Best travel blog posts of January 2013

View from Bannock Brae winery, Central Otago.

Want some inspiration for where to go on holiday in 2013? Well, here’s a selection of travel blog posts to whet your appetite, ranging from city guides and money-saving advice to rafting and volcano-climbing adventures.

Consider this your Grumpy Traveller+1 service, where I recap the best posts from the previous month that you might have missed first time round. Here’s the best stuff from January 2013 – feel free to bookmark to read later, share or print out to use as the formative base of a new religion.

Blog

A lot of January’s talking points were inspired by my visit to South East Asia last year. In particular, I’ve discussed the problems faced by solo travellers joining tours and whether it’s OK to have separate charges for locals and foreigners. The debate spurred in the comments about whether it’s OK to take photos of villagers was great too.

By far and away the most popular post of the month, however, was my 40 ideas for TV travel shows brainstorm…

Destination

It seems I found myself pining for the warm weather of Australia in January. Understandable really – Aussie stories included cuddling a koala in Brisbane and the remarkable history of the First Fleet of Australian settlers.

The Philippines featured heavily too, with a journey to Lake Taal’s volcano and an exploration of Manila’s historic heart, Intramuros.

If that doesn’t grab you, the Palio festival in Siena, Italy may well do.

And, for fans of my humiliation, there’s an account of a disastrous attempt to join a tour in Krakow, Poland.

Tips

Continuing the Australia-heavy slant, there are tips on how to enjoy Sydney for second time visitors.  I’ve also explored Munich for people who don’t drink beer, discussed what makes a good hostel and shared tactics for getting cheap train tickets overseas.

Then there’s the discussion about the best haggling technique, and advice on how to get the best out of art galleries when you don’t particularly enjoy looking at art.

Photos

Should you be in the mood for pretty pictures rather than a long read, head towards the photo galleries of Australia’s Magnetic Island, Laos’ mountain roads and Macedonia’s Lake Ohrid.

There are also shots of elephant riding and bamboo rafting in Thailand’s Kanchanaburi Province, an open top safari on the Caribbean Island of St Kitts and a very special meeting with a kangaroo on a beach.

Oh, and as spotted in Dubai, possibly the world’s worst celebrity endorsement.

Reviews

This month’s reviews include night kayaking on Puerto Rico’s bioluminescent bay, testing a extreme cryotherapy spa treatment in Slovakia, learning Tai Chi in Hong Kong. There are also assessments of Singapore Zoo and Air New Zealand’s supposedly revolutionary Skycouch seats.

Portfolio

Of the work I’ve done for other publications that I’ve republished on the site, there’s plenty New Zealand content. I’ve plucked out the best New Zealand wine tourism hotspots, focusing on Central Otago’s wineries in particular, and suggested ideas for things to do in Auckland.

There’s also a guide to Aboriginal Australia, 20 reasons to visit Salzburg in Austria, a selection of England’s best stately homes and a visit to spooky Salem – America’s Witch City.

Writing

In the inside writing/ travel industry section I’ve given a great tip for keeping your writing simple and readable, and pondered why tourism boards aren’t experimenting with affiliate networks.

City guides

And finally, we have two new city guides – Bath in England and Vienna in Austria.

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