You could be taking photos like this on your iPhone

By Holly Cave

From the wild to the whimsical, New Orleans is ramping up a gear in preparation for the annual Mardi Gras celebrations. This year, organisers of the US version of ‘Fat Tuesday’ won’t just be throwing the usual strings of beads from their floats. Glen over at Travelin’ Gringo brings us a colourful preview of the eye-catching ‘bead dogs’ popping up all over the city. Follow Glen on Twitter.

Glen is quick to explain that Paws on Parade is all about raising money and awareness for the local animal charity, but on the face of it, Glen’s pictures are evocative of the spirit and culture of this Louisiana city. And if you’re keen to visit New Orleans, then Mardi Gras is the time to go!

Jordan seems to be a country that keeps finding its way into our favourite blogs of the week. This time, it’s Matt at Landlopers’ sun-scorched photos and descriptions of the little details that ticked our boxes with Five reasons to visit Jordan in 2012. Containing reflections on the Arab Spring, the humble but delicious food and the warmth of the people he met, this is a great post to read if you’re thinking of travelling to this mystical country. Follow Matt on Twitter.

An empty beach in Jordan. Photo: Matt Long

The fabulously titled Stop Having a Boring Life blog focusses this week on a lens less ordinary – the Apple iPhone and how to take great shots with it. Who said you need a smart SLR to capture the essence of a place. And Larissa should know all about it – every photo posted on her blog has been snapped with an iPhone. With links to other articles she’s written on the tips and tricks to try with an iPhone, this post has your lazy Sunday afternoon sorted. Be sure to check out the link to her photo essay of Istanbul. Follow Larissa on Twitter.

If you’re trying hard not to have a boring life, but are struggling to get away from work or pay off those bills, Marsha is here to remind us that not all adventures have to be far flung. In her latest post, 5 highlights of Edinburgh Castle, this solo female traveller casts her eye not only on the view of Scotland’s capital from the turrets, but more closely at the tourist offering inside its walls. We had no idea there was so much to see and Marsha’s little insights and snippets of history add colour to the descriptions of her favourite bits. Follow Marsha on Twitter.

Personal stories left to one side, we also like to keep an eye out for quirky new sites that offer an alternative perspective on travel. Via Twitter, we learnt about Rambler! this week, a site that helps you put down the Lonely Planet guidebook and treats travel as a game for a change. And this site could be a game changer. Especially great for solo travellers, it generates ‘quests’ for you to undertake in your chosen destination, which in Italy for example, might be to get a kiss from a gladiator. Sweet on the social media aspect, it’s a work in progress but we love it already.

By Holly Cave

My favourite discovery of the week is the eyewateringly brilliant Pictory Mag. This image essay / visual blog / photojournalism – call it what you will – tells a different story each week. This week it’s Something to write home about, so what we get is, in effect, a collection of beautifully crafted postcards. For photography enthusiasts, there’s a range of styles and subjects explored. It also made me realise how much I miss my family when I’m travelling, and how they are the first people I want to tell about something amazing I’ve seen – the contributors here obviously feel the same.

The Soultravelers’ latest blog caught my eye because there have been so many times when I’ve thought ‘this is great, but you couldn’t bring kids along’. Sitting in the restaurant of a Marlborough winery was one of them, but thanks to their blog, I’m glad to say that perhaps I was wrong. Kids love vineyards and wine tasting, apparently, and judging by the comments left below the article, others agree! There’s some great holiday ideas here and has me longing for a balmy summer afternoon in the central France.

Far from sun-drenched grapevines, Hank Leukart at Without Baggage is travelling through Southern China. It’s refreshing to read about someone who’s not on the typical banana pancake trail but making their way through a country purely to explore its culture rather than its beaches. I’m yet to backtrack through the blogs Hank’s written about his Chinese adventures before this point, but the tagline on this one makes it irresistible. The side story about the rush to the airport is a reminder that everyone treats pre-flight organisation quite differently, and this slightly wacky story, peppered with ever-amusing mistranslations gives a little taste of what it must feel like to be immersed in the Chinese culture.

At Inspired by Krissi, Anthonee writes this week about Motorbikes and Mindfulness. Linking the two with the joint philosophy of living in the moment. Reading a piece of this blog is a bit of escapism for the mind, even if you can’t actually get away from the office. And if you read the story behind this blog, you’ll realise why Anthonee so wants to make the most out of life. Hesitating? Read this blog and kick, rev, go.

I always enjoy a bit of unabridged honesty when it comes to blogging, and Amy and Kieron at Don’t Ever Look Back dole out whimsical anecdotes of their experiences in their latest post, The things we did wrong on our RTW trip. At first, I couldn’t understand how they put on weight whilst travelling. As a vegetarian, I tend to lose pounds in unknown lands. But they spent 83 days in the USA, which helps explain this and the vast overspending, plus the Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas. Schadenfreude aside, this blog has some great tips for anyone planning their next big trip.

So, here’s to the future! Let us know if you have any blogs to recommend and we will check them out.

* Photo credits: Nate Bolt, Anthonee