There is life after Motherhood, says travel writer Beth Blair. And it is worth writing about. Hence the blog Travelling Mamas. "We realized that by using our sister-like chemistry combined with our experiences, we could start a blog to inspire moms to travel and remind them that life doesn't end with motherhood ." As the site exists a year this month, we asked Beth to tell us what the mamas have done this year, what 2009 holds in store for the site and the travel industry as a whole.

What has this year been like for you?
Our first year was fantastic! We each travelled frequently and extensively throughout the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean - I'm guessing about 50 trips combined. In May, the four of us traveled together to Maui, Hawaii then we split up and each explored a different island on our own. In March 2009 the four of us are heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Professionally, we contributed to other travel sites such as Fodor's and Away.com in addition to our other print and online publications. TravelingMamas has recently been quoted in the New York Times, LA Times and Newark Advocate.

In 2008 we attended several industry events including Travel Media Showcase in Kansas City, Blog World Expo and Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas. We plan to increase our presence at 2009 events.

You have been in the travel industry for a long time, has the internet changed where your travel or how you research travel?
The internet is a godsend for travellers. Before, booking a vacation was extremely time-consuming. Airline and hotel reservations could be made only over the phone and much of that time was spent on hold. The internet has allowed travellers a much quicker way to schedule travel, consider various options, read reviews and price compare - which is pertinent in our current economy.

I do think the internet has helped reveal locations that many people had never heard of or considered to be an interesting destination. The internet definitely helps make our big world feel more intimate and travel more accessible. For example, I'm going to Quebec City next month and spending a night at the Ice Hotel. When I told friends and family about my plans the first thing they did was go to the internet and look it up.

You cover travel trends, what women travel trends do you predict for 2009?
The travel trends buzz has certainly been that travel in 2009 is going to be approached much differently than the past. Travellers will be returning to the basics, like camping, road and day trips, visiting classic travel destinations and the dreaded (for me anyway) "stayvacation."

For those who will be travelling by car in the United States, culinary trails are picking up momentum - after all, everyone needs to eat. In the last year I've explored The Salsa Trail in Arizona, Seafood Sensation in Louisiana and the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky. I find there is no better way to experience an area than enjoying the regional cuisine (or spirits) and meeting the locals.

This really is a terrific time to travel with the outrageous specials and discounts being offered by hotels, airlines and attractions. Since moms are primarily the family vacation planners, I foresee women combining their creativity with the internet to score the best deals and find unique vacations options that previously weren't even considered.

In these rough times it's more important than ever for families to bond, husbands and wives to connect and for women to rejuvenate with their girlfriends - and all of that can be done by traveling or at least during a weekend getaway.

ABOUT Travelling Mamas:
TravelingMamas was created by four professional travel writers and moms: Jennifer Miner (MudslideMama), Shannon Lane (CajunMama), Kara Williams (MountainMama) and Beth Blair (DesertMama).

In 2007, the four of them were attending an industry event and got talking about how fortunate they were to be happily married with children and still have a life outside of the home (travel writing). Realizing that they had a sister-like chemistry and a lot of experiences, they decided to  start a blog to inspire moms to travel and remind them that life doesn't end with motherhood.

They created a platform to share, teach, encourage and assist other parents in enjoying life via travel, whether it is a family vacation, a weekend away with the husband or a fun girlfriend getaway.