All travelers are not created equal.

Travel bloggers at Travel Blog Exchange 2010 in NYC. That's me on the left!

Some people travel this way: First, they plan a trip. You know -spend  a few hours on TripAdvisor or the Foders forum. Then, they book a ticket. Those saved-up miles come in handy! Then they take the trip, enjoying it immensely. After all – they’re on vacation! After a few days in the sun or the surf, they come home, and unpack. Maybe they post some vacation photos to their Facebook page. But then, it’s right back to work. Vacation over!

Other people don’t travel this way. The vacation way, I mean. Some people travel the life way. Their bag (note, singular) is packed, ready to go and waiting beside by the front door at all times (assuming they have a front door, assuming they have a home, because some  frequent travelers don’t bother with that–they don’t need one!) I know some of these people. I know a lot of these people. Hundreds of them, in fact. This other type of traveler? The life traveler.  The travel blogger.

Their travels may be to Philly or to the Philippines. In truth, it doesn’t matter. Because wherever these travelers go, they find stories.  They have experiences. And they literally absorb these places through real interactions with the people who live there, who call these places home. These are the travel bloggers, and we’re damned lucky they invite us into their lives and share their experiences with us through their travel blogs, for free.

Again, we’re talking about hundreds of people here. Six hundred, at least. In fact, six hundred of them will converge on Vancouver, British Columbia this weekend for the travel blogger conference to dwarf of all travel blogger conferences.

I was lucky enough to attend Travel Blog Exchange in New York City last year –check out my very own blog post about it here. I’m a bit down at the moment because I’d planned to attend again this year with my travel bloggy pals from Travellious, Delicious Baby, Nerds Eye View, Chris Around the World, Cascadia Kids, Wanderlust and Lipstick, and a whole bunch more. But I won’t be there. My kid is sick. Not the throwing-up kind, but a bacterial infection, and so Mommy can’t up and leave town. He’ll be fine, but I need to be here in Seattle. Which means I won’t be there. Which means I’m kinda sad.

But I’ll be following along on twitter, and you should, too.

Travel bloggers are a fascinating bunch. Some have been around the world dozens of times, and on a shoestring budget. Many of these folks make less money off of their travel blogs than they pay on annual hosting costs for their website. Seriously.

So, what motivates and inspires them?

Well, I happen to be one myself, so I’ll try and answer this question. For starters, travel is fun, right? It’s educational, the kind you’ll never get in a classroom. At times, it is delicious. When I’m traveling, I’m making connections with others that share my passions. But, travel is also work for a travel writer. This is the part the bloggers don’t often talk about. When I’m on a story, I’m working. I’m paying attention, all the time, to the experiences I’m having as I’m having them, and later on again when I’m reflecting on those experiences.  I’m shooting photographs and video. I’m talking to people that sometimes don’t want to talk to me. I’m looking, everywhere, for reliable (free) wifi so that I can upload a photo/video/blog post. I’m tired. And after a trip, I’m usually pretty broke.

And the reward? Sometimes, I’m not entirely sure there is a tangible reward. Sometimes, I think: hey, why don’t we just take a vacation like most people do? But here’s the deal: I am deeply passionate about local, sustainable, independent travel.  I think it’s important to our local economies, protection of our natural resources, and our own quality of life. And I’m telling stories that will inspire other people to take to the road and be travelers, too. I enjoy helping those travelers that want to push their limits a little bit. So, that’s why I do it. That’s what motivates me.

Travel bloggers, what motivates you?

(And BTW, have a great time at TBEX11, everyone. Wish I was there. See you next year!)

Photo courtesy of TBEX