Gap Year Escape

If you ask anyone what kind of music they listen to you will never get a straight answer. In all fairness you wouldn’t get a definitive answer out of me either.

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Wouldn’t it be great if an international travel company gave you the trip of a lifetime, spending the summer travelling across 8 countries which includes Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil and the US? Wouldn’t it be even better if you could do all this for free? That’s right free!

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Below is the Top 50 Travel Twitters. It is a mixture of media, corporate and independent travel blogs offering tweets on anything from green travel to cheap flights. I don’t believe that the number of twitter followers equates to a better Twitter and as such the list below is very subjective and not in any particular order.

I personally follow each and every one of these Twitters. If there any gems I have missed leave a comment. Finally, as these lists take considerable time to compile, if you found this useful, please re-tweet.

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In the world of travel blogs, social media is huge. I have only recently just got myself on twitter and starting to see its potential. Take Gary Arndt from Everything Everywhere for example, right this second he has 101,226 followers on twitter. Micro-blogging has incredible scope!

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There are many reasons for travel. Some escape a broken heart or the 9-5 grind. Many people take a Gap Year or Travel to find themselves.

But what does this actually mean? What do you find and where do you find it?

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Exactly what it says on the tin! International Comment Leaving Week starts today for, you guessed it, a week!

The idea is to leave 5 comments on other blogs and return a comment that has been left on yours. More info can be found here

So to kick start this occasion, leave a comment!

What’s the one place in the world people should visit? Is tubing better than the full moon party? Coogee or Bondi? What did you have for dinner? How many fingers am I holding up? Comment with anything you like!

Feel free to retweet this…

It still baffles me that even on the other side of the world you can still stay in touch with people. Technology is a wonderful thing (when it works). The time difference can make it awkward – "Why the hell are you ringing me? Do you know what time it is?!"

I just wanted to say a massive public thank you to Andreas from London Cyclist. Without him you wouldn’t be reading this blog right now.

If you have an interest in cycling during your travels or specifically cycling in London, check out his blog.

"Though our communication wanes at times of absence, I’m aware of a strength that emanates in the background." – Claudette Renner

Below is a collection of the best travel blogs in the world. I hope that among them you will find the inspiration or information you need. It was rather painstaking to put together so if you find it useful I would really appreciate a tweet or stumble. Things to note:

- Over 150 travel blogs were looked at in the creation of this list.
- I used many criteria including; Alexa and Technorati ranking, RSS membership and incoming links.
- Where the blog was not the primary focus of the website it has been omitted.
- Only websites that are still currently being updated have been included.
- I can appreciate that some great websites may have been missed, so my apologies for that. The internet is a big place! Feel free to comment with any suggestions.

Without further ado…

1. Gadling
2. Brave New Traveler
3. Everything Everywhere
4. Nomadic Matts Travel Site
5. Almostfearless.com
6. Upgrade: Travel Better
7. World Hum
8. Intelligent Travel Blog
9. Elliott.org
10. Travel Rants Blog

11. The Perrin Post Travel Blog
12. The Cranky Flier
13. A Luxury Travel Blog
14. MiceChat
15. PeterGreenberg.com
16. DeliciousBaby.com
17. Uncornered Market
18. Tim Leffels Cheapest Destinations
19. Vagablogging
20. Europe a la Carte Blog

21. BudgetTravel.com’s This Just In…
22. Kyspeaks
23. Rick Steves: Blog Gone Europe
24. BrilliantTrips.com
25. Vacations Blog
26. Budget Travel Tips – EuroCheapo
27. GoBackpacking
28. Travel Guides
29. Lifecruiser
30. foXnoMad

31. Go Green Travel Green
32. Travelwires.com
33. Viator Travel Blog
34. My Jet Set Life
35. whl.travel Blog
36. What A Trip
37. Neil Duckett
38. Go Galavanting
39. WanderingEducators
40. Nerds Eye View

41. Hole In The Donut
42. The Lost Girls
43. The Frugal Travelers
44. Perceptive Travel Blog
45. Holland America Blog
46. Travellious
47. Travel Wonders of the World
48. The Professional Hobo
49. Two Backpackers
50. Velvet Escape’s blog

In life there are few certainties but for me personally there is one that I know for sure. I wouldn’t be who I am without my friends. Whether old or new, best friends or a beautiful stranger you’ve all made a contribution and for that I am very grateful.

When you are travelling on the other side of the world it can be easy to forget your old life and the people who have always been there for you.

That being said, a very good friend of mine is celebrating her birthday today. I promised her Ugg boots but failed in that regard. I hope that this makes up for it.

I’d like to thank the 53 people (and animals) from around the world in helping me create this.

Happy Birthday Miriam.

"I mused for a few moments on the question of which was worse, to lead a life so boring that you are easily enchanted, or a life so full of stimulus that you are easily bored." – Bill Bryson.

I would imagine that slaving away all week, living for the weekend, would adequately express the former, but what about the latter?

Ask any backpacker about travelling and you could be stuck for hours engrossed in their numerous tales of lazy sunsets or missing the weekly bus back to civilisation. You will always betray a subtle hint of jealousy as you listen intently, wishing you could do and see these things for yourself. Green really isn’t my colour, so I thought I should try them out for myself.

I have spent hours with my nose buried in travel guides, perusing blogs and gazing at my giant wall map, dreaming of the possibilities. So many places to go, people to see and law enforcements to avoid. My time has finally come.

One year, three continents, ten countries and over 30,000 miles. The opportunity of a life time, one in which I’ll make every one of the 31,536,000 seconds I am away count. I’m sure as I stand in Heathrow on the 7^th September 2009, the realisation will sink in of the magnitude of the journey I am about to begin, especially on my own!

Still I can’t wait to leave. I’ll watch sunsets in Fiji, ride an elephant in Malaysia, spot the stars in LA, swim with sharks in Australia, jump out of planes in New Zealand and, of course, avoid the ladyboys in Thailand. Best of all, I’ll do it with a smile on my face having the best time of my life. At least I hope so! Things rarely go according to plan, but fingers crossed that will make the trip all the more memorable. Either way I’ll be keeping you posted how I get on. Until next time…

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Hello… yes, come on in… pull up a chair…

Welcome to my travel blog!

As I am sure none of you are aware (I hardly talk about it to anyone) I am travelling round the world for a year…

Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, USA, Canada and I’m done….

After countless years of “studying” I feel I need a break (those lectures really took it out of me).

I leave on the 7th September 2009 and will attempt to keep this as up-to-date as possible. This is not only to make you people jealous but also so that I don’t have to repeat myself.

So if you feel somewhat compelled to read my blog, feel free to subscribe and hear all about my hedonistic pursuits.

Much Love,

Amar

P.S You should also follow me on twitter