Need a little inspiration? Love a good read? Well, we’ve got you covered.
Reading On The Beach
Here’s our roundup of some great travel articles that inspired us to get out and explore:
- Micheal at Time Travel Turtle tells the story of an orangutan named Apollo Bob, the man he grew up with and orangutan conservation efforts in the heart of Borneo.
- Ian Ord of Where Sidewalks End combines an awesome Antarctic adventure with cuddly baby penguins on his trip to Port Lockroy, Antarctica. Adventure and cute baby animals? Count us sold.
- We tried to pick just one post we loved on Nellie Huang and Alberto Molero’s Wild Junket blog, but got so pulled in by stories like floating above the clouds on Mount Emei and watching elephants crossing the Chobi river and driving along the Cape Peninsula in South Africa (more cute penguins!) that we just couldn’t choose one. We’re completely astounded by how two people can fit so much adventure into one life. Don’t they sleep?
- Would you ever hop on a flight to Iran without a visa or plan? Well, Nate at Yomadic‘s done just that, and tells us about his impromptu visit to the home of a surviving veteran of the Iran/Iraq war.
- Myanmar (formerly Burma) is just opening to tourism, and Steve from You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? gives us a in depth tour of the stilt houses on Inle Lake in Myanmar.
- Nothing says adventure like giant bears and remote wilderness. Bret and Mary from Green Global Travel fulfill a life-long dream of visiting the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba and take some amazing photos to boot.
- Alex of Alex in Wanderland is one badass travel blogger. Seriously, scuba diving in Iceland? This is definitely not my kind of scuba. My kind of scuba diving involves a bikini, a tropical beach and an ice cold beer afterward. That said, her scuba diving adventure in Iceland is sure to inspire anyone who’s willing to risk freezing off important appendages.
- If you thought scuba diving in Iceland was extreme, check out Wandering Earl’s encounter with US customs. Now, Earl’s the first to admit the bullet souvenir in his pocket and the Osama bin Laden Kulfa Ball candy may have had something to do with their reaction.
- If all that’s just a little too much excitement, Jeannie of Nomadic Chick weaves a lovely tale of a trip through Paris and Bordeaux. We dare you to read this and not fall in love with France, at least a little.
- Brendan of Brendan’s Adventures takes chilling just a little further, with a story that makes me want to hop on a plane and grab a hammock on the Banana Islands of Sierra Leone.
- And one bonus article … we really, really loved this quirky look at the crumbling monument to insanity that is Aldof Hitler’s Colossus of Rugen by Andy Higgs of Grown-up Travel Guide. The Colossus was a seaside resort planned by Hitler for some 20,000 guests. If built today, it would still be the largest hotel complex in the world.
- OK, OK, we know we said there’d only be ten articles, but this was just too pretty not to include. Looking like they’re lifted straight out of a fairly tale, these great photos of the floating lantern festival in Chiang Mai Thailand come from Daniel Nahabedian from Canvas of Light.
Do you have any favorite travel posts? Did we leave out something great? Let us know!
Thanks so much for including me! It looks like such a great collection of stories and I can’t wait to read them all!
Turtle recently posted..Sultan wants a wife
I’d recommend setting aside a few hours, Michael. It took me about six hours to write the post, since I kept getting sidetracked by reading all the great stories!
Awesome collection, guys! Thanks for sharing (and including me!!)! I’m definitely looking forward to checking these out!
Ian Ord recently posted..Carry-On Only luggage challenge – Lessons thus far
Ian – you’re welcome. You had us at the baby penguins
What a great list – thanks for the inspiration!
Wandering Educators recently posted..Seven Key Strategies for Moving Abroad
Thanks, guys! One of the best perks of being a travel writer is reading other writer’s stuff.
Great list — these are some of my favorite posts of the year as well.
The Time-Crunched Traveler (Ellen) recently posted..The time we got a medical exam in China and there was a hole in my pee cup
Hi Ellen,
There are some exceptionally interesting and talented independent travel bloggers out there, aren’t there?
Nice collection to keep me busy for a while!
Jennifer recently posted..Viceroy Riviera Maya Mexican Cooking Class
Hi Jennifer,
It was really hard to choose just 10 (well, 12) honestly. I have a long list of other great posts that we’ll have to share later.
Great list!
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..Adventures on the San Francisco Cable Car
Thanks for the shout out guys! For the record, I prefer bikini diving as well
Alex recently posted..What’s Wrong With Waikiki?
Hi Alex! Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate the mention above!
Earl recently posted..I Just Had The Crappiest Visit To The Taj Mahal
Hey Earl, you’re very welcome!
Look forward to checking these out (they sound great)!
Terry at Overnight New York recently posted..Bryant Park Hotel: On Ice
Terry, make sure you have lots of spare time. I tend to start reading one post, and then get sucked into the blogs. All of the folks on this list have a LOT of great content.
Hey, I meant to thank you for the shout out. What a great round up of posts!
You’re so welcome! Glad you could stop by
Cheers for the inclusion! I am touched… and not in a creepy inappropriate way.
Brendan van Son recently posted..The Trans-Siberian Dumpling Diaspora
Hey now, Brendan, this is a family blog
. Seriously, though, you’re welcome 
Micki!
I really like the list! Thanks a lot! Never stop travelling
LeX @ LeX Paradise recently posted..Fly to South Korea this coming winter with AirAsia X !
Thanks Lex! And I honestly can’t imagine never hitting the road again. It’s too much in my blood…