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Author Archives: Claudia Balthazar
Five Travel Twitter Accounts to Follow, NatGeoTravel, Travel + Leisure and CNTravel
London Eye/UK 2010/@CQBalthazar
Social media is the place for almost everything, especially for travel plans via Twitter. If you want to get out there and see the world, meet new people and learn new culture, follow these travel Twitter accounts.
Travelocity Gnome
@RoamingGnome
Travelocity Gnome is a funny Twitter account for travelers. There are pictures of little gnomes enjoying vacation spots that you can experience. Take that gnome’s place and enjoy the vacation of a life time.
#Scandinavian design is famous – after seeing the décor @ the @SAS Business Lounge, you’ll understand why #flysas pic.twitter.com/4efRszui2Y
— Travelocity Gnome (@RoamingGnome) August 23, 2016
Pokémon GO Plus: Top 5 Weakest Pokémon, Victreebel, Hypno and more
Pokémon GO/Wiki Commons
Almost everyone is getting out there playing Pokémon GO in their quest to be the very best.
This game App will have you up on your feet and going places that you’ve never gone before. Like the park, the lake, and maybe even that local mom and pop shop you’ve been meaning to go to. Squirttle could be in there!
Check out some of the weakest Pokémon, but never forget about the weakest link; you gotta catch ‘em all!
Weakest Pokémon
5. Victreebel
Victreebel is a Grass Type Pokémon. It is also a Poison Type Pokémon and evolves from Weepinbell.
3oK+ Hits on Trending News Articles, Latin Post
I remember the first time I had something published online. It was such a big accomplishment for me and I was just 16 years old.
Now with blogs being easy to publish, the biggest “accomplishment” in anything via the web is to see how much hits you can get. It may not be a lot to other people but making over 30,000 hits on one story is a big deal for me at this point in life.
Tips? Finding something interesting to write about usually helps. Also, some other popular genres like entertainment and gaming will automatically draw people in. Especially if you’re talking about TV show spoilers.
Here is a link of me writing about my favorite TV show for the Latin Post:
Another story, with more than 30K hits was based on a study:
Travel Local, Take a Dip in Your Own Backyard
Central Park/USA 2016/@CQBalthazar
Traveling takes preparation, patience, time and effort. Oh, and let’s not forget the important part; money.
But what happens when that travel enthusiast is short on funds? Taking that flight to Rome isn’t so easy. Getting on that cruise to the Bahamas sounds impossible. And backpacking through Southeast Asia just sounds like a piped up dream.
5 Ways to Fund Your Travels, Let the Travel Bug Free
Wiki Commons
We all have that hidden passion in us that just keeps calling our names. Sometimes we have to whisper back, “no” because it’s not the right time. But when do we say yes?
We say yes today because tomorrow is never promised. So you want to backpack through Southeast Asia, ride the waves in Oceania and dance in Africa. Do it now!
Here are 5 Ways you can let that travel bug free.
Flash Back Friday: EF Tours Trip to UK, France and Italy
Eiffel Tower/France 2010/@CQBalthazar
My travel enthusiastic spirit started long ago when I was just 16 years old. It was my junior year, and I learned that the Humanities Institute at Hillcrest High School was planning an EF Tours trip.
I wanted so badly to go, but I had no money. The school spent a year fundraising and I was blessed to receive a $1,000 scholarship to fund half of the trip. But what about the rest? I took a summer job at a fast food joint where I worked hard enough to come up with some of the remaining costs, then my family did the rest for me.
The perfect thing about all of this? EF Tours is extremely affordable. With one payment, you can travel to at least three different countries. And the best thing about this is that the tour guide is included, as well as all transportation, lodging and some meals and excursions.
Find Your Niche: Be a Travel Writer
Wiki Commons
To be or not to be a travel writer? That is the question.
I remember taking a journalism class for online news and learning the most important thing in this industry right now; finding your niche. I tried Politics, gun policy, dating life, world news, culture and even thought of business writing.
Then it hit me; my niche has to be something I already love. And being the travel enthusiast that I am, I thought it would be great to continue on that path. Continue to travel, just write along the way.
I’ve been to Italy, France, UK, Canada, the Dominican Republic and several states throughout America. Of course, I have a lot more on my bucket list. Continue reading
Stack of Clips
Book/Wiki Commons
With Stir Kinetic Desk, iPod creator rethinks the humble desk
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/09/26/with-stir-kinetic-desk-ipod-creator-rethinks-workspace.html
Age Doesn’t Keep Mineola Seniors Off the Court
http://patch.com/new-york/mineola/age-doesnt-keep-mineola-seniors-off-the-court
Student Loans: Debt Hits $1.2 Trillion
http://www.latinpost.com/articles/84437/20151005/student-loans-debt-hits-1-2-trillion.htm
Sandra Bullock Talks Gender Inequality in Hollywood
Urban Gun Violence in Baton Rouge
Gun Wars at News21
Louisiana’s murder rate has been the highest in the country, with 10.8 murders for every 100,000 people. Some have attributed Louisiana’s high murder rate to the prevalence of weapons in the state and its strong gun culture.
Each year the Carnegie-Knight News21 Investigative Reporting fellowship allows fellows to report on a controversial topic. This year, we reported on Gun Policy and I joined the Urban violence team. Check out the work we’ve done. Specifically, I worked on Baton Rouge.
Claudia Balthazar 