Cream of the Crop: My 7 Links

I was incredibly excited to be tagged by Gray at SoloFriendly.com to be part of Tripbase.com’s My 7 Links project. What is it? Well, I’ve got to choose a link from this site that falls into each of the following seven categories and then tag up to 5 other bloggers to do the same. I’m really excited to participate in this project because it forced me to look back over my body of work and realize that there’s some really good stuff in there (if I do say so myself).

1.   My most beautiful post

While I could have chosen a few other posts that meet this description, I decided instead to choose a piece I wrote earlier this year for Mother’s Day to honor my own mother for giving me the travel bug. Do I have other more visually stunning posts? Sure. But this post still chokes me up like no other every time I read it.

A Tribute to Mom

2.  My most popular post

My most popular post, a solo travel guide to San Francisco, continues to be the most viewed on this site even though it was published roughly six months ago. I’m stoked that it’s been so well received because I’m incredibly passionate about San Francisco and I think everyone—coupled, grouped, or solo—should visit at that amazing city least once. Or twice.

San Francisco for the Solo Traveler

3. My most controversial post

I wrote about WordLens, a new (at the time) app that offered users the ability to translate text visually using their smartphones. As a big fan of the process of learning languages as a path to truly embracing a culture, I thought WordLens was, quite frankly, kind of lazy. I still do. Some of my readers disagreed with me. And while we never got to full blown “controversial,” it was enlightening to read others’ thoughts on the subject.

Seeing the Word through New Eyes

4. My most helpful post

Hands down, my most helpful post shares my own story about how I got into solo travel. I received over 100 comments from readers telling me how much it inspired them to think about traveling solo. It was a wonderfully telling reminder of why I do this in the first place.

The Birth of a Solo Traveler

5. A post whose success surprised me

It’s certainly my sexiest post (I mean it would be if you could make love to a city), but I was surprised and thrilled by the success of  this narrative about a brief encounter with a city I’m wildly attracted to but never really got a chance to see on my own. (In case you’re wondering, I’m talking about you, Seattle).

The One That Got Away

6. A post I feel didn’t get the attention it deserved

Certainly one of the better pieces I’ve written for the site, and I’ve always been sorry this piece didn’t get more attention than it did. It records one of my finest and most memorable travel experiences in Savannah, Georgia and reading it again just now takes me back to Mrs. Wilkes’ table. Pass the biscuits, would ya?

Gluttony and Good Times: The Magic of Mrs. Wilkes

7.   The post that I’m most proud of

After returning from a trip to Belgium earlier this year,  I tried to explain to my readers why I thought my initial reaction to Belgium was so lackluster (it’s not you, Belgium. It’s me). I’m not big on sharing the hard emotions in a public forum like the Internet, so writing this post was one of the bravest things I’ve ever done and I’m really proud of that.

Brokenhearted in Brussels

Now it’s my turn to spread the 7 Links Love. I hereby invite the following bloggers to share their own 7 links and also invite you to check them out:

Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures

Diary of a Wandering Student

Traveler Ahoy

Wander and Explore

I can’t wait to see what these guys come up with!