The subject of this weeks Travel Tuesday is foXnoMad, the travel smarter website. It’s all the work of Anil, and managed by his more than capable and extremely well-travelled hands,

“I’ve spent my entire life traveling, studying cultures, and picking up tricks along the way. I created foXnoMad to connect with other travelers, discover their world, and share what I’ve learned about mine.”

In the beginning foXnoMad wasn’t what it is now. And the history is documented here, along with a few links to early posts, some of which had only tenuous ties to the world of travel, such as examples of lewd French words for example.

Today however foXnoMad is a different beast, with travel content bursting through its virtual seams. A quick dip into Anil’s Twitter activity reveals that this year he’s aiming to visit six continents - seriously, just go for the seven ;). His micro-blogging has also seen him mentioning that he’s off to Africa in two weeks; talk about practice what you preach.

In regard to the blog based stuff, you’re just in time to get involved with the second round of The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2010. Head to link and vote on who think should win each of the 16 match-ups… New York vs. Dubrovnik?! Tough.

As you can probably tell we’ve barely scratched the surface of what Anil gets up to at foXnoMad, so I strongly suggest you take a virtual trip to see it all for yourself…

Anil - a hearty handshake from us to you, good work!

Myself, Fran & Siobhan spent Saturday immersed in all things travel related at the Adventure Travel Show Live. After presenting to a diverse audience our STA Explorer programme and the World Traveller Internship (WTI) we had a few chats and gave out our goody bags to excited, budding nomads hoping to apply for the WTI and become STA Explorers.

After, Fran went and saw some of the talks and spread the STA travelbuzz word, whilst Siobhan and I went to check out the different travel stalls. First off was drinking Kava, the traditional Fijian drink, with Ben Keene from Tribe Wanted and Dylan (@travellingeditor). The Kava was mixed together by a very authentic looking Fijian and we all had to clap before we received our drink and then clap again after. It was hard to do so when we were almost gagging from the taste (think trees mixed with mud). However, after 3 cups of that and a very numb mouth, we set off giggling like school girls to chat to the STA Travel team who were all working hard giving out information on various deals and offers currently on while answering any questions people had about specific destinations.

We also spoke to the guy on the Mali counter, who taught us about classic Mali music before we made our way to the Healthy Travel talk with Jane Wilson. She taught us how to successfully remove a tick (grab it by the teeth and yank it out). The appropriate clothing to wear (tie trousers at the bottom over your boots to avoid bites and leeches). And how to get over a bout of diarrhea (LOTS of water and eat if you feel hungry).

From there we met Toni, our newest explorer, and we chatted all about her up coming travels. The previous evening had seen her meet a bunch of people to discuss her trip and she has already arranged to meet people while travelling and partake in a little couch-surfing!

All in all a great day!

Laura has witnessed the majesty of the Whitsunday Islands, and all from aboard the Camira. Although intent on Having a Ball from NZ to SE Asia, there is a budget and it had to be considered when touring the Whitsundays,

“We wanted to do an overnight sailing trip round the Whitsundays but they were quite expensive so we decided to just do a day trip instead. Our boat was called the Camira (means ’strong winds’ in aboriginal) and was a massive purple sailing catamaran.”

The day trip wasn’t so bad though, free drinks all day which saw Jamie (Laura’s boyfriend) ‘cracking open the beer’ at 11am. And despite the onset of what Laura referred to as a ‘monsoon’ the weather cleared up plenty, allowing for a trip to Whitehaven Beach and an ‘amazing BBQ lunch’ on the boat.

Laura and Jamie also spent some time in Airlie. The weather was hot, so the couple spent most of their time in the man made lagoon, a must due to the sea being full of Jellyfish. And, as the friendly types they are, the evening saw them back with some of the guys they’d shared the Camira with for some good old fashioned disco-dancing,

“Went to the bar at Beaches hostel which had a guy singing live, but that closed at 12 […] so we went on to a club called Evolution. The music there was pretty rubbish, loads of techno electro stuff, but was fun anyway.”

Ok, I admit that I have no concrete evidence of disco-dancing, but you’d like to think that was part of the deal, right?

When it comes to booking your trip, STA Explorer Tim (Gadget Boy Goes Global) took a slightly different slant than most.

His latest post on Random Projects is titled I made a book, which is exactly what he has done. The book is full of imagery from the time he spent travelling around Iceland and when describing the venture he is modest as ever,

“Just for me and family, but if anyone wants to take a look here it is (it’s a big’un though so might take a while to load). You can even buy it, but I wouldn’t suggest it unless you want to buy pics of me for some strange reason!”

I’ve had a look through The Physics of Outdoor Bean Cookery and Other Icelandic Images (that’s the title of Tim’s publication) and it is full of remarkable photographs. Producing a book in this way is an amazing way to keep a record of your travel and, maybe not an option while on the hoof, it is certainly a fantastic way to relive your adventure once you’ve returned. And the result is the ultimate coffee table accessory - a book about you!

If this is something you think you’d like to have a go at, then have a look at these applications and give it a go; Lulu, WeBook, Blurb and Qoop. Also get in touch with Tim either through Random Projects or his Twitter @timminter, I’m sure he’d be happy to offer you some tips.

The fear of flying might be a thing of the past! If you own an iPhone, and are willing to spend £2.99 for Virgin Atlantic’s application (app) version of their Flying Without Fear course, your plane related anxiety might vex you no longer.

Based on the course that boasts a 98% success rate, the app is designed to help all sorts of nervousness associated with being 30,000 feet up. It has an introduction by Sir Richard Branson along with other features including a explanation of flight, relaxation exercises and the all important panic button. Branson is quoted in The Mail on the launch,

“Our first iPhone app will bring the benefits of our successful Flying Without Fear course to millions of people around the world who are now using mobile technology to make their lives better.”

With an estimated one in three adults experience some level of apprehension toward flying, it could be a huge success. Do you use apps while travelling? If so, which do you find invaluable?

A new service has been launched to help Brits when they are abroad, specifically when they get into difficulties on foreign soil. The news has been covered by Peter Woodman in The Independent,

“Entitled Travel Buddy, the service will also give tourists information about their destination in a scheme funded by the Foreign Office.”

Travel Buddy has been launched by ABTA the travel organisation and will monitor destinations giving out information in situations of emergency, advising travellers on the best course of action.

Is this a service you would appreciate and use?

John Hooper at the Guardian has asked the question where does the truth lie in travel writing.

It seems that in the past those who document their trips have not been the most honest and now, with the all encompassing fact checking might of the internet, where does this leave the future of the embellished travel journal.

This isn’t always about ‘lies’ in the deceiving sense, but about stories being told, one person to another, as acquaintances are made and tales are shared on the dusty roads and high seas. Hooper explains,

“Introducing ‘colour’, altering the sequence of events to make a book or article ‘flow’, exaggeration, invention and downright lying all have a history in the chronicling of travel that goes back at least as far as the ancient mariners who told stories of sirens and sea monsters.”

Its intriguing stuff and something that anyone who writes about travel must take into consideration (Explorers I hope you’re reading ) – where does the line between fact and fiction lie when it comes to enthusing a-would-be traveller to sling on a rucksack and start crossing some borders?