Speaking Out! – Favorite Sites

A while back, I asked people for their answers to three questions, including a ‘short’ explanation for each one. I received what I asked for and more. So, without further ado, enjoy the read (and links)!

The questions:
1. Best Travel Website
2. Best Photography Website
3. Best Travel Blog

Jason Baransky

Locationless Living and Flashpacker Guy

1. I’m a big believer in the Wiki style information websites as the best means to collect information and make sure the highest quality content rises to the top. That’s why Wikitravel.org is my favorite travel website. You just can’t match it for breadth of travel experiences and advice. No one company could ever generate that amount of content and update it regularly enough to match it.

2. My favorite photography website is flickr.com, for the same crowd source loving reasons. With digital technology, everyone can take pictures, and a lot of them can take great pictures. There’s no easier way to find them than flickr.com

3. As far as I’m concerned, http://www.gobackpacking.com/Blog/ is the gold standard for travel blogs. Not only has Dave developed some of the industry standard practices, he has spent time teaching others his methods.

Jamie Sinz

Jamie Sinz

1) Best travel website: Wayfare Magazine that just launched and looks to be amazing!!!

2) Best Photography: The World Effect and Nik Daum. *Disclaimer: Nik is my husband, but I do believe that his photography captures the places in this world from a unique perspective that often is not very pretty, but he makes it beautiful.

3) Best Travel Blog: Double Takes and Pret a Voyager.

Jodi Ettenberg

Legal Nomads

1) Best travel website? The travel websites I enjoy are the ones that teach me about a place, more than on a surface level. For that reason, I turn to Smithsonian Mag’s Food and Think site to learn about history and anthropology of food, and Outside Magazine’s “Outside Classics” series from around the world. Guernica Mag also has interesting pieces, fiction and otherwise, from far-flung places.

2) Best photography website? The Atlantic’s In Focus blog, curated by Alan Taylor. Regardless of what is going on in the world, from uprisings to dog sled races to macro photos of insects, Alan Taylor consistently sifts through the web to post the best of photography, several times a week. While not a travel blog per se, I am consistently transported by the imagery and Alan manages to tell a story just by virtue of how he strings his photoessays together. A great source for wanderlust, news updates and talented photography.

3) Best travel blog site? I always enjoy WorldHum’s posts and for longer form narrative I turn to Iain & Claire at Old World Wandering, who really try to get under the skin of the places they visit. From a more raw and emotional perspective, I love Roxanne’s Stories of Conflict and Love – gorgeous writing.

Julie Falconer

A Lady In London

1) I think that www.lonelyplanet.com is one of the best travel websites around. It is a great resource for all kinds of travelers, and the forums are the perfect place to ask questions about upcoming trips. The people that run the site are really knowledgeable about travel, as are the contributors to the forums.

2) One of my favorite photography websites is http://westonhallphotography.com/. I met Weston in the Atacama Desert in Chile when I was there to write about the location and he was there to photograph it for a TV show in the U.S. His travel photography is really inspired, and since we met I have enjoyed following his adventures around the world through his photos.

3) One of the best travel blogs I have come across is http://www.expat-blog.com. It is both informative and has great travel and expat blogs on it, and it covers destinations all over the globe. I use it for both practical ideas for travel as well as inspiration for places to go.

Debbie Dubrow

Delicious Baby

Can I answer just one? (Sure!)

My favorite travel blog right now (besides my own) is The Everywhereist. I just love Geraldine’s humorous world view – and the chummy style of her writing. I’ve met Geraldine in person only once, but in my mind she’s the friend I wish I’d been traveling with when I was in my 20′s and child free.

Shannon O’Donnell

A Little Adrift

1) Best travel website?
The folks at BootsnAll created a dense and packed site full of travel advice and stories; I used the site four years ago to plan my RTW trip and loved the small, passionate community. And, even though BootsnAll has grown a lot in the past four years, I love that it still feels like a close-knit community in the indie travel forums and you can see the founders’ hands in every aspect of the site.

2) Best photography website?
I have to with a dual mention here for my favorite indie photograpy site and a major publication. Daniel’s indie travel photography at Canvas of Light consistently produces wonderful images; his photos transport directly into his travels and he even posts little descriptions so you get a sense of story, time, and place with each image.

And on the flip side, I am addicted to the huge, themed photo essays from In Focus, on The Atlantic. Posted several times a week, these photoessays collect a range of images that show the shape and contrasts of current events. I dare you not to smile with wanderlust at the colorful Holi celebrations in India earlier this month!

3) Best travel blog site?
Dan and Audrey’s travel stories and photography on Uncornered Market are unique in the travel blogging community because they are long-term travelers with a deep cultural understanding and a desire to get under the skin of the towns and cities they visit. Their weekly panoramas of markets, temples, and city streets from all over the world are also wonderful!

Dave and Deb

The Planet D

1. Best Travel website – http://www.expedia.com/
2. best photography website – http://www.canvas-of-light.com/
3. Best Travel Blog – http://www.ottsworld.com/

Debby Lee Jagerman

Debby’s Departures

1) Best travel website?

My travel library consists of an abundance of Lonely Planet guide books. They are full of information about my destinations, and they are easy to read and understand. Their website, LonelyPlanet.com, is no different, and takes the guide books even further. They provide world-wide destination information, and a forum where travelers can “exchange travel information, advice, hints and tips.” One can purchase Lonely Planet country, multi-country, and city guidebooks, as well as other books on this website. One can also reserve hotel, hostel, and other accommodations, as well as flights and other transportation. Travel gear, travel deals, travel insurance, tours, and help with other travel-related needs are all located on the best travel website, LonelyPlanet.com.

3) Best travel blog site?

With over 20 female bloggers writing a wide variety of travel and travel-related topics, WanderlustandLipstick.com is “Your Destination for Women’s Travel.” Inspiring both solo travels and travel with others, and for women of all ages, blog topics include personal travel adventure stories; experiences while living abroad; words of wisdom, travel tips and information; gear, clothing, and shoe reviews; food from around the world, recipes, and reviews; photography; sustainable and eco-friendly travel; music, and much more. This website also goes beyond blogging, for there is a guidebook series, and an offshoot, WanderTours.com, which provides group (including co-ed) and custom trips. It is the unique group of female bloggers, though, that make WanderlustandLipstick.com the best travel blog site.

Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Farsighted Fly Girl

1. www.kayak.com is my favorite travel website, hands down. Not only does it compare sites for the best airline ticket prices in an organized, clear fashion but the “explore” and “trends “options have allowed me to find bargains when I didn’t have a specific destination in mind.

2.www.peterwestcarey.com is a great photography site because besides vibrant and amazing pix, Peter also supplies photography tips. And he shot my twitter profile photo.

3.www.chasingtheunexpected.com ranks as one of the best travel blog sites because the blogger Angela provides insightful glimpses into history and culture as well as intriguing pix. I always learn something new on the site.

Matthew Long

LandLopers

1) Best travel website? This is a challenging question and at the risk of making everyone angry, I’m actually going to give one answer – Lonely Planet. I didn’t choose this just because I”m one of their featured bloggers, but because I really think it’s an interesting and dynamic website. Not only can you get a lot of practical, guide book style information, but the Thorn Tree travel forums can be great resources for travelers of all experience levels. I also enjoy visiting National Geographic Intelligent Travel Blog, Gadling and Frommers just to name a few.

2) Best photography website? Daniel Nahabedian, a freelance travel photographer who specializes in amazing photography that really capture the soul of the destination. It’s hard to explain why I like his photography so much, so you’ll just have to check it out for yourself.

3) Best travel blog site? Let me just preface this answer by saying the question is almost impossible to answer. There are so many niches and subgroups that to pick one overall blog that I like the most isn’t really fair to the others I enjoy. Having said that, one site came to mind
immediately, UnBrave Girl. Sally gave up everything to travel the world a
few years ago and ended up making several places in Asia her new home. She’s currently teaching in China and while her blog is interesting, what shines through in every post is her sharp and totally unique sense of humor. Reading her posts, you feel like you know (and really like) Sally almost immediately. UnBrave Girl is a must-read site in my opinion.

Dave

The Longest Way Home

1) Best travel website?
Not a hard one to answer. LonelyPlanet.com. If they didn’t have the Thorn Tree then it probably wouldn’t make the top 3 and a site like travellerspoint.com or for south east Asia Travelfish.org with active forums would take the top spot. Wikitravel has most of the basic information one needs. It is up to date details that are valuable to me these days.

2) Best photography website?
ChaseJarvis.com I’ve really enjoyed his live sessions. Sometimes starting at 2am depending on the location. But they are great fun, informative and provide some great feedback. After that I stick mainly to photography review sites.

3) Best travel blog site?
Odyssyxxi.com (when it’s up and running) Karl Bushby’s blog about walking around the world. Generally speaking my travel blog reading has diminished a great deal since the birth of make “money from your travel blog” phase. But I do keep a list of my own personal favorite travel blogs at the top of my travel blog directory including Grrrltraveler.com and DigiDrift.com two of the most up front interesting travel blogs out there right now.

Lastly I think your own TravelBlogs.com deserves a shout out here too as I can’t think of another website with such a collection of travel blogs all under one roof!