I Studied Abroad – Now What? Why To Consider Travel Blogging
Fact: I never studied abroad. Another fact: it’s one of my biggest regrets. But with a slew of friends working in international education, and after year 2 of spending a day with students returning home from their recent semesters abroad at the annual Lessons From Abroad Conference in Los Angeles, I’ve come to understand (somewhat) the joys and the challenges of such an experience. What I DO know and can speak to, is the world of travel blogging. And be it small successes like mine, or much larger ones like those of my colleagues, I can sit, unblinking, in front of a sea of...
Read MoreGetting High at TBEX 2012 in Keystone, CO
Did I scare you with that title? Don’t worry mom, the only “high” I got at TBEX was the Rocky Mountain kind (i.e. a little altitude headache). Nothing a few beers, some social media jargon, media networking and a good old-fashioned hoedown couldn’t cure. Travel Blog Exchange 2012 was held at the beautiful Keystone Resort and Conference Center – quite a switch from last year’s pre-Canuck riot, city-centric Vancouver adventure. As soon as they announced the destination last year I was excited. Colorado is one of my favorite places in the country…not...
Read MoreMy 7 Links: The Best of How A “Career Girl Travels” (…so far)
The latest blogger phenomenon has induced in me a great bout of nostalgia! It is rare I have the time or inclination to read past posts, but thanks to Katie at Tripbase (and Denver-based travel writer Suzy Guese for the nomination) I’ve been invited to share 7 of my past posts…and digging through the archives has been quite an experience, I must say. As others have been saying, it was difficult to choose, but I selected 7 posts to share with you all – the funny, the inspirational…and a couple because I like to look at the pictures :) My Most Beautiful Post: 9 Things...
Read MoreObligatory TBEX 2011 Round-up, CG-style
Photo ©KirstenAlanaPhotography/Galavanting HA! Just when you thought the TBEX 11 articles were over….BAM you get another one! Enjoy :) So…jumping right back into work after 3 high-speed days of TBEX wasn’t easy. Its kind of like cooking Thanksgiving dinner and then getting up the next morning to make brunch for 30 people. I dreamt about TBEX. I shamefully played hooky from yoga class to start uploading pictures. I made lists on the train to and from work of all the minutiae I needed to work on to step up my blogging game. I bought maple-flavored...
Read MoreTBEX Prep 101
Boy, there’s nothing like a big event to light a fire under your, well…you know. After all my travel blogger friends returned from TBEX 2010 in New York and it was all anyone could talk about for weeks after, I realized I’d missed out on a major opportunity. But the truth is I – and my blog – weren’t ready. Well now we are and it is (I think!), and I wasn’t about to let a chance go by again this year…so I got my act together and got all my reservations, tickets and necessary goods for TBEX 2011 in Vancouver, British Colombia – a...
Read MoreHappy Birthday! CGTravelsBlog Turns 2
Ta-Da! 730 blissful (well, usually blissful) days of travel blogging, LOGGED. CGTravels turns 2 today – and still kickin’! And to celebrate (well, it only took freakin’ forever, but) I finally made the big move. After over a year of procrastinating (my strong suit), CGTravelsBlog is finally cozy and settled at home on a new server with a spanky new format in the works and about to launch. I feel a little power-crazy with the newfound creative control, but mostly I think that is a result of hair-pulling coffeehouse sessions trying to figure out how to redirect...
Read MoreTravel Blogging: Finding A Voice
“Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book, a personality which…exists to see and state things so, and not otherwise.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Well, clearly Mr. Emerson was never a travel blogger. It takes a mighty person to publicly admit their struggles, but admit them I shall: finding that “personality” in my writing has been a major challenge. I would venture a guess that this has much to do with writing about the world of travel, where experiences are so incredibly subjective. And though it is clearly meaningful, perhaps...
Read MoreNews & Updates!
So it’s been quite a week here at CGTravels! Let’s recap (plus a very important update at the end! Keep reading). I knew, I just knew, someday my coffee habit would pay off. Well this week it did, because I walked into my corner Starbucks on Wednesday morning and who else was sitting at a table on her mini-laptop but Samantha Brown! Now I preface this by saying I never get starstruck. I do not like celebrities. And I think approaching them just inflates their already-hefty egos. But in this instance, it totally paid off to be an Angeleno and run into someone I...
Read MoreHappy 1 Year Birthday to CGTravelsBlog!
Well, I made it! 1 year of blogging and I’m pretty sure I’ve still retained whatever scraps of sanity I had when I started (well, most of them). With 62 posts and almost 10,000 views, I think for it’s inaugural year the blog has performed nicely, and what’s more important I’ve found a true passion and enjoyment in writing and maintaining it. In honor of this momentous occasion I am launching a short article series, not on a destination far away to which I or a friend has traveled, but instead on the place I grew up – beautiful Pasadena, California....
Read MoreEVENT: LA Travel Blogger Meet-up!
Hey travel bloggers, writers, enthusiasts and friends: if you’re in L.A. Wednesday, April 21, come to Whisper Lounge at the Grove for the first Tweet-up (sorry, I had to use the dreaded phrase!) of local travel bloggers and friends for a night of drinks and networking! We are long overdue for one here in southern California, so let’s make this one the start of many. Details and RSVP info are on Joel’s page at Freedonia Post, as reposted here below: Wednesday, April 21 6:30pm – 9:00pm (or later) Whisper Lounge at The Grove http://www.whisperloungela.com/ 189 The...
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