Top 12 Blogs For Travel Bloggers

This is a list of creative travel blogs that I read and follow. They are written by independent travel writers, the list include those that I consider as heavy-weights in travel blogging. These bloggers are associated with large travel sites/blogs but their focus is on living a unique life (getting to see the world around them) and be an insightful writers. All of them are fun and inspirational to read.

Blog: Everything-Everywhere

Writer: Gary Arndt

Gary has been on the road since 2007 as a professional traveller. On the blog you’ll find interviews with leading figures in the industry like Laura Bly from BlyOnTheFly.com. The posts are factual yet personal as they include Gary’s insights and reasons for visiting each of the destinations. Everything-Everywhere is the top travel blogger on Twitter according to its Klout score.

Most recent post: This Week In Travel – Episode 152

Blog: Nomadic Matt

Writer: Matt Kepness

Matt offers practical and tactical advice about how to travel better, cheaper and longer. The blog gives down-to-earth details about the best ways to explore the world. The blog is more of a collection of useful tips rather than a chronicle of Matt’s adventures although there is a travel guide section with info gathered from Matt’s travels since 2004. The site includes videos and a list of resources.

Most recent post: How To Travel Anywhere For Free

Blog: Go-See-Write

Writer: Michael Hodson

Travelling since 2008 he circumvented the globe without getting on a plane. The blog includes Michael’s adventures and experiences as he goes through each of the travel destinations. Dubai travel is included in the long list of destinations you can read about and there is a section of travel destination tips. The blog is a personal journey of a solo adventurer exploring the world.

Most recent post: Visiting One of the World’s Highest Lakes

Blog: Fox Nomad

Writer: Anil Polat

Chosen by the Huffington Post as one of the top travel writers to watch Anil is a full time traveller but a gadget geek as well, so the focus of the blog is often on the technical aspect of travel. He often visits countries which are off-the-beaten-track and gives practical advice about how to cope in places like Yemen and Iraq. On the blog you’ll find destination tips, tech posts, resources and insights into green travel and culture.

Most recent post: The Landmarks To Look Out For When Flying Into Istanbul

Blog: Legal Nomads

Writer: Jodi – A former Lawyer from Montreal

She has been travelling and eating her way around the world since 2008 and the blog focuses on food, culture and her adventures. One of the plus points about this travel writer’s blog is that it is ad-free (except for Amazon links) which makes it a very clean-cut blog to look at. This is a good blog to watch if you’re into food related travel, the blog is on the MSN list of top travel blogs.

Most recent post: Thrillable Hours: Doug Barber, Co-Founder of Minaa

Blog: Almost Fearless

Writer: Christine Gilbert

One of the top ranking travel & leisure blogs written by a mother traveling with her family since 2008, this blog has beautiful photography and the blend of family, self and travel. The family travel focus can be seen by the blog sections – life, kitchen, photos and kids. You’ll find some useful destination tips but more general life insights.

Most recent post: How I Spent 10 Years To Get Where I Started

Blog: Camels and Chocolates

Writer: Kristin Luna

One of the top travel writer blogs according to Elliott.org and other “top” lists due to the well written text. The writer is a professional journalist, has interviewed the stars and in addition is a travel addict. She covers a long list of travel destinations recording her adventures with the occasional travel destination tip thrown in. The blog boasts many photos of the travel writer in the various travel destinations.

Most recent post: Photo Friday: Columbus, Ohio

Blog: Johnny Vagabond

Writer: Wes

Another of the Huffington Post picks for best travel writer blogs, the charm of this blog is in the well written descriptions of the writer’s adventures. Wes is traveling around the world on a tight budget and taking brilliant pictures as he goes. The writing is engaging, intelligent and entertaining as well as giving you plenty of info about the travel destinations.

Most recent post: A Love Letter from the Philippines

Blog: 48 Hour Adventure

Writer: Justin Morris

A very useful and highly practical blog where each post is dedicated to a 48 hour plan of what to see and do in various travel destinations. What makes this travel & leisure blog standout is its no-nonsense usable quality. You’ll find a “48 hours in Dubai” post if you’re interested in Dubai travel, listing sites, how to get around, orientation and plenty of large photos.

Most recent post: 48 Hours in Reykjavik

Blog: Global Grasshopper

Writer: A team of travel writers Gary and Becky

Unlike many of the blogs on this list it is not a chronicle of any one person’s travels but rather a collection of inspirational travel stories and travel destination tips written by travel writers. For example you’ll find “top 10″ lists, cool hotels and beautiful places as well as the section for travel snobs!

Most recent post: 10 of the Best Travel Destinations

Blog: Travel Business Success

Writer: Tourism Tim Warren

Since 1994 Tourism Tim Warren works to inspire, guide & connect tourism pros’ to realize their dreams. From Michigan to Mongolia, Baja to Bolivia, “Tourism Tim” Warren has helped 1000′s of small start-up tour operators to international business development agencies increase sales, arrivals and profits via his book, online courses and webinars. An entrepreneur at heart, he enjoys helping current & future travel entrepreneurs succeed financially following their passion of a profession in tourism.
jasabacklinkpro.infojasabacklinks.infokalipakem.com

The Need for National Guidelines and Testing in the Home Improvement Industry

It is time for Washington to step up and put legislation in place that will force states to better regulate the home improvement industry. Up to now Washington has left the regulation of the home improvement industry up to state regulators, and for whatever reason(s) many states have fallen considerably short.

There are still some states that do not even have contractor licensing in place for home improvements. For some of the states that do have licensing, the license requirements do not include that the applicant demonstrate the ability to do any type of home improvement work. (That is like saying I will issue you a license to cut hair but you don’t have to demonstrate that you know how to cut hair……… ouch!) Then why do states bother issuing licenses if there are no requirements to demonstrate competence? Revenue? Or could it be that they need more consumer complaints for Consumer Affairs and BBB to handle? The unfortunate consequences of this problem are that homeowners are the ones who are paying the price by receiving poor workmanship and a cascade of home improvement problems.

Let’s be honest, the home improvement industry does not seem to attract the most reliable, honest and competent individuals. The lure of a quick buck and the relative ease to “qualify” to do home improvement work, brings many a “character” to your door. When I was a contractor I needed to hire people for a variety of field positions. Most of the people, who I interviewed and sometimes hired, seemed to have the same type of problems with past employers. These problems consisted of substance abuse issues, honesty issues, and reliability issues. The labor pool never seemed to have an over abundance of talent and employability to pick from.

I remember always reading article after article that dealt with the significant manpower shortage in the home improvement industry. The bottom line of each article would always be the same, “If you can find an honest, reliable and competent person to work for you, pull out all the stops to keep them!!!! Do whatever you need to do to keep that person happy because you’ll never know if you will be lucky enough to find someone to take their place.” As an owner, it was a very constant and stressful problem to deal with. You were almost afraid to try and increase project production because you knew you would have to try and find someone to do the additional work. Finding employees was always an adventure, an adventure that I never looked forward to.

For the last 10-15 years the number one problem in the home improvement industry is the lack of manpower. Many contractors are training and hiring minorities to try and solve this major problem.

If you were to talk to your state authorities about what is being done to improve regulations and screening in the home improvement industry, they will probably tell you something is in the works or there is no money for more regulations (testing). I have been hearing this for 30 years. The county in which I live (Suffolk County, New York) still does not require any demonstration of home improvement ability to obtain a home improvement license. The fee has consistently gone up but the requirements have pretty much stayed the same. We are one of the highest taxed counties in the country, so I refuse to believe there is no money to develop and implement a better policing and screening process in the home improvement industry.

Modern Management And Common Sense: 8 Challenges for 2012

SummarySo called “modern management” has been studied seriously for about 100 years. Many of our management practices are rooted in 20th Century thinking. Has common sense been forgotten? • Why Aren’t Senior Managers More Interested In Marketing?CEOs, COOs and Managing Directors are ultimately responsible for the continued success of the business. Yet most of them take only a passing interest in marketing.They’re more interested in planning, financing, ROI, production: all those areas that produce statistics they can read and analyze to death.The reality is, if your marketing’s poor, sooner or later, those figures will be, as they say, “trending downwards”. Discussion will rage about “reversing the trend”, “product mix”, “expense reduction” and all that hard data stuff.The real problem could be poor marketing. Remember, everything isn’t marketing, but marketing is everything. • Why Don’t Masters Degrees In Business Administration Require Business Management Experience?Colleges and universities all over the world bestow MBAs. Few require any proof of business management competence or even extensive actual management experience. And few managers bother to check to see whether the content of an MBA program match the management needs in their business.Doctors, pilots, lawyers and many other professionals must undergo rigorous postgraduate practical training to prove their worthiness to practice. Tradespeople have to be able to prove practical competence before being allowed to “ply their trade”. In most Australian states new car drivers must have at least 2 years incident free driving experience before being granted an unencumbered licence.Why doesn’t the same apply to MBA graduates? And why don’t colleges and universities describe the skills that an employer can reasonably expect an MBA graduate to bring to a postgraduate job?I’ll probably be accused of being anti-intellectual, anti-academic and anti-MBA. But I believe that it’s perfectly reasonable and businesslike to expect MBA graduates to bring proven practical skills to the business that employs them. Shouldn’t managers insist on that? • Why Do Businesses Persist With Rigid Start And Finish Times?When we offer a new hire a job, we usually state start and finish times. Why? It’s 2011. Using modern technology, many people can work readily and easily from almost anywhere.There’s just no need for people at the same meeting to be in the same building to have a successful meeting. Using video conferencing and webinars, they don’t need to be in the same continent.Email means that there’s no need to circulate copious copies of written material. There’s no need for the bureaucratic rigidities we all grew up with.And there’s just no need for all employees to “start at 9 and finish at 5″. • Why Do Managers Confuse Employee Behaviour With Performance?”Behaviour is what you take with you”, Dr Tom Gilbert wrote some years ago. “Performance is what you leave behind”, he continued.Behaviour’s important only where it has a negative effect on performance. We can reasonably expect employees to be polite, civil and courteous with each other. But it’s unreasonable to expect them to be “pleasant” and “emotionally controlled” at all times.Emphasising behaviour has a negative effect on performance. It tells employees that being “nice”, wearing certain clothes, following certain social mores, eating particular food and other peripheral issues are far more important than the results they achieve at work. • Are “Pep Talks” Merely Ego Trips?Maybe we managers have delusions about being very successful sports coaches. What on earth is “a good talking to” or a “verbal rev up” supposed to achieve? The assumption that a manager can cause a definitive and lasting performance improvement merely by talking with employees, insults the employees’ intelligence.There is a place – a small place- for the pep talk. It may feed a manager’s ego. But far greater workplace success will result from role and goal clarity, effective incentive and rewards, system improvement and of course, sound listening skills. • Why Don’t Managers Demand Proof Of Competence Before Offering Jobs To Strangers?Staff selection is a hidebound affair. Business has been using the same basic process for at least 75 years. It starts with a job description. Then follows a job ad, resumes and written applications, shortlisting, interviews, reference checking and eventually a job offer and a new employee.Rarely, except in relatively low level jobs, do we require demonstrable proof of competence from a candidate. We use various tests including psychometric instruments. We have so called “in depth” interviews. We check references thoroughly. But we don’t get the applicant to actually do anything… except talk.Prior to the job ad being placed or the selection consultant being engaged, all candidates were complete strangers. The referees they nominate are usually strangers too. The candidate may even have taken “interview training”.The chances of error are high at any stage of the process. But we don’t seek demonstrable proof that the candidates can do what they claim to be able to do.Our initial decision about who to shortlist was made based on a resume or written application. There’s about 70% chance that it was prepared by a professional writer. Does any of this make sense? • Why Do Managers Spend So Much Time In The Office?Back in the 1970s we called it “management by walking around”. Be seen. Talk to employees. Ask questions. Be available.These days progressive companies don’t even give each manager a separate office. There’s really no need. There’s no need for “management spaces” in the car park or a special management area in the canteen. These things are merely the accoutrements of office. They don’t help anybody do better work. Yet we persist with such trappings. In the 21st Century they can’t be justified. • What About EPC?EPC – Expectation, Perception and Consequences – have a major effect on how we form our opinions.Quite rightly, managers are concerned with “facts”. But that’s easier said than done. In order to “get the facts”, you have to deal with opinions. The opinions that people hold are facts to them. And opinions drive actions.In 1973 Peter Drucker wrote, “Executives who make effective decisions know that one doesn’t start with facts. One starts with opinions.” Mark Twain put it more bluntly years earlier. “It’s not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for certain that just ain’t so.”What I’m saying may not fit comfortably with some theories of modern management. But employees and work colleagues are people. Expectation, Perception and Consequences are most important to those who hold them. Managers must work through them in order to reach “the facts”. ConclusionIt’s time to seriously question lots of the so-called “management theory” that’s prevailed for so long. It’s costly and inefficient in the 21st Century. The eight issues I’ve raised are just a start.