Up to date and on the spot, travel blogs are a great source of information for travellers. Cartographer Di Brown is the second blogger in our series of eight best travel blogs in the country. ROAMING GIRAFFE, by Di BrownI trained as a cartographer and worked for the chief directorate of surveys and mapping for 21 years as an aeronautical cartographer - I produced maps of imaginary places, mapping the controlled airspace, routes and navigation aids, for pilots.In 2000 a colleague and I started our own mapping business and we specialised in tailor-made maps for the tourism industry.Have you always been a big traveller?I've been to the UK, Scotland, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya and Namibia, but I could easily spend the rest of my life exploring South Africa on a never-ending road trip.How did you get into blogging?By accident. I realised that to connect with a new generation of clients for my mapping business I had to engage with them digitally. I began the painstaking journey of teaching myself to use social media.Once I got the hang of it I became a Twitter addict connecting with the travel community, and discovered blogs.The rest is history and a lot of hard work.Most memorable trip?Jinja in Uganda. The trip was tiring - 14 days in an overland truck. In Jinja we met a young boy named Babu who took us on an incredible birdwatching boat trip on the Nile river.What makes a trip great?Friendliness trumps everything. A trip is about the people I meet and the stories they tell.Your favourite travel blog?The first is The Incidental Tourist by Dawn Jorgensen. http://theincidentaltourist.com/This blog inspires and educates me on responsible tourism, animal rights in tourism and all things related to being kinder to the earth.The second one is called Going Somewhere Slowly by Anje Rautenbach. http://www.goingsomewhereslowly.com/Anje has travelled extensively in Korea and South Africa, often on a bicycle called Koos. Her writing style is unique, as is her take on life.Finally, I really enjoy the writing and adventures of Heather Mason's blog called 2 Summers. http://2summers.net/Heather describes herself as "a quirky American living in Joburg".Do you use blogs to plan trips?Definitely. By finding and reading good blogs I get ideas that are not in the guide books and descriptions of places and experiences that are real ...