This GoLite Quest Pack just got Backpacker Magazine’s 2008 award for Top Ultralight. For travel, it’s lightweight, has 4400 cu. in of space, and cost’s around $175. Anything from GoLite is going to be a good option for backpackers and travelers, as weight is always an issue.
The Couch Surfing Project started when founder Casey Fenton was travelling to Iceland…had no place to stay, so he spammed an email to 1500 students in Reykjavik. Today, it is a large International Non-Profit that puts travelers on free couches around the world. You sign up and can either offer a place to stay or find a local to help you out. I really like the verification system and the mission statement which talks about the benefits of cultural exchange. I would strongly encourage any backpacker or traveler to use this for his/her next trip. I’ve got to add one more reason why I like this project so much. They are completely non-profit, have no ads, and rely on a community to get things done…hard to do, but very much worth it. My hat is off.
For those who love to streamline the Internet. Okay, here’s the scoop. There are so many new travel sites out there now, it’s getting to be funny. This one comes from Hotwire.com co-founder Greg Brockway. TripIt.com is a service that allows you to get all your necessary (and sometimes unnecessary) travel information together all in one place. That includes hotel reservations, flight information, weather in that city, events in the city, maps, etc. Of course all those tools are already online or in your email box. So, what TripIt.com does is lets you send your email confirmations to one place, and they do the rest. Say you are flying to Denver and staying at a Drury Inn. You email your two booking confirmations to TripIt, and they use their “Itenerator” to extract all the necessary information. They put that information along with local weather and events all on one page. Not a bad idea I suppose.
This one took a while to compile, but I am pleased with the results. If you are having trouble deciding which online travel journal or travel blog to use, then look no farther. This one of a kind comparison chart will help you make your decision. We are always adding to it, so before backpacking and travelling, get yourself an online travel journal and find out which one you should use right here.
Most people don’t realize hostelworld.com has an option for backpackers to add a travel jounral. While hostelworld.com is pretty much the site to book hostels with. I can’t say it’s the site to start a travel journal. Not as powerful as most, and no option for uploading videos. They do not assign an easy access URL, but instead have a member id that you pretty much have to create a link to gain access. It’s different than most as this is the only one that has an option to be the only one to see it. The also let you set it as private or by invite only. If you book a hostel through hostelworld.com it automatically updates the map which is a unique feature.
FuzzyTravel.com is good, solid travel journal site. The design is attractive, and gives you three options to choose from, and the site is one of the easiest for uploading and posting information. They offer unlimited photo and video updating, but don’t use Firefox as they use videoegg for uploading videos, which does not support Firefox. Nothing too complicated about the site is what your want in a travel journal. I like how they focus on just one thing….the travelogues. There is one section with a link to resources, but that is it. It is a free service with no option to go to a paid or premier account. That is good, it just means you are going to get Google Ads on your blog.
Mytripjournal.com is a disapointment for the travel community. The prices are ridiculous if you want a paid service, and their unique special IntelliMap system is a joke. I tried 5 minutes to try to get it to view a map or close up of Greece, and could not figure it out. The design is not great, and there were too many bugs and errors in their code. Plus, anytime you have trouble figuring out how to access the control panel, that is a red flag. That should be a no-brainer. One more thing that I though was a bit hack was the rating system they put on each individual journal. 1-5 stars, and anybody can rate it. They say it is to more or less differentiate good information from bad, but I know I don’t want somebody judging my journal entries online, I don’t really care about grammar and quality content when it is between friends/family.
