My 7 Links (a 100 post milestone!)

This week, PackedSuitcase.com reached 100 posts. Hurray! It’s a huge milestone and I’ve been planning a celebration of sorts to look back at a few of my favorite posts.

Serendipitously, Katie at Tripbase has recently initiated a fun challenge called My 7 Links. The gist is that nominated bloggers pick out worthy posts from our archives that meet seven pre-established categories in an effort to revive them again for our readers.

In turn, I have the opportunity to nominate 5 new bloggers to participate (scroll down to see who I nominated!)

A big PACKED SUITCASE THANK YOU to @CGTravels over at http://cgtravelsblog.com for the nomination! (Check out her 7 fantastic links here.)

Without further ado, here are My 7 Links!

1.) MY MOST BEAUTIFUL POST… An Ode to Hiking

In “An Ode to Hiking” I become a hiking pro as I experience two of New Zealand’s most beautiful hiking adventures, the Tongariro Crossing and the Milford Track.

This post covers one week, 50 miles, and has lots of pretty photos… plus you’ll see how I squash a decades-old aversion to hiking in the process!

2.) MY MOST POPULAR POST… 55 Places: A Travel Bucket List

It never ceases to amaze me that the most popular post on my site is one of the oldest, my 55 Places bucket list from 2009.

Each day people searching for “travel bucket list ideas” find their way to my site and I hope that they’ve enjoyed reading about my adventures and have gotten some inspiration for their own bucket list in the process.

Note: So far, I’ve been able to visit 7.57 out of the 55 places I listed, with many more sure to come. (The .57 refers to 4 out of 7 continents… in case you were wondering.)

3.) MY MOST CONTROVERSIAL POST… Travel Bucket Lists: Why I’m a Fan

While I generally try to keep my posts in the middle of the road, the one that turned out to be a bit polarizing is my defense of the often spurned bucket list.

I feel that everyone should be able to prep and get excited for travel in any way that resonates with them, and I don’t quite get why it’s so popular to pick on bucket lists. I use this post to show that they’re really not that bad. (They’re not!)

4.) MY MOST HELPFUL POST… Travel Video Tips for the Beginning Videographer

I was asked to write this post for Go! Girl Guides because of my background in television and production.

While I admit it’s a bit lengthy, the amount of detail I’ve included (everything from planning your shots to effective shooting tips to editing software options) should help anyone create powerful travel videos to share with the family back home.

5.) A POST WHOSE SUCCESS SURPRISED ME… The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas: A Glam Girlfriend GetawayI suppose that I should have realized that a post about a girlfriend getaway to one of Las Vegas’ hippest hotels would garner a lot of attention. But the sheer volume of positive feedback I’ve received on various Vegas websites has been a bit surprising in the best possible way!

I loved this hotel and writing this post, so I’m very happy it still is helpful to other gals looking to get away.

6.) A POST I FEEL DIDN’T GET THE ATTENTION IT DESERVED… Quiz: What Travel Movie Are You?

Who doesn’t like a good quiz, written in the traditional “Cosmopolitan” style?I used to spend summer after summer searching for fun quizzes to do and this one’s even better because not only is it snappy and all about travel, but there are attached YOU TUBE TRAILERS. You know you want to check it out!

7.) THE POST THAT I AM THE MOST PROUD OF… Reflections on a Semester Abroad, 10 Years Later

When you’ve been contemplating a story for 10 years, it’s bound to be meaningful when you finally write it all down.

For me, inspiration came on night #2 of a 4 day power outage, as I poured out my memories by the light of my laptop.

This post isn’t only meaningful to me because it touches on a very special subject (the 10 year anniversary of my semester abroad in Florence, Italy) but I also feel that it’s some of my best writing to date.

I hope you’ve enjoyed My 7 Links… and my Packed Suitcase 100 post milestone. (Here’s to 100 more!)

To carry the 7 Links torch, I nominate: Kelly (@FlipFlopCaravan and Valerie (@vmconnors) to share their 7 links.