Favorite Blog: Go Backpacking
[singlepic=1656,300,,,right]We recently highlighted David Lee’s career break, which he documented in his blog Go Backpacking. But Go Backpacking is more than just a journal of his adventures – it is a site that encourages and inspires people to independently travel abroad. And with three years of blogging and over 1,000 posts, David has a lot of great content and resources to do just that.
In addition to the 20-month archive of David’s 22-country round-the-world trip, the site offers tips for budget planning, interviews with fellow travelers, book reviews, how-to articles, and news from the online travel community. He has even expanded his site to include several contributors, adding a variety of voices and experiences.
One of the most popular posts is ”Cost of a Trip Around the World”, which is usually the first concern on potential travelers minds. And by breaking down his daily expenses by country allows future backpackers to understand where their dollar can go farther.
Another popular post is “Final Thoughts – Annapurna Sanctuary Trek” in which David offers great tips based on his experiences to anyone planning a trek in Nepal. I did the Annapurna Circuit in 2001 and definitely agree with many of his points - although I'd like to add one. Boiled water in a nalgene bottle makes a wonderful bedtime companion. Helps to keep you warm and stays warm throughout the chilly nights!
[singlepic=1655,200,,,left]David also offers a free eBook, “Dare Me”, which details the various dares he was given during his original travels. These dares ranged in “strength” from having his photo taken with various single women and Thai “lady boys” to riding a scooter and on top of a train in India. The rewards were mostly monetary (which was greatly appreciated), and not all were completed for one reason or another. But reading about them and his efforts to complete them make for a good laugh. And it just goes to show how travel allows you to lower your inhibitions and makes you do things you never imagined!
With the success he has gained through travel blogging, David will be launching a new website on February 1 – “Travel Blog Success – Build a Better Travel Blog”. We had a sneak peak of the site and feel that it is a great investment if you want to do more with your travel blog then update friends and family. Look for more on Travel Blog Success soon!
And be sure to vote for Go Backpacking as Best Travel Blog and Medellin Living as Best Latin American Blog in the 2010 Bloggies! Voting ends January 31, 2010.
7 Responses to “Favorite Blog: Go Backpacking”
Other comments
9 Comments on "A Year in Paris"-
Leah on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:12 am
I really enjoyed reading your post. I am thirty-two soon and have itchy feet that are ready to try out foreign soils.
It is a fear of leaving the security of the day to day grind of paying the bills and living a safe and non-challenging way of life that has put me on hold for some time.
I hope (as it has I) your post will inspire others to go and follow their bliss – Leah 🙂 -
Patricia GW on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:54 am
Travel and experiencing a new culture really has put it into perspective, and filled that void with purpose (and joy).
In three weeks I’ll be moving to Paris myself for one month. I have the same feeling – the incredible surreal realization that I’m going to be living there…. it’s thrilling!!
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Abby on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 2:11 pm
Oh, Jenny! Escargot isn’t palatable — it’s delicious! I love your writing style; it’s so fun and energetic. Can you believe how far we’ve come? Everyone, Jenny and I were in the exact same industry and have known each other online and via work emails for years and years. But we’ve only met once, many, many years ago. And one of those jobs she was sleeping next to her BlackBerry for was one I’d just left. And now she’s 33 and living abroad, just like I was last year. Kindred spirits. Jenny, you’re a true inspiration — I can’t wait to see how your adventure unfolds!
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Debbie Beardsley on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 3:22 pm
Your life in Paris sounds ideal. It is nice to read about people who follow their dreams instead of wishing they had! Enjoy the rest of your journey.
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Terriaw on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 1:40 pm
Wow, fabulous and well said! I love your new outlook on like. After experiencing career burnout and feeling a little lost and purposeless lately, you have encouraged me. I look forward to seeing Paris someday!
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Jenny on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 6:50 pm
merci for all the sweet comments! @abby we are soooo kindred spirits! well except when it comes to our differing feelings on escargot…;) and congrats patricia on the move! thrilling indeed!
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shawna on Thu, 9th Jun 2011 1:32 am
you’ve reawakened my travel bug. must. return. to. france. (someday.) eat a croissant for me!
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Weekly Travel Blog Links — LandingStanding on Mon, 13th Jun 2011 6:16 am
[…] how badly I want to go to Paris… If only we could afford living there for an extended period of time during our travels! Any […]
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G. Michael Schneider on Sun, 19th Jun 2011 3:36 pm
I am a firm believer in living and working overseas, just as you described. However, many of us actually like our jobs and our homes and are simply looking to renew and refresh our lives, not change it. However, you can have the same type of cultural experience without having to reach into your own wallet and without having to quit your day job–by taking what I call a “working vacation.” My wife and I have done this 15 separate times, from Australia to Zimbabwe, Turket to Tibet, Mauritius to Mongolia. I describe how to do it in my blog otherguysdime.wordpress.com and via Twitter at @otherguysdime. Learn how to have fun without having to have burn any of your bridges behind you.
2010-01-29 04:09
Great to see inspirational messages for traveling the world. I hit the global path many years ago and hope others desire to find their own adventures despite all the bad news on TV. Go discover a corner of the planet and be amazed!
2010-01-29 14:42
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sonia Zamborsky, Sosauce, Sherry Ott, BriefcasetoBackpack, BackCountryEdge and others. BackCountryEdge said: Favorite Blog: Go Backpacking | Briefcase to Backpack - Travel ... http://bit.ly/a0PcnU [...]
2010-01-30 11:29
We're doing a search on our blog right now for the best travel sites on the net. You should add yours-- it offers more than just a narrative of your travels, which we really like and enjoy. Thanks for the heads up on goBackpacking as well!
2010-01-30 13:30
Rick - couldn't agree more! That's one reason why we started Briefcase to Backpack.
Lauren - thanks for the compliment! We really believe in the power of story telling. And by sharing other peoples experiences, we are able to show fellow Americans that it is possible to break out of the social norm. From the name of your site (Abandon the Cube) you definitely understand that!
You have some great country guides on your site and I'm anxious to see your Croatia one debut. We're thinking of visiting Croatia this June after a family vacation in Italy, so look forward to your recommendations!
2010-02-07 16:35
Love GoBackpacking - great write up of Dave and his community!
2010-02-08 08:23
we are also among Dave GoBackpacking blog, is really inspiring and has great info about RTW
2010-04-04 17:38
Hey, there's a great Career & Life Break survey on: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F3RSFS7
Only takes a few minutes and you get a free eBook!