subject: Living Vicariously From Anywhere With Wimax And Travel Blogs [print this page] Dreaming of distant shores is nothing new, but new technology certainly can make the experience more excruciating. For anyone who is stuck in a desk job but also has a bad case of wanderlust, the world wide web is teeming with sites devoted to either chronicling other people's great times, or showing how easy it is to plan one of one's own. And in a world of dreary offices and other slightly less appealing daily endeavors, it's no wonder that the online travel community is one that is bustling with life.
While anyone with a laptop and WiMax can make a travel blog while on the road in the United States, it does not necessarily mean that all showcased content should actually be read and paid attention to. This is a sad fact of all blogging--not everyone doing it deserves to be getting attention, some doing it deserve to be getting even more attention, and others don't seem to grasp the concept. And unfortunately, this tends to expand when one starts looking at blogs in other countries, especially from the mainstream expat population. Most of them will deal with the same issues, which are usually surface and topical, and consist of people who only speak to people from their own home country talking about the local population. It's best to avoid these kinds of blogs when hoping to use one's time online to connect with a more authentic experience.
Fortunately, having WiMax and a laptop means that finding corners of the net where authentic experiences flourish is more do-able than ever before. And a large part of this has been the growth in the user generated content world of websites, which are better than blogs but still organic and word-of-mouth. From the travel site for hipsters gone global, Where's Cool?, to the reviews on the BlackBook and Time Out guides to cities around the world, finding a bit of a snarky but authentic take on what's happening has never been easier. And for someone who is using precious office hours to plan a much-needed vacation, sometimes it's essential to do that kind of legwork beforehand, making sure that lamer locales are left out.
Of course, all of the time-honored guidebooks are also online, and many of them have their content for free or cheap, considering the wealth of information that's available without having to pay a cent these days. For anyone who used to carry around a tattered version of Let's Go or Lonely Planet's guide to a particular city or landmass, it's possible to do the same with wireless internet--there are even apps to download for those with smartphones. On the same page, other guides like the Not For Tourists series have launched considerable web content designed to keep traffic away from other sources of information on the same areas.
And for those who don't feel like planning the logistics, there is always the wonderful world of photographs. Whether it's typing the word "Reykjavik" into Flickr and seeing what comes up or looking for photo blogs in particular, the world wide web is a great place to simply be inspired visually. You could be stuck at an office job in Cincinnati or getting ready to hop on a plane to Bali and still have access to the same information. And even if an initial "visit" to somewhere is done via WiMax and a screen, the virtual building block to a world of excitement is something well worth looking into.
by: Adam Hampton
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