Creating a Travel Blog

While traveling to a new place, it is often tempting to want to send out a mass e-mail to family and friends, update your Facebook status and Twitter feed, and load photos of your experience along the way. Unfortunately, this takes a lot of time and effort, which are two things you don't want to waste when the Eiffel Tower or Vatican Museum are calling your name.

We have found that the easiest way to keep up with everyone at home is to set up a blog before you leave. Whether you use Blogger, Wordpress, or another blog storage service, this tool serves as an online journal that allows all of your friends and family to become part of your trip. This is not something you need to update on a daily basis, but is good to utilize for a quick post before bed to let everyone know what you have been up to.

One of the best parts about a blog is that you can connect your blog to your social media. Blogging companies realize that we want to have seamless social media compatibility, so it's easy to find a blog that suits these needs. One of our friends is currently blogging on Tumblr, and all of her posts link directly to her Twitter feed and Facebook newsfeed, so we always know when she has put up something new.

There are also many blog hosting sites that cater directly to travelers. Two of our favorite Red Wine followers, Kyle and Krista, are currently traveling through Europe and using Off Exploring Travel Journal. (You can check out their adventures here.) This is a great tool to let other travelers know about your experiences and allow them to prepare for their own journey by reading about your adventures. There are many great features on this site, including maps, video and photo uploads, and the option to link your blog to Facebook.

While blogging on the road is a great idea and serves as an online record of your trip, there is still nothing like keeping a real journal. Scott and I now have a few notebooks full of our adventures, and there is something very personal about putting your thoughts and impressions into writing. Scott's journals are full of momentos from his trips, including clovers from Ireland, museum ticket stubs, and labels off beer bottles. We are not saying you should sit down in every city and write a novel, but you can always write an entry on the train (and trust us, you will spend a lot of time on trains). The best thing about a journal is that it's portable, so you can always have it with you and jot some stuff down whenever you have a few minutes. Computers crash and technology moves forward every day, but a journal lasts forever.