Are you hanging out in Denver with nothing to do, a little free time on your hands between buying cowboy hats and eating chili? Okay, okay, maybe there's something going on there that's keeping you from enjoying the city's charms. But check it out, Denver actually has lots to offer if you're there for reasons other than the convention.

Last night our house guests sat at the kitchen table trying to check themselves in for their early morning flight. Everything went fine until they got to the seat selection phase. These four travelers found exactly one seat available on the plane. One. This is crazy, of course, but overbooking isn't' exactly new. We made all kinds of jokes about who had to be back at work first, but ultimately, the only thing to do was to leave it until they arrived at the airport at five this morning.

Shortly after the BlogHer 08 conference, I met fellow Seattelite Debbie from Delicious Baby. We talked about a bunch of stuff that's relevant to travelbloggers including what makes me, in my role as the contributing editor for travel, pay attention. Debbie suggested that I post my guidelines. What makes me stop and take notice? What makes a travelblog leap off the travel list here on the BlogHer site and on to my own blogroll? (And did you know, I see every new blog that's added?

Travel makes us more complex. Under the right circumstances, each time we visit a new place, we incorporate a bit of it into our own being. We are no longer the “typical New Yorker”, “typical Californian”, or typical name your stereotype here. If I hadn’t traveled to the places I’ve been, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.--Adventurous Wench

I don't understand enough about the conflict in Georgia to have an opinion on it, but I do know that the former Soviet Republics are still a sort of promised land for travelers - still a bargain, not yet jaded by the influx of tourist hordes, still offering the possibility of connecting with the locals.