Travel blog by Päivi & Santeri Kannisto

We had a peculiar incident with Tripadvisor discussion forum. All our discussions regarding Greece were deleted yesterday. Earlier a member calling himself aldro10 had been accusing us of lying because we had claimed that Greece was not as cheap as he said it to be. After asking if differences in opinions and mere discussion on various different views qualify as lying, all our posts related to Greece were removed. Also a post where we recommended to check Hospex options, namely BeWelcome, was removed perhaps because it was hindering his efforts to promote his favourite, or his employer’s, hotels.

We have been working for a hostel to update their website and help to develop their social media marketing. As part of the process, we reviewed their competition and other travel websites. We were surprised by our findings. When we started full-time travel and travel blogging in 2004, there were hardly any bloggers around. Now Internet is full of glittering travel blogs selling dreams to their readers. Competition demands that travel bloggers offer all the time fresh content, make practical lists, and visit fancy places. This is the way to attract readers and make them return. To finance their travels, bloggers accept freebies from tourism boards, hotels, tour organisers, and sights. As a result, most blogs are paid advertisements that offer praising reviews of the visited destinations and services used. A few leading travel blog sites acknowledge the corruption, but like always, making money justifies the means. Travel blogging and tourism industry do not tolerate balanced travel wr…

We all know that travelling without lists is simply impossible. This is not just because many travellers are obsessed with lists. If there was no need for such lists, there would not be any lists, right?Here is the ultimate list for each and every real traveller to follow. Ignore this ultimate list and you will perish or even worse: stop travelling. Nobody likes ignorant travellers. Read it, memorize it, and share it. This is the ultimate travel check-list you will ever need.

After Colombia and Panama inexpensive Nicaragua was great. Food and accommodation are affordable and the country is not as touristy as the neighbouring Costa Rica. People are friendly and they do not expect tips for example for giving you directions.