Living in South Korea at where you will not only get to meet Henry Finn, but learn a little bit about South Korean culture as you read his personal blog. Henry Finn is a third-year or junior student from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada who majors in economics and minors in East Asian studies. He is currently on exchange with Soon Chun Hyang University in Asan, South Korea. Henry intends on not just blogging about his experiences, but will be publishing his blog through Blurb to make a book that chronicles his life as an exchange student. Henry’s blog contains a little bit of everything, and you can get a true taste for his experiences from some of the most recent bloggeries: City Hall Hip-Hop/Pop Concert in Seoul Video Collection, McDonald’s McCafe Drinks Menu in Hong Kong, Myanmar Embassy in Seoul, Hotel Reservations Online, TVNGEL Girls on the KTX High Speed Train, Haeundae Beach in Pusan, Night out in Pusan, Short Trip to Daegu, English Paradise Camp Talent Show Finalists, and Car Angel Christian Charity.

You will find navigation on this blog very simple. Posts are left marginalized with black text on white background and links highlighted in a bright blue color. Many of the bloggeries come with relevant pictures appropriate to the post. In the right navigation bar you will find Henry Finn’s profile page, subscription links, an About Page, Recent Posts Menu, and various menus for travel or favorite links. You will also find archives dating back to when Henry first became an exchange student in June 2006, as well as a blidget for one of his companion blogs the Hallyu Technology Blog that contains quality Korean technology news. I did not see a categories menu in this blog, though I do note there are some labels attached to each post.

I will give this blog a 3.4/5 It is a fairly straightforward personal blog, but it could use some readership. I think the niche is interesting enough that it could attract a healthy following which would enhance its chances of publication if it went into a book. The navigation and appearance scores are standard which is typical for a personal journal style blog. The content was well written and would get additional points if the posting was done on a daily basis. Overall I found this to be a very interesting read and think others will as well. I think discovering those little things about other cultures are just fascinating and I know I am not alone in that thought process. I definitely give this blog a thumbs up to anyone that is considering a trip to South Korea.

-Chrissie

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Exit 153 Holdingford Today – Blog Review

chrissie — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:13:11 +0000

It is always fun to have a look at what other towns are doing and how their cultures are as unique as the individuals that contain them. The blog located at is worthy of a look for just this purpose. This blog is called Exit 153 Holdingford Today and is written by one of the town’s councilmen Mike Odden. The blog posts updates and activities, news, events, and happenings in and around the town of Holdingford, MN. A look at any of the recent bloggeries will give you a good feel for the little Holdingford, with the most recent post a greeting from the New Emergency Siren in town. The blogger has attached a sound clip that most resembles this siren, and it adds a unique effect to the blog. Other bloggeries you will find interesting are The New Water Fountain, Holdingford Express Region 8C Champion, New Skateboarding Park, Lioness New Park Project, and the Francis Schroden in the National Leadership Conference of Business Professionals of America.

The blog is very easy to navigate and opens up to an unconventional white text on black background which really makes the pictures it offers stand out to the readers. Posts are left marginalized with a right navigation bar. In the right navigation bar you will find the Profile page, archives menu with recent posts available by links, blogroll, AdSense, and a categories menu. If there is something specific you are looking for in regards to Holdingford, you may find it in any of the comprehensive categories offered here: Business, City Project, Education, Event, Fireman, HIP, History, Petals to Pedals Garden Club, and so much more. You will also find that each bloggerie contains relevant pictures attached that add dimension to the blog as well as to the town it features.

I will give this blog a 2.5/5 overall and think with a few tweaks it could really make a presence for its town. The blog does well with appearance and uniqueness scores even given its choice of backgrounds. Sometimes the black background does not work in blogs but here I think it allows for the pictures to stand out and give meaning to the blog. I think if the blogger added the siren to the header, or somewhere as a main facet of the blog instead of simply in one post that it would be a unique addition to the blog. This is just a fun suggestion to add some depth to the blog, and the lack of the siren’s placement on a main section of the blog does not hinder the overall mark in any way. I think this blog loses most of its marks through content, and only because the blog only covers about 1/3 of each month at this point. I think the blogger could add a fun weekly headline, or perhaps a funny citizen story weekly, or even engage the town to submit their own headlines to add content to this blog. For appearance I would also suggest the blogger move the AdSense at the top of the right navigation bar to further down so that the blog ‘meat’ is the first thing the reader views as opposed to advertising. I do like however how effectively the AdSense has been formatted to blend with the background. Overall, I found this to be an interesting read, and I think if promoted well within the town, the blog could sustain a fun and engaged readership.

-Chrissie

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Group Travel Blog – Review

chrissie — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:24:10 +0000

If you are looking for a one-stop shop for all of your travel needs, then you should check out the Group Travel Blog. This blog will connect you directly with group friendly travel companies and provides information about singles group travel, travel tour groups, corporate travel planning, tourism destination marketing, travel planning business, small group adventure travel and so much more. If you think travel might be on your horizon this year, check out any of their recent bloggeries to see if this blog piques your interest: Festival of the West Welcomes Tour Groups, 2008 Carnival Parade – A New Concept for Quebec, Philadelphia Announces Strong Summer Results, Northstar – At Tahoe Resort: New and Noteworthy for 07/08, Peru tourism regains footing after earthquake hits Ica, Redwood Parks Lodge Co. Launches Adventure Tours, Dot Travel or Don’t Dot Travel? The Debate over .travel domain, Group travel to Cleveland – Don’t Miss the Arts and Culture Scene, and Holland America Line Adds Group Cruise Booking Tool.

Navigation on this blog is very straightforward and you will find your way moving through it with ease. Posts are left marginalized with a very standard black text on white background. The blog has an airplane logo as its header and the remainder of the blog is set in primary color accents. One thing I noticed right off the bat with this blog is the well blended AdSense, you barely notice it is there and the ads look like part of the blog, well done! In the right navigation bar you will find subscription information, ads, members login, archive section that you can view by date or by category with links provided, a blog calendar, and a hit counter with over 700 K hits. The right system also includes a handy categories menu with clever icons to represent each category: Cruise Veiws, How do I?, Industry News, International dateline, Just Back From, Marchey Marketing Minute, My Turn, US Bulletin, Link Partners, and What’s Your Niche. What I don’t see in the blog is an about page which might give the blog a little more personal voice and less of a business one, however I don’t think it’s hurting the blog by not having one. I do think a Recent Posts menu would be helpful to the readers in terms of navigation however.

Overall I will give this blog a 3.4/5. The blog scores well on most accounts with activity probably and visual stimulus needing the most attention. Posts are currently fairly regular but at times sporadic. The content itself is interesting and informative, easy to read and user friendly. I also think the simplicity of the blog design works in its favor and gives the blog an overall sense of professionalism which is what I think the bloggers are going for. Navigation is extremely easy in this blog as well, and for those that are seeking travel information through a blog, this blog offers an excellent place to do so.

-Chrissie

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City of Pasedena Guide and Travel Directory – Blog Review

chrissie — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:47:56 +0000

If you are in the Pasadena area and looking for some tips or reviews on local attractions, then you may want to have a look at the City of Pasadena Guide and Travel Blog. The blog is written by David G. Hollstrom Sr. and he offers an inside look at the City of Pasadena as well as some guides and directories for the city. You will find here a wealth of reviews and sources of information on anything there is to know about Pasadena. Have a look at any of his recent bloggeries to see what he wants you to know about Pasadena: The Melting Pot – Pasadena, The Union Cattle Co. – Pasadena, Check Out Colonial Kitchen in San Marino, Check out Tops – Colorado Blbd. – Pasadena, Islands – Pasadena – Foothill Blvd., Houstons – Pasaden, Amy’s Burgers – Pasadena, McMurphy’s Tavern – Pasadena, Lucky Baldwin’s – Pasadena, and Radhika’s Restaurant – Pasadena.

This blog could not be easier to navigate which will make any visitor of Pasadena who stumbles across it very grateful. Bloggeries are left marginalized with standard black text on white background, and headlines and links are highlighted with a nice blue color that accents the blog well. There is a right navigation system that contains a host of information for the prospective Pasadena visitor. This includes a search bar, links list, archives, most recent comments, and a categories menu. The categories menu is extremely comprehensive listing Dining, Entertainment, Events, and numerous other categories. The Dining category is further divided by food types and styles making the visitors blog very easy to navigate. The blog also has a healthy readership as is evidenced by its recent comments menu. I did not see any pictures with the bloggeries, so that would be my first suggestion. This would make the reviews and information that much more appealing to the reader and give a true feel for the specific place the author is blogging about.

I will go with a 3/5 for this one, but mainly because I am seeing some issues with activity. The most recent post was entered on June 22 so more frequent posting would definitely serve the growth of this blog. I also think the comments sections proves the readership would support more frequent posting. Overall the appearance scores are good, the look of the blog is very clean and aesthetically appealing but would definitely benefit from some pictures. The content is excellently written with reviews coming from a personal voice that gives the experience credibility. They are also concise enough down to the ripeness of a strawberry which gives the reader a true essence of the experience. I also might suggest the author monetize this blog a little once the posting becomes more active. Again, the readership is healthy enough to support this and I think with these few changes this could very well be a successful blog and a spectacular resource for visitors to Pasadena.

- Chrissie

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Paradise Philippines – Blog Review

chrissie — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:05:07 +0000

Here is another blog that will have you counting down the days to your next vacation, it is Paradise Philippines. This blog you will find to be an informational resource about the Pearl of the Orient of Asia known as the Republic of the Philippines. The blogger clearly shows the significance of the meaning of the word Paradise in terms of this native country by referring to the paradise of not only the beauty of the environment, but also of the people as well. The blogger is using Paradise Phililppines as a resource for places to visit or stay, information on schools and transportation, as well as dining and vacation get-aways information. The blogger hopes to show you the best of what the Philippines has to offer which you can see through any of the recent bloggeries: Travel to Cebu, Ilocos Norte, Philippine Fiesta, Philippine Travel Guide, Doing Business in the Philippines, Wowowee, Metro Manila Guide, Offshore Retirement – Philippines, and Online Marketing.

The site is very easy to navigate and contains a wealth of information and navigation systems that will make your stay in Paradise Philippines very pleasant. Bloggeries are black text on white background with links highlighted in blue. There is a very simple grey and black geometric print header that contains the blog title. You will find posts right marginalized with a left navigation bar, and you will also find a top navigation bar as well. In the top bar are the links to Home, About, Advertisements, Contact Us, Photo Gallery, Places of Interest, Services, and the Sitemap. In the left navigation system you find a Recent Posts Menu, Blogroll, Archives, and Categories Menu that contains everything on Philippine life that you will want to know. You will find links there to Business, Entertainment, Government, News, Recreation, Society, Events, and so much more.

I will go with a 3 for this blog but think with a few minor changes it could do very well. The blog scores well for navigation and uniqueness criteria but needs some work with content and appearance. I think the blog would benefit from some pictures associated with every post, just to add additional appeal to the bloggeries. The blog does have pictures on most posts from what I can tell, but the bloggeries are fairly lengthy and pictures would break up the blog posts a little bit more and sustain the readers interest for longer periods. The blog is currently updated at about a rate from every couple of days to every couple of weeks and could use some more frequent posting. A suggestion to combat this would be to break down the longer posts into smaller posts and spread them out over a few days. Overall however, this blog provides exactly what it intends to and would be an excellent resource for anyone researching the Philippines.

-Chrissie

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