Keeping a travel blog active while travelling: what is the right approach?

Lucy Liu Blogging for UNICEF from DRCIn a couple of days we will head off to SE Asia and spend the rest of the month away from home. It will be the first time in the life of 501 Places that I will be away for such an extended period, and I can’t wait to get going. I will take a little netbook for the journey (chosen solely for its sub 1kg weight and sub £150 price tag) and update the site along the way. There is a challenge though of striking the right balance between keeping my travel blog active and having a proper holiday, and I welcome other bloggers’ input into how they juggle these priorities while they travel.

I try to post on 501 Places on a daily basis while at home. I know this will not be possible while in Laos even if I wanted to do this, as we will stay in some place where lack of power will prevent me from keeping the site updated daily. Having said that, wi-fi is almost ubiquitous and even in many of the remote places we will visit they advertise that they have free internet (although alongside this they mention electricity is only available for a couple of hours a day).

But the time we have on the trip will be precious, and I won’t necessarily want to spend a couple of hours every evening tapping away on my netbook. It is easy to miss out on an evening exploring a place where you might only be for a night or two, because you feel the need to write about the day’s adventures. And ultimately, the priority must be for the two of us to have the best possible experience while there: the stories from a month away will doubtless provide material for many blog posts when I’m back.

So I wonder how others manage to write when they travel: are you more keen to post immediately after experiencing a day in a new place? Does blogging take on a new pleasure, being able to report directly from the scene? Or does it become a chore; one that you start doing less frequently and put off till your return home? And how does the diligence to maintain a travel blog vary between solo travellers and couples?

Your experiences, as always, are very welcome.

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About Andy Jarosz

Owner, 501 Places. Freelance writer.
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27 Responses to Keeping a travel blog active while travelling: what is the right approach?

  1. Laos wasn’t actually that bad for internet access. Luang Prabang had plenty of places to jump online, Huay Xai had a couple of places too. Pak Beng you shouldn’t bother with, electricity for 4 hours a day.

    Can’t vouch for south east Laos, but received emails from people who visited.

  2. Personally I prefer not to blog at all while travelling but wait until I get back or am moving between places on a flight or train. Although I like what you’re saying about reporting from the scene I prefer to have a bit of time to turn things over in my mind which usually makes it easier for me to reflect on the place and what I’ve seen. I also think you should keep the time spent in front of the PC as short as possible – you are on holiday after all! You can still keep twitter going easily enough.

  3. AngelineM says:

    I just returned from a one week trip to Mexico and hand wrote notes in a journal every afternoon on the previous evening’s activities and that morning’s while the husband took a siesta. I found that easy enough without it seeming to infringe on my travel experience at all this way. When I got home I read over each day’s entries and then wrote my blog on the trip. Writing the blog when I returned on a daily basis for each day of the trip was like reliving the trip all over again….double pleasure. This might be a little more labor intensive for a trip lasting a month though. I totally enjoyed being “unplugged” from computer and phone for one whole week! Extremely relaxing.

  4. Shannon OD says:

    I found that I liked my site to be about a week behind my actual travels – that way I had plenty of time to upload photos, sort, and edit little videos without feeling stressed out and tied to the computer. Then you can write a week’s worth of posts, schedule them, and breathe easily for the next week, knowing your site is humming along :-)

    Also, I’d recommend having a handful of pre-written posts before you leave – perhaps little stories from previous trips that you haven’t written about, but can be posted any time if you find internet really sketchy or you’re getting behind.

    Laos’ internet was not as ubiquitous as I could have hoped for actually – outside of the major cities, in a few small (very small) towns I visited, it was virtually non-existent. But in the cities its rampant if a bit slow :-) And anywhere there are tourists, there’s some level of internet…and you might very well be staying at nicer places than I did ;-) lol.

  5. Lauren says:

    Laos was a monkey wrench in the smooth operating machinery of my travel blog. Just kidding! Travel itself was the problem. I always chose to experience something new instead of typing away about something I already did. Laos, Spain, South Korea…no matter where we were we fell further and further behind. We’re 6 months behind in our story telling on http://www.ephemerratic.com and very few people have noticed or said it bothers them.

    My partner and I kept notes on where we ate, drank, and slept, and what we saw, so that it was easy to remember any details once I finally got around to writing. We also took photos to document some things we were worried we’d forget (signs, maps, pages from borrowed guidebooks).

    I also have a scary memory, rarely forgetting a meal or an adventure, so we didn’t have to take too many notes for our story telling.

  6. Legal Nomads says:

    I don’t think there is a right approach, except that you do not want your blog cutting too drastically into the actual enjoyment of your travel experiences. After 19 mos on the road, I have found my blog lagging behind my actual adventures. The severity of the lag depends on how much there was to discuss from a particular place (sometimes I want to post multiple perspectives/pictures/entries on 1 place) or how accessible WiFi is. I also have a netbook (an Asus eeePC, cheap and fast and reliable) and it has been easy to boot up and unobtrusive to use.

    At the beginning of my trip, I would worry about when I could update and it definitely took away from the sharing experience. Now, however, I find myself using parts of those long bus rides and boat rides to run through some potential posts in my head. Unlike 501 Places, I didn’t blog before my travels began, so I don’t have the same frame of reference as you do. But I definitely try and jot down some notes asap and then flush out the posts within a week’s time.

    Enjoy Laos! – Jodi

  7. Andy Jarosz says:

    Thanks to each of you for the great advice; about Laos in particular and about blogging on the road in general. I have no doubt that we will fall behind in the writing and the trip progresses so it’s great to know that others do the same. And we’re only going for a month – it must be a bit challenge for those who travel for months or even years.
    Jodi, I have an Asus Eee too; cheap enough not to cry if it gets lost, and light enough not to begrudge carrying. It’s a bit slow, but it will do (I should have probably got a quicker version instead of the entry level one).
    And will carry a notepad as suggested Angeline. My memory is too bad to rely on for the important details!

  8. Anil says:

    I always prewrite when I’m traveling too much to blog. Most of my posts are general and not about my personal travels although I write about the experiences I pick up. I use my newsletter for people who want to follow where I am and what I’m up to.

    One thing I can advise is to have pen and pad handy to jot down ideas for when you can actually sit in front of a computer. Takes some of the stress off of getting out a few posts before the power or Internet connection is lost.

  9. Hi Andy:
    First, I’m so jealous. I missed Laos last time around in SE Asia and really ant to go back for a month. Guess I’ll just have to visit vicariously through you. I usually post every other day when traveling. Any more than that and I’m going without sleep, as it takes a long time each evening to download the day’s photos and label them so I know what I’m looking at a year (or even a week) later. And frankly, I’ve decided that quality is more important than volume. Most people can’t keep up with a blog that has a new post every day anyway, because everyone is so busy. That’s my two cents, for what it’s worth Have a wonderful time and I’m looking forward to your posts.
    Barbara

  10. I travel with my own laptop and if I can’t tap into wireless or get my dongle to work, then resort to internet cafés where I can find them. But having said that, do you actually need to post daily? There is so much stuff pouring onto people’s computers that perhaps we should all follow the ‘less is more’ principle – write when you have something you really want to say. Post every few days to keep things ticking over, keep people interested and following, with tweets between, but don’t overload yourself with trying to feed an ever-hungry mouth. It will give you more time to enjoy the trip and distill what is really important before you post.

  11. Daniel says:

    A great collection of advice. Lately, we’ve suffered from some poor planning and have fallen behind in our ‘regular’ editorial calendar — and we’re not even travelling. As Anil mentioned, prewriting is key. I also like Barbara’s insight that people can’t keep up with a blog that has a new post every day. That’s true, but I find that posting daily helps to maintain an active and enthusiastic readership!

  12. Jessie Kwak says:

    I can go a bit overboard on keeping notes–I have three notebooks with me at most times: a little pocket one for jotting down descriptions, addresses, names, thoughts, whatever; a big college-ruled 1-subject notebook for writing drafts of posts or articles, more thoughts, whatever; and a diary that I use to chronicle my more intimate view of the trip.

    I’m married to a man who takes 900 photos of a single trip to some ruins, though, so maybe my perspective is a bit off!

    We’re traveling with a laptop, which is essential for photo editing and for the sheer amount of text I create on a daily basis (for our blog, emails, or articles). I try to take a bit of time every day to catch up, but it’s not worth stressing about keeping the blog updated if it causes you to miss out on great experiences.

    The ability to schedule posts has been a lifesaver–sometimes we’ve been having way too much fun to post, then we catch up by writing three or four posts at once. Internet’s so unreliable that it just makes things easier to be able to hit go once and rest easy.

    Have fun in Laos! I can’t wait to read about your trip, no matter when you get a chance to write about it!

  13. Smita says:

    Have a great trip Andy! Will look forward to your posts on SE Asia .

  14. Andy Jarosz says:

    Smita, Jessie, Daniel, Melissa, Barbara and Anil,
    Thanks again for the many great tips and also kind wishes for the upcoming trip. I will focus on having a great time first and on writing up second. As you say there are many ways in which the details of a story can be enriched by later events.
    (Jessie, 900 photos from a single place – wow! He clearly wouldn’t go back to the world of 35mm film rolls!)

  15. David Jr says:

    I too prefer to keep my blogs 1-2 weeks behind my journeys. Well, when I did Vientiane and Luang Prabang last Feb, I totally lost contact with the internet for 9 full days which was quite healthy. I did all my research way before and just enjoyed my trip there.

    I can understand when you see hoards of tourist cramming the internet cafes, even in Luang Prabang, seemed like they were glued to the old crt monitor while the young monks waited their turn. Fine if you’re digging up information or checking flight schedules, but come on… I saw a few of them actually on facebook playing games… lol.

    But what gives me the goosebumps are those who twitter every damn thing that happens while on holiday. Yups, I have had acquaintances who constantly are going ‘Wow, getting in a tuk tuk for the first time’, ‘Waiting for the river ferry to leave’ and 10 secs later ‘The river ferry is moving..yeah!’ … jeeze… Sometimes I wish twitter was never invented. Just my 2 cents.

    Regards,
    David
    Malaysia Asia

  16. Edric Hsu says:

    Hi Andy,

    I found that it is easiest to write (or type) out the DRAFTS of your blog entries during “waiting” moments, such as in between plane transits, on the flight, on the coaches, while relaxing before or after meals, and or before sleep. And then when you are next able to get an internet connection, just click “Post”.

    Also, you might consider keeping blog entries short (eg. limiting them with just one paragraph for each interesting, noteworthy experience) while on the road. Or simply post photos with anecdotal captions first, and revisit and embellish them when you’re back from travelling.

    Cheers and have a great trip!
    Edric
    Singapore

  17. I prefer to be ahead with my blog, so that even if I don’t have access to the internet I know my posts will still be coming out. I tend to write one more than I post each week, and that way if I need to take a break then I am able to. Love the mac!

    Aaron

  18. Andy Jarosz says:

    I enjoyed digging up this post. Yes, I did manage to post several times from Cambodia and Laos, although my ultra-slow Asus netbook made this a frustrating experience. But I learned that I simply missed too much of a trip by wasting precious time trying to connect and write. There is all the time in the world to write when I get home. A trip, even when away for a month, flies by and you can’t take the time back that you waste trying to get a connection or waiting to upload photos.
    I’ve been away twice since and the netbook has stayed at home. I haven’t missed one bit!

  19. Patrick Goff says:

    I always make notes at every hotel, and the digital camera of course dates every image. I really rely on the imagery although the notes may make the basis of a Review.

    On my travels I visit Museums or architectural and design relevant places such as Dessau, and then I may well post a daily report on the website (see the series on the Bauhaus). As I don’t write tourism pieces but focus on design, I can get away with not writing anything day to day but that does put pressure on proper note keeping and the imagery, as the actual Review may be written six months later.

    Sometimes I need the time gap to work out what and how what to say what I need to say – immediacy has its dangers.

    My partner says I never take holidays, but life is a long holiday if you enjoy what you are doing. I don’t think that is an issue, although as I get older I do need to sleep more…

  20. Andy Jarosz says:

    Thanks for sharing Patrick. I can see why your area of interest who need updates and notes to be written at the time, more so than a general travel blog. Completely agree with your last sentence about the importance of enjoying what you’re doing. Keep it up!

  21. I always think I’ll keep a blog updated when I travel, but I never manage to. This is partly because I tend to put myself in places where reliable internet/electricity is hard to find. That said, when I do stumble upon an internet cafe, I find myself doing the bare minimum. I try to write an e-mail to my parents and siblings about once/week, and I keep up on things like grad school acceptance letters when I was traveling in Argentina, but that’s it. If whatever it is can wait, I let it wait.

    I also have a really hard time writing about my experiences while they are so fresh in my mind. Some things spill out, like when a baby died a the clinic I volunteered with in Indonesia, but for the most part, I felt like my experiences there were sacred and overwhelming, not to be described or deconstructed by a blog post.

    I enjoy travel most when I do just that, travel. Analyzing the experiences and putting them out for the world to read and judge can come later, in my opinion! Check out this post for more about why I’ll never be a travel writer: http://letssitoutside.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-dont-want-to-be-violinist-or-travel_23.html

    Good luck and safe journeys!

  22. Farnoosh says:

    Andy, my hubby and I travel A LOT and I have committed to publishing (longer than average) posts every Tue and Fri and I put a ton of work into each post and photography work and formatting etc so it’s easily 3-4 hours per post if not more. I have used scheduling. So before leaving, I would write two posts or more – however many Tue and Fri sessions I will miss and then I use WordPress’s scheduling to send it out on the day, with enough time so that the same day at 11am EST for me, Feedburner will send out the email update and I schedule a Tweet in advance to be sent using Hootsuite. I also add a template at the bottom to let my readers know that I will be reading and responding to each comment but that I am currently away. I haven’t YET missed a beat but my 3 week vacation to Canada and Asia is coming up in September. When I have taken the laptop, say to Hawaii, I loved writing my book blog and my videos from whale watching right from the scene. I love to blog but I totally understand the need to unplug. Every blogger needs a vacation too! Bon voyage and hope this helps!

  23. A very timely post – I just started blogging about the various places I have been… just last week I came back from a short trip to Morocco. Before I left I promised friends that I’d blog and tweet while travelling.

    The reality was that I ended up tweeting about the journey from home to the airport and then the journey from the airport back home on my return. Why… well there were opportunities, I saw one Internet cafe and almost walked in… but two things struck me.

    The first was memories of sitting in dark, smoky Internet parlours for up to four hours uploading images and emailing, the second, and most important, was that I could use the 2 hours to explore the town I was in – after all we travel to experience places, see another side of life and embrace new cultures.

    So, for me it is better to keep a diary and write about my experiences when I get back – hence my blog (in its infancy) is retrospective… “contemplative of past situations, events, etc. looking backward”.

    I think writing after the event also allows you time to consider what you write and add in facts about the places that you often find out when you get home.

    And, to me anyway, writing later brings back fond memories and lets you relive experiences – especially nice if you are back at work – living the same old humdrum life, and wishing you were “on the road again”.

  24. Andy Jarosz says:

    Thank you for all your thoughtful comments.

    Jackie, I enjoyed your post and agree with your reasons for shying away from the travel writing aspirations. After the Laos trip (last December) I haven’t taken my laptop with me on a holiday (only on sponsored blog trips). I enjoy unplugging and thinking about the posts later. I guess that’s not the best approach for keeping traffic high to the blog, but it’s a question of priority

    @Farnoosh I guess we all strike a balance between staying on top of the blog and unplugging, as you point out. Scheduling is a great tool, and for my paid blogging clients I am also building up advance posts to cover my vacation. As for this blog, it might have to survive untouched for a couple of weeks while I’m away. That thought bothered me once, but less so now.

    @retrotraveller love your point about the beauty of writing later and reliving the highlights of the trip. I shared that same pleasure on our last trip away. It’s a sneaky way of extending the holiday joy :)

  25. Farnoosh says:

    Go for it, Andy – leave it untouched, leave it behind. It shall be here for you when you return. Go enjoy the vacation and immerse in being present! I await your next post with excitement but let it come whenever you are ready to write it!

  26. Jeremy B says:

    If I may make a suggestion, take a small notebook and pen with you all day. It’s easy to carry along. After each thing you do, jot down brief notes on your feelings, emotions, what you saw, simple facts, etc. These only have to be a couple of words each. Then when your trip is over or you have a couple of days of downtime, type it up for a journal to be posted later. I finished each night by journaling before I went to bed. Then I put it all together later and posted it.

    It’s a time saver and taking brief notes jogs the brain later without feeling you constantly have to be writing. Then a little more detail at night before you go to bed will make for good writing later on your blog.

  27. Andy Jarosz says:

    The notebook is a great idea Jeremy. The idea of just jotting down a few words to remember those little details that add the colour to the blog posts later. Some people even make audio notes on their phones for the same purpose. It doesn’t matter how, but I agree that aspects such as your feelings, the smells, the sounds we experience, can be lost if not immediately noted.
    Thanks again for the great contributions.

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