Modern-day postcards Taking off to see the world requires planning, flexibility and, of course, a blog.(L&E, Suburban Life & Entertainment)

Byline: Jamie Sotonoff

jsotonoff@@dailyherald.com

First, Jason and Rachel Napoli quit their jobs. Then, they put their Chicago condo up for sale, moved their belongings into storage and hopped on a plane, beginning a 15-month, around-the- world backpacking trip that will wrap up in Naperville before the end of this year.

ABC7 producer Lisa Lubin of Chicago did the same thing, and graphic artist Megan Kearney just returned home to South Barrington from her second globe-trotting trip.

Then there's Randy Eccles and his fiancee, Sarah Phillips. They, too, quit their jobs, but it was so they could spend the summer driving across the U.S. to visit 62 small towns - some for an hour, some for a few days - in search of one they could call home.

All of these people are travelers, yes. But they have something else in common: They're all bloggers.

While it's not unusual for people to give up the rat race to feed the travel bug, it is new for people to blog about their adventures.

Blogs have become an easy way for travelers to communicate and share photos. All it takes is Internet access (with their own laptop, or a quick stop at an Internet cafe) and they can post stories and photos for family, friends and even strangers to view.

The Napolis' blog, for example, donkeycrossing.blogspot.com, is regularly read by a librarian in …