If you don’t already know what a Blog Carnival is, you need to know. (And you’ll be glad you found out!)

Why?

Well, blog carnivals are one of the best ways to discover new quality writers that exist in a niche you enjoy.

Here’s how the magic works: writers submit their post to a carnival on BlogCarnival.com and the website emails the article link to the carnival host to assist in organizing the host’s carnival. Then, the blog carnival host will preview all of the articles, decide which are appropriate to the carnival’s topic (yes, even they get spam), and publish a collection of the best articles submitted.

It’s all free, and since every carnival is moderated by a human being (unlike automated search engines such as Google) the best articles usually come to the foreground, so it’s an awesome way to discover fascinating new writers and articles. Often, a blog carnival will travel from blog to blog, and today Byteful Travel hosts the Carnival of Cities.

What’s special about Carnival of Cities?

Carnival of Cities has been one of my favorite carnivals for a while now because it consistently includes fascinating articles on a topic I love: travel. The carnival occurs bi-weekly, and it’s dedicated to highlighting any aspect of any specific city. No joke: people often say that reading through it feels like a trip around the world.

I’ve been submitting to this carnival off and on for about two years, and it’s an honor to finally host it. Thanks to Sheila Scarborough, maintainer of this blog carnival, for giving me the go ahead.

So in summary, today we’re going to wander all around North America, stop by Europe, and then finish at the mysterious island nation of Sri Lanka.

Ready? Here we go…

The Americas

Glenwood Springs, CO, USA – The Vacation Gals present:
Summer Fun at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park at The Vacation Gals

Manistee, MI, USA – Dominique King presents:
Manistee North Pierhead Lighthouse awaits fate at Midwest Guest

Luray, VA, USA – Sheila Scarborough presents:
Good food in the Shenandoah: Brookside Restaurant at Family Travel Guide

Chicago, WI, USA – Minnemom presents:
What to Do with Kids in Chicago at Travels with Children by minnemom

San Diego, CA, USA – Shelly Rivoli presents:
Cheap & Free San Diego: Balboa Park with Kids at Travels with Baby

Jacksonville, FL, USA – Alex Garmendia presents:
The Real Guide to Jacksonville, Florida at The Good Life

Montréal, Canada – Boomergirl presents:
“…those nights in Montréal” at Roadstories

Toronto, Canada – Zhu presents:
Toronto By Night at Correr Es Mi Destino

Ushuaia, Argentina – Bob Berwyn presents:
Beagle beer and friendly huskies in Ushuaia at Summit County Citizens Voice

Quito, Ecuador – foXnoMad presents:
Climbing Pichincha Volcano On The Teleferico In Quito, Ecuador at foXnoMad

Europe

London, England, UK – Dee Andrews presents:
Trooping the Colour in London at Travel and Travails

Valencia, Spain – Jack Norell presents:
Surviving las Fallas in Valencia at Eyeflare Travel Articles and Tips

Asia

Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka – Brian Spencer presents:
Postcards from the Road: Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka at Perceptive Travel Blog

Want to participate?

If you want, you too can be a part of the awesomeness that is Carnival of Cities. And really, you’d be silly not to consider this. For any writer, blog carnivals are a fantastic way to get the word out about what you’re publishing on the net. I know, because blog carnivals have been incredibly helpful in spreading the word about this site.

To request an article you wrote to be considered for inclusion next time, please submit your blog post (just one, and one that provides real value and is not spam) to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using the Carnival of Cities submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index.

And if you’d like to host the carnival itself, as I have done here, please contact the carnival’s maintainer at the following email address: Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. (But please be patient. She gets a substantial amount of email.)

Also, Byteful Travel is hosting its own travel-related blog carnival in June. If you’re curious, checkout the Byteful Travel Carnival page.

And until next time, happy reading!