Top 5 free digital tools for travel blogging

I celebrated my blog’s 1 year birthday early this month. In terms of travel blogging, I’m practically an infant. But I hope to be able to share some of my experience with you.

Today, I will tell you which are my Top 5 favorite free tools for travel blogging. The tools can be adapted to other types of blogging as well.

Since I’m too miserly to buy software for blogging, I choose to use free (not pirated) software for all my work on YQ Travelling.

I’m blogging on the WordPress.com platform so some of the tools might not work for you (eg #5).

Here are the Top 5 free digital tools I use:

Windows Live Writer
Dropbox
Picasa
Evernote
WordPress.com
(Extra) LibreOffice writer

No. 1: Windows Live Writer

It’s funny how Windows Live Writer is on the top of the list when I’ve only began using it in December. Windows Live Writer is a desktop blogging software which allows you to easily post directly from your desktop to your blog (at least for my WordPress.com blog).

Previously, I drafted my blog posts in LibreOffice Writer (open source equivalent of Microsoft Office) and even add links using handcoded HTML. (My work requires me to add HTML by hand so I’ve very familiar with it.)

Windows Live Writer makes it easier to add text formatting, photos, links and a lot more right from the comforts of the desktop.

What I don’t like about the software is that the Insert Picture function shrinks the photo to a tiny size so I have to manually upload it on WordPress.

Head over to Microsoft to download Windows Live Writer.

No. 2: Dropbox

The second on my list is Dropbox. I usually blog on three computers: home PC, office laptop and a netbook when travelling. It’s hard to get everything synchronized without Dropbox.

I save only one copy of my file in Dropbox, but I can retrieve the most recently updated file through the system. Isn’t it like magic?

I’ve installed Dropbox on all three computers and my iPhone. I don’t use it just for travel blogging. I also upload my photos from my phone to it as backup but recently, I’ve began using Google+ as photo backup because of the almost unlimited space.

Head over to download Dropbox for your computer.

No. 3: Picasa

Photos are important as part of the narrative for travel blogging. (Although some take that to the extreme.)

I don’t have Photoshop as I don’t know how to use it (and too cheap to buy it). Instead, I have Picasa which I use to organize my photos as well as crop and resize for images I want to put on the site.

The best feature of this tool is the “Export”, which resizes photos to the pixel length you specify. I find that 1000 pixel makes a good image size.

My free WordPress.com account does not have unlimited storage for images so I am careful to resize photos before putting them up. Exporting the photos also cut down on the size.

By the way, Picasa is owned by Google so you can easily upload your photos to Google Drive from the software.

Download Picasa.

No. 4: Evernote

Ever bookmarked a bunch of cool links and end up forgetting where the bookmarks are or feel too tired to sort through all the content? I did.

That was until I used Evernote. //end of commercial

Just kidding.

I began using Evernote after reading about a couple who were travelling the world without a guidebook.

I use the software and its Chrome widget to “clip” interesting content on the Web. For example, when I was writing my first guest post about Kuching. I “clipped” a few relevant pages from the Internet for reference.

It’s also very useful for travel planning since you have all the pages gathered in an area.

Download Evernote

No. 5: WordPress.com

I almost forgot about WordPress.com which is ironic because my blog would not exist without it.

The first post in this blog was written in Xanga because my friend was using it. The mass photo upload function knocked my socks off. Since then, I have cold feet for most activities.

Then I shifted the blog to Posterous because it’s a cute microblog site. Later I found out that the functionality is too limited so I ported it to WordPress.com.

Some people were telling me that I should have started the self-hosted version of WordPress instead. If you, like me, do not know what that means, you can just ignore that sentence.

Perhaps one day I might switch to WordPress.org, but that day is still not here yet.

Extra: LibreOffice Writer

LibreOffice Writer was in my original list of Top 5 but was kicked off the list when I discovered Windows Live Writer.

Instead of writing directly on my WordPress blog, I prefer having my draft on my computer because I can “Undo” more in here.

LibreOffice Writer looks a lot like Microsoft Word. ~~It’s an open source word processing tool.~~ You can write in it like Microsoft Word but you don’t need to pay Microsoft.

I started out using OpenOffice (LibreOffice’s past life) out of spite of Mircosoft. Then I got hooked to it. It feels a lot better than Word, although my boss would say that the Spellcheck is not working as well as Word.

I also use LibreOffice’s version of Excel for budgeting.

So, those are my favorite tools for travel blogging. What are your essential digital tools for travel blogging? Share it in the comments.

I’m on Runaway Juno representing Kota Kinabalu

I interrupt our regular post schedule with a BIG announcement!

I’m on Runaway Juno’s Runaway to Sister’s City this week, talking about my dear hometown: Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia.

If you are interested to learn more about Kota Kinabalu, here are some primer (actually, almost all of KK posts here):

For my regular readers who do not know about Juno, you should check out Runaway Juno blog now! (OK, maybe after reading the rest this posts.)

A few of my favorite Runaway Juno posts are the one where she talked about how she took a giant leap and also discussed things that I would (cowardly) rather sweep under the rug.

Until next travels! Stay safe.

Happy birthday, YQtravelling

Hello! It’s Jan. 8 and a special day here at YQtravelling. It’s the blog’s one-year birthday!

This marks one year since I’ve moved the blog from Posterous to WordPress.com. It will actually take me another 3 months to get serious about blogging but let’s just ignore that.

Thanks for following the blog throughout the year. If you’ve only joined in recently, welcome!

So what has happened during the year? A lot. :) I visit more places than I ever did in the past years. I’ve written about more places than I have in my life time.

Let’s checkout what were the top 5 posts during the year:

Things outside of YQtravelling

I also experimented with guest posting.

Over at Flocations, I share how to plan a 24 hour trip to Kuching.

At Diario de un curtido en Asia, I share how you can maximize a 24-hour trip in Singapore.

At AirAsia’s blog, I share how my day in Osaka went. This was the guest post which I gained the most traffic from. I really need to start writing more there.

Things to come

So, what will happen to YQtravelling in the new year? A lot. :)

I can’t share too much at this period but the blog will follow me while I travel.

Once again, thank you for joining me on my travels.

Tell me what you would like to read more on the blog: tales, tips, blogging, food? Drop your thoughts in the comment.

A look back at my 2012 travels

Hello everyone,

I’m back home in Sabah for the holiday. My parents cancelled the house’s broadband service so I am stuck with using 3G on my phone. This means no aimless Youtube surfing or blogging.

Luckily, I’m now in a hotel lobby that has Wi-Fi so I can publish this post. My mom and I are in a 2-day roadtrip to Kudat.

Anyway, it’s the last week of 2012 so I want to bring you back to the different trips that I made this year. (A full recap of the towns I’ve been to later this week.)

First and last trip of 2012
First: I was travelling with D to Negeri Sembilan’s Seremban on New Year’s eve. We continued to Port Dickson the next day so that I could wash my feet in the ocean. (It’s a tradition for me.)

Last: I’m back home for the December break! I guess the Kudat trip I’m in now counts as the last trip for the year.

Best and worst Malaysian state this year
I haven’t been visiting as many Malaysian states as I promised myself last year. If I have to pick a favorite state (or town) this year, it would be Ipoh, Perak. Ipoh has lovely food and even one (kind of) historical ruin.

I’ve liked all the states which I visited but I totally hate the 13-hour bus ride–including 6+ hours of post-holiday traffic jam–that spanned from Kedah to Kuala Lumpur.

Longest bus ride
Related to the above, the longest bus ride I took was from Alor Setar to Kuala Lumpur. It caused enough travel trauma that I didn’t travel since then. (Kidding, I haven’t travelled in November because I’m trying to save more money.)

Longest flight
Tokyo to San Franciso: 9h, 30m, 8,224 km.

I took Delta for my business trip to the USA. The flight was better than I expected because they serve Coca Cola in cans. Gulp gulp gulp.

Unexpectedly nice and not-so-nice city
San Francisco was more awesome than I thought it would be: the buildings, the museums, the shows, the sea. Plus, lavender is planted as street plants there. I am sold!

Unfortunately, Jakarta wasn’t as exciting as I hoped it would be. The food wasn’t as fantastic as Yogyakrta.

Best and worst paid accommodation
I’m leaving out hotels that I stayed in as part of my business trip because it’s not fair to compare heaven with earth.

The best place I’ve stayed in this year is Manohara Hotel when D and I were in Yogyakarta. Well, the price is correlated to how great the beds are. The second place goes to Tune Hotel Asoke which was really 5-star hotel for 1-star price.

As for the worse accommodation. The Port Dickson room had thin walls and a common shower with only cold water. It was next to a night market which blasted music till 3 a.m.. The other guest had a kid who was screaming in the morning. But…the worst hotel award should go to the hotels in Yogyakarta where D and I caught bed bugs.

Funniest and least funny memory
Funniest: In Prambanan city, a random man called out to D and I from his stall: “AJINOMOTO!” It’s like a man shouting at two random white persons: “COCA COLA!”

Least funny: Being chat up by a hobo-like person on the San Francisco bus. I had to switch my seats to the front so I was sitting near the driver. The kind lady sitting at the front made up for the weird chat.

Yummiest and most disgusting meal when travelling
Cannot choose. TOO MUCH GOOD FOOD during the year.

As for worse meal: supermarket sushi.

Most and least productive trip
My weekend in Bangkok was really well planned, if I do say so myself. I’ll share the itinerary one day.

The least productive trip is either the Kuching trip or the Jakarta trip. I think Kuching might top the list because it was my second time there.

Well, that is all with the recap! I have to go. My people need me!

How has your year of travelling been?

Hidden treasures on the road: Second hand bookstores

I know books don’t make the best souvenirs:

They weigh more than postcards
They are mostly read once, or never. (Unlike toiletries which can be used for a long time)
They don’t make as nice decorations as paintings
They cannot be eaten

Despite that, I always feel a sense of euphoria when I stumble upon second hand bookshops overseas.

The musty smell of the shop, the yellowing pages and the cheap price of books give me more thrill than shopping for clothes unless the garments are second hand and cheap.

Here are a few of the hidden treasures I’ve found during my travels:

BOOK OFF, Japan

BOOK OFF is one of Japan’s second hand book store chain. I was introduced to it by my host family in Fukuoka. At the end of my summer school, I sent home a heavy box of Japanese manga.

Popular manga usually go for 200 yen for a book while older manga are 100 yen. Foreign language books are not cheap though.

When I visit Japan (which is not often), I always have my eyes peeled for a branch of BOOK OFF on the streets. (There’s even some BOOK OFFs in Paris, if you are ever there.) When I see a BOOK OFF, I can’t help popping in to see their collection.

During my last trip to Japan, I had a free day waiting for the evening to come so I could go to Gintama Land. I found a BOOK OFF on the second floor of a building and spent hours in the shop, thumbing through comics.

Books in BOOK OFF are always in pristine condition. They look even better than most of the books on my shelf back home.

The Japanese usually read books stores while standing (it even has its own phrase “tachiyomi“). On weekends, it’s quite a sight to see everyone standing, reading while facing the bookshelves.

Bouquinerie du Centre, Nantes

I was looking for a place to have lunch in the center of Nantes when I came across a second hand bookstore “Bouquinerie du Centre”.

The selection wasn’t a lot but it had titles which weren’t easily available in Singapore.

Trying to look smart, I picked up a few Simone de Beauvoir’s books which looked easy enough to be read. Le deuxième sexe wasn’t available, unfortunately.

But I must confess that the books are still in the suitcase since my move to my new rented room in August 2011.

Adobe Bookshop, San Francisco

While in the Mission District looking for lunch (again!), I found Adobe Bookshop. The shop was in a state of orderly mess with stacks of books arranged alphabetically according to author and genre.

I browsed the rows and rows of books, squeezing through bookshelves and found a man snoozing in one of the armchairs.

While I was looking for something to buy back home, a man came into the shop. He said he accidentally bought the same book and asked if he could exchange it for another. The shopowner agreed.

The old gentleman came to my aisle and was looking up and down for the author’s row. When he asked me if I knew where the author’s book was, I helped him in his search. We found it.

He then asked if I had my lunch as he was going to grab a bite. Although he didn’t feel threatening, I pretended that I just ate because I don’t think I should go around having lunch with strangers I’ve just met, even if it was in a book store.

While browsing, I overheard the shopowner telling a customer that the shop will be closing down as the landlord wanted to increase the price of the rent. I looked at the price of the books and wondered how the shop manage to stay open in the first place.

When I paid for my books, the shopowner asked if I was from overseas. I answered, “Singapore”. He then said that he was collecting foreign currency and if I had any money from Singapore to exchange with one of the foreign money in the plate.

I did have a S$2 note and I chose a pre-Euro coin from France. I said my thanks and left with my books.

I think the shop would have closed down by now. I feel sad.

This post was inspired by this week’s #Travel Talk on Twitter (#TTOT): Hidden treasures.

Have you stumbled upon hidden treasures when travelling? What was it?

Follow me on Twitter or share a thumbs up on Facebook.

Hola! Let’s learn Spanish.

I’m travelling to South America some time next year and I want to be able to speak Spanish to help me go through life easier.

I went to a Spanish language school a few months back and quite enjoyed it. My four semesters of French made it easier to pick up the language compared to my other classmates who were were thrown into the deep end of the Spanish pool.

Even though the language school has higher level classes, I don’t think I am want to spend about S$300 to improve my Spanish.

Self studying Spanish

What will I do then? I plan to self study.

I’m a fan of self-proclaimed language hacker, Benny Lewis, who evangelizes speaking from day 1.

While I probably won’t be as hardcore as he is buy speaking from day 1, I plan to learn from his methods and do a lot of self studying.

I’ve borrowed some language books and CDs from the library which I can practise reading and listening from.

For more listening and vocabulary practice, I can check out Spanish versions of pop songs (although I’m not that sure of some of their accents).

I also discovered that my current-favorite TV show/band (Flight of the Conchords) has Spanish dubs. I’ve put up a playlist of Los conchords in Spanish. If I can get my hands on the lyrics, I’ll be able to learn new vocabulary.

If you are interested in laughing out loud to songs, I recommend:
– Fashion is Danger [English | Spanish]
– You Don’t Have to be a Prostitute [English | Spanish]
– Business Time [English | Spanish]

Even though it’s still too early, I have a Spanish version of Bridget Jones’s Diary which I bought second hand while in San Francisco. I have the English version, maybe I can do a side-by-side readings? My goal is to understand at least 50% of the content by the time I leave for South America.

Bridget Jones's Diary, en espanoil — Bridget Jones’s Diary, en espanoil

To end this post, I bring you the only Spanish song I know all the lyrics to.

This blog post was inspired by BootsnAll’s Indie Travel Challenge weekly travel blog project.

Week 43 of the Indie Travel Challenge is a challenge to start learning a new language:
Q: Do you speak two languages or more? What are those?
A: Fluent English, Mandarin Chinese and Malay. Conversational Japanese, French.

Check out my other #indie2012 posts.

Do you have any recommendations for beginners in Spanish?

Follow me on Twitter or share a thumbs up on Facebook.

Welcome, Readers from AirAsia blog!

I was at a travel blogging workshop when I found out through Twitter that AirAsia blog published my A Day in Osaka post. (Check out the post at the AirAsia blog if you haven’t read it yet.)

A big welcome to new readers (and a virtual high five to old readers).

If you are new to the blog, here are some topics and posts on the blog that might interest you:
Budget travelling
How to beat AirAsia’s b***s**t extra charges (Yes, I love you AirAsia, but the bullshit charges should be opt in.)
6 tips for a pleasant budget flight

AirAsia destinations
Japan
Skip JR Pass, take long distance night bus
Stayed: Capsule Ryokan Kyoto

Vietnam
Party signs in Hoi An

Singapore
5 free touristy things to do in Singapore
24 hours in Singapore

Malaysia
Shopping for vintage clothing in Kota Kinabalu
8 reasons you should visit Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Extra
Have you tried train travelling? I heard trains are the new planes: Tips on taking train from Singapore to Malaysia

If you have any questions about travelling in Singapore/travelling solo as a female/travelling solo as a shy person, drop me an e-mail : yqtravelling[at]gmail.com, tweet me or even comment down below (unless you’re too shy, I understand that).

Until the next post!

-YQ

The Silken Serenade to Kuala Lumpur

Trains are the new planes.
–@t_phuck

(Caution: Content is not optimized for blog posts.)

I had the chance to take the overnight Malaysia train on Feb. 10 from Johor to Kuala Lumpur to meet my friend who was visiting from Ho Chi Minh.

As it was my first Malaysian night train, I was excited even when buying the tickets. The train that I will be taking was called Senandung Sutera. Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office translated it as Silken Serenade which I took to mean the train would emit a low hum while on the tracks.

I’m not a train romantic but since it was my first overnight train in Malaysia, my imagination run wild.

In your dreams

I imagined that I would leave for my train with a small hand carry and a gorgeous vintage travel dress (much like Nellie Bly’s round-the-world outfit).

On the train, I would sleep like a baby as the train gently rocks me. In the morning, I would wake up fresh from the night’s sleep. I would then alight the train with light steps and in my hand, I carry the small lady-like hand luggage.

In my gorgeous vintage travel dress, I would step out on the platform while the wind blows and tousles my hair. Something like what these ladies are doing.

Of course, things never quite work out the way I want it to. For one, I have two luggages–a backpack and a gaudy Lesportsac sling bag. Then, I have unflattering glasses and messy hair. My only consolation is that I do have a nice sundress. Good enough, I suppose.

Continue reading “The Silken Serenade to Kuala Lumpur” →

8 reasons you should visit Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

BootsnAll has a post on why you should visit Southeast Asia. I want to bring you deeper into SEA.

Welcome to Kota Kinabalu.

I was born and raised in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah. I’ve always been fiercely proud of being a Sabahan. In fact, I think myself as a Sabahan first, a Malaysian second.

Where is Sabah and where is KK (pronounced keh-keh in our local accent)? It is in the northern part of Borneo–the third largest island in the world. The second largest state in Malaysia.

Continue reading “8 reasons you should visit Kota Kinabalu, Sabah” →

2012 can’t come fast enough

This morning I realized that it is already the end of November but I haven’t finished writing this year’s new year resolutions!

It makes today’s prompt for BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel blogging project even more funny. I haven’t made plans for my life but I’ve already made plans for travelling.

(Image from my TripIt app. Here’s a review of the Web program.)

Aside from the Chinese New Year tickets, the flights for the rest of the trips were bought on offer and I’m dang proud of myself for that.

Some of next year’s travel will be more challenging. For the two Vietnam trips, I’ll be going alone and I don’t speak Vietnamese.

But that also makes it more exciting because they’ll be like warm up for my RTW trip where I plan to visit many countries which I don’t speak the language.

Yogjakarta has been on my To Go list after I found out about the ancient Hindu temples nearby. I’ll be travelling with D, my travel buddy who I went to Bandung with a few years ago. (This trip also reminds me I need to visit Angkor Wat.)

The locations I’m going to are great for indie travelers because they aren’t really huge cities and you can cover a lot of the areas within a few days of wondering around.

Can’t wait for 2012 to come.

This blog post is part of BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel Project. Day 30 (last day!): 2012 TICKET

Where are you going in 2012? Why is that place great for indie travelers?

The rest of my posts for the project can be found here.

Category: Blogging

Top 5 free digital tools for travel blogging

No. 1: Windows Live Writer

No. 2: Dropbox

No. 3: Picasa

No. 4: Evernote

No. 5: WordPress.com

Extra: LibreOffice Writer

So, those are my favorite tools for travel blogging. What are your essential digital tools for travel blogging? Share it in the comments.

I’m on Runaway Juno representing Kota Kinabalu

Happy birthday, YQtravelling

Top 5 blog posts on YQtravelling

Things outside of YQtravelling

Things to come

Tell me what you would like to read more on the blog: tales, tips, blogging, food? Drop your thoughts in the comment.

A look back at my 2012 travels

How has your year of travelling been?

Hidden treasures on the road: Second hand bookstores

BOOK OFF, Japan

Bouquinerie du Centre, Nantes

Adobe Bookshop, San Francisco

Have you stumbled upon hidden treasures when travelling? What was it?

Follow me on Twitter or share a thumbs up on Facebook.

Hola! Let’s learn Spanish.

Self studying Spanish

Do you have any recommendations for beginners in Spanish?

Follow me on Twitter or share a thumbs up on Facebook.

Welcome, Readers from AirAsia blog!

The Silken Serenade to Kuala Lumpur

In your dreams

8 reasons you should visit Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

2012 can’t come fast enough