Even though winter may be in full swing where I am, the articles in today’s blog carnival are refreshingly tropical!

In fact, I’m really happy to say that, despite being the dead of winter, we had plenty of lovely submissions this time. You’re all in for a treat. (And if you’re new to blog carnivals, they’re one of the best ways to discover awesome new content you never would have discovered otherwise; so you’d best put seat belts on your eyes, because they’re in for a travelistic ride.)

The Best of BTBC #10

If you don’t have time to read all of the articles now, fear not. Each time I publish a BTBC, I love to highlight three articles that really stick with me that you shouldn’t miss. And this time I’d like to highlight:

1. 24 hours of love by Bastiaan Reinink is a very short but gripping story about the beautiful things that can happen if you travel with an open heart.
2. Scotch and Coconut Water by Curt & Lorrie is a well-documented tale of what it’s like to experience Vieques Island in Puerto Rico, as well as explore some of the islands more interesting features. Cool video clips included, too!
3. Hiking Trail on Hawaii’s Kohala Coast by The Vacation Gals is a fantastic post about the Ala Kahakai trail on the Big Island of Hawaii, featuring some great photos to support the story. Best of all, it shows how much more meaningful it is when we understand the history and culture of the places we tread.

A Reminder & A Win-Win-Win

And before I forget, if one of your articles is in this month’s edition, I’d really appreciate it if you could retweet, stumble, and “Like” this article on Facebook! Remember, spreading the word multiplies the reach of this blog carnival which in turn helps more people discover your article and grows your site. (And if you aren’t yet a submitter, find out how you too can join in farther down.)

Thanks again for submitting to the BTBC. By doing so, you reach many people, many of which have never even seen your site before, so it’s a real win-win-win situation. 🙂

So, without further ado, let’s journey from the warm breezes of Hawaii, to the Fountains of Switzerland, to beaches of Vieques Island, and beyond…

Travel Destinations

Jennifer Miner presents:
Hiking Trail on Hawaii’s Kohala Coast posted at The Vacation Gals, saying,

“Hiking this historic trail on Hawaii’s Big Island adds a cultural experience to a beach vacation.”

Zhu presents:
In The Woods posted at Correr Es Mi Destino, saying,

“On the weekend of November 11, I packed a small bag, left my computer and my city life behind and headed to Bourget, a small village in Eastern Ontario – a world of farms, straight roads and no traffic. Welcome to the countryside.”

Martine presents:
Half of the Wagons go to Lanzarote posted at The Wanderly Wagons.

Martine presents:
And the other half goes to Andalucia posted at The Wanderly Wagons.

Michael Turtle presents:
Rio’s tourism paradox posted at Time Travel Turtle.

Travel Photography

Indrani Ghose presents:
Fountains of Berns, Switzerland posted at i Share, saying,

“Statues sighted during walking tour of Berns, Switzerland.”

Brooke Allen presents:
Big Sky, Montana, New Year’s 2012, Part II posted at Rambling Brooke.

Travel Stories

Bastiaan Reinink presents:
24 hours of love posted at Perpetual Wonder, saying,

“24 hours of South America. I’ve fallen in love. I’ve broken my heart. Could the next 24 hours please be a little bit less eventful?”

Tui Snider presents:
Venice, Italy’s Warped Sense of Scale posted at Mental Mosaic, saying,

“A recent visit to Venice, Italy got me thinking about the meaning of scale. Check out these photos and you will see what I mean; it’s not trick photography: those huge luxury yachts truly dwarf this graceful floating village.”

Shanna Schultz presents:
Boldly Go: How Travel Has Changed my Outlook on the World posted at There and Back Again.

Bastiaan Reinink presents:
Free hugs posted at Perpetual Wonder.

Curt presents:
Scotch and Coconut Water posted at After the Mortgage.

Travel Tips

Theresa Torres presents:
Travel Guest Post: Fashion Tips for the World Traveler posted at Jetsetera, saying,

“Being able to blend in with the locals when you travel to other places has its advantages. Here are some fashion tips to guide the traveler.”

April D. Thompson presents:
How I Make This Travel Thing Work posted at The Absolute Travel Addict, saying,

“3 Key things to think about when deciding to travel more.”

Megan presents:
Social Awareness Posts: A Preface posted at La Vida en Viaje.

Dawn Xiana Moon presents:
Poutine: La Banquise posted at Kitchen Lore.

Care to grow your blog’s audience?

If you write well (and you’ve written something that relates to travel), and you haven’t submitted to the BTBC before, what are you waiting for? Blog Carnivals are an amazing and free way to get more exposure to your work, so you’d be silly not to take advantage of this opportunity.

I know this from firsthand experience because blog carnivals have been helpful in spreading the word about Byteful Travel. So if you’re a writer, and you’ve written something that relates to travel, submit a piece you’re proud of to the next BTBC by going to the submission form. Just remember to read the rules, okay? (And to see past posts and future hosts, check the blog carnival index.)

Are you ready to become a force for positive connections?

In November, Tui from over at Mental Mosaic stepped up and hosted BTBC #9. She did a great job and got some great attention through social media, as well as getting rated 5 stars on BlogCarnival.com. Thanks again, Tui!

If you have a travel-related blog and you’re interested in hosting the BTBC, please contact me. Not only will hosting attract more attention to your blog, it helps bring the travel writing community closer, too. Remember, whenever you host a carnival, you become a positive force that allows connections to manifest.

Looking for more handpicked travel content?

If you enjoyed today’s carnival, you’ll probably enjoy the Byteful Travel Weekly Recap, as well. It automatically collects the best content from writers I’ve hand-picked from across the web, most of which I’ve discovered because they’ve submitted to the Byteful Travel Blog Carnival. In fact, since it automatically updates every Monday, it always has fresh articles from my fellow travel writers. The other thing I really like about it is that it presents the articles in a very readable newspaper layout, so finding something you like is really easy: Byteful Travel Weekly Recap

If you’d like your content to get exposure through the Byteful Travel Weekly Recap, then submit a quality piece to the BTBC. If you’re included in a carnival, you’ll be added to the BT Weekly Recap list.

Coming up on Byteful Travel:

We touch California redwoods within Muir Woods Natl. Monument, as well as a get a stunning view of the San Francisco Bay from the top of Mount Tamalpais. And after that, we explore Las Vegas, so be sure to subscribe and stay in touch. And until next time, may your travels enlighten your soul to fresh insights, new connections, and powerful realizations. 🙂