1. The first thing you need to do is become a member. Only members can post travel photos. Once you are a member, click on Photographs in the Guides & Advice section of MyTravelGuide.

Note: Photos of yourself or others standing in the foreground of a travel destination (i.e. family portrait in front of the Grand Canyon) are not accepted.

2. From there, you'll need to submit your travel photo in the geographical location where the photo was taken (i.e. a photo of Ireland goes in the Ireland section). To do this, Click on a region in the world map on the Photographs Main Page and then choose the appropriate country. If you the photo is taken in the US or Canada, you can continue to choose the state or province where the photo was taken. From there, click on the "Post Photo" button.

Note: Your photo should be 380 pixels in width and must be either in JPG or GIF format.

3. You now should be on the photo submission page. Create a title for your photo. Avoid titles that are generic like "Beach" or "Bermuda". The more descriptive your photo is, the more useful it will be to others who are browsing the photos.

Tip: To recieve more views, include the city where the photo was taken (if applicable) in the title (i.e. "The Louvre Museum - Paris" or "The Louvre Museum in Paris").

4. Write a description for your photo. Please keep your viewers in mind when writing a description. Try to educate your viewers about what the photo is about. If relevant, give them a historical or geographical background on the subject in the photo.

Here is an example of a good description:
"Over 1/4 of a mile in height, the Empire State Building was once the tallest building in the world. Panoramic views of Manhattan can be viewed from the observatory on the 86th floor."

5. Attach the Photo. Click the "Browse" Button to locate the photo you are submitting on your computer. The photo should be 380 pixels in width and must be either in JPG or GIF format.

6. Click the "Submit Photo" button. Your photo should now appear in the list of other photos for this destination. You can edit your photo by clicking the "edit" button below your photo.

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What kind of photos can I post?

The photos that get accepted are ones that are of points of interest to the traveler (i.e. landmarks, historical buildings, wildlife and vegetation, cultural activities or events etc.). Photos of people posing for the camera are not accepted. When choosing a photo to submit, think of it from the point of view of your audience. Try asking yourself questions like this: "Will this aid in their travel planning?", "Can this photo educate the viewer about this place?"

Note: Photos that are or poor physical quality (i.e. poor lighting, too old) or two small will not be accepted.

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Help! My photo disappeared!

If you can no longer find your photo that you submitted on MyTravelGuide, it is because the photo didn't meet our editorial guidlines and was removed by the staff. Because of the quantity of photo submissions we receive, we are unable to notify you personally if your photo has been rejected.

Note: Photos that are of poor physical quality (i.e. poor lighting, too old) or two small will not be accepted.

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The description of my photo has changed!

In the editorial process, staff will be reviewing the photos you submit to ensure that they meet the quality guidelines that exist. If the editor comes across grammatical or spelling errors, they may choose to either correct the mistakes or delete the photo.

Tip: To ensure your photo and description are left unchanged, please double check your work to ensure that there are no mistakes.

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A travelogue is basically a travel journal that chronicles your trip. They are a popular resource on MyTravelGuide because they give readers a first-person account of an individual's personal experience on a trip they took. They are always fun to read and are a great way to share your travel stories with the rest of the world.

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How do I post a travelgoue?

1. The first thing you need to do is become a member. Only members can submit travelogues. Once you are a member, click on Travelogues in the Guides & Advice section of MyTravelGuide.

2. From there, you'll need to submit your travelogue in the geographical location where the trip took place (i.e. Europe). To do this, Click on a region in the world map on the Travelogues Main Page. From there, click on the "New Travelogue" button.

3. You now should now be on the travelogue submission page. Create a title for your travelogue. Avoid titles that are generic like "Beach" or "Bermuda". The more descriptive your travelogue is, the more useful it will be to others who are browsing for travelogues to read.

Tip: If your travelogue is about only a specific country (i.e. China), include the country in the title of your travelogue (i.e. my diary from the Great wall of China).

4. Write your travelogue or paste one that you have already written into the "Travelogue" field. Please proof-read your travelogue and run it through a spell-checker on your computer to ensure that there are no grammatical or spelling errors.

Note: Travelogues which are to short (i.e. 1-3 sentences) will not be accepted.

5. Click the "Submit New Travelogue" button. Your travelogue should now appear in the list of other travelogues for this region. You can edit your travelogue by clicking the "edit" button at the bottom of your travelogue.

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Can I recieve donations from my travelogue?

Yes you can. You must however, first be a Virtual Guide and have gone through the steps of getting a donation account through PayPal. A "donate" button will appear at the bottom of your travelogue for others to click on. If you haven't reached "Virtual Guide" status (requires 50 posts to become a Virtual Guide), then you will not be able to recieve donations.

Note: Once you have made enough posts on mytravelguide to become a virtual guide, you can then get a PayPal donation account and insert a link to it on mytravelguide. Once that has been done, a "donate" button will instantly appear below every post that you have made in the past and all future ones you will make in the future. Click here for steps on how to get a PayPal donations link.

tip: The more time and effort you put into making an entertaining and educational travelogue, the greater the chance that a viewer will reward you by giving you a monetary donation for your efforts.

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I found a mistake! Can I edit my travelogue?

Yes. Simply click on the "edit" button at the bottom of your travelogue to correct the mistakes in your travelogue.

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Can I continue adding to my travelogue as my trip unfolds?

Certainly. If you are writing a travelogue about a trip you are currently on. You can add to it as often as you wish by clicking the "edit" button at the bottom of your travelogue.

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Not at all. As a member you have free access to this service. We do encourage that our members reward their "Virtual Guide" who has given their time to properly answer questions by giving them a small monetary donation. This can be done by clicking on the "donate" button located at the bottom of their posts or on their Profile page. The donations are accepted securely through PayPal. $2, $5, $20 - any amount will help in saying "Thank You" to your Virtual Guide.

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How do I post a question?

The first thing you need to do is become a member. Only members can post questions. Once you are a member, click on Ask a Question in the Guides & Advice section of MyTravelGuide. From there, you'll need to post your question in the appropriate category to ensure that the most qualified individual can find it and answer it. If your question is regarding a specific country, use the map to navigate your way to the country and then click on the "Ask a Question" button to post your question. If your question is not geographically based, you can choose from a variety of topics (i.e. Cruises, or Health & Safety) located below the map on the Ask a Question main page.

The next step is to wait for someone to answer your question. You'll receive an email notification when your question has been responded to.

Tip: Avoid asking more then one or two questions at a time and try to be specific with what you want answered.

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Will my question be answered?

There's no guarantee that your question will be answered. If your question falls under the following types, it probably won't be answered:

Virtual Guides are members who have reached an experience level of 3 by making at least 50 posts in the Photos, Travelogues, or Ask a Question sections of MyTravelGuide. Virtual Guides are experts on places they've been and where they live. They tend to be the members that help other members with questions that they might have. Virtual Guides receive special privileges like the ability to recieve personal donations from other members and the ability to have their own photo beside each of their posts.

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What benefits are there to being a Virtual Guide?

You can recieve financial donations by helping other travelers who have travel related questions, or by posting photos or travelogues that other travelers appreciate. Before you can start recieving donations from other members, you must first become a Virtual Guide. To become a Virtual Guide, you have reach an experience level of 3 by making 50 amount of posts.

Donations are paid to you through a PayPal account. You must visit PayPal and signup for an account or if you already have a PayPal account then login to your PayPal account and sign-up to start accepting donations. You'll be given a link which you can use to recieve donations from MyTravelGuide members.

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Does it cost anything to get a PayPal donations account?

Not at all. Getting a Paypal account is free and easy to do.

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How do I setup my PayPal donations account?

1. If you don't have a PayPal account already, visit PayPal and click on the "Sign-up Today" link.

2. If you already have a PayPal account or have just signed-up, the next step is to log into your PayPal account and click on the "Merchant Tools" tab and then on on the "donations" link under the "Website Payments" heading.

3. Enter the details of your donation.