People have been keeping journals and diaries about their traveling experiences since the dawn of time. Today, everyone seems to keep their journals in online blogs on WordPress and elsewhere for the world to see. On the web, appearance is at least as important as content. Juanita Harrison and Jack London may have published their fascinating world tours in plain, ordinary-looking books, but today people are much more likely to read something if it’s attractively packaged. Your readers don’t just want to read what you have to say about trains in Istanbul or hotels in central London; they want images that provide an atmosphere.

Traveltastic

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Take a look at Traveltastic. The antique-looking map, colourful postcards and postmarks give the site a unifying ambiance. Links are placed in graphics shaped like luggage tags. At the same time, the way the images are arranged attract the viewer to the text at the centre of the page. It gives the reader a sense of being in on something. This theme is brought to you by Expedia.co.uk.

WordPress offers many customizable themes with text and images beautifully balanced. One of the nicest themes for a travel blog is Adventure Journal. With this style you can easily control the number of columns per page, insert your own header images and backgrounds, and display photos and art showing places you’ve been or would like to go. It even has support for French and German. Travelogue and Trans-Travel are less customizable but well-arranged and inviting, while Khaki Traveler uses colours and images that evoke a sense of backpacking and “roughing it”. Word press offers a variety of widgets and plug-ins that allow you instant access to your Flickr photos, maps, and even Youtube videos.

Other themes are not specifically designed for travel blogs but can be used for this purpose. You can use any clean, simple style that lets the reader know instantly where he is and what to expect. If you customize the header image, make it something that immediately tells the reader what the blog is about. Show a picture of railroad tracks, country roads or a view of fields and houses from high up in an airplane. Use colours that entice but do not distract from your words and pictures. Give the reader a sense of exciting journeys to exotic foreign locales, or to little-known treasures of the American landscape.

Be sure to provide information about the best ways to get there, restaurants and shops, cultural exhibits, historic landmarks and natural wonders. Upload photos of the unusual, less well known sights, or find hidden treasures in otherwise well-travelled spots. Write about the interesting people you meet and tell their stories. An entry or two about forms of politeness in foreign lands is a good idea, along with a list of the best language lessons or guides.

Guest Post kindly submitted by Sergio Santos. Thank you!

Category: Goodies, Guest Posts, Wordpress | Loved by 3 Babes

Guest Post by Deborah Petersen.

Wind chimes bring beauty and relaxation into our lives with their simple, wind-driven musical notes and variety of styles.  Wind chimes range from simple sets of small chimes that tinkle delicately to art objects of copper and brass, with large chimes that produce deeper, soothing tones.  Today most people use wind chimes as outdoor decor, but they were originally meant for much more serious purposes.

Origin of Wind Chimes

Wind chimes are also called wind bells.  Bells have been found in archaeological sites since 3000 B.C.  Wind bells are believed to have originated in India.  Around 1100 B.C. the Chinese created wind bells called feng-lings, to attract good spirits and drive away evil ones.  The Japanese call their glass wind bells Furin.  Wind chimes are commonly used in the Asian practice of feng shui, a system developed in China 3,000 years ago to correct the energies of a dwelling and bring good fortune and good health to its inhabitants.

Buddhist Use of Wind Chimes

Buddhist hung wind bells all over their temples and shrines, and even in caves.  In some Buddhist traditions, wind bells were believed to facilitate communication with the gods and to announce their arrival to the place of worship.  In other traditions, wind bells were used for ceremonial and meditative purposes.

Types of Wind Chimes

Wind chimes and wind bells were originally made from clay, bones, shells, brass and bamboo, then of glass and finer things.  Today’s wind chimes are still made from traditional materials as well as modern materials, and are created in every design imaginable, from plain and undecorated to large sets of chimes incorporating religious symbols.

How Wind Chimes are Made

A chime or bell’s frequency is determined by its dimensions and the materials used to create it.  Thus, small chimes and bells make delicate sounds, and large bells and large, tubular chimes make deeper tones.  A mixture of multiple sizes of chimes on a porch or patio can create a pleasant atmosphere.

Religious Symbology and Wind Chimes

Wind chimes are often used in “New Age” practices and neopagan religions such as Wicca.  Chimes may have central decor such as pentagrams or dreamcatchers and hanging objects like crescent moons, stars and mirrors.  Mirrors have the traditional association of warding off evil spirits.

Wind Chimes and Music

Wind chimes are also classified as percussion instruments and have been used in music since at least the nineteenth century.

Wind chimes have a long, rich history of religious and artistic use and there is much more to them than just being pretty baubles for hanging on the porch or patio.  Enjoy!

Deborah Petersen is a content contributor for Design 55, a designer and online retailer of Design 55 Modern Furniture.

Category: Guest Posts, Thoughts | Loved by 3 Babes