BootsnAll Travel Community

Check out our 10 most popular articles this month:

1. Best Selling Beers Around the World
2. Six Ridiculous Restaurants
3. 20 World Geography Facts That might Surprise You
4. 12 Places to See Really Good-Looking Locals
5. 8 Great Flea Markets Destinations
6. Souvenir Shopping on the Road: 12 Tips to Haggle Like a Pro
7. Top 10 Destinations for Independent Travelers in 2008
8. 8 Great Destinations That Are Cheap Once You Get There
9. 5 Travel Diseases You Definitely Want to Avoid
10. Rolf Potts Answers Your Travel Questions

Am I the only one that is slightly annoyed that more and more of the articles on BnA are shallow pieces of writing just listing places or attractions, instead of actually being something you can read and learn something interesting from?

Bjørn
http://bjornfree.com/

You know, I kind of agree...I mean the 'list' articles can be fun but that seems like all there is these days.

Good point Bjorn and Sissyt.

From an editorial standpoint, we have been doing more lists. Some are more entertaining than they are something to learn from.

We just pre-launched version 2.0 of our Travelers Toolkit in the past few days. There is lots of meaty things in there.

We are re-doing our homepage and articles to better reflect, editorial and traveler articles. So hopefully you can find what you like best more easily. After 10 years of being online, we are constantly cleaning up!

Bjorn/Sissy - can you post some links to the type of articles that you can "read and learn something interesting from" here? Maybe on BootsnAll and elsewhere?

Cheers and a big time thanks to both of you for your comments! Hope you come to the BnA 10 year Party so we can meet. I'll buy the beers!

There's nothing wrong with lists, as long as they're accompanied by some "real" articles. Readers just killing time will be satisfied by lists, it's always easy reading, but when a site ends up being all lists (a fairly common disease on the Internet), I start losing interest and stop visiting the site.

Anyway, I looked at the Travelers Toolkit. Some of the pieces there actually fit well with what I crave in addition to lists. Ideally I'd like BootsnAll help me discover new places. Being a fairly seasoned traveler, I've already been to disturbingly many of the places that typically show up on "Top 6" lists. I'd rather read about a single, interesting and maybe not so frequently visited place, than just get a few sentences about several well-known destinations.

Some destinations and/or travel experiences I know that would fit that bill could be stories from any of these:

* Slow life on Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

* Pushing your limits on the Jotunheimen Trail, Norway

* Exploring on your own in and around Hampi in Karnataka, India

In short, describe destinations that are just as great as the ones on a typical list, but that for some strange reason never became famous places.

Although I realize it may be difficult to find the time to research places like that, I think you'll benefit from it in the long run.

I'm unlikely to be able to attend the decennial celebrations, but I'll somehow be making my way from Norway to Australia around then, so maybe a stopover can be arranged. #8D)

I hope I don't seem like I'm whining, I just wish that BnA can remain an interesting site to visit for at least ten more years!

Happy trails,

Bjørn
http://bjornfree.com/

Thanks for the thoughts Bjorn. Very helpful and I agree, more interesting than lists.

Bjorn and Sissyt,

Check out the updated BnA homepage. We separated the traveler reports/stories and the featured/editorial articles (and re-added the thumbnail photos - they we missing for a while)

Good idea - splitting the articles like that is definitely an improvement.

Thanks Anne-Sophie.

Many more changes coming soon as well.

I like the new homepage, looks really good.
I enjoy most of the articles on Bootsnall, lists included. I think by splitting them up so some of each type are highlighted people will more easily find the kind of arcticles they are looking for.
I agree with Bjorn that for me, though, part of the reason to come to BnA is the in-depth stories about lesser known places. Please keep that part going!
Wish I could make it to the bash. Are the other founders going to be there? I think I used to work with Chris' brother-in-law. Small world.