MJ’s Travel Favorites 1-10-10

The beginning of a new year seems to be the time for predicting trends, reflecting on the year past, and starting discussions on the “best” of the year gone by.  Lately, there seems to be a lot of discussion centered around which are the “best” travel blogs, and when someone asks me that question, I always answer “it depends.”

What’s best for anyone depends on what they’re looking for, their personal travel styles and preferences, and why they want to read about travel.

A dedicated backpacker, hiker, hostel-staying budget traveler is probably not going to be interested in reading a blog about luxury cruising, someone planning a close-to-home family trip may not be interested in reading about an around-the-world trek, and the sports traveler will probably not want to know about shopping.  Although there are surely those people, like me, who enjoy reading about all types of travel, I’d hazard a guess that outside of the travel and travel blogging industry, we’re a minority.

For most people, the “best” travel blog is the one that meet their needs (whatever it may be) when they need it (whenever that may be).   It may be a need for information (specific or general), it may be for entertainment or inspiration, and it may be for practical tips.  It’s a pretty tall order for anyone to deliver.

That’s part of the reason why I started doing a weekly round up of MY favorite posts for the week.  It’s a little look at what I found to be the best of what I’ve read during the week. It’s as diverse and eclectic and my personal interests, and I hope that even readers who do not have the broad interests that I do will find a nugget or two of interest here.

Here’s why caught my eye this week:

• Intelligent Travel gives us a glimpse at how Epiphany (Twelfth Night) is celebrated around the world.  In many places, it’s also the start of Carnival, leading up to Lent.
• PlanetEye Traveler – Vancouver has information and suggestions for those needing accommodations during the Olympics.  It may take some creativity, but there are still options.
• Traveling Greener has a post topic near and dear to my heart, iPhone apps.  Take a look and see if you can discover a new one.
• My Mélange offers several peaceful respites while visiting Paris, proving what many city-lovers have always known, there is peace to be found in the most unexpected locations.  I missed her recommended spot in Marais and will have to look for it on a return trip.
• Sharing Travel Experiences tries to explain why we either love or hate London.  What is it about that city that evokes such extremes?
• The Vacation Gals tackle a thorny travel issue, and what I call the “my travel choices are better than your travel choices” arrogance.  Kara takes on one of the heavy hitters in the travel business, and I couldn’t agree more.  Let’s not get hung up on splitting hairs over definitions of travel, tourism, and vacation.  Instead, let’s see and experience the the world the way it works best for us.
• PlanetEye Traveler – Adventure has a beautiful photo taken from near Everest base camp in Nepal.  Mt. Everest looks gorgeous, and I’m in awe of those who can make it to base camp, let alone those who attempt to scale the mountain.
• Why Go Italy has some tips for avoiding lines.  I can personally vouch for two of the tips, at the Colosseum and the Accademia (and I was able to get same day tickets at the latter), and anything you can do to cut down wait time will enhance your time there.
• Practical Travel Gear reviews two power strips that are perfect for the traveler with gadgets.  A power strip is also helpful when attending a conference or convention when meeting room plug ins are at a premium.  Take one along, and be the hero by sharing the plug in with others.
• Travel Savvy Mom profiles a rather quirky museum, Munich’s Hunting and Fishing Museum.  I love quirky museums, but I’m not so sure about this one.
• Luxuo offers its predictions on travel trends for 2010.  See if you agree.  Flashpacking, huh?  Hmmmm!
• PlanetEye Traveler – Amsterdam suggests going back to school – at Cannabis College.  Yes, it really exists, so take a look at what it takes to “graduate.”
• Consumer Traveler has a list of resolutions for hotels, doing away with some very bad hotel strategies.  There are a few more that I’d add to this list (inspiration for a post, perhaps), but the five list are enough to get your teeth gnashing.
• Gadling reminds us that air travel can be a gamble, and cites odds from Irish bookie Paddy Power as to which airline will be the next to go bankrupt.  Make your guess before clicking through to see the odds.

I hope you’ll take some time to click through and read a few of the posts that captured your attention.  It’s a big world out there, and we all have different ideas about travel.  There’s room for all of us.

I’ll be in Las Vegas for most of the coming week.  Where you are, I wish you a great week of travels – near or far!

Photo credit: SXC