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What I Wrote For Travel Article A Day
It Taught Me To Be Careful
Not All Travel Writers Have Been There and Done That
What I wrote for Travel Article A Day gave me lots of good incentive to write tips for you… It also gave me a reason to warn you that not everyone who posts articles about travel has been there and done that. We have. We want to keep it real and personal… and we hope that gives you confidence in us.
I thought I'd put up a page on what I wrote for Travel Article A Day. After a year I decided there was too much pressure. I love writing, but that was a little too much even for me. I learned a lot about the internet. I've always said that I'm not very "techie", and I had no idea about what was going on out there. I still don't, but I know more than I did a year ago! What I wrote about were my own experiences to share with you. When I wrote about packing tips... I told you what WE pack for different types of vacations. When I gave you sample itineraries or tips on what to see and do, it was because we had been there and done that. What I wrote about rental cars and driving in foreign countries, I was telling you about our experiences.
   
We've been to all seven continents and we love to keep on traveling. I love writing about where we've been and what we've done to help you out, but…
There was too much pressure writing an article everyday, and I wasn't happy with others using my work verbatim. What I wrote on our website… the information about passports and visas and booking flights came from research we did for our own trips. I've always kept the information sort of "generic" because things can change so fast in the travel world. Rules and laws change. Countries develop and sights change. Hotels come and go... so I try to tell you how WE travel, and you can learn how to travel the same way. What I wasn't happy about was all the articles that are exactly the same out there. When I was researching my articles to refresh my memory, I found that I would look up several references, and the information was the same.... word for word! My articles were sold, supposedly to be used as the basis for others to write articles of their own. That did often happen, but when I checked around, there were many bloggers who just put up what I wrote verbatim.... they "adopted" my husband, my nieces, my travel buddies, and used MY travel memories. While that may be the greatest form of flattery, it didn't sit really well with me. Many of the "experts" out there are doing the same thing with "autoblogs". They subscribe to a service, and once they set up their blog, the articles are published everyday, and they never touch it or review the articles for accuracy! That may be a good business practice, but it doesn't seem quite right does it? I will always try to "keep it real". I promise you I will always try to "get it right" as best I can. And in the spirit of full disclosure… what I wrote in five instances came from travel stories our travel buddies told us about. I think that's fair. We do have block ads and in context ad on our pages to help us defray the costs. If you click on them, we get paid a few pennies. For more information on that, see our FAQ page, financial disclosures and/or site sponsors. If you ever have a problem finding information or a page on a destination (I do!).... use the search button. It defaults to pages on MouseToursTravels and will get you to the information you want. (Another thing on my to do list is to completely update my site map.... but somehow the next trip always gets in the way.) So here's a list of what I wrote. I've put many of them up on this MouseToursTravels or on Antique-Airplanes.com, our other site. What I Wrote For Travel Article A Day...1 - Choosing Your Destination - What Kind Of Trip Do You Want2 - Where You Want to Go Takes More Than Throwing Darts3 - Travel With Friends and Family 4 - Best Time To Go5 - What is a passport? (From our webpage) 6 - Who needs a passport? (From our webpage) 7 - How to Apply for US Passports for Children 8 - Independent Travel9 - Do you want a Group Tour?10 - Your First Trip to Europe11 - Grand Paris 12 - See San Antonio (one of five we didn't experience) 13 - London - What You Should See14 - Camping Family Vacation 15 - Green Travel Tips - Help Save The Environment While You Travel16 - Sustainable Tourism - More Than Just Eco-Travel17 - Learn A Few Words of That Foreign Language (from our webpage) 18 - Toilet Stories Are A Funny Part Of Travel (from our webpage) 19 - Changing Money (from our webpage) 20 - Make Use of ATMs (from our webpage) 21 - Travel With Credit Cards (from our webpage) 22 - Booking A Flight - Where To Look, What To Check On23 - Dealing with Cancelled Flights24 - Delayed Flights 25 - How to Deal With Getting Bumped 26 - Tips For Getting Through Security Lines27 - Navigating Paris 28 - When to Visit Paris 29 - Get There On Time - The Flight You Book Makes A Difference30 - TSA Self-Selecting Security Lanes31 - Speed Through Security - Organize Like Frequent Flyers32 - How to Dress and Pack for Security33 - For Budget Travel the Countryside Is Cheaper 34 - What You Can See In London For Free35 - New York City - What to See First 36 - Can You See Rome In A Day? 37 - You must Experience Venice 38 - See Venice Italy 39 - Consider A Home Exchange 40 - Home Exchange Details 41 - Drive California Highway 1 Los Angeles to Cambria42 - Drive California Big Sur Highway43 - Drive California Highway 1 Carmel to San Francisco44 - The Amalfi Coast Italy ( one we didn't do ) 45 - What to See in San Francisco 46 - San Francisco How to Get Around 47 - Madrid, the Grand Spanish Capital48 - Museum and City Passes - Are They Worth It? 49 - The Riviera Corniches 50 - Route 66 51 - Drive From Madrid, See Segovia, Avila, Toledo52 - Tapas and Raciones, Spanish Fun Food53 - The Cinque Terre, Italy54 - Western National Parks Driving Loop55 - Grand Canyon National Park56 - Grand Canyon Skywalk, Grand Canyon West57 - Hike the Grand Canyon58 - Ride Mules Into The Grand Canyon59 - Bryce Canyon National Park to See Hoodoos60 - Zion National Park61 - Vacation At Home? What... Not Travel?62 - Is Bottled Water The Only Safe Water For Travelers?63 - The Mystery Of Stonehenge Calls64 - Ancient Megaliths - Ancient Stones Lure Modern Travelers65 - Henge Monuments and Stone Circles - Where to Find Them66 - Avebury - And Impressive Henge Monument67 - Airshows in England - Duxford and Shuttleworth68 - Pre-departure Checklist69 - Travel Advisories - To Help Plan A Safe Trip (from our webpage) 70 - Home Pre-departure Checklist (from our webpage) 71 - Frankfurt - More Than An Airport Gateway72 - The Rhine River - Castles and River Cruises73 - Mosel River - Wine, Swans and Castles74 - Carnac France - Ancient Standing Stones75 - Drive Through Brittany -- A Different France76 - Drive Through Normandy -- Drive Through History77 - Normandy Beaches - Lessons In History78 - Giverny and Monet's Garden79 - Mont Saint-Michel - Unforgettable Floating Abbey80 - What Types of Accommodations You Can Choose From?81 - Hostels - A Cheap Alternative to Hotels82 - Big Hotels - Sometimes A Travel Bargain83 - Bed and Breakfast - What to Expect84 - Healthy Travel So You Have A Great Trip85 - Bed-and-Breakfast Translated - What Is It In Other Languages86 - What Are Hotels Called in English if Not Hotels?87 - What Are Hotels Called in Different Languages?88 - Volunteer Vacations - The World Can Benefit, But Are They For You?89 - Volunteer Vacations - Try One Close to Home90 - Castles and Manor Houses - Why Not Stay In One?91 - Direct Flight or Non Stop Flight or Connecting Flight 92 - Keep Traveling -- Tough Economic Times May Be The Best!93 - Transportation Tips Stretch Your Travel Budget94 - Stretch Your Travel Budget -- Eat Cheap95 - Cheap Hotels Stretch Your Travel Budget96 - Hotel Meal Plans 97 - What's For Breakfast? 98 - Should You Reserve A Hotel or Not?99 - Hotel Rating Systems100 - Internet Hotel Ratings Inconsistencies101 - Tips for Making Hotel Reservations102 - Cheap Hotels For Budget Travel103 - Lisbon, Portugal - A European Travel Bargain104 - Belem District of Lisbon105 - Alfama District of Lisbon106 - Sintra, Portugal107 - Top Ten US Cities to Visit108 - More Budget Travel Tips109 - Travel Money Savers So You Can Keep Your Costs Down110 - Why Travel With A Guidebook111 - How to Choose A Travel Guidebook112 - Travel Guidebook Types to Choose From113 - Visit Boston For Its Rick USA History114 - Boston Freedom Trail - Tea Party to Paul Revere's Midnight Ride115 - Is Chicago Your Kind Of Town?116 - Denver - Mile High City in the Rocky Mountains117 - Native American Celebrate At The Denver Pow Wow118 - Is It Las Vegas or Sin City? Go There To Play119 - Miami Beach For Fun In The Sun And Nightlife120 - Seattle - Queen of the American North West121 - Disease Outbreaks - Should You Still Travel?122 - Don't Let Travel Worries Get To You123 - What To Expect With Enhanced Hotel Security124 - Hotel Security Tips for Safe Travel125 - Washington DC - US Capital and Tourist Destination126 - Washington DC Monuments - Which Ones To See127 - The Smithsonian Museums128 - Mount Vernon - George Washington's Home Near Washington DC129 - Washington DC for Free - Thank You US Taxpayers!130 - Where to Eat In Washington DC - In and Around the Mall131 - A Travel Agent - Do You Need One?132 - Fatigue After Flights - Why You Feel Done In After Flying133 - What Is Jet Lag - Our Simple Explanation134 - How To Deal With Jet Lag To Get Back On Schedule135 - Hidden Hotel Fees - Watch Out For Them And Stay In Control136 - Avoid Hotel Fees - What You Can Do To Keep Them Off Your Bill137 - Electricity Worldwide - What You Need To Know138 - Electrical Adaptors and Converters For Your International Travels139 - Dual Voltage Appliances - What Every Traveler Should Look For140 - Brussels Belgium - A Grander Capital Than You Might Expect141 - Belgian Beers - A Brew For Every Taste142 - Trappist Monastery Beers - A Reason To Visit Belgium143 - Bruges Belgium - A Well Preserved Medieval City144 - Ghent, Belgium - A Charming, Overlooked City145 - Amsterdam - Canals, Bridges and Surprises146 - Amsterdam Coffeeshops and Brown Cafes - You're In For A Surprise!147 - Amsterdam Redlight District - For A Dutch Perspective on Tolerance148 - Bavaria - Castles, A Romantic Road, Lederhosen and Oopah Bands149 - Germany's Romantic Road - For A Romantic Holiday150 - Romantic Road Towns You Shouldn't Miss151 - Munich - Lively Capital of Bavaria152 - German Beers - Part of the Fun In Germany153 - Munich Beer Halls - For A Taste Of Bavaria154 - Oktoberfest - A German Festival You Shouldn't Miss155 - Neuschwanstein - Mad Ludwig's Most Famous Castle156 - Castles of Ludwig - Five Fairy-tale Castles in Bavaria157 - Oberammergau Passion Play - And What Else To Find In Town158 - Traveler Versus Tourist - Forget Arguments - Enjoy It159 - Enjoy Your Travel More - Join In, Make Friends160 - Connect with Travel For A More Personal Trip161 - Internet Flight Insurance - Is It Worth It?162 - What Is There To See In Ireland? Lots!163 - Top Sights In Ireland - Let's Explore the Best164 - Top Ten Lists - Use Them, But Don't Define Your Trip By Them165 - RV Road Trip - What We Learned About This Travel Option166 - Rent An RV To See If You Like That Travel Style167 - Traveling With An RV - Where To Stop For The Night? 168 - Oshkosh Airshow for Rookies169 - Airplane Nuts In Oshkosh170 - Ring of Kerry Ireland - Tips to Avoid the Crowds171 - The Dingle Peninsula Ireland - Step Back In Irish Time172 - Driving In Ireland - You Can Do It!173 - Irish Pubs, Part of the Fun on Your Irish Holiday174 - RV Travel in Europe - An Option To Explore175 - Driving In Foreign Places - How To Navigate Foreign Roads176 - Driving on the Left - Or Right - Whichever Is Wrong For You177 - Bru na Boinne Ireland - What Makes It So Special?178 - Ancient Irish Monuments - Our Take On Academic Definitions179 - Sharing an RV - How To Make It A Good Trip180 - Toll Roads - What To Expect Around The World181 - What Is A Highway? Autobahns to Two Lane Roads182 - Highways or Backroads - Get there Fast or See More Your Choice183 - Having Houseguests - Tips To Make Them Feel At Home184 - Being Houseguests - Tips For Being A Good Guest185 - Reading Road Maps - Still An Essential Travel Skill186 - Keeping In Touch When You Travel187 - Electronics For Travel - Take It, But Only If You'll Use It188 - GPS Satellite Messenger - Magic Marker On A Map Gone High Tech189 - US Highways - A Major Part Of Any Trip To The USA190 - Prague, Czech Republic - A City You Must See191 - Music In Prague - It's Everywhere For You To Enjoy192 - Czech Beer - Where Pilsen Lagers Were Born193 - Balance Your Itinerary - Mix It Up For A Great Trip194 - Avoid Museum Sensory Overload195 - Airline Baggage Fees - Pack Right And Pay Less196 - Hobbies for Trip Ideas - Great for Trip Planning197 - Should You Ship Your Shopping Home When You Travel?198 - Ship or Check Luggage - Which Is Easier? Cheaper?199 - Parking In Cities - Where To Leave Your Rental Car200 - Tips to Avoid Theft When You Travel201 - Wear A Moneybelt - For Safety and Peace of Mind202 - Oslo Norway - Don't Skip the Northern Capitals203 - Affordable Oslo - Tips To Help Make That True204 - Norway In A Nutshell - Cities, Mountains AND Fjords205 - Bergen - Gateway to the Fjords206 - Inflight Tips to Survive Long Flights207 - Norway Fjord Drive - A Great Way To See The Country208 - Stockholm Sweden - On Land or Water, You'll Love It209 - Stockholm By Boat - Beautiful From Land AND Sea210 - Travel Document Checklist - So You Don't Forget Them!211 - Acceptable Identification Document - What Qualifies?212 - What Is A Visa? Answers to What? How? and When?213 - Getting A Visa - How Do You Get One?214 - Visa Requirements - What Do You Need To Get One?215 - Adventure Travel - Whatever You Want It To Be216 - Active Travel - Know How Active You Need To Be217 - Gdansk Poland - Jewel On The Baltic218 - Driving In Poland - Easy If You Can Read The Roadsigns!219 - Malbork and Elblag - A Big Castle and A Colorful Canal220 - Elblag Canal - A Canal On Rails!221 - Warsaw Poland - A Beautiful Old Town Rebuilt222 - Krakow Poland - It's A Jewel, The Cliché Is Right!223 - Exploring Krakow - How To Get Around224 - Krakow Legends - Dragons and Heros and More225 - Krakow Salt Mine - Mine History and Salt Sculptures226 - Krakow Neighborhoods - Jewish History and Communist Architecture227 - Polish Air Museum Krakow - Something Different for Airplane Buffs228 - Tipping in Poland - What Not To Say229 - Seiffen Germany - Christmas Decorations Large and Small230 - Autobahn Etiquette - Keeps Cars Moving Smoothly231 - Travel Quotes - They Tell Us Travel Is Good232 - Why We Travel 233 - Ways to Travel 234 - Travel Luggage Recommendations235 - Travel Luggage Options236 - Travel Light237 - Packing Methods238 - Bay of Fundy Canada 239 - Aachen Germany - Gingerbread, Colorful Markets and Charlemagne 240 - Nova Scotia Drive 241 - Halifax Nova Scotia 242 - Nova Scotia Wines 243 - Armchair Travel 244 - Toronto Canada 245 - Toronto Air Museums (from our Antique Airplanes website) 246 - Niagara Falls Canada 247 - Niagara-in-the-Lake Canada 248 - Niagara Wines 249 - German Christmas Markets - Shopping, Food, Lights... Fun!250 - Your Travel Agent 251 - Prevent Lost Luggage252 - Identify Carry-on Luggage - Save Yourself Grief253 - European Christmas Markets - Visit Europe In Winter!254 - Security Packing Tips (from our webpage) 255 - Hawaii Voluntourism (we haven't done this yet) 256 - Responsible Travel 257 - Travel Is Dreaming 258 - Travel Documents Checklist (from our webpage) 259 - Trusted Traveler Programs260 - Tipping 261 - Mid-trip Letdown 262 - Mille Miglia Italy 263 - Florence Italy 264 - Getting to Florence 265 - Multigenerational Vacations - Families Can Travel AND Connect266 - Finding Your Roots 267 - Finding Family History 268 - Travel Preparation List 269 - Travel Preparation Checklist 270 - Travel Trepidations 271 - Multigenerational Vacation Ideas 272 - Travel Healthy (Combined with Healthy Travel Above) 273 - Traveler's Diarrhea 274 - Traveler's Constipation 275 - Shape Up For Travel 276 - Is the Water Safe? (from our webpage) 277 - Be A Flexible Traveler 278 - Pilgrimage Cities 279 - Take A Pilgrimage 280 - City Walls 281 - Shopping On Vacation - Learn About The Culture - Have Fun Too!282 - Travel to Flea Markets 283 - Flea Market Tips 284 - World Bazaars 285 - Family Vacations 286 - Year Round Vacations 287 - World Drives - Road Trips Are Fun Around the World288 - Internet Travel Toolbox 289 - Travel Booking Problems - Stay Calm! Things May Work Out Better!290 - Funny Travel Problems 291 - Foreign Food 292 - Travel Registration 293 - Pilgrimage to Santiago (one more we didn't do) 294 - Surviving Holiday Flights - Dealing With Peak Travel Seasons295 - Paying Too Much 296 - Strange Laws 297 - International Driving Permit 298 - Make Travel Fun 299 - Get Travel Ideas300 - Traffic Laws Abroad - Know The Basics Before You Jump In The Car!301 - Short-term Voluntourism 302 - Find Cheap Restaurants 303 - Regional Jets 304 - Airport Layover Ideas 305 - Hand Gestures Around The World 306 - Customs and Courtesies Around the World 307 - Romantic Weekends - Win Her Heart Guys!308 - Secure Flight Program - What The TSA Is Trying309 - Security Rules Change 310 - Requirements for That One LIter Plastic Bag?311 - That One Quart Plastic Bag312 - Vancouver - British Columbia, Canada313 - Sights Around Vancouver - Water, Mountains, Wine!314 - Vancouver Harbor Cruise - Get A Different View Of The City315 - The Sea to Sky Highway From Vancouver - A Great Scenic Drive316 - Whistler BC or Whistler Blackcomb - Not Just For Skiers!317 - Vancouver Island - A Great Little Corner of British Columbia318 - Afternoon Tea At The Empress Hotel319 - Victoria - A Capital Place for Fun320 - Butchart Gardens, Victoria321 - Campbell River - The Wilder Side of Vancouver Island322 - Traveling With Pills323 - Medical Tourism 324 - Stretches for Flying 325 - Deep Vein Thrombosis 326 - Economy Class Syndrome 327 - Reservations for Museums 328 - Travel First Aid Kit 329 - Treasure Hunting Vacations 330 - Prevent Automobile Burglaries 331 - Getting To And From The Airport 332 - Considerate Travelers 333 - Tips for Shopping Abroad 334 - Buying Jewelry Abroad 335 - Buying Carpets Abroad 336 - Bargaining Tips 337 - What to Pack338 - Tropical Vacation Packing List339 - Travel Far Eat Locally 340 - Travel Health Insurance 341 - The Australian Outback - The Red Center342 - Iguazu Falls 343 - South Africa - More Than Just Safaris344 - Pack Enough Medication345 - Pisa Italy 346 - Budapest Hungary - Easy Travel in Eastern Europe347 - Budapest Aviation Museum (On our Antique-Airplanes site) 348 - Budapest Thermal Baths349 - Buda Is Budapest 350 - Pest Is Budapest 351 - Hydrofoil the Danube 352 - Bratislava Capital of Slovakia353 - Eger Hungary354 - Bulls Blood Wine 355 - Sirens Valley - Eger Hungary 356 - Tokay or Tokay357 - Driving Slovenia 358 - Driving Croatia 359 - The Dalmatian Coast 360 - Dubrovnik Croatia 361 - Plitvicka National Park Croatia 362 - Zagreb Capital of Croatia 363 - Israel On Your Own - Fun and Easy364 - Old Jerusalem - A Spiritual Experience and Just Plain Fun!365 - Bethlehem - To See Manger Square, You Must Cross Borders
What I wrote was a travel article a day for 365 days…. and I haven't even used all of them here yet because I need to find our photos to make it interesting for you.
Remember, what I wrote was based on what we did… not all travel writers have been there and done that to get the experience…. so watch out. And besides, travel articles are only a starting reference…. you have to go there and see it and do it for yourself! Happy travels... even if you don't travel the world... just remember that life is a journey... embrace and enjoy it! Judy and Mark Curious about what else we've written about? Search our site for a destination or travel tip.Go to International Travel Tips from What I Wrote l Europe Travel Tips
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