How to Create a Real-Time Online Travelogue

In 1995 I put my laptop computer in the sidecar of a Russian Ural sidecar motorcycle and took off across America, sending weekly dispatches to a web site called American Borders. My photos were Fed-Exed to an editor in California and my stories were sent via an AOL email account.

After editing, my materials were handed over to programmers and graphic designers who scanned and cropped my photos, then formatted and designed my pages. By the time my readers saw it on the web it may well have been touched by half a dozen people.

Things have changed a lot since those early days of the Internet and today I'm armed with all the tools I need to do it myself. Sure, you could just blog, but today's tools make it pretty easy for a novice web designer to create an easy-to-navigate, professional website that allows you to present the material in a format that best serves your story and your readers.

So if the big list doesn't deter you, read on for recommendations for basic hardware and software, plus all the supporting equipment, cables, adapters, and such, along with tips on how to organize your tasks.

(By the way, blogs are a great option for the less technically savvy writer, if you're daunted by this process.)

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Laptop
• Digital camera
• Security cables and alarms
• Connectors and adapters
• A backup plan
• Web design software
• Photo editing software
• A file transfer application

1. Choose a Notebook Computer: I prefer Apple computers for their sturdiness and ease-of-use. Many travel writers prefer lightweight computers, or the Windows operating system, instead. Your choice should match your destination and mode of travel--sturdiness is a big factor for me because I usually ride a motorcycle in rough terrain. Battery life can be a factor if I'm traveling to places where sources of electricity might be iffy.

2. 
   Canon PowerShot G10

   Choose a Digital Camera: Camera choice is also very personal. If you're a writer, a prosumer camera that costs no more than $500 will do. I always also take a little backup camera that takes AA batteries because sometimes I'm very far away from sources of electricity so I can't recharge my main camera. And you can by AA batteries anywhere in the world. Right now the hot choice for travel writers is the Canon PowerShot G10.

3. 
   Lacie Ruggedized Hard Drive

   Have a Backup Plan: CD-ROMs are passé and for good reason. They don't have the capacity to hold all the data you need to store, and they are notoriously flakey. So make the investment in a ruggedized hard drive. You can also backup your data to your iPod, which is basically just a hard drive. I also backup my data online with Apple's Mobile Me, so that even if I lose all my hardware, I still have my stories and web pages. Check online reviews of the latest online backup services. (A lot of people seem to like the SOS service, though I haven't tried it.)

4. 

   Buy All Your Connectors, Transformers, Plugs, Cables, Before You Go: TeleAdapt has the most complete array of connectivity products and services in the world, including telephone adapters, plug adapters, transformers, converters, and even a phone-in tech support service. Buy one of their "country" packs or a "world pack" if you're making big travel plans. If you have trouble connecting overseas, just call their nearest office, and they'll walk you through the connectivity process, wherever you are. Don't wait until your overseas to find an adapter...unless you're visiting a big city, you probably won't find one.

5. 
   Targus DEFCON

   Secure Your System: I carry a laptop cable with me everywhere, for peace of mind when I leave it in a hotel room, a conference center, or I'm working in a public place where I'm wary of thieves. I also carry the Targus DEFCON cable alarm, one of the most versatile devices I've found and I really never leave home without it. The DEFCON has a retractable cable that attaches to the security slot in your laptop and can also be looped around your purse, suitcase handle, camera bag...whatever, and secured to your chair or another difficult-to-move object. If the cable is cut the device shrieks, and really loudly. You can also activate the motion detector to sound the alarm if it senses movement. I've set it on my motorcycle to alert me if someone's messing about on it, I've used it to secure my backpack, camera, and purse on long train trips, as a peace-of-mind system in airports and in busy restaurants, and as a hotel-door alarm, too--I just hang it from the door knob so it'll sound if someone tries to open it.

6. 

   Learn Your Web Design Software: Dreamweaver web design software lets you to create web pages without actually having to code in HTML. You can insert text, photographs, graphics, video and audio from other programs and experiment with page layout using all the WYSIWYG menus and windows. To begin, save a web page you like as "source," then open the HTML file in Dreamweaver to edit it and insert your own photos.

7. 

   Learn Your Photo Editing Software: These days every digital camera comes with easy-to-use photo enhancing software. While they're adequate, I wouldn't dream of using anything other than Photoshop. You can buy Photoshop Elements, a lower-cost version with fewer features.

8. 

   Word Processing and Text Editing Programs: Word processing programs like Microsoft Word are handy because they have features like spell check and a "Save As HTML" function that works pretty well at creating a basic web page from the document. Tools like word count are also handy if you're trying to stick to a particular format.

9. 

   Learn How to Upload Your Web Pages: You can find a variety of FTP (File Transfer Protocol) programs on http://www.download.com. An FTP program is necessary to transfer your pages to your web site. You simply connect to your server to drag the web pages you created from your computer hard drive to your ISP's server, which will publish it to your website for everyone to see. This is the last, magical step to publishing your page. I recommend the Transmit FTP program for the Mac. (You'll need to talk with your ISP to get your FTP account information such as server name, user name, password, paths, and protocols.)

10. 

    Organize Your Data: It's very important to carefully organize your site before you go so that when you're on the road. You've got plenty else to think about! Here's what it takes:
    
    1. Carefully organize your folders so that your HTML files can find your images, audio and video clips, and so that the links between your pages remain consistent. Your web design software has an organization tool that makes this easy. Pay careful attention to where your program wants your images to be.
    
    2. Decide on naming conventions for all of your files, such as Paris_Day01.html and Paris_01.jpg. Stick to them.
    
    3. Collect existing graphics, text, and other common elements in a separate folder.
    
    4. Create empty folders on your computer's hard drive that match each section of your site (such as Home, Dispatches, Photo Gallery, Credits and Contact).
    
    5. Create a template for each style of page you'll be creating, and create the shells of pages you anticipate needing. Put text in them like "Stay tuned! This page will be active November 7th."
    
    6. FTP these to your site and test them on the webweb, making sure that all the links work.
    
    7. When you've worked out all the kinks, FTP the folders to your server and, voila! You have a site!

11. 

    Protect Your Data: Maybe you'll be lucky and you'll have no equipment disasters on the road. But most people I know have had at least minor problems due to human or computer error. For example, I accidentally deleted several application programs while I was in India, and had to drive to Bangalore to buy new ones. A colleague's hard drive crashed in the middle of a lengthy journey in Europe, and she lost all of her data and momentum while researching a project until her return to the USA many weeks later. So:
    
    1. Get used to your equipment before you leave. Build and publish some pages, use your hardware and software together and make sure everything works perfectly.
    
    2. Copy key pages of instruction manuals to take along, like troubleshooting pages, especially if the equipment is new to you.
    
    3. Bring copies of all installation software along with you, or load them up on your server where you can download them if you need to.
    
    4. Back up your entire system and leave one copy home, take another copy with you - whether it's on CDs or a pocket hard drive.
    
    5. Buy adapters, transformers, chargers, at home, because they're difficult to find when you're overseas. TeleAdapt has a huge selection, a great reputation, and even has a help hotline.
    
    6. Collect phone numbers for technical support for all your equipment and software.
    
    7. Print out your contacts, phone numbers, email addresses.
    
    8. Email important documents, emails, contacts to a trusted friend who will file them away, just in case.
    
    With that, you're ready. Now all you have to do is write a great travelogue!

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to add audio to your travelogue, the iTalk is a great little microphone you can use to record ambient noise and interviews. Use the free, open-source Audible software to edit the audio.
• Adding video is fairly simple, too, these days. If your camera records movies, it's just as easy to upload those to your site as it is photos. Editing video can be very easy, too. It just depends on how sophisticated you want to get.

Resources

• Carla King's American Borders Travelogue
• Carla King's China Road Travelogue
• All of Carla's travelogues and blogs