Sharing Travel Experiences

Inspiring Travel Monthly Roundup – May Edition

by Andy Hayes

Hello and welcome to to the May edition of the Inspiring Travel Monthly Roundup. I’m not sure we could beat last month’s “boots and beaches” edition, but we’ll certainly try.

We had a remarkable drop in submissions this month – likely because I worked with my ISP block delivery of some of the spammy stuff. So it was all good clean fun this time! I recognise some of the names in this week’s list, which is always a treat, and again we have such a plethora of destinations that it will quench the thrist of even the heartiest armchair traveller.

To get in your inspiring travel post for the June edition, be sure to head for the submission form on BlogCarnival.com.

As you know, I also do quite a few interviews with travellers across the world and I’m looking for new interviewees. If you’d like to talk with me about your favourite travel adventures and share experiences with my readers, drop me a line and tell me a little bit about you.

And without further ado, let the roundup begin!

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Our first entry this month is from our friends over at Byteful travel. They were featured in the inaugural edition of the blog carnival so obviously they’re regular readers of the blog. This month they’re suggestion the top 3 exhibits at the Chicago Field Museum. Readers will recognise the iconic façade of this building as a favourite in several films.

I think this is one of our first entries from Africa, as Greg Laden shares with us a very detailed and fascinating story called The Zodiac, the first of many memoirs about his life living in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Wow! Very interesting Greg. You should definitely package these up into book form.

This month my newest internet pal Rachel Cotterill goes behind the scenes with the National Trust. For those of you that don’t know, the National Trust is the organisation in the UK responsible for taking care of our “neglected national treasures”, in a way. So they maintain old manors, libraries, castles, and other buildings that otherwise would probably just fall into disarray. A hands on look at some great places. Thanks for sharing Rachel!

Costa Rica is very high on my travel to do list, and this post in from Travelogged about The Original Hanging Bridges Tour didn’t seem to help much. What fun! I’ve walked on some creepy hanging bridges in the US, Australia, and New Zealand – these look just as fun, if not more! I love the info on the ants as well. Well done.

Rebecca over at Tales from the Tip of My Tongue dropped us a note this month, saying “Hope my tips on Paris by night are suitably inspiring.” I must say, her article – Paris by Night – Where To Go When the Eiffel Tower Has Lost Its Sparkle is not only well titled but the content is fantastic. Great ideas! Adding this post to my favourites.

Well seasoned travel blogger Sheila Scarborough drops in on us this month with an off-beat report on Treasures at the Kansas Cosmosphere Liberty Bell. Half historic and half travel orientated, this is certainly a ‘not on my list…yet!’ post. Go on, have a look – there’s even a video at the end.

Next on our list, we head back to the beach! Roy Jones has written a very fun and interesting post on the San Blas Islands in Panama. Talk about stunning blue water, and that island – it looks like the perfect paradise. This is obviously another ‘must see’ in Panama.

Another island is featured in this month’s list – The Daily Obsession takes on a tour of the Beauty of Barbados. Great food, stunning sunsets – enough said.

Now we head inland where Jamie Compos takes us on a photo tour of Monument Valley in the deserts of Utah. I had a hard time choosing a photo for this carnival post because all of them are so stunning. Jamie kindly includes footage from a scene in Forrest Gump, which was filmed here. Excellent job, Jamie – maybe it is an idea to do a driving tour of all the Gump shots in that scene?

We also have a tale this month of monkey attacks in India. Yes, it’s not the flu you need to worry about, it is the monkeys! Shannon regales us a tale of hiking and monkeys – I am happy to report Shannon made it back safely (or otherwise how we would have this post?). Hope those scars are healing well!

The Digerati Life sent us a great post on how to enjoy a winter wonderland on the cheap. Very interesting, especially for families looking for a discount nature trip.

Kim at A Measure of All Things sent us a note about her time Swimming with Sharks in Singapore. Sounds very fun, albeit slightly nerve-wracking! Now just go swim with the dolphins in New Zealand and your life will be complete, Kim.

We go down under with the family at Our Red House, who take us on a lovely tour of Wilson’s Promontory in southern Australia. *sigh* Australia is such a walker’s paradise – if only it weren’t so big. Thanks for this suggestion of narrowing it down slightly – a great day out from Adelaide.

Yay! Cambodia made it into this month’s carnival (I was just there, in case you missed it). Conan Stevens gives us the nitty gritty [and there's plenty of gritty] on his overland trip to Phnom Penh. A great article; while I recognised a few Cambodian classics, there were a few surprises – to be expected from such an interesting country. Thanks Conan!

There’s more to Peru than Machu Picchu, says Gunnar Engblom, who sent us this lovely post about 11 Must See Birds in Peru for Everyone. He’s right – I’m not a bird watcher at all, but these photos are spectacular and make me want to grab my binoculars (ok, so go and BUY some first) and have a look. A great read, Gunnar.

Sorry to say, but we end this month on a slightly morbid note. Reldar writes in and tells us about the Tibetan Sky Burial. I had know idea about this brutal tradition, and if you’re easily offended I wouldn’t click through. But it is fascinating to hear what other cultures consider appropriate for burials. Thanks for sending that in, Reldar.

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Images courtesy of their respective blog owner with the exception of:

• Field Museum by Robert R Gigliotti, HQPrints.net
• Congo by Julien Harneis

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