Travel Tip 22
The Pros & Cons of Travel Blogs
I started my travel blog in 2005, during a month in Cambodia.
It was as unbiased as I could make it, while still leaning heavily on the positive sides of things. I was honest about some of the negative things I encountered on my travels, but overall wanted to show what I enjoyed at the places I visited.
Most travel blogs are written by travelers who want to share their experiences. I wrote details about how I got places and what I did so that readers could duplicate the parts of my travels that appealed to them and avoid the things that didn’t sound good for them. But, beware …
Not all blogs are written by independent travelers who just want to share their experiences.
Many blogs are now written by employees of travel agencies.
Marketers figured out years ago that people tend to trust travel bloggers more than travel agencies, so the agencies started hiring people to write blogs for them.
Still, blogs can be an excellent way to see what a destination or experience is like. Just be sure that you look at the URL to check what website the blog is on. If it’s on a tour agency or travel company website, it could still be useful information, you just have to take into account that they’ll be trying to sell you something. There are plenty of independent platforms out there, like Travelblog.org and Blogger.
During my first trip to Colombia, I did a the lamest tour I’ve ever experienced.
You’re more likely to read about negative experiences on independent blogs. My first blog about Colombia was a warning to other travelers: do not sign up for the “volcano” and mangrove tour from Cartagena. The volcano was a mud geyser that tourists were supposed to get in first thing in the morning because they said the mud was good for your skin. I didn’t get in.After a terrible lunch, we were taken on a canoe trip through mangroves to an island where we saw terrible reproductions of “Indigenous” ceramics. They were displayed behind chain link fence and looked like they’d been made by 10 year olds.
It is still the worst tour I’ve done in over 20 years of travel. That’s not what the tour agency wrote on their website. You need a blogger to tell you stuff like that.
Social media platforms like Instagram are a newer source of travel information, but blogs are still a great way to read about travelers’ experiences at a destination.
New Blog
When I was last in Lima, I took two tours with Intrepid. The first was to the center of Lima, including the main plazas, central market, and Chinatown. The second was a bike tour from Miraflores south past Chorillos to Salto de Fraile. Click on the link above to read about both tours.
Related blog
I spent 3 weeks in Ushuaia February this year – though most people spend only 3 days. Click on the link above to read about my favorite tours there!
