Gladiators In Ancient Rome: Blood, Glory, And The Legacy You Can Still Feel Today

BY  Mashum Feb 14, 2019

With the number of people who are exploring the world increasing, you can gain a lot from a travel blog. The good thing is that it is not hard to begin a vacation website or blog. The most important thing is to have some tips on how to undertake this process. Here are the ten steps that you need to follow to start a travel blog. Step 1: Define the Goals and Purpose of Your Travel Blog The first thing to do is sitting down and defining the primary goals and purpose of your website. In case you have over one goal, start thinking about your primary goal before thinking about the secondary goals. For instance, your primary goal may be providing how-to info about travel in India. Make sure your specific goal is in a particular niche or geographical location. These tips will help you to determine the kind of content that you will create. As think about how to start a travel blog, you need to make your page to stand out. You cannot achieve this objective unless you define your goals and purpose. Step 2: Select a Domain Name for the Travel Blog Once you know the purpose, goals, audience, and tone of your travel website, you need to choose a name and speak to someone about web design Melbourne (or wherever you plan on writing about it) for your site. The decision you make will help you to select a domain name which is the address for your website. You want to make sure that these two match one another and are as similar as possible. You may need several options because your first choice may not be available. You can buy a domain name that is already taken but it will be more expensive. You can get a free domain name from Weebly, Blog post, or WordPress.com. However, the free version will be a subdomain of that website. Choose an SEO-friendly domain name that will help in ranking your site. Step 3: Choose a Website Builder or Content Management System A content management system (CMS) is what you will use in building your site, inserting images, content, and so on. The CMS that you choose will affect how you will build your website and how much you can add to it and edit. It will affect the customization of your website, available templates, and plug-ins. Some platforms like Wix and Weebly have intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces while others like Drupal and Joomla will require you to have some coding knowledge. Most people use WordPress because it is user-friendly and fairly intuitive. You don’t need any advanced coding knowledge to use this platform - there are plenty of online resources, like these bluehost tutorial videos, out there to teach you the fundamentals you need to know to create a website. Step 4: Decide on a Web Hosting Service for the Travel Blog A web hosting service is a form of internet hosting service that enables users to make their website accessible online and offers space for the site on their servers. You have to think about the publishing platform, web host, and domain name in conjunction and not choosing one at a time. For instance, most WordPress hosts will give you a free registration of the domain name once you host your website with them. Therefore, you will not buy a domain name but get it as a package.  While hosting, think about the cost, what is included, what other users have to say, and the supported publishing platforms, web builders, and CMS. Step 5: Put Together the Web Hosting Service, CMS, and Domain Name Choices and Commit Once you have all the above three elements in place, it is time to commit to a decision and begin to set them up. You can get all the three as a package from some sites like Weebly blog, Blogger, and WordPress. It is a more practical step on how to start a travel blog. Step 6: Set Up the File Transfer Protocol Program for the Travel Website You need to set up the File Transfer Protocol program for your new website. However, this may not be the case if you are using a free host or website package. This step is useful because it offers a simple way of transferring files from your website to the computer and vice versa. The FTP also allows you to edit your data without having to log into your site. The market has several options such as FTP Voyager, Smart FTP, Cyberduck, and Filezilla among others. Compare all these options with the compatibility of your operating system, computer, transfer needs, ease of use with your hosting service, and the level of security you need. Some of these options come at a small fee while others are free open-source downloads. Step 7: Pick a Theme The next step on how to start a blog is picking the right theme for your site. At this point, you almost have everything that you require to proceed with the blog development process. Choose a default theme that has the features that you want to have on your website. Go for a fast theme that is highly responsive. It should also have an intuitive user interface so that you can use it with a lot of ease. Step 8: Pick the Required Plugins The next step is to install some plugins especially if you are using WordPress which is an excellent choice for anyone who is developing a travel blog for the first time. Plugins are pre-created pieces of codes that add functionality to your website. You don’t have to install many plugins to your website because they will slow your website down. A slow site is a bad feature for both search engines and user experience. Some of the highly recommended plugins include Yoast SEO, Autoptimize, ReSmush.it, and Akismet Anti-Spam. The plugins you choose depend on the type of website and these are good for a travel blog. Step 9: Set Up a Backup Schedule It can be very bad for your site to crash and then you discover that you have lost all your data. Some of the reasons for crashing include an error from your part, hardware failure, and hacking of the site among others. It is good to set up a regular backup schedule to mitigate this risk. It will help you to restore your back-up data whenever something goes wrong. Step 10: Start to Create and Publish Content The last step is to begin to create and publish content for your website. You need to publish high-quality content regularly to help your site to rank well in the search engines. Get a routine that will work well for you and stick to it. The above tips will guide you on how to start a travel blog. Travel blogs are long-term ventures that will take you a lot of work and time to create. However, spending your time on it is a worthwhile venture that you may not want to leave. Read Also: 10 Travel Tips For Singles Who Want To Journey Solo This Valentine’s Day 10 Travel Books You Should Be Read in 2019 Top Places to Visit in Italy on your next Travel Escapade

BY  Barsha Aug 1, 2022

The travel scene in the world has not evolved since the Pandemic - people have now realized that countries around the world have their doors to tourists again in the absence of strict covid travel guidelines. In fact, the summer of 2022 has witnessed so many stories about overcrowding, travel mishaps, and even dangerous heat waves at major tourist destinations across the world, especially in Europe. However, things in Asia have been a little different. As Asian countries are taking more time to open their doors to tourists with far lesser reports of flight cancellations or lost luggage, it has been seen tourists are not really coming back. One of the biggest examples of this strange travel phenomenon is Japan. Japan Is Open To Tourists Now: So Why Aren’t They Coming Back? Japan opened its doors to tourists in the summer of 2022 to a whole lot of fanfare, and that too at a time which is generally considered to be peak tourist time for travellers in this country. However, according to the Japanese Immigration Services Agency, only a meagre 1,500 tourists visited the country between June 10th and July 10th. The data points out how the numbers have gone down by a solid 95% as compared to data obtained during the same period of time before the Pandemic. Perhaps one of the possible reasons for the sharp decrease in tourists is because the country is only allowing leisure tourists and those too tourists who visit with ‘organized groups’ and not individually. Melissa Musiker, a PR professional based in New York City, commented in this context, “We don't need to be babysat” - Melissa used to be one of the frequent travellers to Japan before the Pandemic. So is Japan ruining its tourism industry because of its own rules, or is it because of some other strange reason nobody is aware of yet? Only time will tell us - till then, we can only speculate. Read Also: 9 Things Every Traveler Should Know When Visiting Shanghai 10 Best Places To Travel In November – Travel Guide 2022 Top 5 Used Japanese Vehicles In Australia

BY  Sibashree Aug 20, 2024

The Death Valley National Park has geological bounties that will make you feel more than alive. The “hottest, driest, and lowest” national park enjoys the juxtaposition of Badwater, the lowest elevation in North America, Eureka Dunes, the highest sand dunes in North America, and snow-capped Telescope Peak.  You can easily call the landscape of the national park dramatic, or an explorer can find it to be the most amazing outdoor playground with volcanic rocks, mountains, deep canyons, the highest sand dunes, and old rivers.  From the humming songs of the sand dunes to the soothing sound of the flowing stream, this place is music to the ears of the visitors.  No wonder that despite its extreme weather conditions, the park had an impressive 1,099,632 visitors in 2023. (Source) Death Valley Hiking Trails (Easy, Moderate, And Difficult) That Should Be On Your Bucket List  The hiking trails here come with varying difficulty levels. Here, I have discussed some of the most popular and interesting hiking trails with easy, moderate, and strenuous difficulty levels in three different sections.  Best Hiking Trails In Death Valley National Park For Beginners (Easy) Death Valley is not probably the first place you will think of as someone new to trekking or hiking. However, this national park has some trails suitable for beginners. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes The Mesquite flat sand dunes, with a 2.3-mile distance, are the best creations of sand and wind. The enclosure of mountains works as a barrier to protect the sand from getting blown away.  The sand here creates ripples and dunes, and the area gets its name from mesquite trees found in abundance here. The Timbisha Shoshone tribe here makes flour from the mesquite tree bean pods. This variety of flour is sold in many specialty stores these days.  Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is also home to nocturnal kangaroo rats and rattlesnakes. Badwater Salt Flat A vast salt flat covering around 200 square miles, it is the most surreal place in Death Valley. The lowest elevation point in North America, Badwater Salt Flat, was a large inland Lake Manly in ancient times.  The landscape looks interesting with geometric salt polygons. You can take an easy walk through the stretch and have a look at the imposing Black Mountains and Telescope Peak.  Moderate Death Valley Hiking Trails  Most hiking trails in Death Valley are moderate in their difficulty level. Here, I will give a brief overview of the most talked-about ones in the park.  Darwin Falls Hike Darwin Falls got its name from Erasmus Darwin French, an army physician. It is one of the very few perennial waterfalls in this national park.  The waterfall runs into a shallow pool with green vegetation around it. So, as you hike through this 2-mile trail, you will find many ferns, trees, aquatic plants, and amphibians.  Ubehebe Crater Rim Hike  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Grant Brittain (@jgrantbrittain) This hiking trail is around 1 and a half miles long. The trail looks easy. However, you experience difficulty when you try to get back to the Caldera Rim. Further, from the very beginning of this hike, you will experience unevenness in the elevation.  As you take the black trail surrounded by dark hills, don’t forget to catch a glimpse of the green vegetation, which is very rare in the national park. Here, you will also love the view of streaks of dark orange in the formations, along with loose white sand.  You can even hike deep down the crater filled with pyroclastic deposits.  Fall Canyon Death Valley This 3.5-hour hiking route comes with moderate to strenuous difficulty levels. Occasional flash floods form the narrow gorge and steep sides here.  The cave-like twisted passageways here look most amazing, and a touch of blue on the smooth granite walls adds a mystic charm to the place. The Badlands/Zabriskie Point Loop View this post on Instagram A post shared by Death Valley National Park (@deathvalleynps) The Badlands, the lowest elevation point in North America, is nature’s display at its best. Hiking to the Badlands includes hiking to Zabriskie Point, the most picturesque location in the park. It is also a favorite sunset and sunrise point, and you will love clicking photographs here.  After watching the Sunrise at Zabriskie Point, you can continue hiking through the Badlands loop, which is made of sediments. Walk for 2.7 miles to reach one of the most important geological terrains of North America. The terrain, with a rugged beauty, used to be part of an ancient lakebed.  Difficult Death Valley Hiking Trails  This national park has many challenging hiking trails, and exploring some of them demands technical skills. Here are the top three most difficult hiking trails to conquer in this park.  Telescope Peak Telescope Peak, with an elevation gain of 3,000 ft, is a round trip of around 7-8 hours. You can start trekking this route from the “Mahogany Flat Campground at the end of Upper Wildrose.”  This snow-capped mountain is a hikers’ paradise in summer. As you hike through the slopes and the forested areas and reach the peak, you will have the laurel of climbing the highest peak in the national park.  Further, the “ancient bristlecone pines,” wildflowers, and the panoramic vista of the valley from the top will take all your fatigue away.  Panamint Dunes Hiking to Panamint Dunes will be a delightful experience if you want to explore the remote parts of the park. The most immersive experience you can have here is camping in the soft sand, watching the night sky in its full glory. The hike (round-trip) will take around 5 hours, and the elevation will go up gradually. The sandy, uneven, and sometimes rocky landscape makes hiking to the top of four different dunes quite difficult.  Little Bridge Canyon With an elevation gain of 590 m, Little Bridge Canyon is a round-trip hiking route of around 5 hours. The Little Bridge Canyon has a red mouth, and as you reach there, crossing many minor washes, you will be surprised to find a rainbow of colors. Along with white stretches of Eureka Quartzite, you will also find red and bright yellow veins on the rocks. These colorful veins are formed by deposited iron oxide. Also, you will cherish the view of the sand dunes from Little Bridge Canyon.  Visit Eureka Dunes In Death Valley Eureka Dunes, the largest dune field in North America, is a must-visit place in Death Valley National Park. It rises more than 680 feet above the neighboring dry lakebed at the western base.  Things To Explore  You can camp at the Eureka Dunes Dry Camp, which is at the base of the sand dunes. This place is great for seeing the sunrise and sunset and experiencing the changing colors of the sand dunes with the rays of the sun.  A hike to Eureka Dunes is arduous due to loose sands frequently stalling your movements. However, once you reach the top, you will see the magnificent Last Chance Mountains with their limestone walls. Also, don’t forget to listen to the songs of the sand dunes. The experience is other-worldly, for sure. Further, it is hard to believe that a place like Eureka Dunes can have so much life and colors. You will love the Evening Primrose in a pristine white shade. You will also meet shining milkvetch (awaiting designation as an endangered species) and dune grass here.  Stay Safe Extreme heat is a major concern in Eureka Dunes or throughout the national park. So, choose your gear, sunscreen, hydrating solutions, and other essentials while exploring the Eureka Dunes. Further, October to April is the best time to be at Eureka Dunes as the temperature then remains bearable.  Stargazing At Eureka Dunes  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Death Valley National Park (@deathvalleynps) Moreover, Eureka Dunes is considered one of the favorite places for astrophotographers and skywatching enthusiasts. When you are at the Eureka Dunes at night, and you stare at the sky, you will feel like you are sinking in the world of stars and meteor showers.  Final Words  October to April is the best hiking season in the Death Valley National Park. Hiking during summer and spring, especially in the lower elevations of the park, can be very difficult.  Even during the months of winter, the weather conditions here remain dry. So, always carry treated drinking water and hydrating solutions with you while hiking in this national park, the quintessence of desert beauty.  Hiking in the park will allow you to visit the lowest elevation points of North America and the highest dunes. You can also conquer the snow-capped mountain peaks and the most vibrant trails made of colorful volcanic deposits. So, are you planning to visit this dramatic land anytime soon? Don’t forget to share your ideas with us!  Death Valley National Park FAQs  Which Trail Is The Most Scenic Drive In Death Valley National Park?  Artists Palette is the most scenic drive in Death Valley National Park. As the name suggests, through the 0.5 km trail, you can see rocks showcasing various colors. The splashes of green, pink, yellow, orange, red, and blue colors in these rocks come from iron oxides, chlorite, and other compounds present in the local volcanic deposits. So, this scenic drive truly tales the “volcanic past” of the park. While exploring this driving route, you can also catch a glimpse of the Black Mountains and serpentine white salt flats.  For the best experience, you can visit the Artists Palette during the Sunset or Sunrise.  What Is Special In Death Valley? Despite its extreme desert conditions (Death Valley recorded the highest temperature in the world in July 1936, and the temperature was 134 degrees.), Death Valley is a wonderful place to explore from autumn to spring.  Hiking through the vibrant canyons can be the most amazing outdoor pursuit in Death Valley. Hike to Dante’s View in the Black Mountains and enjoy the diverse landscape of Death Valley. Go for a trek along the 1.5-mile trail that follows the Ubehebe Crater rim. Have a look into the abyss, which is 600 feet deep.  Further, you can enjoy the best Sunrise and Sunset moments and a panoramic view of the adjacent area from Zabriskie Point.  You can even take a ride through the lowest elevation in North America, Badwater, with its salt flats and pools.  Moreover, when you are in this national park, you must have an encounter with the Mesquite Flat Dunes wildlife and wildflowers, which are in full bloom in the spring.  Where Is The Most Photographed Place In Death Valley?  Diverse weather conditions and intriguing geology make Death Valley a favorite of photography enthusiasts. You must have seen Zabriskie Point as the background for many posts on socials. This place is named after Christian Zabriskie, a noted figure of the Pacific Coast Borax Company. Zabriskie Point, close to Furnace Creek, has a vantage point that offers an amazing view of the park and the surrounding area. You will enjoy the view of the badlands with brown and yellow hills. Further, don’t forget to behold the salt flats covering the Death Valley floors. Zabriskie Point is also a great place to cherish the golden and red hues of the Sunrise and Sunset. When you especially look at the Manly Beacon from Zabriskie Point during the Sunrise or Sunset, you get an unforgettable view. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is another great place to click photographs if you are looking for a classic desert landscape. Also read Why Include Whale Watching In Your LA Itinerary. Traveling On A Budget: Tips For Affordable Adventures. Be Soothed And Meet History At Hot Springs National Park.