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The results are in!

It is with great pleasure that I announce the winners of the first annual Travvies, celebrating the best in travel blogging.

First off, thanks to everyone for participating, from nominations to voting. The response has been fantastic, and many people wrote in to say that they appreciated the awards for pointing them to new and interesting blogs. (If you’d like to review the nominations, start here for an overview.)

I’d also like to thank the judges once again for their hard work in narrowing down the list of nominations to a tight group of finalists. Thanks to John Brownlee, Matthew Daimler, Henry Harteveldt, Darryl Jenkins, Michele McDonald, and Michael Miller. See their full bios here.

A final note: If you’d like to be added to a (spam-free!) mailing list devoted solely to announcements for next year’s Travvies, please use the contact form.

To the results: A grand total of 2306 ballots were cast. In some categories, the competition was truly fierce, with the winner separated from the runner-up by single digits. Proving that every vote counts!

Today, it’s my pleasure to present the winners.

Best Photography on a Travel Blog
Exposed Planet
Based in the Netherlands, Harry Kikstra, a self-described “climber / expedition leader / photographer / filmmaker / producer / writer / public speaker / cycler and many other things” proffers up a beautiful portfolio of images from his travels around the world. His photos portray both people and places — a reminder that the beauty of travel is not just found in vistas we see, but in the cultures we visit.

Best Single-Author Travel Blog:
The Cranky Flier
Self-described airline dork Brett Snyder serves up commentary on the aviation industry with insight, humor, and a penchant for Photoshopped stock imagery. If it’s about air travel, he’s likely to have an opinion, though in reality it’s not always as curmudgeonly as his blog title implies.

Best Group-Written Travel Blog:
The Lost Girls
Three New York women faced burnout in a “quarterlife” crisis, put their media careers on hold, and took a year to travel the world as a group. The blog is their collection of dispatches from the field, as they explore South America, Africa, and (most recently) Asia. Jealous readers, living vicariously, can pick up locally-specific travel tips as they watch these women living the dream.

Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog:
The Cranky Flier
Cranky, again! Though other blogs were nominated in multiple categories, the Cranky Flier is the only one to actually win multiple awards. As mentioned above, Brett Snyder’s focus on airline news and opinion, with a humorous touch, has won him many fans.

Best Destination Blog:
Newyorkology
Amy Langfield helps her readers get a lay of the land in the City That Never Sleeps, with news and event listings for tourists and locals alike. For visitors hoping to hit the ground running, the site is a goldmine of up-to-the-minute information that traditional travel guides might only get around to putting in print 12 months from now.

Best Travel Blog:
National Geographic Inside Traveler
Finally, the big one: Best Travel Blog. Emily King, National Geographic Traveler’s assistant to the editor, and researcher Jessie Johnston round up stories and links from (quite literally) all over the map. Sometimes practical, sometimes destination-specific, but always about exploration and travel. The 2007 award for best travel blog goes to them.

Congratulations to all the winners! And thanks again to everyone for voting!

The voting phase for the 2007 Travvies is now closed.

Thanks to everyone for voting! Results will be announced tomorrow, so be sure to check back.

(The voting page may remain up for a few hours, but votes are date-stamped, so late ballots won’t be counted.)

Just a quick reminder: The last day to vote for your favorites in the 2007 Travvies is tomorrow, Wednesday, February 28. The polls close at 6pm central time — votes cast after that time won’t be counted.

Best of luck to all the finalists, and thanks to everyone for the many votes that have already been cast!

The judges’ decisions are in, and it’s time to announce the finalists, introduce the judges, and start the voting!

First off, I’d like to thank everyone for getting into the spirit of things and making so many great nominations. Speaking purely for myself, I discovered a great number of sites that I had never read before, and that I’ll be sure to add to my feed reader.

Second, HUGE thanks to the judges for reviewing all these sites and selecting their favorites. I’m sure you’ll join me in thanking them for generously donating their time and effort. Their names and backgrounds are revealed later in this post.

Voting begins immediately and runs for one week, through 6pm, Central Standard Time, February 28, 2007. You may cast your ballot by clicking here. One ballot per person, so please make all selections before hitting “submit.” Please note that the finalists’ names on the ballot are links which will open to a new window. The order of finalists is randomized on every ballot, so no site has top billing every time.

Without further ado, here are your finalists. Congratulations again to all finalists, and best of luck!

FINALISTS: BEST TRAVEL BLOG
Brave New Traveler
Girl Solo in Arabia
Gridskipper
National Geographic Inside Traveler
Newyorkology

FINALISTS: BEST DESTINATION BLOG
Europe String
JohnnyJet
Let’s Visit Asia
Newyorkology
Yucatan Living

FINALISTS: BEST INFORMATIVE/PRACTICAL TRAVEL BLOG
Cheapest Destinations Blog
The Cranky Flier
The Perrin Post
Today in Travel
View From the Wing

FINALISTS: BEST GROUP-WRITTEN TRAVEL BLOG
Brave New Traveler
Gridskipper
Lost Girls’ World
TripHub Group Trip Advisor
Vagablogging

FINALISTS: BEST SINGLE-AUTHOR TRAVEL BLOG
AdventureGirl
The Cranky Flier
Flight Level 390
Killing Batteries
Travel Sweeps

FINALISTS: BEST PHOTOGRAPHY ON A TRAVEL BLOG
Exposed Planet
Flight Level 390
Life Vicarious
Michael Simon on the Road
Notes From the Road

I’d like to extend a huge thanks to the judges, whose task was by no means an easy one. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

John Brownlee is a writer for Wired.com and editor of the Table of Malcontents blog, a wonder closet of ephemera spotlighting the fringe of art and culture on the web. After spending most of his youth backpacking through dozens of countries, he has a bone to pick with Rick Steves. He lives in Dublin.

Matthew Daimler is the Founder and CEO of SeatGuru.com. SeatGuru is an award winning travel website which provides information about airline seating and amenities to over 30,000 visitors each day. Matthew is a frequent travel blog reader and is honored to participate as a judge in the first annual Travvies.

Henry Harteveldt is vice president and principal analyst for travel research at Forrester Research. He analyzes and projects how consumer and business adoption of new technologies will impact the sale and purchase of travel services. Television, radio, and print media regularly consult him for comment on industry and consumer trends. His previous work includes senior positions at GetThere, Fairmont Hotels, The Trump Organization, Continental Airlines, TWA, and CKS Partners.

Darryl Jenkins is currently a professor at the Ohio State University. Previously, he was at George Washington University for fifteen years and served as director of the Aviation Institute. He is the author of several books on airline economics, and is a regular commentator on U.S. television. He is a Virginian Country Gentleman, living in Fauquier County, where he is also the county’s largest raspberry grower.

Michele McDonald is editor and publisher of Travel Technology Update, an industry newsletter that is read by executives of online travel companies, industry suppliers, global distribution systems, investment analysts and technology companies that are involved in electronic travel distribution. She also is a contributing writer for Air Transport World. She has covered the travel industry for more than 25 years. Previously, she was editor of Travel Distribution Report and managing editor of Travel Weekly.

Michael Miller is a founding partner of The Velocity Group, a Washington D.C.-based aviation consulting firm specializing in airline and aircraft consulting, strategic communications, economic forecasting, business analysis, aircraft and network analysis and other areas of aviation. Previously, he was the Editor-in-Chief of Aviation Daily, the largest daily publication in the airline business. He regularly appears in television and print media as an expert on airlines, aviation, safety, and international issues.

Nominations for the 2007 Travvies, celebrating the best in travel blogging, are now closed. Alas.

Many thanks to everyone who made nominations, and thanks to all the bloggers out there who helped spread the word. Several people have e-mailed, indicating that they’ve enjoyed reading the nomination threads, discovering new sites. That’s great, and exactly the desired outcome of the whole nomination process.

The list of sites will shortly be in the hands of the judges, who will spend the next week reviewing the nominees and selecting the finalists. When finalists are announced, we’ll announce the names of judges as well. (We don’t want the candidates trying to influence judges’ decisions, after all.) All will be revealed soon. Public voting begins February 21. Stay tuned!

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and best of luck to all the contenders!

If you’re looking to review the nominations, check them out here:
- Best Travel Blog
- Best Destination Blog
- Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog
- Best Group-Written Travel Blog
- Best Single-Author Travel Blog
- Best Photography on a Travel Blog

Maybe US Airways does have a liquor problem…
Maybe New Mexico’s recent restrictions on US Airways’ serving liquor on flights to and from the state had something to do with company CEO Doug Parker. The executive has apparently been busted for driving under the influence, perhaps after downing one too many mini-bottles from the drink cart. Maybe he should have had a cup of the God-awful “Ma Parker’s roast” coffee that his airline served instead. (Then again, that swill will drive anyone to drink.)

Delta looks the other way
What does Delta owe you if you PROVE that one of their baggage handlers stole a camera out of your suitcase? Nothing! The Consumerist has the story of a sleuthing passenger who tracked down his stolen camera on eBay, got the seller (a Delta employee) arrested (and fired!), and even got his camera back. But he didn’t get an apology voucher from Delta. The airline argues that they’re even. He got his camera back, and they got him from point A to point B, and so he’s due nothing. No mention of the fact that their own staff ripped him off, causing him countless hours of hassle and endless frustration. Jeez, throw the guy a bone! Apologize and give him a coupon!

Oh sure, blame the volcano
Flashback to 1982: A British Airways 747 loses power in all four of its engines, and starts going down. Miraculously, it doesn’t crash and everyone survives. The culprit: volcano ash. It’s a fascinating tale, and a good way to start the weekend. (via David Rowell)

Pilots packing heat: Captain Bernard Goetz wishes you a pleasant flight
The U.S. State Department and Homeland Security are trying to get more countries to allow American pilots to carry guns when they fly internationally. ( “Who’s Bernard Goetz?” See here.)

Reminder: Travvies Nominations close Monday morning, bright and early
Just a short reminder that nominations for the Travvies — the awards for the best travel blogs — end Monday. Then the nominations will be sent off to the judges, who will pick the finalists. Public voting starts just over a week later. Thanks to everyone for all the great nominations so far! Click here for the nomination start page, or click on the award categories in the sidebar.

WELCOME TO THE 2007 TRAVVIES

As announced last week, we’re kicking off the very first Travvies — the travel blog awards.

Why do this? There are a number of great blogs out there devoted to travel. When I tell people that I write a travel blog, people often immediately follow up with, “You mean, you write about your trips?” Not exactly. There’s a misconception that travel blogs are all travel diaries. Some of these might be terrific, but the scope of the travel blogosphere is much larger. More and more, these blogs are influencing the way consumers, companies, and journalists get information. The Travvies try to take this breadth into account.

Any travel blog that existed in 2006 and that generated at least 52 posts in 2006 is open for consideration. The primary focus of the blogs should be on some aspect of travel. They should be blogs about travel, not blogs about a bunch of stuff with only an occasional mention of travel. While quality travel blogs are written in many languages, we will unfortunately only consider English-language blogs for the Travvies.

Descriptions of each category are in the posts below. You will also be able to navigate to the category of your choice via permalinks in the sidebar.

General rules and procedures are outlined here. Nominations are open for one week, and will close at 8am, Chicago time, Monday, February 12.

Thanks in advance to our panel of judges, who will cull the list of nominations to select the finalists. The names of the judges are being kept under wraps for now, so nominees aren’t able to lobby them or otherwise curry favor. When finalists are announced, the judges will step out from behind their curtain.

Thanks also to the many people who offered feedback, suggestions, and assistance in putting this together. Much appreciated.

Any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or use the contact link.

REMEMBER, YOU CAN NOMINATE UP TO THREE BLOGS IN EACH CATEGORY, AND YES, YOU CAN NOMINATE THE SAME BLOG IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES.

This should be fun. Good luck to all bloggers!

Click below to go straight to any nomination category.

- Best Travel Blog
- Best Destination Blog
- Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog
- Best Group-Written Travel Blog
- Best Single-Author Travel Blog
- Best Photography on a Travel Blog

BEST TRAVEL BLOG

This is the big one, the grand prize.

As the overall winner, this award will go to a blog whose travel-related writings have been consistently interesting, entertaining, useful, well-written, or otherwise worth spending time reading.

You may nominate UP TO THREE BLOGS by leaving a comment in this post. (Click here to do so.) If your favorite has been nominated already, feel free to nominate it again. Show your love!

Note: The comment form automatically asks for name, e-mail address, website (optional), and a text field. E-mail addresses will never be shared or visible publicly, in keeping with our privacy policy. Enter all nominations in the text field. Use the “website” field only if you are linking back to your own site.

Click below to switch to another nomination category.

- Best Destination Blog
- Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog
- Best Group-Written Travel Blog
- Best Single-Author Travel Blog
- Best Photography on a Travel Blog

BEST DESTINATION BLOG

This award celebrates the best travel blog focusing on particular destinations — cities, countries, wherever. Quality writing and/or photography about that location that make you want to book a flight (or train, or ship) as soon as you can.

You may nominate UP TO THREE BLOGS by leaving a comment in this post. (Click here to do so.) If your favorite has been nominated already, feel free to nominate it again. Show your love!

Note: The comment form automatically asks for name, e-mail address, website (optional), and a text field. E-mail addresses will never be shared or visible publicly, in keeping with our privacy policy. Enter all nominations in the text field. Use the “website” field only if you are linking back to your own site.

Click below to switch to another nomination category.

- Best Travel Blog
- Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog
- Best Group-Written Travel Blog
- Best Single-Author Travel Blog
- Best Photography on a Travel Blog

BEST INFORMATIVE/PRACTICAL TRAVEL BLOG

This award goes to a travel blog that provides news, commentary, advice, or general insight into the workings of travel. Informative, and useful: You learn from such a blog. Unlike a destination blog, this category is more practically minded.

You may nominate UP TO THREE BLOGS by leaving a comment in this post. (Click here to do so.) If your favorite has been nominated already, feel free to nominate it again. Show your love!

Note: The comment form automatically asks for name, e-mail address, website (optional), and a text field. E-mail addresses will never be shared or visible publicly, in keeping with our privacy policy. Enter all nominations in the text field. Use the “website” field only if you are linking back to your own site.

Click below to switch to another nomination category.

- Best Travel Blog
- Best Destination Blog
- Best Group-Written Travel Blog
- Best Single-Author Travel Blog
- Best Photography on a Travel Blog

BEST GROUP-WRITTEN TRAVEL BLOG

This award celebrates travel blogs consistently written by two or more authors, regardless of subtopic.

You may nominate UP TO THREE BLOGS by leaving a comment in this post. (Click here to do so.) If your favorite has been nominated already, feel free to nominate it again. Show your love!

Note: The comment form automatically asks for name, e-mail address, website (optional), and a text field. E-mail addresses will never be shared or visible publicly, in keeping with our privacy policy. Enter all nominations in the text field. Use the “website” field only if you are linking back to your own site.

Click below to switch to another nomination category.

- Best Travel Blog
- Best Destination Blog
- Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog
- Best Single-Author Travel Blog
- Best Photography on a Travel Blog

BEST SINGLE-AUTHOR TRAVEL BLOG

This award celebrates the best travel blog written by an individual blogger. Again, the topic is open, as long as there is only one regular poster.

You may nominate UP TO THREE BLOGS by leaving a comment in this post. (Click here to do so.) If your favorite has been nominated already, feel free to nominate it again. Show your love!

Note: The comment form automatically asks for name, e-mail address, website (optional), and a text field. E-mail addresses will never be shared or visible publicly, in keeping with our privacy policy. Enter all nominations in the text field. Use the “website” field only if you are linking back to your own site.

Click below to switch to another nomination category.

- Best Travel Blog
- Best Destination Blog
- Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog
- Best Group-Written Travel Blog
- Best Photography on a Travel Blog