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

By: David Jr

David Jr — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:48:51 +0000

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

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:37:53 +0000

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!)

By: Smita

Smita — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:23:24 +0000

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

By: Jessie Kwak

Jessie Kwak — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:53:24 +0000

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!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:12:14 +0000

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!

By: Melissa Shales

Melissa Shales — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:37:42 +0000

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.

By: Barbara at Hole in the Donut Travels

Barbara at Hole in the Donut Travels — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:28:45 +0000

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

By: Anil

Anil — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:22:42 +0000

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.

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:44:05 +0000

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!

By: Legal Nomads

Legal Nomads — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:04:47 +0000

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