PERHAPS no other recommendation for a travel spot can beat that of a fellow ? or more experienced ? traveler, one who has personally gone to a specific location, experienced its highs and lows, waxed poetic about its beaches or mourned the abysmal resort facilities. While the sage advice may not be infallible, a first-hand personal account gives it authenticity and immediacy. And, if the narrator doesn't pull any punches, you get enough information to be able to create your own unique travel experience on a reasonable budget.

This explains the increasing popularity of travel blogs and websites, undoubtedly the instant go-to of would-be travelers who want some inside info before they pack their bags. In fact some travel websites have gained such a loyal following that they've allowed bloggers to earn an independent living out of them.

Here are four of the more frequented travel blogs and websites:

1. www.ourawesomeplanet.com

Safe to say that Anton Diaz's Our Awesome Planet (www.ourawesomeplanet.com) is one of the pioneers of Philippine travel blogs. Like the rest of his successors, Diaz started this as a hobby in 2005 simply because he loves visiting destinations, the known and the undiscovered. As he recounts in an online article, he also wants to immortalize his experiences and pass them on as a legacy, primarily to his wife and children. He made travel blogging a full-time career in 2008.

Our Awesome Planet currently has 5,000 subscribers who regularly check his site, another 1,800 in Twitter, and another 3,000 as Facebook Friends.

Diaz chronicled many firsts in the travel-blogging community in his first four years, among them Carlos Celdran's Intramuros Tour, Tina Decal's Quezon Culinary tour, the launch of the first IMAX theater in the country, and the Great Bulacan Sale in 2005. He counts among his most-read articles his list of the country's top 10 restaurants, the top 10 must-do activities in Boracay, and a first-time visitor's guide to that island destination.

With more than a hundred blog posts under his belt, Diaz continues to seek out untrod paths. His latest blog cites the best-kept secrets of North Luzon travel in 2010, and combines this year's Valentine's Day celebration with that of the Chinese New Year (which happened to fall on the same day).

2. www.justwandering.org

The details ? and the intensity ? of the experience grab you when you read Nina Fuentes' blog, justwandering.org. The memorable reads include their bumpy and white-knuckled ride on the sand dunes of Ilocos Norte, a long-distance bus ride from Vientane to Bangkok with an eat-all-you-can-rice-meal and Hollywood movies that had inaccurate English subtitles, and a Baguio adventure that ended in an outdoor chef-served luncheon complemented by cool drinks in a bar.

By chronicling her adventures daily, Fuentes gives the reader a bird's eye view of what to expect from sunrise to sundown. She gives her virtual companion an intimate hourly account of every journey, from the time the entourage leaves the hotel to a 184-step climb up a cave, and later, an afternoon sojourn on a beach where one can either take a kayak ride or just bum around on the sand.

Says Fuentes of her blog: "I try to infuse as much of my personality into my blog as I can. When I write, I make it a point to sound like I'm just conversing with a friend to make the blog more personal." She also posts details you wouldn't normally see in other blogs, like post-trip accounting logs that detail the expenses involved in the trip.

Now on its fourth year, justwandering.org currently has 430 subscribers and 150 e-mail subscribers. Its most popular posts dwell on inexpensive Boracay accommodations and a guide on getting an Australian tourist visa. Interacting with readers is key to keeping her travels (and write-ups) fresh and edgy, she says. "I pick a country and city based on other travelers' experiences. That's why I make sure to give my honest opinion on each destination, accommodations and service; people rely on feedback to make decisions on their own trips."

3. www.byahilo.com

Full-time travel blogger Eric Dee aka byahilo reveals that it's his blogs on the cultural, religious, or artistic goings-on of a place that get the highest hits. Indeed, his blog is replete with them: the Pulupandan Sandan Festival (near Bacolod City), the Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival in Pampanga, and the Chinese New Year as celebrated in Bacolod.

Maybe it was more than just accidental that Byahilo started in 2004 with a festival ? the 25th Masskara celebration in Dee's hometown in Bacolod. Eventually, the blog became an opportunity for Dee to live his boyhood dream of "flying in airplanes, cruising the seas, and discovering new places."

Dee's blog pays tribute to churches, food escapades, and everyone's all-time favorite: the beaches. By 2008, his hobby was earning him more than his day job, prompting him to become a full-time blogger in 2009. His site has more than 2,600 RSS subscribers and gets around 140,000 hits a month. Like other bloggers, Dee is always on the lookout for new subjects, although he also revisits his old haunts for fresh insights. "Having original content is always good and that's what readers are always looking for," says Dee.

4. 88db.com.ph

88db.com.ph is not a blog like the others; it has positioned itself as the ultimate one-stop shopping mega-website for every search conceivable in the Philippines, (For our purposes, let's limit our tour of 88db.com.ph to its travel category (http://ph.88db.com/Travel-Leisure/)) From destination spots ("Bohol Cheap Tour Package", "Palawan Tour," "Casiguran Beach ? Undiscovered Paradise" ) to travel agencies, hotels (Vigan Heritage Hotel, Baguio Guesthouse), tour guides, and airlines. The choices come in the form of ads that describe the product or service, contact information (cellphone and/or email) and matching pictures. You can start your search by clicking on those mini-categories or by simply typing a keyword like "Ilocos Norte" or "resort" in the search engine tab.

Granted that it may take you a while to find the destination or the package that suits you (and this includes personally contacting the owner of the ad), but the pay-off here is customizing your own itinerary. You can choose where to go, where to stay, what to do, and how much you should pay.

In case you need to get feedback from disinterested parties about the agencies or accommodations you're considering, click on the Forum pages of the travel site where newbies and veteran travelers alike swap tips on the must-sees and must-avoids, as well as shared experiences on how to make this particular jaunt more memorable than most. ?