EuroAngel Graffiti

Another week is almost over but another one is about to come. I can’t imagine that the last week of June is coming soon and yes, June is about to end also. It seems not too long ago since the graduation party of my friends kids. They had fun last time. Sumptuous food were served and they were dancing to the beat of disco and hiphop music. The speaker stands were scattered around the hall where the party was held. I believed everybody had a great time during that graduation party. Everyone was happy especially the two kids who made it successfully in high school. Congratulations!

I visited Salzburg, Austria twice but I have never climb the Festung Hohensalzburg. This is the famous castle in this city which is also called High Salzburg Fortress in English. Here is an image I took during my last visit.

taken during my visit on November 2008.

I am a Pinay expat in Europe for almost 8 years now. Imagine the distance between my home country, Philippines and Germany? That is thousands of miles away. Thanks to the different mediums in internet like video calling, chat, blogs, emails, video conferencing and social networks where I can have contacts to all important persons in my life especially my family, friends, relatives and former classmates.

Whether you find yourself away from friends and family just for a brief vacation or because you’ll be studying abroad or going away for a longer period of time, it’s important to keep in touch with the people that are close to you. In the past this could be a challenge, but with the internet and today’s technology there are many good ways to stay in touch with others.

1) Webcam/Video Calling

With a number of video conference calling options available, such as Skype, video calling sites like Conference Genie, and a host of other live streaming sites, the potential is huge. If you have an iPhone, you can also use Wi-Fi to access your FaceTime setting within the phone. Having interaction via video link is one of the best ways to keep in touch, as you can utilise both sight and sound which is crucial to good communication. You can also use video calling to show off where you are such as landmarks and monuments, and even capture live parades, art exhibitions and other experiences.

2) Email

The easiest way to stay in touch with one specific individual is by sending them an email. This is the same as what you might do if you were to write a letter or send a postcard, but the person will receive it instantly. It’s easy, doesn’t take too long to send a quick email, and it also doesn’t cost a thing. You can also attach images when sending mails.

Since there is a time difference between Philippines and Germany, I cannot always catch my family online. I send them emails instead. Thanks to Yahoo for the free email services. I am a very contented yahoo user for a decade now.

3) Social Networking

There are several social media in the internet today where we can take hold and have contacts anywhere around the world. Social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook allow you to stay in contact with many of the people that you know. You can just give them a brief update about what you’re up to, say a quick hello, or put up pictures to view. This way you’ll feel like you’re still in contact with lots of your friends and family at once.

I am very glad that I joined these social networking sites like Facebook and Friendster. I am always updated with current news about my family and friends. Not only that, I can also see their pictures.

4) Photo hosting websites

One of the best ways to make people from home feel like they are traveling with you is by showing them pictures of the places you’ve been. There are several websites that let you upload your pictures and put them into an online album view. Then you can send the album to others and they can look at all of the pictures you’ve taken and all the places you’ve been on your journey.

You can also share any pictures for whatever activities you are doing. Whether attending a friend’s birthday party, graduation, wedding or simply snapshots of your garden,

5) Start a blog

I am very happy being a part of the blogosphere. As a blogger, I can share my ideas, thoughts, opinions and personal experiences to the world. Whether I go for a trip, cook something, do gardening, shopping, visit a doctor, I can share everything in my blogs.

If you travel a lot or might be gone for a long period of time, you can start a blog to keep others informed about what you’re up to. You can post as often as you like and write about what you’ve been doing and things that you’ve seen. You can also put pictures on your blog. Then anyone you give the address to will be able to read it and comment on it.

You can also earn money through blogging. If you want to promote your site, you can hire experts to grow your business online.

I don’t know how many of you out there who are actually recording your trip or vacation. I always do. That is the reason why I have some things with me every time I travel. I also write it in my travel blogs and also sharing images from my trips. It can be hard to remember every detail after the trip but when we recorded what had happened, it is easy for us to remember almost everything. There are several items you can bring with you on a vacation to ensure that you remember as much of it as possible, even after it is over. Thanks to our friends who are travel experts who helped us compiled this list.

Journal and Notebook

Though you might be able to remember places you visited and what you did, one of the most important things that people tend to forget is how they felt as they visited a place or viewed a famous piece of history. Having a journal or notebook will give you a place to not only to write down what it is that you did, but how you felt about it. Looking back on it years later, you’ll be able to relive the same feelings by reflecting on your memories and what you wrote.

Pens and Pencils

It might seem obvious, but if you don’t have a pen or a pencil you won’t be able to record the important things during your trip. If you have some downtime during your trip, such as a bus ride or a wait for an attraction, which can be the perfect time to write things down while they are still fresh in your mind. If you buy a pen, make sure it’s a good one that lasts–one you can keep forever, like a german-made lamy pen. However, if you don’t carry a good pen or pencil with you then you may miss the opportunity to record it, and memories might fade before you can write them down.

a snapshot of Hohenfels, Germany.

Digital Camera

Most people have digital cameras in today’s day and age, but many people don’t take as many pictures on vacation as they should. Though you may not be able to quite capture that beautiful sunset as well as you saw it in real life, just having the picture of it will bring back your own memory of it. Photographs are also one of the best ways to let other people that weren’t there see what you experienced.

Folder

Having some sort of small folder or envelope to collect important papers and scraps of your trip is a great way to record your trip. You can save pamphlets, ticket stubs, and any other small items that you acquired during your trip. These can later be used just to reflect on the good time you had, or to use in a scrapbook or journal.

Whatever trips, holiday or adventure tours and activities you may plan to do, always remember to record it for future use.

Sharing on a blog can be a wonderfully rewarding experience. It can be sheer joy to share the excitement of a favorite vacation destination with others. It can also serve as a journal to help you reminisce about a special trip. These are only some of the reasons why I always love to share my travel experiences in my blogs.

If you are thinking about starting a travel blog now, these tips from Graf von Faber-Castell experts, The Pen Company should help you get started:

1) CONTENT COUNTS

Be sure to remain focused in your writing and really pinpoint your message without allowing your thoughts and words to wander too far from the subject at hand. Again, the goal is to keep the visitor engaged in the material being presented on the site.

watching the Fasching or carnival in Hemau, Germany.

2) IT’S ALL IN THE PRESENTATION

One of the first things to note about travel blogging is that visitors to your site will stay longer and will be more likely to recommend your site to others if they find it to be visually appealing. Use a font that will allow your visitor to comfortably read the text.

3) ROLL UP THOSE SLEEVES

While writing a travel blog is certainly an enjoyable experience, it is not all fun and games. The best blogs require almost constant work. Between writing, updating and making sure that your content is relevant, it is far from easy money. Also remember that you can also turn you blog into a travel book. There are affordable online printing services to do it for you.

4) AND SPEAKING OF MONEY…

There are several ways that you can make money with your blog. The most common way is through advertising. Most major search engines usually have a program set up that will allow you to place their ads and banners on your blog for free. You will then receive a certain amount of money each time one of the ads on your blog is clicked.

5) SPREADING THE WORD

No matter how beautiful, relevant and up to date your blog happens to be, you will need visitors to make your travel blog a success. One fast and easy way to do this is by getting your blog listed on as many blogrolls as possible. This can be done by contacting the owner of a blog that you are interested in exchanging links with. This is usually a win-win situation in that it will increase traffic for both blogs. You can also ask the services and advice from online and social media experts who will help you promote your travel blog online.