GoBackpacking

WordPress Plugins

Enhanced WordPress Contact Form - I’ve noticed readers have been using the contact form I have available on the rest of the gobackpacking site. I’m not particularly happy with the way it e-mails me the information though, and wanted a clear, easy to reach from the blog, contact form. I used this plugin to add a second contact form directly available from the blog’s main menu - the Advertise / Contact page. The plugin was easy to install, and works very well. I appreciate the anti-spam math problems built into it, but boy some are tough!

Recommended Reading

Get the Trust You Deserve - The travelsphere is now the beneficiary of the Trusted Travel Blogs Network. If you blog about travel, check it out and be one of the first to be considered for a site dedicated to high quality travel writing.

How Google Blogsearch ranks your Posts…In their own words! - If you have a blog, you’ll want to read this post. Very insightful analysis of Google’s patent application for Blogsearch. I’m a little unnerved at the idea of them spidering my e-mail (I just opened a Gmail account after about 10 years with Yahoo!).

My Week In Review

Last Saturday, I had my call with Jerry about my first travel writing assignment on Old Town Alexandria, VA. A few days prior, I had received the edits to my first draft in the mail, and there were A LOT! He’s agreed to review a second draft, which I have time to work on as he’s taken off to Croatia for a few weeks. He also gave me a second assignment to work on while he’s gone.

I was inspired by the comments I received from My Pre-Departure Task List post, and excited to kick off my weekly series on Saving For A Trip Around the World.

At work, I was accepted into an 18-day, 6-month leadership training course for mid-level managers. I’m excited by the opportunity to stretch my legs a bit, and do some business traveling for the first time (albeit only 90 miles away down in Richmond, VA).

Today is a special payday.  Since I get paid 26 times a year, there are two paychecks every 12 months which do not need to go toward rent or monthly bills.  I think of them as bonuses.  The past two years, they’ve helped me pay for my trips to Belize and Costa Rica.  This year, they’ve got a bigger trip to fund!  I’m paying off my interest-free mattress loan today, paying a little toward my dentist balance, and the rest is going into savings. 

Lastly, my SEO efforts continue to pay off. I’ve found myself on the first page of Google search results for the coolest and oddest keywords, including renewal of Zambian passport, South African passport renewal, geomashup (Maps), albin and melanie ulle, and Blue Ribbon New York.

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