Good Reads for the Month of August

I love reading travel blogs.  They are part of the fuel and inspiration that drives me to head “out there” and keep exploring the world.  As a new section to GloboTreks Travels, I want to share with you some of my favorite posts for the month of August.  These posts share some good information and/or “travel thinking” that is in tune with this site’s focus and that I identified myself with.

11 Reasons to Stop What You Are Doing, Pack a Bag, and Travel the World by Travis from Flashpacker HQ @FlashpackerHQ

Travis has a really good list of reasons to travel the world, or to just to get out of the comfort of home.  Most of his reasons are based on personal growth/experiences, which I think is one of the core purposes of travel.  These reasons might be the right motivation and inspiration to get you going.

Use Travel to Make you Happy by Todd from Todd’s Wanderings @ToddWassel

Todd gives his reaction on a highly debated post on Gadling titled On Long Term Travel, Snobbery & Judgmental Blogging.  Todd’s response on Gadling’s heated (and somewhat childishly commented) post addresses what travel should really be for you, not what others say it should be or how it must be done in order to be called “travel”.  I agree with Todd’s point of view; travel is a way to help us figure out what we love.  Your travel choice shouldn’t be defined by what others say it’s the best way of travel.  The best way of travel is the one that makes you happy.

How to use Stumbleupon to Generate Traffic by Brendan from Brendan’s Adventures @Brendanvanson

I admit that StumbleUpon is somewhat of a hard to tame monster.  At first it was like this “OMFG” site that I couldn’t understand, except for the fact that it magically brings some traffic to your site, but in time you start getting the feel of its inner workings.  Brendan gives some simple but useful tips that will help you understand the basics of how to use StumbleUpon and its Do’s and Don’t’s.  Check the comment section; there is a link that gives an even deeper tutorial of SU.

Trust Where Travel is Pulling You by Caz from yTravelBlog @yTravelBlog

Caz always knows how to create a compelling story.  On this post she speaks about how a place can have an “attraction or pull” towards each person that lures them to go there.  She writes about her personal “pull” for Vietnam and how it turned to be such an eye opening experience.  Let go of your inhibitions and trust that pull and embrace it the best way you can.

Giving Notice by Keith from Traveling Savage @TravelingSavage

This interesting post by Keith makes a comparative of cleaning a garage and cleaning your mind.  Keith realized how similar can be the junk accumulation process of both space and mind and why we should purge them from time to time.  All the cluttering prevents you from noticing the details as well as being able to grasp the whole picture of the space/moment.  I believe as well that a good spring-cleaning, both physically and mentally, can bring focus and clarity to life.

What I wish I knew BEFORE my RTW trip by Michael from Mobile Lawyer @MobileLawyer

Michael has a compelling list of things he wished he knew before his RTW.  This list not only applies for RTW’s but also for regional and short trips.  No matter how experienced you might be, there is always something to learn and take from the experiences of others (like Michael’s list) or at least refresh what we knew already.

How To Couchsurf Without Couchsurfing by Kate from Adventurous Kate @AdventurousKate

Not everyone is willing to spend a night couchsurfing at some random person’s place.  But, that shouldn’t impede you from experiencing the couchsurfing scene.  Kate tells about her couchsurfing experience without actually couchsurfing.  For her, it is more about the travel community and cultural exchange than the free nights.

Combating Travel Crankiness by Suzy from Suzy Guese @SuzyGuese

Travel crankiness happens to all of us, right? After having her own cranky experiences when things in her trip didn’t go as smooth as they should have been, Suzy realized that this travel side effect should not sour her experience. For that reason, she shares with us some ways on how to deal with travel crankiness and get the best out of our moody experiences.