Welcome to the 16th edition of the Byteful Travel Blog Carnival, coming to you from the cold, frozen wasteland of Minnesota. I am so thankful that Andrew at Byteful Travel Blog gave me the opportunity to host this edition of the blog carnival (hint, hint…you should DEFINITELY pop over to his blog and check it out!)
Is anybody else wishing that they were somewhere that they aren’t? Here in Minnesota, the cold, icy fingers of winter are sinking their claws into my soul. I spend my days day dreaming about the places that I would love to travel to once winter’s claws release me from their grasp.
I know, it just isn’t proper for a true Minnesotan to hate winter. I am supposed to embrace the finger numbing cold and subzero, biting wind, but I just can’t lie. I would much rather be just about anywhere else but here right now.
That is one of my favorite things about reading great pieces of travel writing like the ones featured below in this month’s carnival – the wonderful sense of escape that I experience from being able to travel vicariously through someone else’s words to a place that inspires my imagination. These moments of escape feed my soul and keep me working towards making that next trip happen.
Do you need an escape right now? Check out these great pieces of travel related inspiration!
The Blog Carnival NEEDS You!
There were some great submissions for this edition of the Byteful Travel Blog Carnival, but we need more!
I know, I know…its just after the holidays. Everyone is feeling a little lazy. I feel it, too (right now, I want nothing more than to curl up in a ball under an enormous mound of blankets and not come out until spring!) GET OVER IT! There are loads of eager readers who are looking to be inspired by your travel writing!
Submitting to a blog carnival is a great way to get your writing in front of the eyes of lots of new readers. I know that it has helped me to showcase my writing to interested readers who might not have otherwise found me. Take your best recent, travel related blog post and head right on over to the carnival submission form. Try it…you’ll like it!
The next edition is set to come out on March 20th, so you’ve got some time, but don’t wait too long!
If you were one of the talented writers that made up this month’s Byteful Travel Blog Carnival, thank you! If you could make sure to take a moment to spread the love and share the blog carnival on Twitter, Facebook and any other social media channels that you use, it will help spread the word about your talented writing and I would greatly appreciate it!
Blog Carnival Highlights
Iceland has had an important place on my bucket list for a long time. One of our featured stories for this edition will get your brain thinking about planning your escape to Iceland by giving you some ideas for getting out of the capitol and off of the main path of what the majority of tourists see there when they visit.
The second story that really caught my eye in this edition is a moving piece about returning to a place one had lived during childhood. Suzanne writes about her visit to a small town in Mexico that she lived in when she was nine years old, about reliving old memories and seeing what has changed and what is still the same.
Dig in, stay warm and enjoy a few well earned moments of temporary escape!
Travel Destinations
Go Green Travel Green presents 24 Hours in Vik, Iceland posted at Go Green Travel Green.
When someone thinks about travel to Iceland, often those thoughts don’t extend beyond Rekyjavik, the Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon. I asked an Icelander once about what I should see when I visit their country. Her only advice was to get a car and get out into the countryside, outside of the well known capitol. This great post from Go Green Travel Green outlines what you can see in 24 hours in an easy escape from Reykjavik to the small town of Vik, Iceland.
Go Green Travel Green presents 5 Best Resorts with Farm-to-Table Restaurants posted at Go Green Travel Green, saying, “In the past few years, more and more travelers seek out farm-to-table restaurants when booking 
green resort stays. We’re not an exception: when my family and I travel, we like to try local cuisine whenever possible. Not only is food grown locally eco-friendly, it also enhances our understanding of a place and its agricultural roots. Nowhere is it easier to eat locally while on vacation than at the following U.S. resorts with farm-to-table restaurants.”
Leyla Giray presents The Forgotten Churches of Voskopje, Albania posted at Women on the Road Blog. What can you find in Voskopoje, Albania? “Remnants of extraordinary ecclesiastic art, murals and frescoes which unexpectedly survive in a handful of ancient mountain churches.” If off the beaten path churches that have almost been forgotten to the world are your thing, you will love this post!
Leslee Haralson presents Twenty Mule Teams of Boron posted at Ready for Adventures.
Do you love kitschy, off the beaten path tourist finds as much as I do? Have you ever thought of visiting Boron, CA? Check out this awesome blog post to find out why you should (hint – a product that many people use in their homes for a variety of purposes comes from here!)
Travel Stories
Suzanne Fluhr (Just One Boomer) presents A Baby Boomer Visit to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico posted at Boomeresque , saying, “This post from my blog is about my return for the first time in 48 years to San Miguel de Allende where my father had taken us to live for a year when I was 9.”
Zhu presents The Crazy Trip from London to France posted at Correr Es Mi Destino.
A daring tale of travel from London to France on a budget European airline, followed by some British travel eye candy. Enjoy!
Mark presents Penny Farthings: Not as Easy as Riding a Bike (Oamaru, New Zealand) posted at Travel Wonders of the World.
Ok, I admit…before reading this I had NO idea what a penny farthing was, let alone that I could have the opportunity to ride one if I find myself in Oamaru, New Zealand. If you also have no idea what a penny farthing is (or even if you do), check out this awesome post about what it is like to ride one!
That’s it, folks! Thanks for reading!
Submit your blog article to the next edition of byteful travel blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
So many great recommendations… wow!
Shanna–Thanks for taking the time and effort to put this “carnival” together. I’m sharing it on my social media. Write on!!
Great suggestions…some new blogs for me to read!
I’m actually surviving the winter better than I anticipated here in Norway…can’t stand the dry air though!
Winter has been pretty cold and icky here, too. I can cope with that, sort of. What I can’t understand is how you cope with the lack of sunlight in Norway?