Blog Updates

For the last month or so we’ve been working on some design changes, updates, and new features for the blog. Today is the day we roll them out! You won’t see any of these changes if you only read the blog through your email or a feedreader, so click on over to see what’s new. In this post you’ll get a quick overview of the changes and new features.

New Header: We gave the header a slightly new look. Basically, you still get all the same stuff with a sleeker design.

Redesigned Front Page: The front page now shows snippets of the most recent six posts. To see a full post simply click “Continued”. You will also notice that our overall layout is bit wider which means bigger photos and easier to read text.

Updated Sidebar: The side bar has been updated with a bunch of new features, starting with a small explanation of who we are, and what this blog is all about. We’ve even included a photo so you never forget what we look like.

Recent Posts: A small visual change to our list of recent posts now shows photos along with each post, date, & location.

Explore & Search: These two areas look the same on the side bar, but their results pages have been updated. For example, if you click on the drop down category menu under Explore and choose Airstream, you will see a list all the posts tagged Airstream accompanied by a photo and a partial post. You can read the full post by either clicking on the title, or the words “continued”. Likewise, if you type a term or place in the search box, the same type of list will appear.

Blogs We Love: The final update to the sidebar is a brand new way to share all the wonderful blogs from our fellow travelers. Instead of listing all the blogs we love on the side bar (which would take up way to much space), we are now only showing three at a time. These three are randomly pulled from our full list. Every time the page is reloaded a new set of three will appear.

To see the full list simply click on the words “List of Favorite Blogs” and you will be taken to a page that currently lists over 50 blogs. The list is in alphabetical order so you know we’re not picking favorites. In addition to a photo, small blurb, and link to each blog, we’ve also created categories. The categories tell you a little more about each blog by indicating if it’s about travelers who work, are retired, are families on the road, solo travelers, full or part-time, and of course, if they travel in an Airstream.

*By the way if you’re on this list and want us to change your photo or description, please let us know. Also if you’re not on the list and would like to be, send us an email with your info and we’ll be happy to add you.

Footer: At the bottom of the page we now have a footer that shows a list of the most Popular Posts, more ways to Connect With Us, and a Navigation Menu.

The Navigation Menu has the same Who, What, Where, and Why pages that you can access from the header, as well as an additional way to access the Blogs We Love page. It also has a link to our Recommended Products page. This page is our Amazon Affiliate store where we share with you many of the products that we love and use. Over time we will continue to add products to this page.

Amazon Ads: Which brings me to the final new feature. Our own custom Amazon ads. You will see one of these ads at the bottom of each page, or in the case of the home page, in the middle, as well as one on the side bar. If you click on an ad you will be taken to Amazon.com. If you then buy that product, or anything else from Amazon during that session, we will receive a small percentage of your total purchase. The prices are no different than if you buy straight from Amazon. We thank you in advance for your support.

So what do you think? Do you like the changes, hate them, or couldn’t care less? Any feedback is appreciated. Also we ask for your patience as there are bound to be a few glitches here and there, especially with some of the older posts.