Overall, traveljournals.net was not that great. I was frustrated with having to name or provide a description of my photo and then attach them to a journal entry location. They have no option for video, and no advanced features or applications. If I had to say one positive aspect of the site, it would definitely be the pictures. They do focus a lot of attention on providing quality photographs from around the globe.

At first I was thinking this was going to be a bad option.  Their site, travellerspoint.com at first glance appeared cold and unwelcoming.  Advertisements and all sorts of different links.  Basically, this site is more than just a travel journal site.  They attempt to do just about everything related to travel in fact.  Travel forums, travel helpers, travel advice, travel destinations etc.  But once you spend some time on the site and learning your blog/diary, you realize it is a very powerful site that can do most everything other travel journal sites can do and more.

One of the more popular travel journal sites in my opinion is travelpod.com. For having advertisements, this is a great site to use. It’s simple, easy to access, and not cluttered to much, but still provides you with everything you need. Plus, it is one of the few that offers unlimited photo and video updating for free. The network that you join is large and the options to add and share the information on social network sites such as Facebook and MySpace are good. One last good thing is the option to collect donations to fund your trip.

Bootsnall.com calls itself the “ultimate resource for the indepdent traveler.” They do not necessarily specialize in travel blogs. It seemed to be a second thought to them and seems like someone just slapped together a wordpress management system one afternoon. I did not spend a lot of time working on my blog, and was unable to see the picture I updated. Usually I get it right the first time. It is a bit overcomplicated and they sell advertisements both on their site and on your blog. Not the best option for blogs in my opinion.

Todays review is of getjealous.com. Some of the stronger points of this site is that they give you the ability to purchase prints from the photos you upload, cost is around $0.80 cents plus shipping. They also have the ability to plot your online map using GPS if you have a GPS device. But the weaknesses are really …weak. 40 photos is the max number you can publish to your site, so if you go on a round the world trip, and visit 20 countries, that’s only two per country. Not good. They do offer a paid service which allows more photos, but at $30 it seems steep and other sites still offer this for free.

So lets begin with Offexploring.com. This online journal service is a new one to me, and honestly I just came across it while searching for other sites. My first impression was a positive one, they don’t overwelm you with mass links to everywhere and ad placement, like so many other sites.

Unique Features: I like the fact that you can get your journal printed as a book at the end of the trip. The price depends on the number of blog entries. The cheapest it could be is 24.99 for a softcover, or 29.99 for hardcover (price is in Pounds). When making a post, they give you stock photography to choose from if you don’t have your own.

I found this site wayfaring.com on a list by msnbc.com. It’s sort of a guide to the city by pointing out specific spots on google maps. Can’t really say it’s all that creative, although I do enjoy biking and eating out, so it comes in really handy for that. If I was travelling to a new city and wanted to see where locals favorite spots are, then I’d take a look for sure.

Two photography posts in a row. I need to research past blogs more often. TrekEarth.com is a great website for anybody who ever lost a roll of film while traveling. With over 630,000 photos of places around the globe, it’s easy to search for a spot you’ve been and remember specifically that you were there. There is a lot of techy photo nerds discussing aperture and ISO, but it doesn’t take away from the huge assortment of pictures.

If you are a photoholic while travelling, then you might consider this new GPS Unit from Sony. I I have to admit…it is very cool, and since I’m not into geo-caching, it’s the best use for gps that I have found. Basically, you carry it with you while you are travelling and taking pictures. It communicates with your digital camera and records the exact time and place you took each picture. You then download the information to your computer, and it can display your pictures and places on google maps. Very sweet…It’s nice to see Sony and Google working together. The downfall…like any gps device, it’s not cheap, but it’s not overpriced either. For a serious backpacker who enjoys photography, it’s an easy sale. For budget travelers….not so much.

Rum and Coke my friend….Rum and Coke. Otherwise known as a cuba libre (more lime juice is usually involved though). Travel to any bar and order one it will cost you at least twice as much as what you can make one yourself.

Gathering the ingredients is easy. There is hardly a country on this planet that doesn’t have readily available Coca-Cola, and rum is generally not too far behind. The hardest part is usually finding a glass in the hostel. To save yourself money, buy a small bottle of rum from a grocery store or corner market when you first arrive. Packing rum on a plane is not a good idea and it will usually be confiscated. A small bottle won’t cost you all that much if you buy local product. From there, any time you want a good drink, just go find a cold coke. If your hostel has a refrigerator that makes it even cheaper, as usually you will end up paying a little more for a cold can or bottle than buying off a shelf of room temp. I usually put about a small shot in a glass and just fill the rest with coke. If you desperately desire lime, pick one up from a local vendor as it won’t be all that much. Some of my favorite nights are just hostel bumming with fellow travelers sharing cheap drinks.