Have Itch, Will Travel

Travel-specific blog hosts may feature built-in maps, a message board for people to contact you, and an album to share your photos. The inclusion of these useful tools are typically at the expense of design freedom. If you choose a general blog host like Blogger for greater design freedom as I have, you can easily turn it into a travel blog by adding  widgets . Widgets are bunches of code like Javascript or Flash that can be embedded in any page that supports script code. You've probably come across them already without realizing it. They can be anything from a chat box, some information about the current weather, animated photo collections, or a countdown clock. Many blog host sites have their own optional widgets or are compatible with widget developers. Trip Tracking With Maps It can be a challenge finding just the right travel map widget for a blog. Here are some: TravBuddy : Nice maps, but no travel tracker. It highlights the whole country you've visited. If you use t...

Travel blogs may be  informative ,  entertaining, or introspective like a diary , but perhaps more importantly, they can  serve as a key communication tool between the travelers and the ones that were left behind. Why travel blogs are better than email: People can choose to read about your adventures when they want. Comments and feedback are in one place rather than several individual emails that you may have to respond to.  Better navigation system More appealing aesthetics and readability Customisable Built-in features such as maps and albums There are many free travel blog services. Some are basic and easy to use, while others allow customisation if you are familiar with  HTML and CSS.  I've had a look at several of the popular ones and review them briefly here to help you decide. GetJealous : For absolute novices. The most basic travel blog site I've come across. It has some major limitations in that there is no design freedom an...