Once you get over the fact that you’ll now have that classic Sons and Lovers tune in your head for the rest of the day, I suggest you have a peak at our new STA Explorer’s blog. Em is a 20 year old student from Northumbria University in Newcastle who is on an exchange programme for a year in Mexico City, which should be invaluable for her International Business with Spanish course. She chose to take her placement there:

because its just completely different to the UK, with so much interesting and exciting cultural and historical aspects

and she’s already got thoroughly stuck into exploring all of the above. She’s tried local snacks such as las papas and gorditos in the capital Toluca, while wandering the Cosmovitral; she also blogged about her horse trek to the quaint market town Ixtapan de la Sal, taken some amazing photos of the Grutas de las Estrellas cave, and recommended a great restaurant in Valle de Bravos. And of course there’s her latest post about the legendary Acapulco, where she’s been hitting the local bars and clubs and watching the crazy cliff divers.

As Em is there for a year, she’ll be a great one to follow as she discovers what it’s like to live and play in Mexico in depth. Head on over to ask any questions about her experiences with STA Travel, Mexico or indeed drinking cocktails by the yard!

Do you think the Tour De France plays a major role in promoting tourism in France? That was the question asked on AardvarkTravel by someone who has clearly never had the fortune of lining the legendary race’s route.

The Tour de France follows an outstandingly beautiful course through the best of the majestic French countryside, gorgeous rural villages, and glorious cities. In answer to the above question, Le Tour attracts visitors by the thousands who gather en masse at key points of the race with their folding chairs and drinks coolers, all to get a relatively brief glimpse of a sweating swarm of stout-hearted cyclists speeding swiftly past. I’ve been one of those people and know how surprisingly fun the TDF is to watch, but I will leave it up to Carl to explain the excitement felt as he does so most effectively on his travel blog.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching it live and in person (while taking in the surrounding scenery, of course), get a taste of the experience courtesy of these photo albums from the BikeZone forums and Paris Daily Photo (be sure to follow the link there to see what it really looks like!).

Of course, the race is over now, the last of the participants have crossed the finish line and the last of the related blog posts have been published. For those who couldn’t get enough of it however, you might want to check out the last of Martyn Jones’ blog entries detailing what it’s like to actually take part in the gruelling event and the closing commentary about a similarly taxing obsession, the Tour de France Knitalong.

Alternatively, if you hate cycling and cyclists in general, you may find this link more appealing….

I’ve always found social bookmarking a particularly clumsy term, but this is what La Internet has decided to name sites such as Digg, del.icio.us and StumbleUpon. They provide, according to the great Wikipedia in the sky:

a method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata… users save links to web pages that they want to remember and/or share

The key word here really is share. With these sites, you bookmark whole blogs or single articles you like, but your faves also get flagged up on theie homepage for all to see (under categories such as travel), so people can come to trust your wise judgement in matters of internet excellence and follow your recommendations. The more kudos you gain, the more people are likely to Digg or StumbleUpon your own writing, in a variant of the link love that everyone in social media craves.

Which means that it’s well worth spending a bit of time rating other blogs and posts you enjoy, and also putting a handy little ’share’ or ‘bookmark’ button on your own site so others can rate you. The AddThis button is a good option, as it includes all the main social bookmarking sites in one neat badge.

STA Explorer Stevo has been experimenting with social bookmarking; have a look at his latest post where social bookmarking helps him discover some inventive travel photography. And obviously, don’t forget to StumbleUpon his own article if you like his style. Love begats love, people.

Being a bum on Bondi is the act that Tina of Tina’s Travel Blog partook in at the end of May. It may have been a little off season and not really warm enough to disrobe and enter the surf, but it did have atmosphere and, in some circles, that’s all that matters.

Jason of Jason’s Travel Blog (I’m beginning to spot a theme) has left Australia for Fiji, and then NYC. Before doing so, he threw up some underwater photos of his activities from the Reef. I guess that’s him in the goggles!

Then there is Ed and Mary who conclude our watery antipodean wanderers. They complete the trinity by spending their time in Surfers Paradise and Byron Bay taking in the soggy delights of Wet n’ Wild and Seaworld amongst other excursions and witnessing some fights (!).

Our latest STA Explorer, Nick, is poised on the brink of a whole new world: tomorrow he heads off for a month and ten days of adventure as he travels round South America. Anyone will be able to track his thoughts, opinions and experiences on his blog, his Twitter feed, and other social media sites he’ll join as he goes, and it’ll be a particularly helpful record for anyone thinking of travelling alone, volunteering abroad, or joining any of STA Travel’s organised tours.

18 years old, and hoping to study History and International Relations in London on his return, Nick explains that:

I can be shy, but I’m really into grasping new oportunities and challenges, which is why I chose to go on this summer project and meet new people

He’s planning 3 weeks in Cusco teaching and building, before joining a Madventurer tour from Lima to La Paz. And as he’s currently volunteering at the Green & Away eco-camp before he leaves, Nick should have a great perspective on environmental issues as he travels.

His first post describes his time working in the camp, and the STA Explorers knees-up at which he met us last week. He’s eager to hear comments from any fellow STA travellers with questions, suggestions or just some friendly chat, so head over to his blog and join him virtually on his journey for the next couple of months!

Working visas worry me. I’ve heard a few scare stories about waiting times and mix-ups, and anything involving officials and paperwork freaks me out. If I wanted to, say, go write in Sydney for a while, I think I’d feel happier finding a desperate old Harold Bishop lookalike to marry me rather than apply for the dreaded document.

Which is evidently nonsense. As soraliah points out on TheSite.org, ‘ive been told its quite easy to get work visas in japan, nz and aus’, and Pill’ed agrees. He’s secured an Australian working visa and has posted an excellent response summarising how to get one and how they work -for example the fact that they last 12 months and only allow you 6 months in each job,and 4 months training overall. He’s got particularly good advice on the pros and cons fruit picking and confirms that:

As for getting the visa, it’s pretty simple, you can apply online or just pop down to your local travel agent. It costs about 100 quid and you won’t neccesarily be granted one, but everyone always is. You have to fill out a form and they can be picky if you have any serious crinimal convictions or anything.

Head on over to add your own advice or to keep track of the further updates on working in Oz that Pill’ed promises to post.

So, tt’s all beginning to sound a bit less scary. And I’m further reassured by the fact that STA Explorer Stevo recently announced on Twitter that he:

used STA to apply for his Aus working VISA. 6 days later it has been GRANTED! *dances*

So have other STA travellers found Aussie visas equally easy?

Anywhere but Here is always worth a read. A popular blog from 26 year old Canadian ‘wanderlusting’, it’s an addictively personal, opinionated travelogue from a self-declared free spirit:

I spent eight years getting an education “my style,” which amounts to alternating one year of university with a year of backpacking around the world. So far, my approach to life has landed me an amazing rockstar boyfriend, an insatiable wanderlust, a penchant for spontaneity and too many ideas of what I want to be when I grown up. Oh, and of course, a nagging urge to be Anywhere but Here.

Her recent post promoting the wonders of her hometown Vancouver is enough to make anyone want to visit the Canadian city which is, as she points out, constantly rated as one of the most livable cities in the world. Although she admits Vancouver has downsides - namely the traffic, house prices, and the worst drugs problem in North America - her series of stunning views and comments on the best bits of Vancouver - such as Stanley Park, the beach, Grouse Mountain, nearby Gulf Islands and the 2010 Winter Olympics - has persuaded me to chalk it down as a definite maybe for a trip next spring.

Wanderlusting also challenges other travel-nuts to resist their home-hating tendencies and ‘find the beauty in your city’. So does anyone else out there recommend their hometown as somewhere that STA travellers should add to their itinerary?