So you’re on your way to your first travel blogging conference! It’s a big step in your travel blogging journey, and you can learn a lot from attending a travel blogging conference. Together we’ve attended over a dozen travel blogging conferences. Laurence’s first one was in Spain in 2012 and mine (Jess’s) was in Italy in 2014 (where the two of us first met!). Since then we have attended over a dozen travel conferences as both attendees and as speakers. Based on all our conference experiences, we wanted to share some tips and advice for attending your first travel blogging conference (or any blogging conference really). Hopefully these will address any questions, concerns or worries you may have and help you make the most of your first travel blogger conference. 17 Tips for Attending your First Travel Blogger Conference Our tips for attending a travel blogging conference do, of course,… Read the rest
Archives for September 2014
Buffalo Luxury Camp: Bush Dinners, Night Game Drives, & Safari Walks
The main reason we chose to stay at Buffalo Luxury Camp is because it offers guests the opportunity to do both night game drives and game walks. Buffalo Luxury Camp is located in the northern Serengeti on its own privately owned hillside just a few miles outside of the boundaries of Serengeti National Park. Because of the lodge’s location outside of the park and its position on private land, the camp is able to offer a range of experiences not possible within the national park, including off-road game drives, night game drives, and nature and safari walks. Buffalo Luxury Camp is a permanent luxury tented camp consisting of 15 suite tents with constant hot and cold water, electricity, hair dryers, robes, and even bath tubs! We appreciated the luxury of our suite tent and the beautiful three-level main lodge building; however, what stood out to us most were the unique experiences of… Read the rest
Asanja Africa: Finding the Perfect Mix of Wilderness and Luxury in the Serengeti
Asanja Africa provided the perfect balance of wilderness and luxury for us while staying in the Serengeti. The Serengeti, one of the world’s most amazing wildlife areas, is the perfect place to enjoy a stay in a small tented camp. Located in the southern central area of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Asanja Africa is a tented camp that offers seven well-appointed luxury tents with en-suite bathrooms and private verandas. Each of the seven tents are individually decorated based on a different Maasai ceremony so that each one has a unique theme and style. Because of the camp’s small size and location you can have an authentic wilderness experience while still enjoying a comfortable bed, warm shower, great food, and personalized service. Ethan and I enjoyed the scenic views of the Serengeti plains and Moru kopjes during the day and listened to the sounds of hyenas and lions in the evening!… Read the rest
Top 10 Things to do in the Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti is one of the most famous national parks in Africa and offers some of the best wildlife viewing in the world; however, there are a number of things to do in the Serengeti other than game drives. The Serengeti fits well into most people’s dream of an African safari with its abundant wildlife, vast golden plains dotted with thorny umbrella acacia trees, kopjes, and sausage trees, and its crocodile and hippo-filled rivers. The Serengeti has earned the titles of one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of Africa” and one of the “Ten Natural Travel Wonders of the World” for being the site of the largest terrestrial mammal migration in the world (about 2 million animals!). However, even without the Great Migration, the park sports the densest lion population in the world and is home to all members of the Big Five and almost 500 bird species. When planning your… Read the rest
Sleeping on the Rim of Ngorongoro Crater at Ang’ata Ngorongoro Camp
The first tented camp we ever stayed in was Angata Ngorongoro Camp, a camp situated on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. If you go on safari in Tanzania, your itinerary will almost inevitably include the Ngorongoro Crater. Descending into the crater is a bit like entering the mythical Garden of Eden as it is teeming with wildlife and probably offers the best opportunity to see a black rhino in Tanzania. Angata Ngorongoro Camp sits on the northern rim of the crater near the Lemala Gate. The small camp has 8 eco-friendly luxury tents with en-suite bathrooms, outdoor seating areas, hot showers, and even warm robes. At night, you can view the sunset from the outdoor seating area of your tent and then walk with one of the security guards to the Lounge for drinks or the Mess Tent for dinner. The camp’s great location allows for a quick morning… Read the rest
Fashionable Camera Straps from iMo
We just invested in our first DSLR camera this summer in preparation for our trip to Africa, and I loved having the opportunity to accessorize it with a fashionable camera strap from iMo. This Hong Kong based company sells cotton tape, neoprene, jacquard, and leather camera straps that can be used for a variety of cameras, including mirrorless cameras and DSLR cameras. The most unique aspect of the company is the large variety of available camera strap designs offered at affordable prices. Far from the boring logo-imprinted black and brown nylon straps that accompany most camera purchases, these straps are colorful, bold, fun, and unique. Interested in a new camera strap that fits your personality? Read on for our review of our iMO camera strap that was field-tested on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, in the back of a Land Cruiser traversing the rough dirt roads of the Serengeti, and on… Read the rest
Top 10 Things to Do in Karatu Tanzania
On our recent trip to East Africa, we spent two days in the colorful town of Karatu Tanzania which served as a relaxing pause from our wildlife safari. Located along the northern safari circuit, Karatu serves as gateway to the Ngorongoro Highlands and is located between Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater. Due to its location, many safari goers end up overnighting or stopping here for a quick break earning it the nickname “Safari Junction”. The busy downtown of Karatu is a mix of old and new with safari vehicles, local buses, and brightly colored tuk-tuks riding alongside Maasai herders and ox-carts, while just outside town cultivated Iraqw farms and villages merge into the green vegetation of the Ngorongoro Forest. If you do an Internet search for top things to do in Karatu Tanzania, you may end up with the erroneous impression that there is nothing to do in this town. In addition… Read the rest