Travel Round-up: Backyard blogging

At BritMums Live in 2013 I was a member of the travel panel with Kelly Lees from Gogobot. She inspired many in the room by saying that bloggers are a great online resource when we write about where we live. If people are searching for recommendations of where to eat, stay or visit in a particular location, who better to trust than a someone who lives there. Backyard blogging is something we can all do: tell the world what your home town has to offer and become a trusted expert.

To give you some idea of what this might entail, I have a selection of blog posts which, to an online reader, would certainly be described as travel posts, even though the writers haven’t ventured far from their own back doors.

Space in Your Case has a regular feature called ‘Where I live’ which is a perfect example of backyard blogging. Here’s a post from Helen about her home town: St Albans for Families

Emma, Crazy with Twins, lives in the centre of the Cotswolds and has a new travel blog, South West Reviews, with the focus on attractions in the area. She has also created a new linky you can join: #checkoutthatview . Here’s a recent example: Flooding on the Somerset Levels

Gretta from Mums Do Travel writes about one of her favourite local attractions: Chartwell, Churchill’s family home, a fascinating place to visit, especially this year as it is the 50th anniversary of Churchill’s death.

Likewise Sarah from Family Travel Times, stays near to home with her suggestions of Five fantastic free things to do in London with kids, perfect if you’re feeling the pinch after Christmas.

The Family Adventure Project have been on some amazing holidays abroad but they have equally exciting escapades at home, not surprising when you realise they live in the Lake District: A Perfect Beach Winter Barbecue

It’s great to travel to far-flung places but, as Around the World with a Highchair describes, there are pleasures to be had just around the corner. Here are some positive and negative opinions about a recent day out: Royal Observatory, Greenwich

A site with lots of suggestions for family trips is Mini Travellers and, when the weather is miserable, this is the ideal way to spend a day: Rainy Day in Liverpool with the kids – Walker Art Gallery

If you’re in Kent and looking for somewhere to take the children, Ting from My Travel Monkey can recommend A Chilly Visit to National Trust’s Ightham Mote and, while you’re there, see if you can fit inside the Grade I listed dog kennel.

Also in Kent, Marianne from Mari’s World, has a wealth of information on local attractions including this one: Blowing away the cobwebs – Jeskyn’s Park, Kent

Cathy from Mummytravels drove half an hour with a toddler to have a Family Day Out: Ham House, Surrey. It proved to be a great success and I’m tempted to try out the recipes from the kitchen – apricock cakes anyone?

I laughed at this post by Alice, Life as Alice, who has kindly provided us with some unusual details about her home town. The Dalai Lama is a fan. Who Knew? Five Random Facts about Reading, Berkshire

I love this idea from Annie, Mammasaurus, who is planning ‘to take a walk every day, with no two walks the same.’ Annie will soon know every inch of the nature outside her door. A Year in Footsteps: Pepperbox Hill

Of course, backyard blogging isn’t restricted to the UK. Here are a few examples of recent posts from our expat community which can be a great resource when planning a vacation.

Emma, A Bavarian Sojourn, is an expat living in Munich and can provide you with fantastic advice about the city and surrounding area: Munich Musings – Flammkuchen and Passport Photos 

If you are looking at Spain, consider Fiona as an expert for Seville with her blog Scribbler in Seville: Mapping and (late) thoughts for 2015.

Another great place for advice on Andalusia is Lisa who writes at Family Life in Spain. Take a peek at a recent post about the festive season: Christmas in Spain 2014

St Bloggie de Riviere is the perfect site to visit for the South of France. Sarah, who lives near Montpellier, can give you all the information you need about the food, the scenery and even the politics: Walking off the Christmas cake

Finally, Karen from Tales of a Twin Mum has only recently emigrated to Australia but already has plenty she can say about her new backyard: The best things about living in Brisbane

As always, please send me any links to travel posts you would like me to feature. Sometimes I have a theme, sometimes not, but I love reading your posts and try to include as many as I can. You can reach me via Twitter – @mumsgoneto