Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog

This award goes to a travel blog that provides news, commentary, advice, or general insight into the workings of travel. Unlike a destination blog, this blog is more practically minded.

Over 50 comments were posted in this category, so let's see how informative and practical the nominations are.

Posted in order of nomination.

IAG - Aviation and Travel News:
Well, we've got to start somewhere and lifting off with this one means that (hopefully) things can only get better. There's quite a few video clips to watch on here but whether they're 'informative and practical' is another matter. For an award-winning nomination to make it to the shortlist, I feel that a little more thought on presentation is needed here. The square grouping of 25 'feed icons' and an advertising slot, after every post, are a little excessive; especially if you're reading the front page's full run of posts. Taking them off and putting them in a footer, that loads with every page, would be more effective.

ellipses:
Christopher Elliott's 'anti-blog' (as he called it) fits into the 'informative and practical' category. Although there seems to be some current obsession with air travel, there are some worthy travel and journalism posts if you dig into the archives.

View From The Wing was already covered in 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog' category and looks better sitting in here.

If Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations gets overlooked in the 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog' category, it's not out of place in here either. For my money, it probably edges ahead in the Informal/Practical race so far.

With my honourable mention already offered to Hotel Chatter, in the 'Best Group-Written Travel Blog' category, this collaborated creation is is going to push Tim hard.

The question is, are hotel reviews more practical or would you rather read about travel and destinations in general?

Inside Traveller, by Jessie Johnston and Emily Kin, was also nominated in the 'Best Group-Written Travel Blog' category. The amount of related-links dropped into their posts does make this one both practical and informative, and the lack of photography (surprisingly for National Geographic) shouldn't really work against it here.

Today in The Sky:
This nomination for USA Today's authoritative 'news and analysis about airlines, airports and air travel' should get the votes from the frequent flyers. Maybe we'll see an aviation-related category in the future.

Aviation Daily on Airports and The Cranky Flier were both covered in the 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog' category and probably lose their spot on the runway, in here, to Today in The Sky.

Mobissimo Blog:
Billed as 'the traveler’s blog for airfare, hotel deals and travel tips from around the web', Mobissimo are going to push USA Today; to the sky. Mobissimo's advantage is that it's not just for frequent flyers. Its balance, clean white space and use of photography also make it a pleasure to scroll through.

Gadling was reviewed in the 'Best Group-Written Travel Blog' category and I don't think it's got what it takes to trouble some of the stronger contenders outlined above.

Airfare WatchBlog:
Of course we all like a cheap airline ticket but there's more to travel than a reduction on flights and I don't feel there's enough 'news, commentary, advice, or general insight' for you to watch out this nomination.

Vagablogging was also nominated in the 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog' (invalid) and 'Best Group-Written Travel Blog' categories and I'm starting to wonder why it wasn't entered in the 'Best Photography on a Travel Blog' category too; after all, there is a small photograph of Ralf Potts on there. Vagablogging obviously has its fans but sadly, I've not become one of them.

Musings of The Global Traveller:
A shameless plug in the nominations, but at least The Global Traveller admits it. There's nothing to say that you can't nominate yourself or 'ask for nominations', as quite of few of these websites have done, but it's much nicer if someone nominates you and you don't even know. With a title like 'musings', I would have expected a little more opinion and insight from the 'Global Traveller'. Hasn't done enough to eclipse Christopher Elliott's blog, thus cast into the shade by the more informative and practical front-runners.

Red Rambutan:
'Julie' seemed to nominate a post (from 2005) rather than the blog itself. But we're looking at the blog, over the last year, and although this is a nice enough travel blog it doesn't seem to have 52 posts in 2006; and is probably not best suited to the category it's nominated in. 2005 was perhaps the better year for this one.

Melody’s Amazing Travel Adventures is nominated again, having appeared in the 'Best Photography on a Travel Blog' (where it was reviewed) and the 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog' where it didn't rise to the challenge. In this category, it doesn't come close.

Europe String:
b5media seems to be loading better today; after the horrors trying to review some of the nominations hosted there yesterday. Melissa Atienza-Petri's blog is aimed at those wanting to travel around Europe on a budget. There are some brief travel tips and snippets of information to be useful but not informative enough to be a practical contender in this category. Maybe we'll see it in the 'Best Destination Blog' category.

The Lost Girls (also nominated in the 'Best Group-Written Travel Blog' category) should do better in that category, as their nomination is going nowhere in here.

The Gate (also nominated in 'Best Group-Written Travel Blog') joins it's aviation companions in a dog fight with 'Today in The Sky' but shouldn't gain enough altitude to win.

Perrin Post is also nominated in 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog'. A real contender in that category, I feel it's a case of 'wrong port of call' in here.

TravelerWire, Perrin Post's close rival in the 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog' category is also nominated in here. I feel it's again, overly ambitious.

Everett Potter’s Travel Report:
Nice to see a new face in the nominations. As excellent as this blog is, and might even be a contender for the top prize (Best Travel Blog) I think 'Mobissimo Blog' probably still has the edge in this, the 'Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog' category.

While I feel Brave New Traveler to be a contender in the 'Best Group-Written Travel Blog' category it's not quite up to the mark in here.

Select World Travel hasn't made the selection in the other categories it was nominated in ('Best Photography on a Travel Blog' and 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog') and I don't expect it to start here.

More Than Points:
Offering 'practical help for the road warrior' this blog is concise and to the point. Not enough points to take the top spot though.

The DC Traveler (nominated in 'Best Photography on a Travel Blog') is nominated again, so I went to give it another look; as Europe String loaded fast enough. No go in DC though.

Smarter Travel also come in again with nominations for Today in Travel (Best Group-Written Travel Blog), Ship to Shore (Best Single-Author Travel Blog) and Up Front with Tim Winship (Best Single-Author Travel Blog). On the earlier reviews, I thought they might do well in this category but some of the competition here says not. Smart, but not smart enough.

Travel Rants:
Pleasant enough with some informative advice and plenty of commentary but I'm asking myself: IF it makes the cut, then at who's expense? Could be in the running but will probably run out of steam.

Guido J. van den Elshout nominates his own Happy Hotelier (Best Single-Author Travel Blog) again and will be happy with a little more publicity.

Nerd's Eye View (Best Single-Author Travel Blog) is also looking for a little more exposure but as it wasn't even 'travel enough' for a single-author award, it has no hope in becoming a 'Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog'.

FlyCheapo News:
The nomination comments says it all: 'It’s not your typical blog, but it has some very useful information'. Well, what it really has is short airline news snippets; keyword linked around to their destination and airline pages.

Chronicles of On The Road Travel is nominated (probably in the wrong category) again. Also nominated in 'Best Single-Author Travel Blog', although it's not really by a single traveller. Try destinations!

Final Verdict

Fan base might decide the votes in favour of a frequent flyer blog. But if it's to be 'frequently flying', then the only realistic choice is the authoritative 'Today in The Sky'.

In thinking along the lines of the award's criteria - 'a travel blog that provides news, commentary, advice, or general insight into the workings of travel. Unlike a destination blog, this blog is more practically minded' - I'm presuming we need to think further than a pure 'hotels' or 'flights' related blog and definitely away from 'destination only'.

With Everett Potter’s Travel Report having more going for it in the broader sense of a travel blog's overall qualities, and possibly a candidate for the top prize, then for me, the Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog goes to Mobissimo Blog.

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