Trail of Ants

What Goes Up.

Ant Stone — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:04:28 +0000

I’m leaving New Zealand next week to return home to England, one year earlier than planned. I had a whole blog post sketched up in my head, it was riddled with romantic notions, and heartfelt reasons which would help me to appear enigmatic and brave. Then I realised it would take the best part of a day to explain everything, and I just don’t have the time. So, here’s the synopsis.

A few weeks ago, Reb was offered a new job here in Wellington. Three hours later, her dad called to say he was facing a series of tests for pelvic cancer. This is the third time during the three years we’ve been away, that someone close to Reb and I has taken a lashing from the disease.

Returning Home

Reb left Wellington a few weeks ago to be with her dad and family, and during that time we’ve realised that returning to New Zealand would be the wrong decision for us right now.

For starters, the 12-month working sections of our 23-month working holiday visas expire this October, and we were due to return to England in March for my sister’s wedding; which meant we would have to fly from New Zealand to England to New Zealand, to England to New Zealand, and eventually — you guess it — back to England.

I checked behind the sofa and in my old jeans’ johnny pocket, but we just could not find that kind of money.

Leaving New Zealand is going to be one of the hardest things I’ve faced. This city is more than a destination along The Trail.

Homeward Bound

For the passed year, I’ve been Uncle Ant to my young niece and nephew, and reconnected with my older sister who emigrated here seven years ago, as well as enjoying the company of a handful of close friends.

Next Thursday, I’ll fly to Kuala Lumpur, and enjoy a few weeks exploring Malaysia and celebrating my homecoming before touching down in London Heathrow and into the arms of Reb, to immerse ourselves in one of the most amazing places on earth: home.

I’m sure you’ll get the full low-down on the highs and lows, I just wanted to keep you in the loop as to why things have been — and will probably continue to be — a bit stuttered here on TrailofAnts.com.

If you have any tips or advice about travelling in Malaysia, I’m all ears. I realise it’s heading into the monsoon, but I’d really like to explore some regional food, and would be keen to hear from anyone who’s toured the country by motorbike.

(Oh, and to complicate matters, I’ve completely redesigned the entire site — and I just know there are gremlins lurking in the midst, so please do let me know of you find any).

What Goes Up. is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Colour Vision: #3C78A7

Ant Stone — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:22:24 +0000

I’m having one of those weeks. Just when I think things can’t get any more complicated, I go to sleep and wake up to find they’ve become even more screwed up. I’m like the little girl in Labyrinth, and David Bowie just keeps taunting me with his glass ball. I’m interested to see how this affects this week’s Colour Vision piece; suffice to say I’m not expecting a fairytale.

This week’s colour is #3C78A7, and was selected by Ms Gourmantic of the excellent Gourmantic.com food and travel web site.

Having the colour selected for me is a first for the series, and something I’m keen to explore.

Finally, before we delve into the feature, I’m sure I’ll be featuring more colours selected by fellow travel lovers over the coming year, which will be by invite only. Please don’t send me unsolicited suggestions or I’ll throw you into the Bog of Eternal Stench.

“Turn back, readers. Turn back before it’s too late.”

Three sea seven eight ay seven. Not bright enough to burn my eyes, and neither deep enough nor noble enough to hold any authority over me.

Instantly, we’re friends.

You’re the colour of a child’s sky: a haven where the sun does not have to be round, and the clouds do not have to bring rain. A place where birds are as big as aeroplanes, and innocent lines, become blinded by glitter, and recoil into a tangle of helpless scribbles.

One, two, three. Breath in.

Everybody now. Deep breath, in. And exhale.

Deep breath in, and exhale. And in, and…

#3C78A7 just passed through us, and you can feel it, just slightly. A faint residue of air stroking your lungs.

So, come on Mr. Blue Sky, show your face. Where have I seen you before?

A hyperlink to a long forgotten web page? Perhaps I met you in an internet café in Madurai? Perhaps that’s it.

Perhaps I clicked you and you’ve come back to take your revenge. I didn’t mean to click you so hard, but you demanded I did: you said click here.

So I clicked, and I clicked, and I clicked, until I could not click any more.

And this is how you thank me? You’re nothing to me; and you call yourself a link?

You’re so lucidly neutral.

Flat. Yet firm. A raft of silence floating atop the noise of my life.

It’s so easy to see a blue, and think of sea and sky. Yet #3C78A7 is making me sad. Like it knows something I don’t. Like where you’re really from, or who you really are.

Despite its plainness, #3C78A7 has an aura which is somewhat calming. I am suddenly its child. I hear it as a trickle. I feel it soothing and supporting me.

Perhaps the child was right, perhaps you are not the sky, perhaps you are the sea. You are the sea I drew a thousand times, while I grew up in the middle of that island.

The sea I yearned to cross in order to explore these trails of mine. I painted you in innocence, and now your tides come in.

#3C78A7, you are my sea, and yes, it seems, you are my most important link.

Writing this week’s Colour Vision piece was such an interesting project for me. Every episode of this series has been written in one bolt, a flash of inspiration and I’m gone.

Not this one however.

I know why, and it’s because I was gifted the colour by Ms. Gourmantic, as appose to randomly selecting it myself.

It changed the playing field; suddenly I wasn’t just looking for emotions and experiences that would link me to this colour, but I was looking for the emotions and experiences which would link me, and could link Ms. Gourmantic to it.

It was as though, somehow, she was looking over my shoulder, despite me never having met her. I had to change my approach, but eventually, at the second attempt I learned to brush her off my shoulder, and find the portal I was looking for.

It appeared the colour was too shy to talk, with someone else in the room.

I’d really like to hear your feelings towards this week’s Colour Vision piece; perhaps the colour has a particular resonance with you? Share your thoughts below, and help me to understand my readership.

Colour Vision: #3C78A7 is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Awesome Travel Promotions

Ant Stone — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:36:39 +0000

“Ant, can you promote this competition?” No. Piss off, and leave me alone. “Ant, can you tweet about this new product?” Shut it, you slag. “Ant, can you tell your readers about our new website?” What am I, your lackey? “Ant, can you write a 2,000 word article for me, for free?” Whatever Minger, Your Momma Works In McDonalds.

I say “no” rather too often.

If you run a web site, I’m sure you also receive these unsolicited approaches. I tend not to rise to the bait, partly due to my fairly strict blogging ethics and partly due to the fact that I’ve used email most of my adult life, and I’m pretty quick at hitting delete.

But. However. Nevertheless. Sometimes, I relent.

Travel Competitions

What follows is a round-up of what I believe were the most honest and/or appealing approaches, for products or promotions which I absolutely believe could have a positive effect on yours and others’ daily lives.

(Please note; I have neither been paid, nor compensated in anyway to post about these, nor did I feel I should have been. So there.)

Glenfiddich approached me a while back to write a piece for their new Glenfiddich Explorers web site. I’ve written a piece (which is yet to be published). Their new website is worth a look, featuring an innovative interface and a wealth of digestible and inspiring content. They’re also open to (free) contributors. Discover More.

Your Big Year darted me a promo tweet out of the blue (NB. I usually delete and unfollow people when this happens) to let me know about their new promotion, which promises to send one lucky individual around the world for an entire year. Not only this, but they’re raising money for charity and offering what seems to be an insanely excellent schedule of events and activities. Discover More.

Land Rover emailed me to tell me about their ‘Go Beyond the Everyday’ promotion, which is offering the chance for five lucky winners to spend two weeks in Namibia working with cats such as cheetahs, leopards and caracal. Hurry, entries close September 23rd 2010. Discover More.

World Nomads didn’t email me, but I’m in constant awe of their scholarships. This time round, they’re offering a travel photography scholarship in Bhutan with a National Geographic photographer. So if you fancy feeding off the Gross National Happiness of the world’s most enigmatic countries, consider entering. Discover More.

Good Luck Entering

Good luck to all those who are entering the competitions. It seems video is becoming a popular platform for many of these promotional competitions, which is something I’ve never even tried to get my skinny little knuckles around.

Perhaps you could share some pointers about where to get started? A camcorder would be a good start, or if you want to send me a new Canon 7D (snazzy camera) I wouldn’t be adverse to giving it a test run.

Awesome Travel Promotions is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Travel Shooter

Ant Stone — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:29:57 +0000

I had a whole post, buffed and polished for today. It’s full of good advice and hearty opinion, which will help us all look after ourselves while on the road. I made a coffee, swilled it around my mouth, then gargled a little bit before delving around a few travel blogs. A rush of blood hit my head, and all sense of sensibleness got canned.

We’re all so hung up with being responsible.

Travel safely. Travel wisely. Travel responsibly. Travel considerately. Travel cheaply. Travel slowly. Travel ethically. Travel nicely.

I feel like travel bloggers all exist in a soap opera, but without any cliffhangers. So, what of the dark side of travel; where’s the raunchy underground of international travel?

I wonder where’s all the sex? The drugs? The crime and rage? If travel bloggers were scooped up to form our own nation; we’d be like Switzerland, with a dash of Antarctica.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not always an angel on either my travels, or my in life in general. (Who is?)

While I’ve shed many of my more mischievous traits, I still become unstuck now and then, and those moments are easily among my most treasured travel memories. They bring me back in touch with my inner diablo, which isn’t such a bad thing.

Look at this photograph.

e.g.

With one hand I’m pointing a gun at my head. In the other I’m holding a pint of beer.

It was taken in Riga on February 25th, 2007. Four months before I set out on the journey which seeds TrailofAnts.com.

My flatmate and I booked the cheapest flight out of Stansted, and before I knew it we were getting slapped about by a Latvian winter and the odd wink from sultry girls.

As all good Englishmen do in this situation, we dived into the nearest pub. Then bumbled out of that one and into the next one. And so on.

I woke the next day with a thundering hangover, and reached instinctively for my mobile phone. I knew it held the answers to questions I didn’t yet have the mental energy to form.

When I saw this photo, it all came rushing back to me.

Most of the pubs had closed, but we were thirsty for more. Eventually we discovered a discrete set of steps leading down to a basement bar. A cheerful chat with a thuggish-looking man gained us entry. The bar was small and sparse, but suitably warm and busy.

As the barman poured our beers, I spotted his gun.

Normally in this situation I’d get a bit edgy, but I had a full pint, so we started chatting. One thing led to another, and he handed me the gun to a chorus of boyish cheers.

I’m not advocating blog writers rush out and stick a gun against their giddy heads. I’m just interested to know who we’re all trying to fool?

I believe a large part of it is because many of our kith and kin read our work, and so we do extend a certain restraint when reporting from the road. There’s a certain amount of, “what happens on the road, stays on the road” attitude, which fuels a community of invisible enigmas.

What I’d love to see more of, is some dedicated, gonzo travel blogging. Some content we can all live vicariously through while we continue our plight for prim and proper. Perhaps you know of some already?

Am I right, or are we all perfect angels? What overall impression of travellers, do you get from reading travel blogs? Are there any niches you’d like to see flourish?

Travel Shooter is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Colour Vision: #36118F

Ant Stone — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:35:09 +0000

Apologies for the lat… actually. Scrap that. One of my pet hates is when people apologise at the beginning of blog posts. What exactly are we apologising for? I don’t know any book author who’s opening line is: “Sorry I haven’t written a book for a while”, nor indeed have I stumbled upon an apologetic journalist. So, without further ado I bring you the latest episode in my Colour Vision series.

This week we take a walk beneath the arcs of 36118F, a boyish blue. As always, your comments are welcome, no matter how contrarian or candid they might be.

Three-six-one-one-eight-eff. You’re posh, brother. Immediately I can see that in your buttoned shirt, your thin-lipped mouth and pulsing veins.

You’re a toy soldier, set upon a herd of broken Barbie’s. You’re the glossy rim around a china cup, a regal noose of bitterness.

You’re blue. So blue, I can hear the boys tearing at your gunky sheet.

But wait. You’re not the True Blue of Australia’s sunny climes. There’s an undertone of purple. Perhaps you’re indigo. A bitonal eunuch of the tonal underworld.

“Take this man to my office, we need to have a word with you old chap.”

Doors slamming. Mugs of steaming coffee slide across cheap table tops. You’re innocent you say, but you’re not exactly sure what of.

“I saw you last night, squire,” says he. “I have nothing to say,” you sigh. A whispery voice, strong yet masterful.

Doors slamming. Mugs chinking. “You’re free to go, you blue bastard. But rest assured, we’ll see you soon,” he gloats. “I’m sure you will,” you sigh.

You’re the gloaming. I see you now. You’re the belly of the twilight. You’re not, posh.

You lead me in every way and I follow. As I pick my way through an orchard of stars, you keep watch. You’re a confusion of dark and light.

I’ve seen you many times, 36118F. As the rug of night draws near, you offer me space to breathe. You’re my celestial inn.

Look forth, readers. For this colour we’ve accused is present in every land we seek.

As the jagged foot of night stamps out our daily lives, look out towards the horizon. Long past the death throes of a billowing sunset.

Where a sunset might swirl around our skies like a pleasure-spiked maiden, this mellow stripe of blue charges across the mantle of the horizon like a lone knight.

Three. Six. One. One. Eight. Eff.

An enigmatic hero, thrusting forward, undeterred by false accusations; a bold blaze of classless calm.

How do you feel? Are you lost in a whirling confusion about what just happened? Welcome to Colour Vision.

*****************

I’ve returned to complete this post thirty-minutes later. On reflection, I can see where this tale was conjured from.

As travellers, we are often entrusted with front row seats to some of Mother Nature’s finest shows. As night draws in, we pull out our cameras and slam the shutter button, hoping to trap another fine sunset.

It’s often retold that the best part was yet to come, maybe fifteen minutes after the sun has fled beyond the horizon.

Then comes the night sky. Rightfully revered for it’s peppering of stars.

But even without the stars, the night sky would make beautiful company. The next time you have the opportunity, take a look; it’s far from black. It’s like an oil spill of darkness, in every imaginable way.

As a writer, it’s among my most inspiring tools.

Let me know what you see, next time you look out towards the horizon of a young night sky.

Are you a fan of the sky at night? Perhaps you prefer it to a bright blue sky, I wonder what that says about a person? Consider sharing your thoughts below.

Colour Vision: #36118F is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

The Lyrics of Travel

Ant Stone — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:00:44 +0000

People who know me really, really well, can testify that I’m somewhat of a lyrical gangster. I can beatbox till your lugholes pop, and hit the high notes with them dead-posh opera folk. It’s been rumoured that I’m Susan Boyle’s love child, and I can see why. Yo, travellistas — here me now. Boomshakalaka.

UNNECESSARY THEME “TUNE”

Yo yo yo…
Doe. A deer. I got no fear.
I is rockin’ on me toes,
To the land we call Who Knows.

[insert encouraging cheers]

It’s back to the pack,
To the ruck to the sack.
Always looking fo’ward,
Coz we aint going back.

We’re renegade nomads,
With too much to see,
Last through customs,
Coz we really need to pee.

We got no money,
“We no understand.”
We just kickin in your hood,
Coz we like the sea and sand.

Ray. A drop of golden sun.
We’re modern day warriors of liberated Fun.

[insert light boos]

We’re cooky. Crazy.
Totally off the hook.
Tapping at our laptops,
No sign of a book.

[insert missiles]

Me, a name, I call myself.
Life’s a fairytale;
And I’m the elf.

Hummy, hum hum and I’m…

yeah.

Word up, Dallas! Free Lindsay!

[exit stage left]

WHAT AM I ON ABOUT?

Travel lyrics. You might not be aware of them, but in a couple of paragraphs you will know exactly what I’m talking about. Picture me entering a hostel, paying my dues and dropping my bag in a hostel dorm-room.

There are a few timid people shuffling around, but everything seems deafly quiet.

“Where have you been?” I look around to see which of the skinny white backpackers spoke up. It could have been any of them. I think twice about faking Kurdish, and draw in a deep, and painful breath.

“Well, I flew from London to Paris then slipped down to Spain, peeped into Portugal then fled to Holland and Belgium before crossing into Germany, idling through Italy and visiting the Czech Republic.

I darted into Denmark, nudged my way up Norway, then sloped through Sweden, fled to Finland and checked out Estonia, before turning up here.”

The silence in the room suddenly grows thick and hairy.

I think about rapping my way out of it, but it all seems so futile. The lyrics have got me and I hear the words before they’re set free.

“What about you?”

“Well, I started in Scotland, headed through Ireland, whipped through Wales and etched my way through England. I floated through France…”

I try to keep listening, but the thrum of his rehearsed tale is hypnotic.

“…danced in Atlantis. Mixed it up with the Mayans, then fondled a nun in Fordlândia. I sunbathed in Babylon, before going loco in north El Dorado.”

I fix my gaze right between his eyes. “That’s awesome. Sounds like a great trip mate, maybe catch up with you later, then?”

ME AND MY MAN(CUB)

MOWGLI KNOWS BEST

The fact is, as travellers, we are asked to repeat our journey’s route so often that it begins to lose itself in its very own existence. Our journeys get lost along the way.

Unlike traditional storytelling — where things get embellished and improved — our route is our route. It’s a fixed line.

On our blogs. In our minds. In our friends’ minds. On Facebook. On Google Maps. It’s everywhere, even when we’re not.

Do you remember the first time you read the Rudyard Kipling’s, The Jungle Book?

Those unadulterated adventures of Mowgli; the mancub who is dropped under the damp noses of a pack of wolves, and forced to accept and explore his new surroundings, before eventually returning to a world of conformity.

That’s how I see travel.

We drop ourselves under the noses of a strange population. A group of foreigners we’ve been warned against because they’ll rip us apart and nag at our kneecaps.

But we learn myriad things from them; we learn to see the world through new eyes, and we use some of this experience to guide us home.

Then we become proud of ourselves because we faced up to that challenge; we stared it down, and we managed.

As with most children’s fiction, The Jungle Book appeals to us because every time we reread it, Mowgli’s slate is wiped clean and we are reminded of his innocence.

We don’t think about Mowgli’s destiny — we think about (and enjoy) his existence.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll break it to you. Real life doesn’t work this way.

Our adventure has happened, and no matter how many times we say it — or rap it — it will never recoil into the unknown like young Mowgli’s.

It’s like when we were kids, and someone asked our name. We responded, before following up with, “That’s my name, don’t wear it out!” Then we all laughed gaily and went back to playing hopscotch and burping.

Being asked where I’ve travelled, over and over again, wears out my adventure. I get bored of hearing it. My hardback, once-upon-a-time adventure becomes dog-eared.

Which begs the question: why do I write a travel blog? After all, this is the ultimate retelling of my travel adventures; it’s a permanent echo. A permanent echo. A permanent. Echo.

WHY DO I WRITE A TRAVEL BLOG?

Because I don’t want to be the reader; I want to be Mowgli.

I want other people to read about my adventures, and get excited when I tell them about all the experiences I had with furry folk in faraway lands. I want these years of my life to be immortalised in words.

I want families to huddle around and suck Werther’s Original while their granddad reads from Trail of Ants.

To achieve the role of Mowgli, I must balance things out by giving something up. For me, I’m giving up the innocent magic of reading my own story.

Instead, I have to hear those incessant travel lyrics of the upper paragraphs, each and every time some skinny stranger pulls my string and asks: “Where have you been? Where have you been? Have you been?”

I’ve accepted this, but I’m convinced that one day a whirling mischief will sweep through that dorm-room silence; and I’ll look him straight between the eyes, and I’ll say:

“I’ve been in the jungle, living with the wolves. Boomshakalaka.”

The Lyrics of Travel is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Travel Blogging Basics

Ant Stone — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:38:09 +0000

Once upon a time, creating a travel blog was the last thing on the mind’s of travellers. We used to be consumed with malaria jabs, and how many condoms to pack. We left our mobile phones at home with the laptop, and went in search of wild times and wilderness. Things appear to have changed.

Now we’re apparently concerned with which WordPress plugins we need. Which social network to massage, and which blogging platform to choose.

This time of year always sprouts a healthy number of new travel blogs, and 2010 has been no exception. In this blog-eat-blog world, I empathise with those brave enough to build a self-hosted travel blog.

It can be brutal.

Bloggers have to contend with Facebook and Twitter; they need forty-eight Google accounts; they have to boost their subscribers, reward their readers, engage with their audience, monitor the competition, and please their mothers; not to mention, score quality backlinks and spot a spammer from a hundred paces.

Oh, and it’s a travel blog, therefore one must also find the time to travel.

It’s go-go-go in a 140-characters. Everyone must Like you, Digg you, not to mention Stumble over you a dozen times a week, while they guzzle Google Caffeine.

You could feel extremely inadequate, extremely fast. I know — I’ve been there.

My biggest and most terrifying concern, is that the travel blogs are taking over travel. Blogs used to be the cool alternative to a handwritten journal — now they’re an altogether different beast.

I believe the turning point was monetisation. People make money off travel blogging. Fact. Some even write eBooks about it; which saves you time, and makes them money. Fact.

But think about it. Your earnings are going to increase exponentially with the amount of time and effort you put into your travel blog. After twelve months, you would be fortunate to be earning £200 a month from your blog. Over eighteen months, you would be lucky (and I really mean that) to have earned more than £2,000 (US$3,200).

Now, think about it. Do you want to taint your trip of a lifetime, by sacrificing day after day of this amazing opportunity, to earn £2,000 — or £3.60 a day — over 18-months?

I wouldn’t either.

Work to travel, don’t travel to work (unless you’re a “digital nomad” or an air hostess). You’ve got the rest of your life to sit in front of a computer.

Travel blogs are ultimately a good thing; they encourage a positive attitude towards travel, and blogger’s tips and tricks can save you money along your journey. They can also develop valuable skills; such as interaction with people of different cultures, and writing for the web.

Here’s a few more things to help you focus on the right things, which will help enhance your blog, while not taking up too much of your time.

It’s written with new travel bloggers in mind, but there are lessons to be learned for the most seasoned among us.

STOP

FIVE THINGS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT

STATISTICS

Number of readers. Number of pageviews. Number of comments. These are some of the most common quagmires; simply because bloggers are always talking about them. In my opinion, you do not need to worry about statistics unless you have decided to go hard and use your blog as a platform to sell advertising. Sure, take a look every now and then, but it is one of the least important elements for new bloggers. Don’t get obsessed.

ADVERTISING

“Everyone else is doing it, so I should too.” Running advertising campaigns on your blog might look great and make you feel a bit special; but as I’ve already touched on, you have to be semi-serious to make any money at all off it — especially for young, unremarkable blogs. The time you will spend trying to decipher the advertising process is much better spent elsewhere, and over time, decent advertisers may be attracted organically.

RANKINGS

Rank goes hand-in-hand with statistics. Your Alexa and Compete rankings can become the source of obsession. It’s empowering to watch that little number rise, and rise, and rise — until you smash through Dahl’s glass roof — but let’s be honest, everyone’s is. It’s the tide of the Internet. The only people that care about rank are other web site owners, and some advertisers. If you’re writing good content, your rank will find a natural level. Just don’t sit there staring at it.

OTHER BLOGS

I have a lot of good friends. They’re great. They each have their own quirks and personality, and they all make me smile in their own special way. Blogs are like people. In the same way that you wouldn’t want to actually be your friend, don’t try and emulate someone else’s blog. The reason the platform is so popular, is that it’s an extension of our personalities. Some are ugly but full of good intentions, some are beautiful but full of crap. Break the rules, and be yourself. You’ll find a lot of reward in this.

DESIGN

Everyone wants a good-looking blog. I respect good design, and it’s something I try to get across here on my own site. But let’s be honest, many of your readers aren’t even visiting your blog. They’re viewing them through RSS readers. In the beginning, just find a blog theme that isn’t fussy. Something that isn’t going to tie you up in forums. Something that isn’t going to break every five minutes. This site is built on K2 (although it will be changing soon) and it’s just about the most unfussy theme there is.

START

FIVE OTHER THINGS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT — BUT ARE WORTH DOING

SEO

Learning how to harness search engine optimisation (SEO) for your content, is well worth the time investment if you want to be found by curious strangers. It’s not rocket science, and can be quite interesting. In layman’s terms, SEO helps search engines understand what your content is about. If you run WordPress, install the All in One SEO Pack plugin (other plugins are available). A useful website for learning about SEO is http://www.SEOBook.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA

There’s a high probability you found this post through social media (Facebook, Twitter etc.) Loyal readers will keep returning without prompts, but social media remains the quickest way to kickstart the buzz around your content. Signing up for Twitter account, or creating a Facebook page is not the end of the story however. It takes time, and it takes commitment to build up a quality following to support your blog content. You have to be prepared to give as much as you take, but blogs aside, it’s a decision that will enhance your journey. Sites like Mashable will keep you up to speed on tips, tools and trends.

CONTENT

I cannot stress this enough. Content is the number one thing you need to concentrate on. If you think of a good angle for a post, write it down, or scribble the context down as a draft (that’s how this post was born). Create a simple editorial plan and think a few posts ahead, by looking at your travel plans. Look at what’s trending across the entire Internet, and think about how you can turn this into a useful post. I believe all posts should be born of desire, not need. What makes you tick, not what makes me tick. Passion glows, apathy aches.

LEARN HTML & CSS

This can be a veritable nightmare, not least because by the time you’ve learned it, it’s probably been superseded by a new version. Many bloggers don’t realise how much HTML is needed to create even the simplest of blog posts. Spend a little time learning HTML and CSS whenever you can, and it will ultimately save you time in the long run. The HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (affiliate link) is a useful book for beginners, while http://www.w3schools.com/ will encourage good coding skills.

LINK BUILDING

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but, by the time it was there were a hundred arrow-straight roads leading straight to Caesar’s bedroom. As you’re exploring other blogs (never, ever use the word blogosphere in my company) check to see if they accept link exchanges. They’re not the most powerful, but any link in the early stages is worth it if you want to improve your online presence, and support the online travel community. Once you’re in the swing of things, consider guest posting for other blogs to attract new readers (as I did, on this subject for TravelBlogAdvice.com).

BREATHE

Now you’ve read this, you should know that I have left myself wide open. I have tried to help you, but this will inevitably lead me to criticism. “Why didn’t you say this, do this, tell me this, do that yourself?”

I really don’t care. I just want to make sure travellers are getting the most out of their travels, and they are not getting blinded by less important matters.

Let us not forget, ten years ago we had no interest in “blogging”. And if you’re starting a blog today, you will still be considered one of the early adopters in one hundred years time.

Finally, if you’ve recently started a new travel blog, I applaud you.

You might feel that a lot of the work you’ve already put in “behind the scenes” has gone unnoticed. While that’s true in some respects, most seasoned bloggers do realise the amount of effort it’s taken for you to get those posts up, and those images in just the right place.

Keep things simple, and focus on the most important things — like making sure you’ve packed enough condoms.

Are you a travel blogger? What has your experience been like? What’s the best advice you could offer to new travel bloggers? Perhaps you could share what it is that you would do differently, if you started all over again?

Travel Blogging Basics is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Colour Vision: #CCCC33

Ant Stone — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:44:32 +0000

Welcome to another edition of Colour Vision, the weekly showpiece that I think has best been described as: “a stream of consciousness”. It’s my melting pot of worldly memories, where travel gets scribbled on by maniacal crayons. Let’s see what I’ve got.

This feature is a kind of brain dump for me. As a writer I’m often penned in by blue-collar picket fences. People want SEO and formal structure. Whereas I want to scratch chalk down the board and force them to listen to my bendy prose.

I am not sure my clients readers would appreciate it in the same way you might.

Thus, I often feel like a blind man, forced to push a candy cart around the world.

Hang on to this sweet-tasting image — and be warned — because this short piece could very well turn your stomach.

CCCC33. What do you see? How do you feel?

I see a swamp, but I hear an angry Spaniard, freeing himself from the tomb of a collapsed tent.

“Si si, si si… free, free,” he chimes exuberantly. He looks so happy to be free from the thin veil of his morning prison. Like a fallen matador, brought to his knees by his stained muleta.

Then he stumbles into my swamp. “Ha!” I shout, “serves you bloody right, you daft sod!” I taunt him from my writing desk. “Didn’t you know I wrote this swamp?”

He looks at me with a pair of angry eyes. I can smell his distaste for Englishmen from here. “Get on with your real story,” he gestures with a look.

I watch him for a minute, as he struggles up and over the shoreline of the swamp I camped him in. And then we go our separate ways, unwithered by our brief encounter.

So where does CCCC33 fit into the realities of my own travels? The aura is kind of gross; it’s a noxious gas; a runny nose; an oozing mass of pickles and puss.

Hold onto your bile. This could get a little messy.

There’s a bus, parked in Sumatra. I’m on it, sat beside a quiet Minang man; he appears to be in his late fifties, though he’s probably much older.

A narrow aisle separates me from two younger men, sloping around the peaks of their teens. Around us all, the bus effortlessly swallows boarding passengers, and their tightly wrapped luggage.

As the thin white loner, I’m a natural spectacle in this Minangkabau district depot. People laugh at me. I try joining in, but apparently that’s even funnier. For comfort, I stretch out a grimace, which mimics a smile.

I’m alerted by sudden noise, as the driver flicks on his radio and slowly twiddles with the knob as he searches the airwaves for a suitably annoying screech. He settles for a piercing shrill.

The engine snorts, and a dozen clove cigarettes light up around the dented innards of this steel beast. It’s like an animation cartoon.

Thick, sweet smoke. Incessant music. Laughter everywhere. Spirals of fun I can never understand. I hate it already. And then we’re off; sweeping between two thinly dusted verges.

Within an hour, the young man across the aisle bows his head, still loyally clutching his cigarette. Then his friend’s head slumps forward. They’re quiet now. Like broken puppets.

I look over at them.

They look hypnotised, slumped on chairs upon a stage of dry-ice. Their branched fingers rise instinctively to meet their thin lips. My heart is beating so hard, it feels like a gorilla playing the drum.

“Please don’t.” I scream silently.

Their fingers act like tiny paddles: as they spew, large sour chunks are held back, before thumping to the floor of the bus to join the swamps of acrid swill.

This happens in the first hour of a ten hour journey, and people appear so utterly oblivious, I start to believe I imagined it. As the bus swerves around corner after corner, the liquid stench of CCCC33 creeps ever closer towards my bare feet.

The men raise their heads upright, and continue smoking their clove cigarettes; and I impale myself on the bull horns of their lives.

Not the nicest experience, I’m sure you’ll agree. I think the acidic subject matter toned my writing down this week.

Travel sickness is an unfortunate fact of travelling sometimes. Despite the many bus journeys back and forth across their country, Asians are inherently bad travellers.

It’s not nice, and often hard to accept. I’ve had people literally lean over me to puke out of bus windows, and on most journeys I’ve been witness to people heaving rhythmically into small plastic bags.

No one makes a fuss, because the fact is, if the driver had to stop every time someone was suffering, they’d never get anywhere.

I hope today’s post hasn’t grossed you out too much — I did think twice about publishing it. However, I figured this is all part of travelling and I aim to deliver the truths; and this is an indubitable fact of travelling by bus in Asia.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s Colour Vision piece, and welcome any questions you have about Sumatra. If not the vile subject, perhaps you could offer some feedback on the style of writing I delivered in this short story?

Colour Vision: #CCCC33 is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Tips for Travelling with Parents

Ant Stone — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:59:05 +0000

Travelling with your parents is something most of us reserve for our adolescent years. Being sentenced to shlep around Disneyland with your whingy little sister, when you’d much rather be at home snogging the face off rebellious girls.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

I’ve been on the road for three years now, and I’m proud of the fact that during that time I’ve travelled with my parents for a total of around seven weeks. Easily more than I have for the past fifteen years.

I’ve travelled with them across northern India and central Sri Lanka, I’ve driven them around Tasmania, and welcomed them to New Zealand. After all that, I’d happily join them in any corner of the world.

I’ve got to know my parents in ways I’d never imagine. I’ve mothered my mother, scolded my father and introduced them both to their future daughter-in-law.

I’ll be honest — I never imagined I could ever do this. Since hitting my teens, I fought tooth and nail to avoid family holidays, and if my memory serves me correctly, I served my last one up aged fourteen.

I’m now in my late twenties; so what have I learned about travelling with my parents?

TOP 10 TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH YOUR PARENTS

BRIEF THEM: Make sure your mum and dad fully understand the type of travel they’re about to experience. Do they think you’re travelling 5-star through some of the safest regions of the world? Make sure they realise your chosen style of travel. Confess all, they’ll thank you for it.
ADD A LITTLE SPARKLE: Travel can often be such a black and white experience: Your Culture + Their Culture = Our Culture. Before your folks embrace you in a foreign land, have a scout around and unearth some sparkle. Perhaps they’ve always wanted to ride a camel, or your mum deserves a massage. Plan ahead, and hit them with some sparkle on the very first day.

FESS UP: If you have anything you want to speak to your parents about, this could be the perfect time. I’ve spoken to mine about everything from life and love, to death and desire. These aren’t easy subjects to bring up around the breakfast table back home. Travel allows us a unique outlook; one in which we’re capable of dealing with most things just a little bit easier.
BUY THEM A BEER: One thing I learned early, is to buy the first beer. Or at least try. Many parents have a natural talent to pay for everything. While that’s naturally great for the budget traveller, it can leave you feeling guilty soon after they leave. Keeping things equally split adds to the experience. This is your journey.
GIVE THEM A BREAK: Whereas you might be on a pilgrimage of tiny budgets, take a step back and consider your parent’s reasons for travelling. Perhaps they’ve worked hard all year to be able to afford to join their favourite son or daughter in Outback Australia. While you’ll be ploughing on, chances are they’re returning to their day job. Splice in some well-earned rest.
THE BUDGET: My parents have often been shocked by how low my budget is. They soon got used to it, but perhaps I should have warned them what comes with it. Draughty hotels and street food galore might not be what they’re expecting. Ease them in gently.
HAND OVER THE REINS: Don’t let them have it too easy. If they’re joining you, give them a taste of what it takes to make the most of every day. Over breakfast one morning, suggest “This Monday and Tuesday, it’s your call folks!” If they stammer, slip them a guidebook. If they turn pale, pass them a glass of water.
CAPTURE THE MOMENT: Once they’ve gone, ensure they’re not forgotten. Consider small tokens such as personalised postcards featuring you all in mid-adventure, or go all out and order a photo book. Hopefully this will be one of the best holidays of your lives, it only takes an hour to add the wow factor.
GIVE THEM SPACE: It’s natural to feel like you should be looking out for mum and dad every minute of the day and night, but cut them some slack. Beneath the parental history, they’re a couple of star-crossed lovers on holiday in a faraway land. Three’s a crowd anywhere in the world, so take opportunities to take some me-time, and allow them the same.
LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN: Most travellers welcome their parents with open arms, and it’s a let-down to wave them off home. If you liked having them as travelling companions, make sure they know it. They might be thinking it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend this time with you. Was it?

WOULD I DO IT AGAIN?

I never thought I’d be the person to write this post. I’m an ardent independent, and I cut the apron strings in a blaze of youthful misgivings.

I’ve met hundreds of people along The Trail and I can safely say my own parents make fantastic travel partners. They loosened up when they needed to, and coughed up when we had to. The three of us made friends in a way that transcended the normal parameters of our family.

It felt like we were letting my childhood go. Casting it from the rickshaw bench. Tossing it out of night trains. For my own relationship with my parents, it was the ultimate metamorphosis.

Like a helpless caterpillar, crawling along on a plump belly, I’ve emerged as a brilliantly coloured butterfly spreading his wings and inflicting horrible insect-based metaphors on the unknowing public.

In all seriousness, there is no better way to get to know your parents than to invite them along on your travel adventures. In many ways, I wish I’d saved all my family holidays for the days in front of me. When I can appreciate them as individuals, and we can share adventures.

At least then I could have stayed at home, and snogged more girls.

Have you travelled with your parents? What was your experience? Perhaps you can expand on this post, and ensure that we get the most out of these far flung family reunions.

Tips for Travelling with Parents is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Colour Vision: #3ABF23

Ant Stone — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:39:47 +0000

This week’s experimental travel writing feature, Colour Vision, takes on hex colour, #3ABF23. To the naked eye, a simple green but when I stir it into a broiling vessel containing my own travel experiences, I see an altogether different thing.

If you like the literary experience you’re about to encounter, I’d really appreciate you showing your support in the comment thread, or drop me a note via the contact form Either way, I always appreciate good feedback.

Three-ay-bee-eff-two-three. Fresh. Lighter than a thousand blades of grass, yet, perhaps too yellow to be sat aside the Green Fairy; she who once bleached my youthful bliss in Prague.

Green is the colour of glazed envy. Green is the colour of a slain environment, spattered in warriors daubed in foreign paint. Green is sickness on a distant sea. Green is the colour of the game of golf I never played.

That’s enough from me. This experience is designed to evoke feelings in thee as well as I. Look at this expanse of electronic-ink. Smear it on yourself in a flash of verdancy.

Five seconds. Four to go.

Four seconds. Three to go.

Three seconds. Two to go.

Two seconds. One to go.

One second. None to go.

What a rush! How do you feel? Are you filled with the glee of #3ABF23, or utterly disgusted by it?

Are you naked on the outside and curdled in the middle, or simply sat atop your chair like an abstinent — slightly blue — child?

To me. This curious colour is making me sick. Almost vomit. It’s a cliché, I know. (I wrote it). But that’s what I’m experiencing as my incessant stare becomes caught amid its gooey trap.

HELP! Somebody, HELP! My gaze is stuck in this endless patch of self-created green.

I am sorry, reader. For it was I that led you far into this infertile illusion. And now you’re trapped too.

We are swaying. Up. Then down. On a sea we cannot see. On a boat that cannot cope. We are pushed and pulled by an invisible tide. We are swerving around Asian hairpins at 100mph. Now suddenly we are standing on the precipice of a new life.

Five. Four. Three. Two seconds. One. None.

Our gaze, once stuck, is now soaring through the skies above a rolling landscape of a hundred greens: This is Norway. This is Yunnan. This is Kerala. This is Walpole.

We follow that gaze and suddenly we are falling.

Falling towards a thousand blades of grass, and they’re getting lighter. I see them now. They’re thick and coarse, and sharp. And you are falling too. And then I see her. And now I know her.

The Green Fairy; it was you, after all.

Quite a rush, right? If you’re new to Trail of Ants you may be wondering what on earth I’ve been consuming. This freestyle writing is perhaps my favourite indulgence, and is reminiscent of the earlier stages of Trail of Ants.

In fact, there have been quite a number of developments in the style of writing I portray here. Subtly changing with my environment.

In case you’re wondering who in God’s name, the Green Fairy is. She is absinthe. An infamous, aniseed-flavoured liqueur found in many parts of the world, but said to have originated in Switzerland. Truth is, the drink is more translucent than #3ABF23, but for some reason I kept typing — perhaps until I had satisfied her.

Indeed, the drink is so powerful that one night I joined an American friend of mine for a few beers in Prague, in turn we attracted the company of a couple of Canadian girls and in turn we order a bottle of absinthe.

The next thing I knew, I woke up on a train swarming with brightly-coloured ravers, the kind that would rip your clothes off and seduce you for days. I got off the train, to discover I was now in Berlin, on the day of the famous dance festival, the Love Parade. An extraordinary event, which attracts around 1 million revellers.

Suffice to say, the party continued…

Do you have anything you’d like to say about this particular piece? What was your experience with #3ABF23?

Colour Vision: #3ABF23 is a post from Trail of Ants.

Consider visiting my website to explore a wide variety of travel related articles, and score yourself a 7% discount on your next travel insurance policy with my World Nomads promo code.

Trail of Ants

What Goes Up.

Returning Home

Homeward Bound

Colour Vision: #3C78A7

Awesome Travel Promotions

Travel Competitions

Good Luck Entering

Travel Shooter

Colour Vision: #36118F

The Lyrics of Travel

UNNECESSARY THEME “TUNE”

WHAT AM I ON ABOUT?

MOWGLI KNOWS BEST

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?

WHY DO I WRITE A TRAVEL BLOG?

Travel Blogging Basics

HELP IS ON ITS WAY

TURNING POINT

FOCUS ON THE GOOD STUFF

FIVE THINGS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT

STATISTICS

ADVERTISING

RANKINGS

OTHER BLOGS

DESIGN

FIVE OTHER THINGS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT — BUT ARE WORTH DOING

SEO

SOCIAL MEDIA

CONTENT

LEARN HTML & CSS

LINK BUILDING

Colour Vision: #CCCC33

Tips for Travelling with Parents

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

TOP 10 TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH YOUR PARENTS

WOULD I DO IT AGAIN?

Colour Vision: #3ABF23