• Darlene Berkel presents Air Travel Tips For The First Time Flyer posted at Every One Loves To Travel. Good tips for all flyers, really. And reserve your seat ahead of time if you can!
• Deb presents Hutong Tour Part 1 posted at ten-forty. (with pics)
• Eldon Sarte presents Mobile Writers: Do You Really Need a Laptop? posted at Wordpreneur.com. Maybe not, but don’t make me give up my MacBook!
• Jeannette Kimmel presents Buggin’ IT with Butterflies posted at Intelligent Travel. So butterflies like to travel, too…
• Veteran Military Wife presents Best Seats and Best Airfare All Around posted at Life Lessons of a Military Wife. Good tips for smart flight booking.
Find more about forstørre penis, større pik, større penis.
• Tara Skipp presents Melbourne, Australia – getting some culture isn’t as expensive as you think! posted at Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget. Good tips. I used to live in Melbourne. If going, spend time on Chapel Street and also hop on the trams and head to St Kilda Beach.
• Madeleine Begun Kane presents A Traveler’s Net Woes posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog. Not easy traveling with the husband on a business trip, then.
• OnAJunket.com presents Welcome to Guatemala City posted at OnAJunket. Well-written piece but warning: contains vomit!
• Nancy Hayssen presents Winemaking Secrets from Napa & Sonoma, California posted at Sonoma County. Great wine info! I’m learning about wine at the moment so it’s my topic du jour.
• Nancy Hayssen presents 6 Totally FREE Sonoma Wine Country California Vacation Adventures posted at Sonoma County. These nice ideas make me a little sad because I was near Sonoma just two months ago and now I’m about 30,000km away. Can the vacations come to me?

• Dana presents The joys of interstate travel posted at Principled Discovery.
• Travelrat presents Durrington Dig Update posted at Travelrat’s Travels.
• tenforty presents Eating And Shopping In Beijing posted at ten-forty.
• tenforty presents The Great Wall Of China posted at ten-forty. (awesome pics)
• OnAJunket.com presents OnAJunket – Travel Stories: Asia, Japan posted at OnAJunket.
• Sidhusaaheb presents Pakistan Visit (part posted at I, Me, Myself.
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents It’s Happy Hour Somewhere posted at Fly Away Cafe.

• Marilyn Terrell presents Photo of the Day (Canada’s Lake Louise) posted at Gadling. [pic]
• Jamie Rhein presents Geek Cruises posted at Gadling. Sail the Caribbean while playing chess.
• Lois presents Six Good Reasons to Try a Home Exchange posted at Travel the Home Exchange Way. Nice list.
• Moxie presents Learn Something New Hump-Day: Melatonin posted at She Has Moxie. Any tips for dealing with jetlag?
• Renata Vincoletto presents Falando pelos Cotovelos – Bath (Aquae Sulis) – The Roman Britain posted at Falando pelos Cotovelos.
• Darlene Berkel presents Finding The Best Alaskan Cruise Deal posted at Oceans Of Fun.
• Darlene Berkel presents Options For Pet Friendly Lodgings In Downtown Vancouver posted at Everyone Loves To Travel.
• Liz Lewis presents In search of Free WiFi…on the road. posted at My year of getting published. Handy links to help find WiFi hotspots.
• Tara presents Indulge in a luxury spa experience without the luxury price tag posted at Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget. Good tips for finding spa treatments on a budget.

Some great articles submitted this week. Keep ‘em coming, people!

• Artthailand presents Nirvana is waiting….. posted at artThailand. Beautifully written and great photos to illustrate.
• Artthailand presents Road to Barcelona » Park Guell of Gaudi posted at artThailand. [Pics] Been there!
• Jerry Stearns presents The Seine River is A Must-See When in Paris posted at Life After 50 Travel. Totally agree, a night cruise is especially romantic.
• Silicon Valley Blogger presents Profit From The Weak U.S. Dollar With Currency Plays And Other Strategies posted at The Digerati Life. Finance-related but applies to travel to/from the US with good advice.
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents 10 Money Saving Travel Tips for Fall. . . or Any Time at All! posted at Fly Away Cafe. Smart, thinking-outside-the-box tips.
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents Your Concierge Can Charge You Up posted at Fly Away Cafe – Where travel is a way of life. (Mary Jo, I know you sent more articles but the limit is two a week!)
• The Free Geek presents The Ultimate Guide to Getting Comp’d in Vegas posted at Free Geekery. If only I’d read this before my trip to Vegas a month ago! Oh well.
• Marilyn Terrell presents Chicago Chow posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Marilyn Terrell presents Honorable Mention: Tuco Tours posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Greg Wesson presents A Tale from Nowhere posted at Greg Wesson’s Esoteric Globe. A lovely snippet about an off-the-beaten-path trip.

• Travelrat presents Puerta de Gredos posted at Travelrat’s Travels. (video included)
• Rickey Henderson presents Beard Watch 2007 Update posted at Riding with Rickey.
• Marilyn Terrell presents Taking Tree-Hugging to New Heights posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Marilyn Terrell for Emily Haile presents Manhattan’s Old World Spa Treatment posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Chris presents Exploring Bali’s beautiful East Cost posted at nomad4ever. **
• Chris presents Khaima Bali: Where Orient meets Asia posted at nomad4ever. (videos included) **
• Liz Lewis presents Want a travel companion ? Take an MP3/iPod… posted at My year of getting published.
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents Keep Track of How Many Miles You Fly posted at Fly Away Cafe – Where travel is a way of life. **

Check out the previous travel carnivals here, and click here to learn more about the carnival and submit your work.

** = my personal favorites

• Marilyn Terrell shares photos of pedestrian overpasses in China in A Canadian in Beijing: Proud Love for the Pedestrian Overpass posted at Gadling.
• Travelrat visits The Debod Temple in Madrid posted at Travelrat’s Travels.
• Mary Jo Manzanares spends A Night Under the Stars at the Hollywood Bowl posted at Fly Away Cafe.
• Jason Antic presents Centralia: An Eerie Preview of Post-Apocalyptic Earth posted at We Go to Cool Places. **
• Elizabeth Potts Weinstein shares 15 Secrets for Flying on a Plane with a Toddler posted at Travel with Toddler. ** (I don’t have a toddler, but this all seems like good advice.)
• Kate presents Cañon sumidero, one wild ride in Mexico posted at Kate and Neil’s Official Website.
• Deepak Jeswal presents Aligarh posted at Random Expressions.
• Renata Vincoletto shares Photos of France posted at Falando pelos Cotovelos.
• TherapyDoc talks about eating at airports in Feeding Them posted at Everyone Needs Therapy.
• Rhonda Leigh Jones has an Adventure With Irate French Train Conductor posted at Rhonda Leigh Jones.
• Scott McNeely presents Ode to Istanbul posted at Viator Travel Blog. ** (This is so well-written!)
• Jim at OpenRoad.tv presents Sequoia’s Most Famous Treasures (video included).

Please link back if you’ve been linked to, I appreciate it.

Click here if you missed the first carnival, or read more about the carnival and how to submit your travel articles. All linkbacks appreciated.

There are enough entries to merit making this a two-week affair from now on, so the next one will be mid-August.

** = my personal favorites

Travel Planning/Philosophy

• Amanda prepares for a big trip and posts her thoughts on Planning at She Has Moxie.
• Yehuda Berlinger ponders The Reasons Why We Travel – Read Before You Go posted at Yehuda. **
• Mike explains Why I Travel: Television Made Me Do It! posted at Vagabondish. **
• Jason Antic announces Our Big, Big Roadtrip Across America is Coming Soon! and provides an introduction to couch surfing posted at We Go to Cool Places.
• Roger Carr writes about volunteer tourism in Make Your Vacation Memorable This Year posted at Everyday Giving Blog.
• Host Bee shares her pre-departure checklist in Preparing for Vacation posted at Busy Bee Lifestyle. **
• Edith Yeung asks What is your Dream? and recounts a trip to Machu Picchu posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act.
• Eric Daams presents Why Getting Ripped Off is Alright when traveling posted at From the swivellin’ chair….

Flying

• Steve Madsen reviews British Airways – World Traveller Plus (yep, long-haul flights are a bummer) posted at Exit Row Seat.
• Mary Jo Manzanares asks So You Want to be a Flight Attendant? posted at Fly Away Cafe. **
• Stingy Student presents Costliest mistake about the cost of missing a flight posted at Stingy Students.

Travel Savings

• Millionaire Mommy Next Door offers 10 Ways to Save on Travel Expenses posted at Millionaire Mommy Next Door.
• Jimson Lee presents Traveling Overseas and Saving Money on International Calls posted at Speedendurance.com. **

Asia/Pacific Articles

• Lubna Kably writes about Little Tibet in South India posted at The Writer’s Cyberslate.
• John Hill presents Koh Samui on a Shoestring posted at Universe Of Success.
• Fellow Kiwi Kara-Leah Masina reveals Why I love New Zealand/Aotearoa, Land of the long white cloud posted at Be Conscious Now.
• John Hill has an Adventure in Cambodia posted at Universe Of Success.

Europe/UK Articles

• Paul Dwerryhouse offers advice for anyone traveling to Amsterdam on a budget posted at Last Carriage. **
• Michelle Brown helps with a London Layover: What to do with 8 Hours in London posted at Inspired Diversions.
• Kate Baggott reviews a Frankfurt eatery at A Child-Friendly Restaurant for Grown Ups posted at Babylune.
• Travelrat visits Exbury Garden Railway posted at Travelrat’s Travels.

US Articles

• Jon takes a segway tour in Tour DC in Style…Segway Style! posted at The DC Traveler.
• Sheila explains 3 Ways to Have a Luxurious Hawaii Vacation on the Cheap and See An Unforgettable Sunrise at the Peak of a Volcano posted at GoVisitHawaii.com. **
• Mike takes The Niagara Wine Trail posted at Days That End in Y.
• Veteran Military Wife reviews Kennedy Space Center and the NEW Shuttle Launch Experience posted at Life Lessons of a Military Wife. **
• Seafarer presents Big Country: The Kansas Flint Hills posted at Family Travel.
• Cade Krueger presents A Trip To Leavenworth posted at Small Business Opportunity.

Other

• Daniel checks out apps in the handy Facebook for Travelers posted at TheLostGlobe. **
• And… Michael presents A Letter In Your Back Pocket: Your Key To The Developing World posted at Traveling Stories Magazine.

What is the Mile High Club?

It’s not the same as the Frequent Flier Club. The Mile High Club is a term used to describe people who have engaged in sexual activity while up in mid-flight, either with strangers or travel companions.

Pros of joining the Mile High Club

• Makes the flight more enjoyable and keeps you occupied when the movies get boring
• Can meet new people
• Can boast to whoever will listen afterwards that you’re in the Club

Cons of joining the Mile High Club

• If you’re in the bathroom, it’s a bit cramped and you’ll keep people waiting outside
• Some flight turbulence could ruin everything
• Might be awkward when you return to your seat

Famous Mile High Club members

• Actor Ralph Fiennes
• Richard Branson
• Janet Jackson
• Countless others

Can I join?

Yes, there is an actual Mile High Club that you can join and share your stories. Or take a Mile High Club charter!

So Richard’s idea of starting a list meme on A Month In Venice of some of these travel blogs is great. We all appreciate the links and it’ll be interesting to see how big this list can get, discovering new blogs along the way.

I’m adding Vagabondish for its great range of topics and interesting links (“Magnificent miscellany from around the travelsphere,” as it describes itself) and Brave New Traveler which continues to raise the bar by publishing quality online travel writing.

If you want to participate, copy the block below, move my ‘Adds’ to ‘Originals’ and add your own favorite travel blogs to the list.

___________________Start Copying Here___________________

My Adds

• Vagabondish
• Brave New Traveler

The Originals

• Leave America
• Rambling Traveler
• Go Budget Travel
• A Month In Venice
• TravelMinx
• Budget Globetrotting
• Ubertramp
• GoBackpacking

___________________End Copying Here_______________________

Do you agree with this? Have there been times when a place has disappointed you because it wasn’t what you had imagined?

For the most part, I am not disappointed when I visit a new place. But there are often challenges that threaten to affect my enjoyment, such as:

• The place I was looking forward to visiting is packed with tourists.
• The place I was looking forward to visiting is packed with tourist stalls which spoil the ambiance.
• The place I was looking forward to visiting no longer exists.
• The weather is crap the entire time.
• I feel ill, or tired, or stressed.
• An event occurs (a robbery, a terrible storm) that clouds my memory of the visit.

So what can be done?

As with everything in life, it is mostly us who control how we feel or react. We can resolve to have a bad time, or we can pull our socks up and make the most of things.

• When it rains: play games, visit museums and galleries, take an umbrella and go out anyway
• When the tourists are swarming: get out earlier, laugh it off, make friends, or get off the beaten track
• When the hawkers are in your face selling t-shirts: politely but firmly decline (unless you want one) and move on
• When the coveted cafe or nook has clearly been bulldozed for a shopping complex: shrug and seek out some other local haunts
• When the place just doesn’t look like the postcards/guidebook promised: lighten up. Try and ‘discover’ things rather than visiting all the usual suspects
• When you get sick: hrm, it’s hard to make the most of this one. Don’t push through it; give in, look after yourself and cross your fingers it’s a 24-hour thing.
• You get robbed: it is stressful and horrible. Report it to the police, keep safe, try and keep going. Don’t let it be your only holiday memory.

Do you find the anticipation of a trip beats the reality? Have you ever overcome a seemingly bad situation and still had a great holiday?