Continuing our Travel Tuesday feature of highlighting travel blogs we are today featuring Nomadic Matt.

Nomadic Matt is, as his blog states, about life untethered. He refers to himself as twenty-something vagabond, who has been on the road regularly since 2005,

“My original trip was supposed to last a year. I didn’t come home until 18 months later. Once back, I knew I couldn’t go back to my old life or a typical job - I wanted to travel more. Three months later, I was traveling again. I haven’t stopped since.”

His about page passes on more info on how he came to where he is now an also features interesting facts. Did you no Nomadic Matt once got lost in a jungle?

Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site contains tips, his blog, photos, videos and more all on where he’s been and what he’s done. You can find him on YouTube, Twitter @nomadicmatt, Facebook and FriendFeed. If you want to know insider knowledge about a specific destination, from hostels in NZ to learning to scuba-dive its likely Matt will be able to help you out.

Matt, on this fine Travel Tuesday, you’re our man.

Welcome to a new STA travelbuzz feature! As part of Travel Tuesday from this day forward we’ll be highlighting the work of a fellow online travel type and basically giving them a virtual high-five for doing what they’re doing.

The first person we’re slapping palms with is Melvin, the man behind Traveldudes, a splendid resource for the travelling type. The site is a collection of entries written by travellers for travellers and is split into four categories – Travel Tips, Accommodation, Travel Diaries and Videos. These are also divided by continent and country, and if that wasn’t enough the whole site is searchable anyway, making it a great venue for discovering information you didn’t already know on a specific destination.

We got in touch with Melvin via Twitter, where he’s exceptionally prolific, and basically realised he’s our kind of guy. He loves the community aspect of getting involved online, sharing knowledge and helping one another out when it comes to exploring the planet – exactly our kind of guy!

Melvin, as part of Travel Tuesday, we salute you.

As Adam (Cut to Africa) has discovered it isn’t just about having the right guidebook for your trip, it might be for the correct region but if it isn’t up to date you may encounter some difficulties.

The post in question saw Adam and his travelling pals making their way through Burkina Faso. On arriving in Koudougou, after much pushing of the van they were travelling in and a cataclysmic spillage of sauce, getting a bed for the night proved a challenge,

“As our guidebook is from 2006 (the latest version, as so few people visit Burkina), a lot of the hostels we had chosen as places to stay had shut down, or in one case, had upped the prices dramatically”

As is often the way though the situation resolved, this time in the form of a volunteer house on the edge of town. And they even had time to head to the festival known as Nuits Atypique a Koudougou, which roughly translates as ‘Unusual nights in Koudougou’.

Adam has already posted 18 times in December alone, so there is plenty to read about if you’re interested in travelling to Africa. His experiences are invaluable to those looking to follow in his footsteps.

Chris has seen Turtles in Australia!

Touring around Australia in a campervan has its advantages, one of which was discovered by Chris, our STA Explorer who goes by the name of Hang 10 and Party.

His post is titled An Unexpected Surprise and that was exactly what it was. Trawling for a free spot outside Exmouth to park the campervan was proving laborious, as they were being constantly disheartened by signs stating ‘Strictly No Camping’. Eventually the plan was decided upon; stop in a car park, get some food and then begin the hunt again. However before stopping Chris and his pals decided to ‘chill’ for a bit on the beach,

“Upon reaching the beach we were puzzled by the large group of people staring at a lump between them and the water. It quickly dawned on us that this was a turtle! Then we remembered that we were travelling up the coast at turtle nesting season! SUPER STOKED.”

A quick wander up the beach and some turtle tracking skills employed resulted in Chris and his friend Rob being able to watch a group of turtles all digging in the sand and then laying their eggs, something that he described as a ‘pretty magical sight.’ This got Chris wondering,

“It does seem that some of the most amusing and exciting travel stories come about when you’re trying to find a free place to park your camper…who says being a pikey doesn’t have its advantages! hahaha!”

Just a warning on the campervan activity and finding free spots, it doesn’t come without pitfalls…

Check in at The Wanderings of A Devonshire Boy to catch up with what Chris has been up to. It includes the posts Ningaloo Reef, Blowholes and Coral Bay and Monkey Mia, each one containing its fair share of marine life interaction - dolphins, stingrays and sharks. And of particular use, Chris tells you how much it all costs and what you get for your dollars!

The first update from STA Explorer Lancastrian to Australian has come in and features among many other things elephants in Thailand.

Ste (our Lancastrian in question and a £10 Pom) got to see the mighty beasts after a spot of trekking by the River Kwai and rafting down said river. Seeing the elephants did create a conflict for him though. Describing the experience as one of the best things he’s ever done, there was a sense that the animals being held in captivity ‘felt wrong’. This is a sensation that I don’t think is exclusive to Ste.

Some of the ‘many other things’ I mentioned to follow, but not until we’ve covered Ste’s arrival for the four day stop over in Bangkok,

“We booked into the Viengtai Hotel for £19.50 a night with STA Travel which proved to be a bargain, we met a girl there who had paid around 30 pounds on the day!”

Though finding it was a little tricky,

“Some Thai policeman directed us down the grottiest back street ever, and if he hadn’t been a copper I wouldn’t have gone down it, but once we went past markets, tattoo parlours and launderettes and stuff like that, we emerged to this massive hotel that was immense…porters for the bags, security on the door, very clean…superb!”

Beside the elephants in Thailand there was exploration of the Kao San Road, which was in Ste’s words ‘immense’ and ‘cheap’. He also talks about ‘the tuk tuk scam’ that sees you not paying more as such, but having to put up with visiting various shops so the driver can collect a commission for bringing tourists in – something to be aware of. Then there is the people he has met, of which there is a lot, though one nationality is making an impression,

“I also have yet to meet any Swedish people I don’t like, they ALL seem soooooo nice.”

His post finishes with a brief description of the flight over to Australia and concludes,

“Im in Oz now so will update you all soon. Peace, love and bananas to all! x.”

Ste, we look forward to it.

After only introducing our Explorers Our Little Jaunt at the beginning of the week, they’ve already updated on their first day or so in Aus, in particular their accommodation in Sydney.

Succinctly announcing their safe landing the following update featured, as you’d expect from the title Aeroplanes and Arachnids, details of the journey and the local creepy crawlies encountered so far in their new digs.

Probably best not to dwell on the flight too much, described to them as being ‘fine’ by friends and family this proved to be rather subjective,

“In my world, ‘fine’ would be a picnic by a lake or a day spent walking in the country – not the borderline torture to which we have just subjected ourselves.”

There is more on this, but let’s move onto the new abode in Sydney.

“[…] we arrived at the flat about half 8 Sydney time and it is perfect – even better than we thought it would be. We’re unpacked, been for a rekkie, opened bank accounts, got Aussie SIM cards and managed to buy a few groceries – we are proud.”

The only downside was an eight-legged and very unwelcome tenant - he was swiftly dispatched. Unfortunately for him, it turned out he was a harmless variety, but as described in the recounting of the event, ‘you can never be too careful’…

To keep up with how Our Little Jaunt get on during their first few days in Aus be sure to follow their blog and Twitter.

If you think you’d make a great STA Explorer then get in touch.

For those interested in exploring far eastern climes, or offered the luxury of looking for that perfect holiday destination, this Scotland on Sunday guide to Beijing is an ideal read. Covering everything from food through nightlife to the ideal places to stay for budget adventurers – it is an in-depth micro guide to a city that has the potential to surprise even the hardiest traveler.

“Nothing can really prepare you for the culture shock that lies in store. It is worth researching the stretch of the wall you want to walk along. Badaling is the most popular, but can be overrun with tourists. There are quieter alternatives such as Mutianyu.”

But how should one go about actually getting there, and how much are we looking at? The guide clears that up, and it’s surprisingly frugal news….

“Return flights to Beijing from Heathrow can be booked for as little as £330 through STA Travel (www.statravel.co.uk). Alternatively, if you have time, catch the Trans Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing, via Mongolia. The 4,735-mile journey takes six days, and fares start at about £410.”