Travel forums on this site.

I am fairly new to this site and have enjoyed reading some of the Blogs.
what I am suprised at is the lack of activity on the forums.
so many people are well travelled and have done some amazing independant travelling,info could be passed on to other folk but it just seems the forums are not active,well certainly the european ones and in particiularly the former soviet bloc countries that i travel to.
Is there a particular reason for this or are people using other travel forums like ThornTree,Frodors and Trip Advisor Reply to this

I quite like Fodors,(spelt it wrong ealier, it'sthat Lord of the Rings Infulence) but there are some argumentative souls on there that always think their advice should be heeded.
I am of the opinion that info can be passed between travellers but it is up to the individual to decide what they are going to do with it.I don't believe in saying you MUST try this or you MUST do that unless it is visitng a particular pub. Reply to this

I think this site has what I call Savvy travellers,experienced people who plan properly and prepare for the unexpected and do not panic when it does happen.I think the majority can give lots of info but as most folk are pretty resourseful they find the info before they really need to ask it.
reading the many blogs it is very easy to pick up lots of great info without having to ask questions. Reply to this

Well Craig, I think you are right. I am part of a couple of forums and a destination expert on Trip Advisor. For me TA is the kind of forum for the uninitiated traveler where as TravelBlog is more for the professional traveler, those who already have experience.

I too wish that the forums were busier here, I really enjoy the blogs and kinds of questions that pop up when they do.

Mel, you are sadly correct, the forum posts that get the most attention are the ones that turn heated, thats what I see in several forums. I like to feel that TravelBlog is a bit above all that, having said that you can still see it here too, the ongoing TA thread comes to mind.

For me I love Travel Blog, great website and very informative. Reply to this

I think people instead of looking at the forums on travelblog, look at the blogs and ask questions directly to the blogger if necessary. At least I know I get quite a few questions via the PM button.

About the former Soviet Bloc countries, here goes some info that you won't find in the LP, mainly about a few cheap places to stay in Central Asia. This is information I wish I had known before hand or been able to find on the internet before hand.

If you happen to go to Merv in Turkmenistan, you need to stay in Mary the nearest big town. According to LP the cheapest hotel is some 20 dollar affair on the outskirts of town. There is actually a 5 dollar hotel right by the bus station, though it is extremely filthy. Still it is an option which should be mentioned I think.

If you take a train from Atyrau in Kazakhstan towards Uzbekistan you will have to change trains in little town called Beyneu right before the border with Uzbekistan. Since you arrive late at night on one train and the connecting train is only the next morning it is handy to know there is actually a hotel with dorm rooms right at the train station. I think it was 10 dollars for a bed.

So, there you have it, a little information about some former Soviet Bloc countries and cheap places to stay which can't be found elsewhere. It is a start I guess.

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I definitely prefer this site because of its friendly people and tight moderation. So thank you all for that! I don't post too much because I dont't have much to say. I haven't asked questions because I've been in grad school the last two years and any travel I've done has just been to and from hotels for conferences, and I don't answer much because compared to many of the people here I am not well-traveled at all. I can answer with a tiny bit of authority on some parts of the US (where I am) and some parts of France (where I've lived). Technical threads that interest me involve netbooks and photography, so I chip in there where I may. If there were linguistics threads, you'd hear a lot more from me! Reply to this

I might do that. I'm trying to get a grant together now to go get some documentin' on in Irish. That would be a lovely trip to have someone else pay for : ) Reply to this

It would be for either next spring or next summer. I won't know for a few more months. Reply to this