8th Carnival of Travel: Inspiration

• Guest Bloggers

With both winter weather woes and holiday cheer running rampant in December, the 8th carnival of travel is devoted to inspiration. Many of the posts below serve as ideas for group travel destinations or attractions and shining examples of why we travel.

Grab a cup of Chai, tea, or coffee and enjoy the latest travel carnival.

1. Joe Kissell presents "The Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers: Interesting Thing of the Day," saying, "An 11th-century Parisian abbey later became the home of a fantastic museum of arts and trades, which is to say, mostly inventions. But the exhibits aren't the only interesting things about the building." This "holy grail for invention lovers" holds Foucault's Pendulum. Ooooh, I'm intrigued.
2. Tim Abbott presents "Wild at Heart", illuminating "inspiration in wild places, large and small" whether trekking in the tracks of elephants or following children's feet. A reflective gem of an article.
3. Pam Mandel presents "Wien, Wien, Nur Du Allein" as an ode to falling in love with Vienna, imagined. Poetically crafted prose.
4. Kelly Vaughan presents "To Know Is to Remember That You've Seen; to See Is to Know Without Remembering" saying, "Kapadokya (Cappadocia), an enchanting kaleidescope of weird geology, Christian saints, stone houses, underground cities, clay pot kebaps, tumbling pigeons, snake-design carpets, temperamental hairdressers, hot air balloons, phallic symbols, fairytales, fireplaces, and tavla. It's hard to know where to begin." Beautiful photos accompany this inspiring Turkey travelogue.
5. Jennifer Miner presents "St. John Eco-travel and Eco-tourism" and shares the extent of environmental volunteer work being done to keep Caribbean island St. John green.
6. Joe Donnachie presents "Paul's Bike Ride from Italy to London - Part One." This first part of a 650-mile epic ride through the Alps, the French countryside, and ultimately home to the UK is inspiring for athletes or adventurous travelers alike.
7. Maureen O'Brien presents "Lake Tahoe Vacation," with numerous stunning photos from her family's recent homeschool educational trip. Nice to see a homeschool mom take the kids to areas around the country to sights they've studied.

Travel tip entries from other bloggers:

• Mary Jo Manzanares offers two very different ways to approach winter vacation activities: at museums like the Seattle Veterans Museum or lying on a beach in Cancun.
• Karen Brown presents "Sky Nannies," a concept every airline should consider for the wee ones who squeal too much on flights.
• Jake Danger presents "The Charisma Man Syndrome: How You, Too, Can Be the Fonz" about an emerging trend for western Chinese visitors.

December 4, 2006

Update: The Carnival of Travel is no longer active but Group Trip Advisor welcomes guest posts. Please contact us to learn more.

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