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Digital “Roads Scholarship”: Win a trip across North America

Here’s a competition to the liking of all you wannabe vagabonds out there…The “Roads Scholarship“ from Digital Vagabonding.com.  Enter and win, and you could be travelling the byways of North America this summer, on someone else’s dime.

In the hopes of “sav(ing) a few talented souls from our culture of consumerism and set(ting) them free on the open road”, Digital Vagabonding will be offering one lucky (worthy) entrant the chance to go on a 3-month long “crash course in vagabonding America”.

Here’s what the winner will scoop:

The winner will be paid a stipend of $1,200 a month to travel North America this summer (June through September of 2009) and share their travel articles and photo essays on Digital Vagabonding.com and on two of the world’s most robust and soulful travel communities – Matador Travel and Travellerspoint Travel Community.

The winner will also get a ticket to the Burning Man Festival, which is held during the first week of September in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Two runner up winners will also get free tickets to this ultimate vagabonding event.

So, if you have the “wanderlust to drive into the unknown and the talent to write and photograph it” get your act in gear and apply for the Roads Scholarship before the closing date of May 15th of 2009.

Applicants must be 18 years or older and have a valid drivers license.  To find out more, visit www.digitalvagabonding.com.

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel News, Travel Writing | 2 Comments »

You Love Your Travel Blog (But Does Anyone Else Read It?)

So, are you one of those travellers who lovingly and enthusiastically updates your travel blog with all the latest tidbits from your adventures… where you are, what you’re doing, your contemplations and general (totally profound, dude) thoughts on a place.

You think it’s the bee’s knees, metaphorically speaking, but would anyone else agree (ie is anyone else actually reading the thing…other than dutiful family members, that is)?

If you’re not getting the thousands of avid readers you were hoping for (and counting on to help keep you on the road indefinitely), you might have to consider that, actually, your travel blog sucks and you need to make some changes (or give up entirely).

So, take a deep breath and then dive into Chris Mohney’s take on ‘10 Reasons Why Your Travel Blog Sucks‘. And then, try, try again.

(Photo: retro traveler/flickr)

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Cheap hostels – find and book your hostel online at special discounted rates
Airtreks Travel Planner – plan your round the world trip with Airtreks
Backpackers Travel Gear – backpacks and other travel gear
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in Cool Travel Blogs, General Travel, Travel Writing | 2 Comments »

Could You Be The World’s Next Great Travel Writer?

Have writing skills? Want to become a travel writer? Well, if you’re a student in North America, a good place to get noticed might just be National Geographic Traveler’s Next Great Travel Writer contest.

We’re asking students all over North America to send us a 300-word essay on a travel experience that moved you, excited you or changed you. The author of the winning essay will travel on assignment to Mongolia with National Geographic Traveler’s Editor-in-Chief Keith Bellows, courtesy of Travcoa. Even better, the winner will have his/her story published on the National Geographic Traveler website.

Get your entry in by 31 December 2007.

(via)

Related entries:
Could Writing About Your Travels End Up Paying For Them?
‘Traveling Light’: Rolf Potts And The Art Of Independent Travel
Perceptive Travel: The Best Travel Stories From Authors On The Move

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – find and book your hostel online at special discounted rates
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in General Travel, Travel Writing | No Comments »

BNT’s ‘Travel Stories’: Your Weekly Fix Of The Best Travel Writing On The Web

The folks over at Brave New Traveler have just started a new weekly column featuring ‘the best inspirational travel writing on the web’.

As Tim Patterson comments, ‘We all love a great travel story, but the truth is that truly inspiring and entertaining reads are few and far between. And who has the time to search out the diamonds in the rough?’

Who indeed.

Certainly not backpackers who’re off on the road, saving their internet hours for keeping in touch with friends, foes and family and making travel arrangements…

But with BNT’s travel stories column even the busiest backpackers can get a quick fix of great travel writing, without having to spend too much time finding it. Nice.

Related entries:
Could Writing About Your Travels End Up Paying For Them?
‘Traveling Light’: Rolf Potts And The Art Of Independent Travel
Perceptive Travel: The Best Travel Stories From Authors On The Move

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – find and book your hostel online at special discounted rates
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in General Travel, Travel News, Travel Writing | No Comments »

Could Writing About Your Travels End Up Paying For Them?

If any of you backpackers out there have ever fantasised about making money by writing about your travels (who wouldn’t!), do yourself a favour and take a look at this article.

Written by Chris Mitchell, author of Thailand and South-East Asia Guide, Travelhappy.info, the article gives backpackers great ideas on how to get a travel blog going and, importantly, how to get it to start making money whilst you’re on the trot.

If that gets you going, then get stuck into some more travel-writing tips from these guys:

• ‘5 Ways To Craft Brilliant Travel Blog Headlines’ – Brave New Traveler
• ‘So You Want To Be A Travel Writer?’ – GoBackpacking.com
• Advice For The Aspiring Travel Journalist – Vagablogging.net
• ‘Making An Impression Within Travel’ – TravelRants.com
• ‘To Write or Not to Write: Keeping a Journal’ – InMyAllStars.com
• ‘Tips on keeping a journal’ – Kahunna.net

Excellent articles all.

(Photo by retro traveller)

Posted in Cool Travel Blogs, General Travel, Travel Tools, Travel Writing | 1 Comment »

‘Traveling Light’: Rolf Potts And The Art Of Independent Travel

Rolf Potts is a legend in the world of independent travel.

He’s spent twelve years exploring various corners of the world, and writing (very well) about his experiences.

If you aren’t already a Potts junkie like I am, do yourself a favour and get over to ‘Traveling Light’, Pott’s weekly column on Yahoo! News, and you soon will be.

In ‘Traveling Light’, Potts answers travel questions, airs his views on various aspects of independent travel and how it has changed over the years, as well as sharing insights gained from his many years on the road.

If you like what you read (and I’m guessing you will) you’ll soon begin to crave more than just a weekly Potts fix.

It won’t be long before you’re visiting Vagablogging, Pott’s blog, every single day, and checking in on his website to see if there’s anything new.

Such is the nature of Potts Addiction.

Posted in Backpackers Bookmarks, Cool Travel Blogs, Travel Tips & Planning, Travel Writing | 1 Comment »

Perceptive Travel: The Best Travel Stories From Authors On The Move

Perceptive Travel is an online travel magazine showcasing the work of talented travel writers around the world.

Published once every two months, each edition contains travel articles, as well as world music and travel book reviews, written ‘on the whim of the writer, not selected based on what tourism board, publishing company, or hotel chain is spending the most on advertising’.

Perceptive Travel’s latest edition is now available, and contains hilarious tales such as ‘Uses for Dirty Underwear’, by Edward Readicker-Henderson and ‘The Flying Saint’ by Graham Reid.

You may even be inspired to do some travel writing of your own!

Posted in Backpackers Bookmarks, General Travel, Travel Writing | No Comments »