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Backpacking and Vagabonding News
Nothing to see here!
In favor of making all announcements and such in the
Backpacking Forums, I have decided to shut down this dusty corner of the site. Please tune into the forums for events, contests, and announcements of new articles, etc.
Move along now!
16.04.2008
Make money for your articles!
Check out the
call for travel articles and choose a subject to write about.
Unlike most travel sites, we are now offering a small compensation for articles + the usual recognition of getting published! Many of the opportunities offer ad revenue sharing which means that you continue to earn money for your article for 12 months - and there is
no maximum on how much you can make.
This is a great opportunity for travelers to make a little money and get their work online under the noses of editors..
Good luck!
01.04.2008
Photo Contest Winners Announced
The "Craziest Travel Moment" Photo Contest (the first of many to come on StartBackpacking.com) has ended and 5 winners were announced. The winners will each received a $40 gift card to Amazon.com. With all the new
Travel Books that are out now, I am wishing that I had won as well!
Here are the
winners.
Don't despair, there are several contests going on each week at
SpongeFish and more to come from StartBackpacking.
31.03.2008
More good travel medicine advice.
Erik weighs in with some more great advice, this time on how to avoid TD (traveler's diarrhea) while on the road. It happens to all backpackers eventually - so you might as well know a little about it.
Here is the new article on
Traveler's diarrhea.
19.03.2008
Photo Contest!
StartBackpacking.com is sponsoring a photo contest on SpongeFish.com
Send in as many crazy travel moment photos as you want for a chance to win $40 at Amazon.com. There will be
5 winners. The deadline is March 31st.
Here is the official entry link:
Crazy moment photo contest
Good Luck!
13.03.2008
Stay healthy on the road! No one wants to ruin a trip by getting sick or hurt.
The new
travel medicine section is now live. Go read
info about Malaria for now, and be on the lookout for loads
of tips and articles for keeping yourself away from those disgusting third-world hospitals.
Also our new
vagabonding book library is now online. Check out some of my favorite vagabonding reads (I own nearly all of the books on the list).
10.03.2008
Coming Soon!
Be on the lookout this month for a few new things, and some improvements to existing content.
Soon to be launched this month:
- Travel medicine advice section, with tips from a doctor and other travelers.
- Additional content added to the vagabonding guide.
- Nothing official yet, but I am pondering a contest to liven things up in the
travel forums. More to come. Shhhhhh...
29.01.2008
Its alive!!!!
Our new forums are finally up. I am hoping to grow this into a place where people can share information
and advice to others that are planning new trips, or just need encouragement while they are still sitting
at work.
Come help me grow this new community into something fun!
Go contribute to the new
vagabonding forums!
25.01.2008
Hear about StartBackpacking.com and an interview with myself on
Indie Travel Podcast.
Soon to be released on Feb 1st!
Check out the Podcast
here.
14.01.2008
Now you can search for and book hostels from StartBackpacking.com. Look for reviews of
popular hostels and guesthouses as well.
You can now
book budget hotels, hostels, and bunaglows even on our site.
08.01.2008
For 7 long years, I sat miserably in a corporate cubicle. I knew that there had
to be more out of life, but I had no idea how to do it. It took a long time,
but I finally figured out how to make it happen.
If this sounds familiar, read my
story about escaping the cubicle for inspiration and then start working through the
backpacking guide.
Don't give up. Never quit.
Be on the lookout this month for several site additions including:
* A travel medical tips section
* Interactive forums
* A heightened focus on the cubicle dwellers out there.
Life is good!
26.12.2007
Happy Christmas (and other assorted holidays) to everyone!
It has been a good year for SB, but also a year for feeling out our niche. Now that the site
has found its footing, it is starting to grow like the fuzz on that forgotten box of Chinese food
in the back of your fridge.
Keep an eye on us as I continue to add content, blogs, and tips from
travelers who write in from all over the world.
In 2008, if you find yourself needing flights, travel insurance, or other online goodies...please
use the links on this site. It keeps the effort alive, and keeps me from having to do the unthinkable
and sit back down inside of a cubicle. :) You can find the links scattered around on appropriate
pages, or a small collection
here.
I get a very small part of the sale, rather than the Board of Directors, and the price is the same.
Its not much, but a little change goes a long way on the road. Thanks for buying me some Pad Thai!!
13.12.2007
Home and alive!
After a multi-month information blackout (I found out the hard way that the Chinese government
has banned my site and has blocked access in China!) I have returned to the UK/US to do some
work. I will be making numerous changes and updates to SB over the next few weeks, so stay
tuned and thanks for your patience.
Keep an eye on this feed or
subscribe to our RSS for new things.
You can read about my experiences in China on my
vagabonding blog.
Cheers!
- Greg
15.08.2007
The Good News: I am off to China and Nepal through the end of the year! This should give me
an opportunity to see these fascinating countries and relay my experiences to others via my
vagabonding blog. I may find myself a busy writer and website developer now days, but first and foremost, I am a traveler. It is time to answer the call of duty!
The Bad Bews: Seeing that the chief (and only) editor of the site will be in rural China as well as
trekking in Nepal, updates and email replies may come a little slower than usual. No need to worry, the site
will still be here and I will be checking email between bus breakdowns and lines for cheap noodles. :)
13.08.2007
I met up with Trip from
StepUpTravel.com and my eyes
have been opened. Travel is not just about seeing a destination, but it is also the chance to make a difference
in the lives of the people in the developing places that we visit. His site is out to help the little guy have
a chance against the large tour companies, go take a look!
16.07.2007
Not moving time again!
I have moved the
affiliate links page from the top bar to a remote and dusty corner of the site.
If you found the information here useful and enjoyed the site, please do your bookings through
the links. I need the pizza money!
The good news is that it does not change the price for you...but instead of funding some rich guy's
next yacht payment, you can feed a starving vagabond. :)
13.07.2007
Want to be friends?
I am always available for questions about the site or travel in general. One great way to
stay in touch is
Facebook. Feel free to ping me or just drop me an email -
bucho_ky@yahoo.com!
10.07.2007
Happy Birthday to us!
Startbackpacking.com has been up and running for 1 month now. (No, I promise not to make a big deal every 30 days!)
Unfortunately there is still no budget so there are no balloons or special gift promotions. :)
The good news is with 33,500 page views for this week, the site is finally getting some recognition and will continue to evolve into a place for people to plan their travels and fuel their vagabonding dreams.
Thanks for making this site a success!
9.07.2007
Traffic hits a new record! In 2 days we received over 10K visitors thanks to StumbleUpon, not bad for a site still in the
"BETA" phase. It may not last, but I am glad to spread the word vagabonding and to encourage others to travel abroad.
I decided to go with a Google AdWords campaign. You will see new ads from Google
popping up where the affiliate links used to be that will probably be of more use to you than my goodies.
03.07.2007
Traffic continues to grow daily, mostly thanks to
StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon is a handy way to recommend sites
and articles to others of similar interests...aka...travelers.
If you see something on the site you like,
just click on the
icon or go get the StumbleUpon toolbar which lets you
recommend sites on the fly. Cool stuff!
15.06.2007
Startbackpacking.com receives an awesome mention in
BraveNewTraveler.com magazine! Thanks Ian!
14.06.2007
Our
RSS feed is now up! That means you can have all fresh travel tips, articles, and guides delivered straight
to your google or My Yahoo account without digging around the site for it. Isn't technology great?
12.06.2007
StartBackpacking.com gets a nice mention from BudgetTravelonline.com, the web presence of Budget Travel
magazine.
10.06.2007
We are live! After months of anticipation and pre-launch work, StartBackpacking.com is born.
This site was spawned by the numerous questions that I was receiving from people who were reading
my
blog and became interested in starting their own vagabonding trip.
The content is a mixture of my own experiences, the advice of friends I met on the road, and carefully researched
subjects on the web and in books such as
vagabonding.
There is no paid advertising on this site, only affiliate links which provide a small commission to offset
hosting and other costs. Help a starving vagabum and please use them when purchasing from any of the sites represented.
Please join me in building a resource to help new people experience the thrill and life of travel. Contribute your
links, blogs, articles, and travel tips - all content will be considered.
Thank you for reading!
Gregory Rodgers
Editor and Senior Vagabum
