I created Traveling Savage 20 months ago, and in that time I’ve written exactly 200 posts. I’ve covered everything from travel philosophy to budgets and gear to location-specific deep dives of Argentina and Scotland.

And there’s no end in sight.

One of the downsides, however, is the transient nature of blog content. Old posts seem to disappear into the ether (though you can access everything from the Archives button at the top or by searching in the box to the right). I struggle with keeping my evergreen content in front of your eyes.

Thank goodness for memes. I don’t say that often, but Tripbase has a stellar record of creating interesting travel-themed memes (remember my Top 3 Travel Secrets?). This time they’ve rolled out the “7 Links” meme aimed at exposing some of the best and most interesting content hiding in travel bloggers’ archives. Nomination to share your 7 links spreads from blogger to blogger, and I was kindly tagged by Shannon of A Little Adrift who I had the pleasure of meeting in Vancouver.

Let’s do a little tour of some of the best of Traveling Savage, shall we?

My Most Popular Post

Why I’m Going to Scotland and You Should Too

When I returned from Argentina, I spent the holidays pondering how I’d change Traveling Savage based on what I learned. This post represented a major shift in my focus and became the manifesto for my dedication to Scotland.

Pittenweem, Fife

The post sprawls over eight separate pages explaining why I decided to focus on Scotland and marks my longest post to date. I love that it has gotten the most traffic – it’s a must read for all first-time visitors to Traveling Savage.

My Most Helpful Post

Weapon of Choice: Choosing a Phone for World Travel

Last summer I spent loads of time investigating the best option for a world phone and decided to share my new-found knowledge and strategy with readers. The resulting post garnered tons of comments and new insights and recommendations on the topic. As a whole, this post and the comments, particularly some from Michael Tyson and Dustin Main, seemed like a huge win for readers. Even a year later most of this content is still relevant and helpful.

My Most Beautiful Post

Photos: The Hermitage Forest and River Braan

My time in and around Dunkeld, Scotland this past March yielded some gorgeous shots from woodland walks signposted around town. I decided to try my hand at a photo essay, and this post is the fruit of that labor.

Hiking in the Hermitage Forest

This is still the only photo essay on my site, but I’ve got plans for several more in the future. Check this out for the super high resolution photos!

My Most Controversial Post

Tourism’s Slow Death

For a period at the end of last summer I was really stuck in my head. Work was annihilating me, and I was mentally gearing up for the big switch from cubicle drone to world traveler in just a few months. I had read a lot about experiential travel and was having a hard time reconciling it with the current tourism industry. This post was a kind of freestyle venting/brain dump that elicited strong opinions and good points from readers.

Surprisingly Successful Post

5 Easy Ways to Die in Argentina

Who knew reading about dying would be so popular? This was a tongue-in-cheek post collecting humorous observations of life in Argentina. The idea came to me when I was nearly run over – on several occasions – trying to cross the streets of Salta. Other “deathly” experiences started to crop up, and I knew I had something that would resonate with travelers.

The Post That Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved

Exposed Bones: Cafayate, Quebradas, and Kindness

Argentina was a difficult trip for me. My mental state of mind was pretty ragged, and I hadn’t planned this trip as well as I should have, in hindsight. I did write a series of narrative pieces that I’m pretty proud to have written though. This piece was the third in the “trilogy,” and it just didn’t see much action. I blame it on November.

Cafayate, Argentina

This post and the two before it were rerun on World Nomads under slightly different titles. I wish this kind of writing did better on blogs, but such is the medium.

I’m Most Proud Of…

Ghosts on Machrie Moor

The pieces I enjoy writing the most are the ones I’ve tagged with vignettes and Picture This. The writing style of these posts is how I try to see the world when I travel, and this post is an example of an experience I feel mirrors my memory of it.

Ghosts on Machrie Moor

There are powerful meanings in every experience. Putting myself in the mindset to write these posts helps me process the experience and see the meaning. And that makes travel all the more precious.

Tag, You’re It

I’d like to tag Michael and Katherine of Technomadics to keep the meme alive. I had the pleasure of meeting them several times on my last trip to Scotland, and their story is just as amazing as they are.

I hope you enjoyed these seven links! Why not take a spin through the Traveling Savage archives to see else might be hiding there?

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Article Comments

  1. Jeremy Branham July 25, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    Fantastic posts and good information! I spent way too much time reading these! 🙂

    1. Keith Savage July 25, 2011 at 2:34 pm

      Cheers Jeremy, glad you found them engrossing 🙂

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