A 19 year old London black cab, 3 friends, the British Red Cross and the Guinness Book of World Records -what do they all have in common? Normally nothing. But, in this instance – everything. Three friends decided to drive a London black cab from – you guessed it, London to Sydney, Australia – raising money for the British Red Cross and breaking the Guinness Word Record for the longest taxi ride. They broke the record and haven’t even reached Sydney yet.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | It’s on the Meter | 15 comments |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Australia, Charity, England, Europe, Guinness World Records, Red Cross, road trip

Thom lives by one very simple motto: “Go Play Outside!” and this he does for most of each year. You’ll find him driving the back roads to destinations unknown in search of adventure and inspiration. He continues to find both as he heads down the blacktop to somewhere new. Come along for a ride – the scenery is awesome.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | The Dusty Vagabond | One comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: budget travel, Canada, Mexico, North America, photography, road trip, solo travel, USA

By the title, you can tell what was Dave Conroy’s previous profession. Tired and suffering ‘burn-out’, he began his transformation into to a round-the-world traveler – on a bicycle. Though he has encountered several difficulties along the route, Dave is still on the road of discovery in more ways than one.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Tired of I.T! | 2 comments |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Canada, cycling, North America, overland travel, road trip, Round the world, solo travel, United States

If a picture does indeed speak a thousand words, then Daniel Murillo Mir’s photojournalistic site speaks volumes. He allows his photographs to be his narratives about the places he has visited. Follow Daniel’s trail of travels, which are presents to us through the lens of his camera.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Bagpack Traveller | 5 comments |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: cultural experiences, overland travel, photography, photojournal, road trip

Whether by bicycle, on foot or taking that irresistible road trip, Subbu guides his readers through his native country of India. From lakes to mountains to historical places, he describes the journeys and shares his knowledge of the place he calls home.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Wandering Soul | 2 comments |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Asia, cycling, hiking, India, Malaysia, photography, road trip

With double Bachelor of Arts degrees and a TEFL certificate in hand, Roni Weiss has ventured far afield from his native state of Washington. Between teaching gigs, he makes a point to travel the surrounding regions, has visited 70 countries and is not even close to being finished. He’s also delivered pizzas – maybe he’s rung your doorbell…

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | The Official Roni Weiss Blog | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Asia, Australia, Canada, cultural experiences, Europe, road trip, South America, teaching, United States

‘Turning kids into travelers, one experience at a time.’ is a great lead-in for Anne Patrone’s site. Finding Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up (first edition) on a bookstore shelf set the wheels in motion and the explorations began in earnest. She and her husband, destination lists in hand, are now checking them off as they expand their children’s travel horizons.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | 500 Places With Kids | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Canada, family travel, Hawaii, Mexico, road trip, travel with kids, United States

Nathan Comp is not your ‘ordinary’ travel blogger. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for career reasons. He then became bored with a “prolonged period of profound tedium”. (Tedium tends to do that to people.) He is now traveling around America and possibly other places of the world. Regardless, his blog is enlightening, insightful and full of great stuff.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | The Feral Scribe: Chronicles of a Wayfaring Journalist | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: cultural experiences, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, road trip, United States, Wisconsin

Chinese Pyramids in the Rain by The Longest Way Home

This book caught my attention because it was on a list of the best non-fiction books of 2010 by the Christian Science Monitor. I found it to be a fascinating read and worthy of being on the best books list.

About the Author

Peter Hessler was a journalist for the New Yorker magazine based in Beijing. In the period from 2001 to 2007, he frequently drove around China and wrote about the changes in the local culture. An American who spoke Mandarin, he was able to interact with the locals in ways a tourist cannot.

The Review

The book is actually three short books in one. The first book describes his journeys by car along the Great Wall. It is an amusing and interesting commentary on the emerging car culture in China, as well as providing some historical context for the Great Wall.

The second book describes Hessler’s extended visits to a remote village, next to the Great Wall, two hours outside of Beijing. Hessler rents a house to visit on weekends to work on his writing. Over time he develops close relationships with the peasants of the village. In particular, he narrates the changes that take place in one family that are exemplary of the changes taking place in many of the Chinese. The transition from an agricultural peasant life to a modern business focused life is difficult for many of the people.

The officials literally move mountains to build a new factory town overnight.

The third book describes Hessler’s visits to a new factory town in the south. He tells the story of two businessmen who start a new factory to make brassiere parts. The interactions between the bosses, the migrant workers they hire, and the local officials is very educational in an entertaining way. The officials literally move mountains to build a new factory town overnight. The businessmen push hard to maintain their profits in a competitive field. It looks like the teenaged workers are exploited at 40 to 80 cents per hour, until one sees that the wage is better than what they could make on a farm. For all of us who have ever shopped at Walmart, it becomes clear after reading this book how cheap goods are produced and dominate the retail sector.

For those interested in travel to China, this book provides insight into the attitudes and motivations behind the changing Chinese culture.

Buy now: Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory on Amazon.

Editor’s notes: This article contains affiliate links.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Country Driving: A Journey through China from Farm to Factory – Book Review | 2 comments |
Post categories: Book Reviews
Post tags: Book Review, China, cultural experiences, road trip, travel writing

The journey started about 10 years ago for Steve and Jocelyn Broyles. They are on their fourth Sandcruiser (landcruisers with attitude) and still on the road. Okay, there have been stops in between but never for very long. Besides Calypso, their dog, they are joined periodically by an assortment of friends, family and other travelers. It’s been an interesting ride – or should I say drive. WOOF! (More can be found at Sandcruiser.com: Adventure Continues)

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2011. | Sandcruiser.com | No comment |
Post categories: Blogs
Post tags: Central America, couples, cultural experiences, expat life, Green technology, overland travel, road trip