You’ve been yearning to travel to an exotic destination, but one burning question remains: Where should you go? Matador Network makes it a little easier to figure out, with a savvy blend of blog posts and slick videos. Feast your eyes on stunning aerial imagery of erupting volcanoes, snow-capped mountains, and impressive sports feats - including tightrope walking across mountains, somersaulting off cliffs, and climbing vertiginous mountains. The aim of each post is to inspire you to travel more and to realize that the world is, indeed, a safe place to explore – whether you are going solo or travelling in company. The stunning visuals celebrate the beauty of nature and the wonder of people. Travel is presented as a way to connect fully to others, enjoy the wonder of friendship, and discover your inner strength. “Throw off the bowlines, use those vacation days, pack up the team and plan an adventure to far-off lands,” says the blog founder. The introductory video itself is likely to tug at your heartstrings, but if you have a couple of hours to spare, flick through the rest of the site, which features an impressive number of articles covering so many destinations across the globe. The site has a strong trending focus, so it ensures that frequent readers are updated as to new developments in travel. It also features video series on everything from cooking to sport; more than a blog, it is almost like an entire channel!
The emotion-packed introductory video on this blog’s homepage is a must for anyone wondering why traveling is so important. As we grow up, notes founder, Anil Polat, we begin to take less risks, follow more rules, and protect our hearts, to avoid being hurt. He begs his audience to embrace adventure, movement, and the beauty of the unknown through travel, which he says is the only way we can once again experience ‘the big bang’. Ani has been to 90 countries thus far, and his blog is visually simple and organized enough for readers to find exactly what they are looking for. Click on any country – for instance, Australia – and you will find a clear list of topics, including where to stay in Sydney, cool places to eat, and photo galleries. Anil has a strong tech background, and every week, he offer tech and travel tips, letting his readers know of special deals on camera equipment and other handy computer and camera devices. The Blog section is a fun mishmash of cute animals, tech reviews, videos, and news and views on everything from accommodation to food.
Imagine traveling non-stop for 20 years straight, and sharing your highs, lows, and treasured pieces of advice online. This is just what Derek, ‘The Wandering Earl’ has done, after taking a three-month sabbatical to visit Asia and never actually going home! This blog covers Derek’s visits to over 100 countries, where he has worked, lived, traveled, and volunteered. From learning Spanish in Mexico to visiting war-torn areas like Syria, being kidnapped for three days, or acting on a Bollywood show, Derek has embraced risk, adventure, and new experiences, and his lust for life hasn’t ceased one iota. Because its content is so vast, this blog invites curious surfing at a leisurely pace. Click on the Blog section to check out Derek’s latest destinations, and once you have settled on one, take advantage of the tips offered in the Travel Resources section. Featuring everything from tips on budget flights to top airfare search tools, affordable places to stay, and even web hosting resources if you wish to start your own blog.
Considered one of the Top 10 Travel Influencers by Forbes, this blog is penned by husband-and-wife team Dave and Debra, who launched their website when on a 7,500-mile cycling adventure from Cairo to Cape Town. The blog has won a string of awards and been featured on everything from National Geographic to BBC World News and Lonely Planet and the main reason is undoubtedly the authenticity of the writing. This couple has been to an impressive list of countries that includes countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Central America, and more. The jewel of the site is, as you might expect, the Blog section. Make yourself a cup of tea and read through the couple’s adventures in enchanting medieval villages on the French Riviera, accompany them as they visit dramatic Game of Thrones filming locations, and enjoy their local’s guide to the city of Singapore. There is also a simple, uncluttered Resources section, featuring tips on tour companies, photography resources, accommodation, flights, necessary gear, and more. One of the most appealing parts of the blog is the Photos section. Check out a no less than impressive portfolio of professional-level images of jaw-dropping landscapes, exotic wildlife, and peoples of the world.
A shock of the color is the first thing you see when you click on this blog, which is the brainchild of a teacher-traveler who hails from Boston and whose passion for teaching is matched by her insatiable need to travel. Lillie gives in to her globetrotting cravings on school holidays, bringing the important lessons she learns abroad back home to the classroom when the school year starts. Lillie believes that travel opened her up to love and now, as a mom of two, she continues to visit destinations on her bucket list, telling us that although she engages in family travel often, she still relishes solo travel and recently worked alongside tourist boards in Curacao and Bonaire. Click on Locations to discover “a list of every place I’ve traveled to.” The list is updated often, so this is one blog to revisit every few months for fresh new information. Some of her travels involve teacher training tours, while others are purely for pleasure. Still others involve volunteering, travelling with students, and even enjoying a honeymoon. Families with young ones take note – Lillie also provides tips for traveling with a baby, and offers tips on cool places families can visit for next to nothing. Indeed, she has a whole section called Little Ones. Another section is called Local; Lillie lives in Boston and this section covers ideas for weekend vacations near Boston – with destinations including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut. The section Learning is ideal for culture vultures. It covers everything from street art right through to revitalization retreats.
‘A Man with a Limp Walks into a Bar’, ‘A Cleaning Lady Knows’ and ‘How to Survive a Shower Suicide’. These trending stories on Wes’ budget travel blog give readers just a tiny indication of the many hilarious and captivating stories they will find in this blog. Wes has experienced as many misadventures as adventures in his lifetime, and he’s got the photos to prove it. His penchant for making light of the sometimes tough, often surreal aspects of world travel make this blog required reading for anyone who enjoys well written anecdotes that reveal a gift for observation. Imagine knowing the time of day by the moment at which a huge elephant walks by you, or tucking into authentic Thai food while craving a burger. Sometimes, Wes’ stories take a serious turn; he does not shy away from the difficult societal problems he encounters, preferring to tell it like it is. In addition to a juicy blog section, he also has a gorgeous collection of travel photos. Finally, there are tips for budget chasers – everything from enjoying Thailand for a full month while spending a little over $200 in accommodation, to how to find cheap flight tickets to Sydney.
This blog harnesses the power of the collective, with posts written by a plethora of travelers. It has a simple design that will enable you to get straight to your destination, be it in Africa, Asia, Europe, North/South America, or Oceania. The content is varied and covers everything from backpacking by motorbike to dazzling stories behind some of the world’s most iconic sites. The wide array of entries means that regardless of which type of adventure you prefer (adventure/nature/gastronomic/cultural), you will find exactly what you’re looking for. Even if you have already settled on one country or continent, have a flick through other categories, which contain general tips of travel, including tips to overcome a fear of flying, how to get tickets to the Vienna State Opera, and crucial things to bear in mind if you are visiting Kaieteur Falls. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage and you will find various specific categories, including photos, videos, and diaries.
When Shannon O’Donnell founded A Little Adrift in 2008, her intention was simply to publish a travelogue – something that has transformed into a resource point “to motivate and encourage other travelers through stories, advice, and photography.” Shannon has come a long way since then, recently taking National Geographic’s Traveler of the Year award for her work in responsible tourism. Shannon’s blog is testimony to the importance of traveling the world responsibly, pitching in when you can, and making a positive difference to every country you visit. Some articles are destination focused, inspiring readers to visit and immerse themselves in nature and to meet and blend with other cultures. Others, however, ask readers important questions, such as ‘What Goes into a Sustainable Tourism Industry?’. Beautiful, life-changing stories abound, including a microfinance success story among women in Hanoi, Shannon’s experience in grassroots volunteering, and one particularly fabulous read: ‘How One Maasai Tribe is Changing the Face of Responsible Tourism’. Shannon also has a handy Resources section, featuring tips on how to afford travel, how to stay healthy and safe, and brands she relies upon and recommends.
The simple, practical nature of this well crafted blog is testimony to founder Keith Jenkins’ background in corporate and investment banking. Keith has a fascinating story which he relays in Velvet Escape. He explains that despite being essentially dissatisfied with where his life was going, it wasn’t until the 2008 collapse of the financial sector that he decided to cut his losses and take a totally new direction in life – that of travel. The blog is divided into three main sections: the Blog, Destinations, and Travel Planning. The clear, simple layout belies a wealth of information as well as beautiful stories and reflections on what makes the writer so happy when he travels. The Destinations section covers most continents, with entries as interesting as ‘A short hop to Anguila’, ‘Explore the Philippines Underwater’, and ‘Nature, Gourmet Cuisine, and Luxury in Greece’. Even if you are a budget travel, a bit of pampering appeals once in a while, and Keith suggests some of the best ways to treat yourself. The Travel Planning section is short but sweet. It includes advice on finding accommodation, airport transfers, roaming plans, etc. Travel may be the ultimate sojourn into freedom but it is vital to keep your feet on the ground as well – and, of course, to stay connected with your loved ones back home.
As We Travel aims to offer readers “the latest travel advice, clutter-free city guides, and HD travel videos from around the world.” The majority of destinations are located in Europe, North America, and Asia, and there is an entire section on Thailand that includes fascinating entries like ‘How to Enjoy Thailand without Visiting the Beach’, ‘Thailand Medical Tourism’ and ‘Experience Mysterious Thailand with a Local’. The Blog section offers practical tips on aspects like money exchange, earning money while travelling, and useful credit cards for travel. The Travel Gear section, meanwhile, provides readers with a useful checklist that includes making arrangements for mail, purchasing local SIM cards, investing in a good VPN service, and the like. Entries in the blog section are highly varied in nature, so be prepared to scroll down to chance upon interesting content on everything from catching Europe’s most scenic views on a train journey, right through to exploring the Cotswolds on food – or Barcelona by car!
One look at this eye-catching blog makes evident from the start that is was founded by a professional web designer (in this case, Mike Richard, who hails from Rhode Island). Mike describes himself as a “travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, hiking, and seeing the world.” His life may involve non-stop movement, but his blog is as slick as they come. It exudes professionalism from its design to its writing, with a welcome structure that makes it easy to scroll through, whether you are on a mobile phone or a laptop. Vagabondish features offbeat backpacking adventures, news, advice, and stories from around the world. The content is dynamic, with new features posted every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and new sidelines, news, and photos of the moment from Monday to Friday. Click on the Features section to get a good idea of the quality of the writing. Top entries include ‘Why Everyone Should Travel Solo… Sometimes’, ‘How to Travel Long-Term with a Companion (Without Killing Each Other)’ and ‘Grown-Ups are Stupid! How to Travel + See the World Like a Child’. Of course if you want to get straight to specific destinations, check out the handy travel guides on the best places to eat, drink, and enjoy adventures like locals. The blog has a strong tech focus, with many entries on must-have gear and photography accessories.
Have you ever dreamed of selling everything you own, packing your bags, and heading for the great unknown? This is exactly what Simon and Erin – the couple who founded this blog – decided to do in 2010. They carry just one carry-on-size backpack each and nothing else, living as ‘digital nomads’ and earning a living by creating apps for fellow travelers. The joie de vivre that is evident in their smiles is a big open invitation to follow suit and book a flight anywhere, even if it is for a limited time. Erin and Simon share their philosophy on life with their readers, in addition to providing top tips on destinations, travel tips, and gear. “We are slow travelers. We value experiences over sights,” they say, something they achieve by connecting with locals through their gastronomy and culture. This manifesto can be put into practise regardless of whether you are taking a week-long or endless backpacking adventure. The destination list is vast, covering just about any country you can think of, and the information is detailed. Click on Namibia, for instance, and you will find various, beautifully illustrated on entries on subjects like road trips, first impressions, and the cost of traveling to this destination.