Why I Blog About Travel...

MikeW checking out Ljubljana! (source - MikeW)

After two years of blogging about travel, I have realised I am writing in an overcrowded part of the Internet.  Blogs about travel, independent travel, budget travel and backpacking are numerous.  Many of those writing have established their space on the web longer than The Rough Guide to a Lonely Planet and have reached further around the globe than I can possibly hope to do at this current moment in time.  So, why do I choose to write about travel when there are thousands of others doing very much the same?  The simple answer...I like it!  Travel and experiencing other places are a genuine passion of mine and I love to share this with others.  As I have written about before (The Art of Travel Blogging), I do not like to scribe trip reports for you as I find, on the whole, reading other peoples' similar blog posts dull and incredibly self-indulgent.  And, besides, so many people can write these types of posts better than I ever could.

Am I hoping for a press trip?  Are the 'Rough Guide', 'Lonely Planet' or a national newspaper going to beat down my door so they can fly me out to South Africa, tasked with a 2500 report on wine trips to the Stellenbosch?  Of course not!  I am utterly and completely realistic about the potential for this to happen.  It just isn't going to!  So many other bloggers out there have a larger following, a more regular readership and seemingly write more than I can on a more frequent basis.  Is the hope that I can make this a full time job?  If only!  A pipe dream at best.  Even those that write about travel full time report that pay is low and can often be disproportionate to the work and effort involved.

So, if I am not doing this for the 'free' trips or to earn a crust, my objective is clear.  I am here to inspire YOU!  To encourage you to travel.  To see the world.  To break free.  To explore.  To take that adventure.  To set sail.  Do it!  Then, one day you might decide to inspire others with your writing too!

Happy travels!

PS - If there are any rich benefactors or wealthy patrons out there with money to burn...you know where I live! ;)

The Feel Good Factor!

MikeW and The FeelGoodGuy (David) cycling the French countryside! (source - author)

One of my favourite reasons for travelling are the positive experiences I have that essentially make me feel good.  For me, there are many great things that travel offers.  Firstly, I look forward and feel good about going on my trip...the packing, the preparation and excitement that comes with the journey to the airport and flight to the destination are something I really enjoy.  I love the journey itself, particularly when the sights out of the plane, train or bus window are new and interesting.  I also love to return, so I can look back at the great times that I have had and how much better I feel for it.  I see travel as a kind of pick me up...a chance (especially after a busy term or year of school) to relax and revive myself, ready for the 'onslaught' of the new school term!  Travel just makes me FEEL GOOD!

I believe one of the best things about travel has to be how it provides you with wonderful opportunities to meet people.  And, it is these friendships that create such a brilliant feel good factor for any traveller.  I have written before about the friends I have made through travel and all the fantastic experiences I have had following these trips in these peoples' home countries.  In mid-August, I visited a good friend of mine, Kate, in Paris.  Like any good visitor to the French capital, I made sure I indulged in the usual Parisian treats such as crepes, a wander through the Jardin du Luxembourg and an obligatory photograph in front of the Eiffel Tower!  Despite all of these fantastic Francophile treats, the best part of the whole weekend (apart from catching up with a great friend) involved meeting Kate's friends.  The friends comprised mostly of Kate's work colleagues who had meticulously organised a cycling trip, in the countryside, around the beautiful French town of Troyes.  The group had an excellent dynamic meaning that the day was filled with laughter, jokes, some energetic cycling and top notch food and wine.

One of the group, David, and I got talking about a number of different things and we discovered a shared interest...in feeling good!  I spoke of my love for travel and how much it makes me feel good.  David talked about how he has begun a blogging journey where he aims to document experiences (and not just those related to travel) that make him feel good.  The blog aims to inspire readers to take up new activities and get involved in experiences that will hopefully make you feel good too.  And, in David you have a very willing and humorous companion on this journey to feeling good!  You can find his blog at...

http://feelgoodguydotcom.wordpress.com/