Travelblog: Wish you were here

Instead of sending postcards, some travellers blog on the road to share experiences with family and friends

SHE was lost, alone and faced with a pack of naked guys.

Having missed a turn along the Great Ocean Road in Australia, solo backpacker Laureen Toh, 23, had to stop her car to check her bearings.

She drove into what she thought was a deserted carpark, hoping to consult her map.

Instead, the freelance producer found herself facing more than 50 naked surfers changing into their wetsuits for a competition.

It was a Kodak moment. But she did not whip out her digital camera.

Instead, the recent university graduate headed for the first Internet cafe she could find to blog about her experience.

'I was anxious to share the story with my friends while the memory was fresh in my mind and I could still see the humour in the bizarre situation,' said Miss Toh, who was in Victoria last May on a three-week holiday.

'Everyone back home is updated on my whereabouts. I don't have to send postcards or keep repeating myself over long emails or through the phone.'

Like Miss Toh, an increasing number of globe-trotters are turning to blogs to keep in touch with their friends and family while travelling abroad.

Using personal blogging sites such as Blogger, LiveJournal and DiaryLand, some pen their travels along with other daily entries. There are also websites dedicated solely to travel blogs, such as www.travelpod.com and www.travelpost.com

These are convenient for people on long journeys abroad because they allow easy uploading of text and pictures, with entry fields like date of travel and the destination.

Bloggers of these sites also get to share their experiences with the rest of the travel community online.

TravelPod user Emma Vickery, 29, said: 'Some site users read my stories and I read theirs in return - it's a good way to learn more about things to look out for in other countries.'

Some log on from Internet cafes while others make use of the facilities available in airports, youth hostels or in the homes of foreign friends they stay with.

'It's so easy to find Internet access these days. In fact, with the exception of the Maldives, I don't think I've ever been unable to get online anywhere,' said IT program manager Howard Lo, 28.

The avid traveller, who has been to more than 20 countries across Asia, Europe and South America in the past six years, could find Internet access even in Unawatuna, a beach town in southern Sri Lanka.

Another traveller, property development director Ying Ong, 24, connects to the Internet through satellite. She blogs with her laptop during long road trips across cities in China.

'I need to travel very often due to my work. It's quite boring to be in the car for over three hours at a stretch, so I blog instead,' she said.

However, travel bloggers have to contend with slow Internet speeds overseas.

People who spoke to The Sunday Times said that they write text entries and upload their pictures only upon returning home.

'When I was in an Internet cafe in Myanmar, a single dial-up connection was shared among 20 computer terminals. As a result, the Web pages could not load,' recounted Mr Lo.

Some sites are also blocked in countries with stricter Internet control. For example, Blogger cannot be accessed in China, said Ms Ong.

And while more people choose to blog while travelling, many still find it a hassle.

'It's quite tiring to write after a whole day of sightseeing. I would rather upload my edited pictures together with the commentaries only when I get back to Singapore,' said fashion merchandiser Eileen Lau, 24.

But for those back home, it's a comfort to get online updates from close ones travelling aboard.

Freelance assistant producer Christabel Tan, 23, who is a close friend of Ms Toh's, said: 'It was a good way of communicating with her without having to call or SMS all the time. That way, I knew that she was safe and well while she was backpacking alone.'

For those who have taken to this method of penning their travelogues, the allure dispels the inconvenience of blogging on the road.

Ms Toh said: 'Being a lone traveller, blogging allows me to sit down and reflect on the things that I've seen and experienced. In a way, it's like having a conversation with myself.'

Article written by: Debbie Swee , Straits Times

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