511 is American's Traveler Information Number

511 is America's Traveler Information Telephone Number for the latest in road conditions across america. Check 511 before you start on that road trip this summer.

For a great place to stay in St. Augustine

People Love to Travel

Travel is something people love that has nothing to do with nationality, race or creed. We as humans love to experience new things. We need it. New experiences renew our spirits and give us a whole new perspective on life.

Even when recession hits, we look for ways to travel cheaper, but still want the opportunity to embrace those new experiences. Who are we going to meet, what are we going to see and how much are we going to relax and simply enjoy the experience. All these things feed our souls. For us, there is nothing better than taking the time to laugh and play with those you love. Some of us even travel alone, others with friends, most with family.

We don't really care too much what we do as long as it is different from what we do every day. One reason why "Staycations" have caught on. It is better to do things in our own community that we either put off or just didn't get around to than have no vacation at all.

by Dee Vanover

travel

What's Better, Reviews by Guests or Travel Writers?
There are two different types of hotel reviews: user reviews and professional reviews from travel journalists. When choosing a place to stay look at both. Sometimes hotels will cater to journalists and their opinion may be skewed, unless they stay anonymously.

How to Take Great Travel Pictures

Photo by Mark Filmore
Article from StarePhotography.com

Travel Photography If you’re a traveler and a photographer you’re blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime to capture moments in time from throughout the world and allow others to experience the world through your photography. Your adventures will become others dreams and inspiration. Often a particular photograph could make someone want to follow in your footsteps. Just one photograph could trigger the travel bug in someone and the next thing you know, you, the photographer, are enhancing people’s lives through the use of your camera.

Besides the impact travel photography has on others, it’s also very rewarding to the travel photographer. Chances are you would have had a camera on you anyways, so why not apply the creative principles of art photography to help enhance the pictures you take.

How to take the best travel photographs

There are two types of travel photography.

1) The “stand in front of that sweetie” brand and the “spontaneous and interesting” brand. Unfortunately most travel photography falls into the former category. We’ve all seen this type of photographer before, and regrettably most of us are guilty of it as well. We will try and capture the shot of something for no other purpose than to just prove we were there. The result is an often scripted, uncomfortable, predictable and visually boring picture. These types of pictures clog photo albums.

Page 1; the family in front of a water fountain.
Page 2; the family in front of a monument.
Page 3; the family in front of a sign that says something only funny to tourist.

Congratulations, you’ve taken the same shots, in the same position as thousands and sometimes millions of other people. Let’s now turn our attention to the other brand of travel photography, the spontaneous and interesting brand.

2) With this type of photography you are still free to capture the tourist site and you are still allowed to include yourself in the picture. However, there will be a stark difference in both composition and character engagement.

Let’s say for example that you and your family have gone on kayaking for the day. Some people may line the kayaks up, gear up and stand in front of the kayaks, throw their thumbs in the air and “click”. The picture is taken. When you get home to look at your shot you realize that the picture didn’t capture the peacefulness of kayaking, the calming backdrop of mountains or the scared look on sisters face when she had to duck under a log. You’ve simply captured proof that you’ve been there and done that.

A better idea would be to have someone on shore (because you probably don’t want a camera in a kayak unless you’re very skilled), and have them take pictures of the action while its happening. Even if you have to recreate events, it is still better than the scripted and visually boring alternative. Obviously capturing the moment spontaneously is best, but recreation finds itself in second place if that’s the only other option.

Likewise if you’re in Rome and you’d like to get a picture of your friend and the Coliseum all in one, try quickly pulling out your camera while they are looking at the size of the structure and snap a shot of the wonder and curiosity in their eyes.

Often this takes some preplanning with however you’re with. You will need to tell them; “Look, when I take out the camera I don’t want you to stop what you’re doing and “say cheese”. Just keep doing what you’re doing because I’m trying to capture our unpredictable and beautiful life as it unfolds”. It may take a couple of times before they stop turning and looking your way, but once you get this down pat as a team, your pictures will turn out much better.

99 of the Best Travel Blogs

Travel blogs are a dime a dozen these days. But finding the good ones, that’s the challenge. You know, the ones that inspire you with a burning desire to dust off your old suitcase, stuff it with some clothes and gadgets, and buy an open-ended ticket to somewhere far far away.

Those are the kinds of blogs we feature on TravelBlogs. And we’ve uncovered plenty of gems over the past few years. As TravelBlogs is about to feature its 100th blog, I thought it would be an appropriate time to stop and heap praise upon the 99 excellent travel blogs already featured.