My 7 links: a wander through the archives

Last week I received emails from some friends of mine asking if I’d like to take part in a fun little exercise called My 7 links. Organised by Tripbase, the theory is that travel bloggers publish links to some of the favourite posts they’ve written over time in various categories, and then share the love by nominating a few other people to do the same.

It seemed like a good way to share a few of my older articles with you, and also to introduce you to some of the bloggers that I regularly follow. So without further ado, here are my seven links:

1. Most beautiful post

The kids of South East Asia

This one was an easy choice – there aren’t that many of my posts that bring a big smile to my face whenever I think about them but this is one of them. The kids in South East Asia were unbearably cute and I think this photo collection helped to highlight that.

2. Most popular post

So what the hell are you waiting for?

It has been nearly nine months since I wrote this post and yet it still seems to strike a chord with new readers every day. A wake-up call for everyone who spends their time wishing instead of doing, it has been my most popular post by far.

3. Most controversial post

Why Top 10 posts make my head explode

I really don’t like top 10 posts. After finally reading one too many of them I sat down and wrote this steaming rant against these poorly researched, badly written time wasters. With nearly 100 comments and some strong opinions for and against, this post has courted controversy like none other.

4. Most helpful post

50 handy hints for the first-time traveller

Judging by the regular visitors to this post well over a year after it was written, this tongue in cheek list of hints and tips for new travellers seems to be a helpful one. It was originally only going to be 20 hints or so – but then I just kept coming up with more!

5. Post whose success surprised me

The destruction of my home town

When my home town of Christchurch was devastated by an earthquake earlier this year I had no idea how I was supposed to feel. This post was meant to be purely cathartic in nature, helping me come to terms with the destruction and loss of life, but the flood of visitors and comments blew me away.

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

Khmer Rouge genocide: remembering the horror

After spending a day buried in the memories of Cambodia’s genocide I felt like I wanted to shout about my experience from the rooftops. Maybe it’s not as interesting to others as it was to me, maybe people would prefer not to know but whatever the reason this post just doesn’t seem to get read very often.

7. The post I am most proud of

Letter to a younger me

I’ve laid myself bare in a few different posts over the years, but I think this one was the most raw. It hurt to write, and I wasn’t at all certain I was going to put it live until a few minutes before I did. In the end, though, I’m really pleased that I decided to hit the publish button.

So that’s my seven links. If you’d like to see which posts some of my other favourite travel bloggers have chosen to share, make sure you check out: